Adventures in Zurich: Move In Celebration

Gina and I recently completed the move from our temporary sublet into our new, more permanent apartment. Thank goodness. Although we’ve become expert at moving places, it’s still a lot of work and a pain in the ass. Our new abode is only a few blocks from the lake and about twenty minutes by tram to our office; the location is perfect. The apartment itself is what we euphemistically call unique. It seems that the building was built before power tools were invented- the beams were all hewn by hand and fitted together with mostly mortise and tenon. Over the years the floors have sagged a bit, Gina’s study chair keeps rolling away from her desk and we are still deciding how best to anchor it in position. But, it is our place, and to be honest it is kind of cool.

We furnished it with a mix of free internet hand me downs and low cost IKEA furniture and I think we are both happy with the results. I haven’t yet decided about IKEA. On the one hand they force you to run through a complex maze of showcased furniture in a shameless effort to sell more product, but they also offer a Swedish meatball platter that is only 8 Francs. It’s a love hate relationship.

Tomorrow Gina will enter the 34^th week of her pregnancy so little Sofia will arrive in about six weeks. It’s starting to seem more real. We have a two day baby course scheduled for next weekend so hopefully we will know at least something about babies when we have ours. My lack of infant care knowhow is starting to worry me. We have another doctor’s appointment schedule for the 17^th and we will learn if Sofia has rolled over then, hopefully she cooperates. Beyond that everything seems to be going really well. Gina and I walked to the base of Eutliberg, the mountain immediately to our West, and Gina did really well.

The other fun news is the festival currently going on. Apparently every third year the city throws a party to celebrate itself and they go all out. The roads near the lake are all shut down and converted into a carnival/eating/drink space. It’s a lot of fun. This weekend we went on a ferris wheel and walked around, checking out the different venues. We did notice that for some reason they serve their hotdogs and buns separately, which was strange. Seeing thousands of people walking around holding a piece of bread in one hand and a sausage in the other is really what I think I’ll remember most about this weekend, that and the fireworks. Their pyrotechnics are world-class. For thirty minute they had six different platforms spread out over maybe a kilometer shooting synchronized volleys into the sky. And it was set to music; the entire waterfront was hooked up to one giant audio system and playing in concert with the fireworks going off. It was pretty amazing.

That’s about it for now. I’ve attached a few pictures and will write again before long.