Museum für Gestaltung

It's been a little bit since we've checked out a museum around town. I guess that's what happens when there is a drought of visitors coming every couple weeks. We met up with a couple expat friends yesterday at the Museum für Gestaltung (aka Museum of Design) to check out the Global Design and Paradise Switzerland exhibitions.

You have probably seen the "Paradies Schweiz" posters strung up all over town and if you haven't yet, you are sure to now. This exhibit was right up Josh's alley for sure. Old posters dating back to the early 1900's, ranging from travel centric to farm girls and safe sex. Lots of color. Vintage. Illustration-y. I am awesome at descriptions. Very cool collection.

Now, the Global Design exhibit is up for interpretation. The highlight for me was learning about the "One Laptop per Child" (OLPC) effort.

The OLPC's mission "...is to provide educational opportunities for the world's poorest children by giving each child a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop; and software tools and content designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning."

Take a minute and learn more about what you can do for this effort.

 So, even though I didn't quite get the significance of the Yooji's sushi train setup or the IKEA living room floor model, I would still say I left feeling inspired. Two thumbs up for some culture. Still on the list is the Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Monet exhibit over at the Kunsthaus. Anyone been yet?

Zeughauskeller

Looking for a solid Swiss restaurant to take family and friends to when they are visiting you? A must stop on the Peterthal Zurich tour is dinner at Zeughauskeller, an old armoury turned beer restaurant. Everyone needs a little rösti in their belly before leaving us.

The reason for rösti being on the brain was that this past weekend, Josh and I did a little catching up with the Zeug. We must have been going here at least once a week when all the family was visiting around the holidays. It has taken a couple months, but my stomach has finally given me the go ahead for another round at Zeughauskeller.

Couple of key take home notes about eating here.

• First know that reservations are very handy to have at this restaurant, but not required. We have actually been told they are booked for the night, but to just come in early (around 6pm) and they should be able to squeeze you in. 
• Check out their specialty menu. You really can't go wrong with anything on this list. Still never ventured to get the meter-weiner. Scary. But, I get the Kalbgeschnetzeltes - Zuri style with rösti every time and Josh and my brother have split the Bergermeister Hans Waldmann Sword (steak on a sword).
• You have to try the Zeughauskeller Eidgenoss at least once. This is a flaming beer they make right at the table. The actually have a bottle labeled "Feuerwasser". Who knows what it really is. I wouldn't say it's anything I would order again, but a good story to tell.
• There menu comes in something like 10 languages. Some random trivia for ya.

And, in case you are too chicken to order the Eidgenoss "flaming beer", here's a couple videos detailing my experience. Bon appetit!

Grand Archives

Photo by Hafenkneipe-zh.ch.

Coming from "The Live Music Capital of the World", Austin, TX, it seems only fitting to check out the music scene here in Zurich. Is it cheating that we saw a Seattle-based band? We got a solid recommendation from our music-guru friend, Marc (yes, the Marc that visited us over New Years). He described the Grand Archives as a mix between Band of Horses (one of my favs), My Morning Jacket (one of Josh's favs), and The Flaming Lips (a lot of people's fav). Can't go wrong with that description.

Pretty straight forward. Buy a couple tickets. Go to show. But, you know with me there is always a story. The night almost didn't happen. Josh of course had a meeting that wasn't supposed to be done until 8pm. Ok. Not too much of an issue. The band goes on at 8:30pm. Hopefully the venue wouldn't be too packed and we could still squeeze in. Well, at 8pm guess who I hear from. Joshua saying his team hadn't even presented yet. Argh...Google...Marissa...why do you always get in my way of having a good time?

Now it is 8:20pm (it takes at least 20 minutes to get to the venue from our flat). Josh leaves me one quick AIM note saying "meet me in 10 minutes". Ummm...where? Now you see where I am going.

We both end up running all over town in the freezing cold trying to find each other. Mind you, Josh's phone is of course dead. I think Josh remembers to meet me over at Schmiede Wiedikon tram stop, but not sure he knows how to get there. He thinks I might meet him at Maneeseplatz bus stop. I start to wonder if he meant to meet him at Google because I don't think he knows where the band is even playing. It was one big cluster. We both basically made circles around one another finally seeing each other at the tram stop next to the show venue.

I jump off my tram to run over to him just in time to see him get on the tram to go back home. I start banging on the window, he sees me, tries to get off, but he is stuck going to the next stop. Eventually he makes his way back to me and we get to see the last two songs of the show. What a mess.

From the small amount of music I got to hear, I can say I wish I had seen the whole show. They didn't disappoint. And, Hafenkneipe reminds me of Emo's back in Austin. Dug it for sure. Maybe we will meet again back in the States. Check out their music if you are looking for a little something new.

Black Tie Parade

You know when you go to the zoo there are certain animals everyone wants to see first. The lions. The tigers. The monkeys. And, at the top of the list is always the penguins! During the winter months, the Zurich Zoo features a Penguin Parade. Each day at 1:30pm, as long as the weather is below 10 degrees Celsius, they let a bunch of their penguin fleet free. They wobble right out the gate and head to their photo shoot location...and all the while, you can walk right next to them.

Who would have thought they could get any cuter than they already are. But, when you can almost reach out and touch them (I would have if they would have let me), it is a whole other feeling. I am such a sucker for these guys. I need to start pushing Josh again on that trip to Antarctica I still want to take.


Check out the video above. A definite winter highlight in Zurich.

Quiet House

Just got back from the airport, dropping off my brother and family for their long trek back to Kansas. I was never one to get sentimental when people would come to visit, but either I am just getting wimpy in my old age or living half way across the world brings out the sap inside of me.

The last 12 days have been some of the best so far over here. With my 3-year old nephew being here we got to do some cool kid stuff around Switzerland. I wanted to give you a quick rundown of whats been keeping us busy this last week or so. Lots of ideas for any of you expats with family coming to visit over the holidays. Detailed blog posts will be coming over the next couple of days until our next guest arrives on Friday.

Day 1: Adjust to time change. Buy Snow 'N Rail passes.
Day 2: Zoological Museum.

Day 3: Luzern day trip. Rösti lunch. Verkehrshaus (Transportation) Museum and IMAX Theater.
Day 4: Google tour. Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, and Fussball tournament. Fondue in Kusnacht.
Day 5: Zurich zoo and the penguin parade.

Day 6: Ice skating at Heuried Ice Complex.
Day 7: Hausfrau day. Stroll through Old Town. Traditional Swiss dinner at Zeughauskeller.

Day 8 and 9: Zermatt ski trip.
Day 10: Recovery.
Day 11: Uetliberg.
Day 12: Pack bags and head to the Flughafen.

Are you as exhausted as I am just from reading this list as I am from doing all these things? Along with all of these adventures there were enough train, tram, and bus rides to keep Drew happy until his next trip to Zurich...hopefully.

Take a look at some of Dave's, Josh's, and my pictures from this week. More to come...as always!

American Mommy in Zurich - Letter Two

Nothing like a Week 2 letter appearing at the start of Week 4. All I can say is that she is a Luskey and for her...this is right on schedule.

Grüezi!

I am working on at least pronouncing the German words correctly. Not an easy language....but learning some of the words that are used over and over again - like Gleis (platform as in train platform) and verbotten (forbidden)! Deb has me starting with counting from one to ten. (That actually helped me know how much my latte was at the museum. Didn't have to ask her to speak in English.) Baby steps...now if I could understand what's HIGH German and what's SWISS German.

Another big week in my adventures in Zurich/Switzerland/Europe. Josh's mom Pam was also here so the Peterthals had TWO mommies to deal with. Lucky Deb and Josh!!

So many interesting events this week. As I read my notes, I see a theme here - FOOD! It just turned out that way this week. Food and TRAVEL!!  Lots of travel - and lots of new foods to taste. It's more than just the food, though - it's a way to really absorb the culture - and the calories. Everything here seems to either have milk, butter and/or cream - but made with milk from "happy" cows. Oh, yeah, potatoes are also very big here.

On Saturday, we went to ExpoVina (12 ships docked in Lake Zurich) with wine tasting from all over the world. $20 to get in and all the wine you wanted!! I had water and a Diet Coke!! But I also split a Swiss "cheese pie" called Chäschüechli. I think that means little cheese pie. After going from boat to boat, we went to some friends' house for Mac n Cheese!

On Sunday after a run/walk on the Sihl River, we all went to Korperwelten, the "Body Worlds" exhibit (since almost nothing is open here on Sundays). Really interesting and so much fun to read all about the workings of our bodies in either German or French. Again, my French came in handy but it must have taken me at least an hour longer than it should have because of my time needed to translate. They just don't teach you the words for "stroke" or "menopause" in French class. Dinner was as Swiss as you could get - Zeughauskeller for Kalbsgeschnetzeltes (sliced veal and mushrooms in a creamy white wine sauce) served over rösti (like incredible hash browns), kind of. I had spinach and ricotta tortellini (not too many vegetarian choices on the menu).

On Monday, we all (Stella included - Switzerland is VERY dog-friendly) bundled up and headed to the tram to go to St. Gallen and Appenzell for the day. We got to the tram and Stella, even in her nice warm jacket, started shaking and shivering so Deb stayed home with her and Josh took both of the mommies for a day trip. I told Deb it wasn't nice of her to get Stella all wet to make her shiver - she could have just told us that she didn't want to go! St. Gallen was nice - didn't really have much time there. But Appenzell was just so very charming - as my Dave described it, right off the Swiss Mix box! This is the Switzerland that everyone envisions. But it was eerily quiet as we walked along trying to find Hotel Traube for their famous mac n cheese. It finally hit us that no one was out and about and everything was closed so I guess Appenzell shuts down on Sundays AND Mondays. We found a place for coffee and after finding a cheese shop and sampling a few (and buying three), we found a Bäckerei that was open. We ordered Käse Zweibelkuchen (cheese/onion quiche) and grün salat (green salad) and wonderful Warme Schokolade (hot, actually warm, chocolate) and latte macchiatos. And to top it off, we had to have some of their special lebkuchen (gingerbread with almond filling) and apfelkuchen. We scoured the few stores that were open for a cow bell (read Deb's account of the cow bells) and then boarded a train and then another train to return back to Zurich. Great day. BEAUTIFUL part of Switzerland. Thank you, Josh, for being such a patient son/son-in-law.

Tuesday was shopping on Bahnhofstrasse, the Rodeo Drive of Zurich. However, we shopped at H & M!!! Chinese food for lunch in the basement of Jelmoli again. Then Pam and I went on our own on the bus to the grocery and electronics stores and then back to Deb and Josh's. Made it without any incidences! Figured out what I needed and how to get it and pay for it and then get back home! Just like an old pro. The transit system here is so amazing. You can get almost anywhere in such a short time. The interesting part is that it's all on the honor system but you better have your pass on you just in case. Back at the apartment, Pam made Toll House cookies with her smuggled-in chocolate chips and the new hand mixer we had bought. We killed the hand mixer -what does Daewoo know about mixing cookies?? Deb took it back and told the clerk that "Ist kaputt!"

Wednesday, Hausfrau Day for Deb. Laundry day. So I took over as the tour guide for the day. My first true test of my knowledge of the city and how to get around. We met Josh at Google and he walked us to the train station and saw us off. We took the S4 to Selnau and then changed to the S10 for Uetliberg. Piece of cake - except the S10 only went as far as Triemli. So we got off and waited for the next S10 to continue up to Uetliberg. We had been waiting for a clear day because from Uetliberg, you can see all of Zurich. It was really gorgeous. After that, we took the train back to the main train station (the HB) and walked down Bahnhofstrasse and through winding little streets in Old Town to see the Chagall stained glass windows at Frau Münster. They are beautiful and we had to take advantage of the sunny day. I found our way to "the best bratwurst stand" in Zurich and we ate with the locals. Back to Bellevue and we took the tram to the Kunsthaus (Art Museum). Then back on the trams to the apartment. I had done it! Gotten us there and back and everywhere in between. If you can read a time schedule and system map, you can figure everything out. Luckily, I can do that. Back to home and clean clothes!

Thursday was Google lunch (#3 or #4??) and then the grocery store and then Pam made her famous veggie lasagna. Google had a special "Daughter's lunch menu" so we had fish sticks, hot dogs, spaghetti - very cute to see some of the daughters there for lunch with dad/mom.  We took Pam to Freitag to buy a bag made out of all recycled materials - truck tarps, seatbelts, and tire tubes. Cool place. We also went to a great little funky antique shop with the coolest old giant clock from a train station. Deb is trying to figure out how to get it home and wired in the States. All four of us went to the Opernhaus that night for the opera "Madama Butterfly". What a treat. The opera house was built in 1891 and is as you would imagine it - ornate and beautiful (but not designed to see very well from every seat we found out). Imagine it - being at the Opera in Switzerland watching an opera set in Japan about an American soldier and sung in Italian with German subtitles!!! I had advised Deb to read the synopsis before we went - that was very good advice!!

Friday the 13th, Josh took off another day from work for another day trip. We started the day with Pam making us Swedish pancakes! All we needed were fresh lingonberries. Again all of us set off (Stella included) for Luzern and then on another small train for Alpnachstad. We bought tickets to ride the steepest cogwheel train in the world and went from 1450 ft. to 7000 ft at a 48% incline. Read Deb's blog for comments and pictures. Stella did great until her feet got wet in the ice. So Deb and I headed in for lunch. What did she have?? You guessed it - mac n cheese with a twist, called Alpine Macaroni (mac, cheese, potatoes). I had the first of many bowls of suppe in Switzerland. The soups are wonderful and after looking up some of the recipes, I found out why - cream and butter!! Very funny that our train was five minutes late and Deb started going crazy!! I guess she has become more "Swiss" than she thinks. That evening we met a bunch of Deb and Josh's friends to celebrate their anniversary - at a Japanese restaurant having "syabu syabu".

Back to Zurich just in time to pack for a weekend in Munich!! Week 3 update coming soon (we leave for Prague tomorrow morning for four days). Tschuss!

*Stephen (aka Dad) has decided to blog a response to my letters, sometimes even before I write the letter! Read his responses at http://stephenrosenthal.blogspot.com/

 

Fountain of Youth?

On my way to visit Josh (and probably grab a free lunch) at his work, I always walk past this fountain in the parking lot. I realize there are a bunch of fountains all over Zurich, but this one is different. No matter what time of day or what day of the week, there will be cars lined up waiting to get their turn at filling up their car full of empty bottles with this precious water. No joke. People go crazy for this stuff. And, I am not talking about one bottle or two. They brings crates of bottles.

At first we just figured it was the restaurants refilling their bottled water that they resell for 5 CHF instead of letting you drink tap water. Come to find out there is actually a special spring below this fountain. The water has a very different taste than the bottled water here. I tried it (of course) and it just tasted very mineraly.

What's all the excitement for? Just made me think of all the reasons we purify our water.

Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

The street vendors are smart here. Right when the weather starts to change and become colder, the ice cream carts suddenly changed into "Heisse Marroni" stands overnight. The gelato stands are only a faint memory now. It seems like on every corner there is this cute, little stand with one man in charge of cooking the nuts and the other taking care of the crowds. You would think they were giving away gold at these places, but no...just "hot chestnuts".

I have been telling myself, "I have to try these. I have to try these. Next time I see a stand, I will grab a quick 100 grams just to try them". It's just something you should do when living here, right? I have read other blogs talking about their love of the Marroni and all the different forms it comes in. If just the nuts weren't enough for you, a lot of restaurants have these strange-looking desserts with chestnut spaghetti noodle thingys on top of a pie crust or just served up in a bowl like a sundae, even with the whipped cream on top.

I have to tell you, the Marroni is not for me. I was out and about with my mom the other day. We stumble upon one of these stands. We are both so excited to actually taste these things. We order our hundert grams, peel off the shell, and take a bite. It has sort of this mushy texture, not really a nut flavor or any real flavor for that matter. There was just not much going on with these nuts. Plenty of other things I would rather be spending my time eating for sure. People here do say it is an acquired taste and that it grows on you. I think you start liking them when you have stopped remembering how good bbq and queso taste. And, believe me...I am not there yet.

Scottish Pubbing

We decided to break away from our homebody mentality and meet up with some friends last week at the Bonnie Prince Pub in the Niederdorf section of Zurich. I was excited to check out the selection of Scottish beers and Scotch on tap. The ambiance was definitely inviting. The low-lit pub is decorated with red velvet walls, a plaid wallpapered bar, antique style tables and chairs all tucked in closely to one another -- topped off with the light sounds of Iron Maiden being played in the background.

Beers were a flowin'. I blame the cold weather. Nothing wrong with warming up from the inside out, right? Try the Northern Light for a little fruity, lager flavor or the Old English Oil for a darker, more filling beer.

And, of course you have to try the whiskey. I had never seen a row of whiskey bottles on tap before. I am a complete novice when it comes to this hard stuff. I went with a single malt, medium peaty choice of Glenkinchie (12 years old). You get your fancy glass of scotch, a side glass of water, and even a pipet. I learned how adding water brings out the true flavors of the scotch. Who knew? I just thought it was cool having tools for the drinking process.

All I have to say...for a good time, all you need is a little plaid and whiskey.

College Football Night in Zurich

The REAL football season has started back in the States and Josh and I are scrambling trying to figure out our best option for watching games. This might just be the hardest, and most important, problem we have faced so far. Luckily, our ex-pat friends from Atlanta are also feeling the pain and went the extra mile tracking down American bars that would be showing a game or two.

So far it looks like there are only two bars brave enough to broadcast some ESPN here. However, Swiss soccer trumps all other forms of sports. Wow. My true colors are showing. Did I really just say soccer when referring to EU fussball? Good thing only ex-pats and family read this blog.

Are you chomping at the bit in anticipation of where we went? I don't know if I can even bring myself to tell you. I blame it all on Switzerland. There is no way we would have gone here if we were back in the States. It is so embarrassing...but, so necessary. We even had to make a reservation.

Ok. I am just going to say it. We went to HOOTERS. And, more surprisingly the place with packed. Look what Switzerland is forcing me to become -- the things I will do for a little football. Kristi and I had to be the only girls in there that weren't wearing tiny white tanks, teeny orange shorts, and 80's legwarmer-looking socks.

Hopefully you are getting a feel for the beautiful ambiance. After the soccer game ended (the Swiss won if you were curious) and David's cries for Georgia football were finally answered, we got to watch a little ball. It almost felt like our own bar. The rest of the bar filtered out and only a few stayed but weren't paying any attention to the screens anymore. What a weird sensation. College football without an entire bar grunting and groaning in unison. We got loud and obnoxious, cheering and booing, enjoying every minute of our time at the H.

Here's David doing a little Bulldog cheer or more making fun of me doing his "woof woof" chant.

And, Kristi sporting the Georgia black and red in true Bulldog fashion. Needless to say, good times were had by all. We did only get to see about half of the game since we had to catch the last bus at midnight. But, for all the effort spent researching where we could watch the game, calling for reservations, and taking one for the team by ordering scary hot wings...we thank you Kristi and David. Let's not go here again!

SICK 'EM, WOOF! WOOF!

BADness

I am still trying to figure out the excitement surrounding these "Baderhäuser" here in Zurich. There are bath houses all along the Zurichsee and Limmat River. We walk by them constantly, occasionally poking our heads in and around the trees to catch a glimpse of exactly why people come here. Instead of continuing this guessing game, we decided to join some friends and experience Seebad Enge first hand -- our neighborhood "Bad".

Let me try to set the scene a bit. We show up at the bath house, pay our 6 CHF and enter the co-ed bath. There is also a "Frauenbad" that is only for women on the other side, which is a whole other post that I will save for a rainy day (however, I am not sure those pictures are blog appropriate). We make our way in to see what big party awaits behind that concrete wall only to find people doing what you can do for free in the grass or on the pier right next to the bath house. I am being a bit harsh, but this only perked my curiosity more to figure why the obsession with these places.

There was a smaller semi-shaded area away from the lake, next to the bar that was lined with people. We luckily wedged in with some locals next to the bath. Notice how no one is actually in this water. Also another question of mine.

Everyone was either laying out, catching some rays or taking quick dips in the lake. After having a little glass of Prosecco, I finally had enough liquid courage to venture out into the water. I figure it is just one of those things you have to do when you are here. As I walked over to the edge, I realized that there could be no screaming. Swiss are so used to the water temps and it was so quiet in the bath house. I was just going to have to jump in fast and keep my mouth closed. I was literally in the water for maybe 45 seconds before I jumped back out. Let's just say it wasn't the warmest water I have ever been in. That's for sure. But, at least now I can say I did it.

I do have to admit it is a beautiful spot on the lake. Sailboats cruising around, kids riding the paddle boats, huge fountain in the background...not too shabby. I have also heard rumors about a sweet sauna over on the Frauenbad side that I may have to check out in the winter. Even though I jest a lot, this is something to experience at least once. It may not answer that underlying question of "Why?" and it may even stir up some new quandaries, still just something you have to do. My next experience with these baths is going to have to be at night someday soon before it gets too cold. Some of these bath houses turn into little clubs at night, all lit up with twinkly lights. Just another thing to add to the list.

Hiking the 'berg

We have this amazing view of Uetliberg from our balcony and have been curious about the trails leading up to the top of the mountain. When I was back in the States not too long ago, Josh ventured out and found the path to the top. We woke up this past Sunday morning, the sun was shining, a little chill in the air, so we packed up our camelbacks, strapped on the hiking boots, grabbed the cameras, and headed out.

We made our way down the hill, over the Sihl river, and through what we like to call "Zurich Town Lake".

Into the forest and through the woods...isn't that how it goes?

There were plenty of stops for water along the way. Stella just hopped right up there. She has become very used to the number of water fountain around the city and especially the secret-ninja doggy fountains usually attached.

We hiked for a little over two hours and ascended 1500 ft to finally reach the top. Even though we have been here before (by train previously), it was a beautiful site to see. Uetliberg overlooks all of Zurich. There were also a bunch of people out paragliding and hang gliding. How awesome is that? Just another thing to add to my "must do list" before we move back.

Now the question is, how do I get this view?

Limmatschwimmen

There is a beautiful river that flows through the center of Zurich, right through Old Town, called the Limmat. From what I have heard, this river has a serious current and people aren't normally allowed to swim here. Very dangerous. But, once a year the waters are opened to the public for the Limmatschwimmen.

Josh and I went down to take pictures and to see exactly what this Limmatschwimmen entails. I was envisioning something along the lines of the Salt River in Arizona. A ton of people, drinking beers, relaxing in their intertubes, and taking in the rays -- occasionally with people diving off cliffs foolishly. One big party basically. Oh, but this is Switzerland and everything has rules. It makes me laugh.

Instead of there being hundreds of people in the river at once, they were only letting a small number of people in at a time. And, instead of beers and intertubes, there were inflatable duckys and boats with lifeguards. Very different than my past experiences. Even without all the craziness, it looked like something we should be a part of. As we were trying to figure out the schematics of how we were exactly going to do this schwimmen, like where do you keep your dry clothes for when you are done, is there a bus or something that takes you back to the beginning, how much money does it cost, etc., we noticed the crowd of people by the start of the swim.

The line just kept going and going. I guess we weren't the only ones thinking floating down the Limmat in 90 degree weather was a good idea. We decided to skip out on the actual schwimmen and save this event for next year. Come to find out, I heard that tickets were already sold out before that day. So, thank goodness we didn't end up waiting in line.

Zooh! - Part Zwei

...continued from Part Eins

Can anyone guess how much an elephant wee-wees in a day? Thought I would throw in some useless trivia for your next formal social engagement.

A little visual representation to help you out...

Can't compete with that. You go, elephants!

Saggy-humped camels. Another first. Guess these camels aren't hurting for water.

Petting zoo for the youngsters. I think Stella would fit in pretty well with this crowd.

Oh wait. Those are the 'rents. They also fit in pretty well with this part of the Zoo.

Quick tour of the rain forest. Smells like mold, but pretty. Guessing this is a black orchid. Unreal.

My only criticisms have to be about the lions and the tigers. Notice I didn't have any pictures posted? The lions and tigers here must be super-duper mean. You can't even get close enough to really see them. These animals are a big part of why people come to the zoo. It was a little bit of a let down, but overall I loved it. Highly recommend.

Had to end on a high note with my loner penguin. He was just chillin' by himself in the corner looking at the fake sun. What can compete with that?