Zoom, Zoom, Zoom

I remember having to sell our cars before we left for Switzerland. It felt like having to give up my right arm almost. Who cares about selling the furniture or even leasing out the house to some stranger. It was selling my car that got to me. Now mind you, I had a pretty sweet ride.

"Blue". My Mini Cooper S Convertible, hyper-blue with white racing stripes, chrome accents, matching blue dashboard and stick, bought as a semi- getting married gift...my dream car. There is still a part of me that misses that car, probably always will be.

But, it's amazing how quickly you adapt to your surroundings. And, now it's the trains, trams, and buses that I am missing.

These first couple weeks back in Austin have been filled with emptying boxes, scarfing down as much bbq and queso as possible, catching up with friends, and visiting every car dealership in town. Jeep. Subaru. Toyota. Nissan. GMC. Volkswagen. Audi. You name it, we've been there. Talked to more idiot car salesmen than anyone should ever have to do. Test drove about a dozen cars. And, finally...

I BOUGHT A NEW CAR!!!

I decided to go all American-style and get a car that could run over your car (or should I be saying a "truck" that could run over your car). Isn't she a beauty? You should be proud of us. We actually made the sensible, non-sensible choice.

Home Sweet Home

Photo by kristinbradley.

We made it! After a long few days finishing up the apartment details in Zurich, I packed it in and followed the rest of the family back to Austin. I promise to share all the tid-bits related to the apartment handover/cleaning/shipping experience, but wanted everyone to know we are back home -- safe and sound -- and loving it.

It does feel a little weird to be back though. The initial shock of moving back into our house (for the second time, once after California and now after Zurich) was a bit to take in. It all just felt too easy once I got here. The same furniture, the same dishes, the same pictures...all in the same spots. It's almost like deja vu, but yet this really has happened before. It's comforting, but strange...you know?

Then when it came to seeing friends again, it felt just like old times, like no time had past. Heading to Curra's and Uchi just felt normal. Everything felt right. We were back in Austin and I felt like we had made the right decision. I realize there won't be those quick, spontaneous trips over to Germany for the week (like our last weekend in Zurich), but I feel like this is where we are supposed to be.

With everything fitting into place and with this whole Zen-vibe coming over me, there are still plenty of things that are weirding me out. Living in a different country definitely changes you. For example, my first trip to Target was the other day. I have never had anyone ask me if I needed help because I know this place like the back of my hand. We are tight. But, I was asked by two employees if I needed help looking for something. I must have looked like a deer in headlights just trying to decide which sponge to buy. There are like 50 kinds. So, now I go from standing in an aisle at the COOP trying to figure out the German labels when there are only two kinds to pick from to standing in front of a whole aisle full of sponges wondering which one will do the best job for the least amount of money. Way too many options.

I wonder how I would do in a Costco. Oh geez.

And, visiting Central Market was a trip. Again another spot I have spent a lot of time at before moving. But, this time we came back with clearer eyes. The way we look at food is totally different. I would say we have always been conscious about the food we buy, but after living in Switzerland where there isn't very much processed food around and all the meats and dairy are at such a higher level, we struggled finding which milk to buy or which eggs. I feel like even the things we think are "healthy" over here might not be.

Ugh. And, having to buy cheese over here. So much more expensive. We are such Swiss cheese snobs now (and Prosecco snobs). I love it. We had a whole long conversation with the cheese man about the Appenzellar Extra and Gruyere. It was awesome.

So much more to tell you all about. Now that we have internet connected at the house, blogging should be much easier. There are still a few more Peterthals in Zurich posts to come to wrap everything up and then don't be surprised to see a shift to Peterthals in Austin. Our adventure isn't over by any means.

Missing all my Switzerland peeps, but loving being back. Can't you all just come visit already?

Moving Right Along

It's almost like I have done this one too many times before.

Put Josh on a tram this morning headed to the airport. Actually, I put Josh and his two large suitcases, one roller carry on, and his laptop bag on a tram this morning. I have no idea how he made it through HB and onto the train with all that hanging on him, but I better get creative because I will be in those same shoes very soon.

Next the Brockenhaus guys came to pick up the furniture to be donated. It was almost like a tornado came whizzing through here in the hour it took them to tear apart and load everything. Super schnell. The only thing that slowed them down was the time it took them to roll their eyes at me and ask me to wipe all the dog hair off our bed frame and from the back of the couch. Please. Nobody sees that anyway. Guess that Swiss clean thing didn't rub off on me.

Then I got to spend the next six-hours pulling weeds out from in between stones on our balcony. Oh yeah...and I'm not done. I learned that this isn't included in the grand I am paying for the cleaners to ONLY clean the apartment. This is considered to be yard work and not part of the cleaning package deal. Lesson learned. Make sure to ask. I will be now be spending tonight and tomorrow finishing the rest of our 80 m2 balcony. I guess it's just the price we have to pay.

Other than that, the guest room is filled with all the things to get packed and shipped off tomorrow. Stella's crate is all stickered-up and paperwork signed for her early morning VIP departure. And, then there is just me to get back to Austin. If I can survive the next 48 hours, I deserve a medal. Wish me luck.

Oh...and, if anyone has ideas on what I can make for dinner with some canned tuna, spaghetti (but no pot), muesli, some flour, and a bag of tea...you just let me know.

Flight View

Here's the pic I promised yesterday from our trip back from Barcelona. Not too shabby. I swear one of those peaks is the Matterhorn. There's only so much you can do with a photo taken out of a small airplane window from 30,000 ft overhead.

Checkered Flag

It looks like we are about to round the final corner of our European adventure. We have less than a week left here in Switzerland. The final t's have been crossed and i's dotted (for the most part, at least). We took our last weekend excursion up and around Bavaria and spent the last four days in Barcelona. Nothing like ending on a high note -- Peterthal style. Now it's down to the last nitty gritty's and we are outta here (insert frown here).

I have gone back and forth with whether we are making the right decision packing it in and heading back to the States. I don't feel like we are tucking our tail between our legs by any means, but it's just hard to see what we might be giving up by leaving or what we are potentially gaining by going home.

Last night when we were flying back from Barcelona with the ridiculously beautiful sunset over the Matterhorn out our window (I realize you are expecting a stellar sunset picture...which we have...but haven't made the editing cut with all the other pictures), I had a hard time keeping my emotions in check. I started thinking about all the places we have been, all the people we have met, all the memories we have made, and how all this probably never would have happened without Google sort-of forcing us into the decision to move here.

It makes ya think.

These damn tears. I swear something happens as you get older. Your tear ducts age faster and get flabby or something. I am not pulling out the tissues yet. Plenty still to come. Going away party on Saturday and World Cup extravaganza this Sunday.

...then you will be guaranteed to find me curled up in a corner with my head in a box of Kleenex.

Graubunden Railriding

Put down that computer. Stop making cancellation calls. No more furniture pick up. Forget about all the junk strewn around the house and...

GO EXPLORE MORE SWITZERLAND!

You hear people say it often, but once you get in that moving mode, head down - blinders on, you forget why you came here in the first place -- to see as much of Europe as possible before having to go back to real life. Luckily, my husband has no problem putting all the dirty work aside to take off and play in the mountains for a day.

This past weekend was absolutely the best...but our trip on Sunday takes the cake. Imagine cruising through the greenest valleys, with mega amounts of wildflowers,  alongside ice-blue colored rivers, with mountains lining the fields that shoot straight out and up for miles, with the bluest sky, fluffy clouds, all while you are riding in an open-air train.

There is a RailRider train that heads out of Chur every Sunday from now until the end of August. It takes you through the Graubunden area in East Switzerland. Basically there are three extra compartments attached to the regular train without tops. It kicks the Glacier Express to the curb. Who wants to sit behind windows, that just gives you glare when trying to take pictures, when you could have this? And, crazy enough there was barely anyone doing this.

Things to note. The website talks about needing reservations ahead of time, but we are idiots and couldn't figure out how to do this. Maybe we lucked out that no one was there, but all we had to do was buy a regular ticket from Chur to Preda and then you pay the extra CHF 10 when you get on the train. You may want to bring a hoodie because it gets a little chilly when going through the tunnels. And, if anyone is scared of the dark...be aware that you will go through some tunnels where you can't see anything. It is so pitched black you can't see the person sitting in front of you.

Now, the main reasons we went were to see these crazy huge aquifers and the fact that Josh still hadn't been out to this intensely beautiful area of Switzerland. It did not disappoint. Once we got to Preda we double-back on foot to the town of Bergün. You walk in and out of forests, over and around waterfalls, and along the foot of these aquifers. We definitely went the right way on this hike. It was pretty much all downhill from Preda to Bergün. It probably would have been a much different experience if we had gone the other way. I was wondering why the guy was huffing and puffing coming the opposite direction when we first started on the trail. We figured it out quickly.

After a couple of hours walking and a couple thousands pictures, we grabbed a needed bite to eat at the first place we saw. Took in the views and then headed to the Bahnhof to make our way back to the city.

"Stella"r day trip!

Swiss-Red Tape: Deregistration, Pet Relocation, and Furniture Donation

Photo by hans s'.

Ever seen a chicken running around with its' head chop off. Well, that's me at this point! Maybe it's worse because my husband is the calmest person alive, while I am always the stressed out one with every little detail continuously circling inside my head. Just maybe that's why I get so nuts every time we move. But, with that said, things are progressing along.

Let me start by saying some very good things have happened since the last post. We have approved renters for our apartment! Woo-hoo! And, that means tickets for Barcelona have been purchased. Double woo-hoo! We have also picked our shipping company and we learned they basically do anything and everything you need when moving out of the country. Interdean not only packs and ships all your valuables, but they will also clean the apartment with a handover guarantee and take care of any waste disposal needed. All at a price of course, but at least that's less work for me having to find another company.

And, don't get me started on what's expected in terms of cleaning the apartment. It is beyond what you can imagine. Let's just say that one of the first words I learned over here was "sauber" (clean). Hiring a cleaning company costs around CHF 1,000. Now you can do this on your own and I have helped a friend do this, but I am just not strong enough for what this undertaking involves and I would rather spend our time seeing as much of Europe as possible before we go.

So...on that note...

Step 5: DEREGISTRATION
I have been dreading this step for some reason. Maybe it's because of the horror stories I have read on other blogs or maybe it's because of my utter hatred for the Kreisburo here. Either way, this step was surprisingly pretty painless. Our one mistake was going to the Kreisburo to get this paperwork taken care of. We were instructed to go to the Stadthaus, right next to Fraumunster. Ok. No problem. We go there, find the room for international people, and of course the first guy we talk to doesn't speak English. I love that. He works where people from other countries come to ask questions and he doesn't speak English. I ask politely in German if anyone else speaks English there and he points to another guy and tells us to wait. Ok.

We tell the man we are moving back to the States and need to deregister. Simple as that. We fill out some paperwork and then are told to go to the tax office just around the corner. Ok. Trade some paperwork there and then are told to go to another office just down the hall. Ok. Still waiting for the hiccup in this process. Again, we swap paperwork, but this time we are asked for contact information for someone living in Switzerland that can be our Power of Attorney. Crappers. I wasn't expecting this. We put a friend's info down, but I felt a little bad not being able to ask their permission before doing this. So, be aware this is coming. Next, we go back to the first office, pay our CHF 30 a piece for a copy of our deregistration and then we go on our merry way. Bing, bang, boom. Love that.

Step 6 (optional): PET RELOCATION

Wait. That's not Stella...just looks very similar.

You should just know our pup is spoiled, plus I don't want to deal with her on a long flight over the Atlantic. When we moved to Switzerland she got the VIP treatment when we hired a pet relocation company to see her through each step of the journey. They pick her up, check her in, sit with her while she waits, make sure she gets boarded on the plane, deal with her during her layover in Newark, transfer her to the next plane, wait with her, pick her up, take her through customs, etc., and then drop her off at our door. Maybe we are really the ones that are spoiled.

Step 7: FURNITURE DONATION
I read somewhere on English Forum that the Salvation Army here will turn down donated items from IKEA since they aren't antiques and since IKEA is cheap enough for people to buy here. How nuts is that? How can a place turn away donations? I would have boughten used IKEA furniture. Needless to say, this made me a little stressed (of course...because I am a stress ball). I started freaking out wondering who is going to take all our stuff if we can't sell it and am I really going to sell our laundry basket for CHF 2 or worse just throw it away just to avoid this headache.

I ended up contacting the Brockenhaus (similar to the Salvation Army) and they were overly helpful. We scheduled a time for them to come out and see exactly what we have for them to take, so they can gage how long it will take to pick up everything and we also scheduled a pick up time a few days later. I did ask them if they would take everything because it was in good condition and she just told me that they would take a look at it all on the first date and give me an estimate for anything they wouldn't sell and would need to be disposed of. My hopes are high. Either way, things are sure to be out of the apartment before the shippers come to pack us up.

And, if you are looking for any furniture or household items for cheap or possibly free, please let us know. I think we could hook you up.

Check. Check. Check. Always more to come!