Europe

As seen on the streets of Vienna

Back signs seem to be the preferred method of advertising in this city. They were all over the pedestrian zone. This guy wanted us to say rosaries to have our sins forgiven… …while this one wanted us to go drink beer. Hmmm, which one do you think we listened to? And, everywhere you turn in … Read more

Amsterdam: a scar is born

I’m currently in the middle of a 32-hour layover at my home in Zurich. I just got back from 4 days in Amsterdam, and tomorrow morning I am headed to New Orleans, for my first trip to US soil in about a year and a half. Should be interesting, to say the least. There’s a … Read more

In Amsterdam they sell Doritos that taste like me

Or maybe they taste like ranch dressing, like my friend Saron said. I didn’t actually try them. I did experience some major super-market envy while walking through her local Albert Heijn, though. It was way bigger than my local Migros, and it offered a bunch of foods I’ve never seen here. And it stays open … Read more

Europe has hurricanes?

How is it I’ve lived on this continent for over six years and never realized this? But apparently, that’s just what this lovely little storm has been, hitting Germany and other countries much worse than Switzerland. Here we had a night of howling winds and sideways rain. I kept a suspicious eye on the large … Read more

baskets of foraged mushrooms

Eating and drinking our way through southern France

Wednesday evening we hopped on an overnight train to go visit our friends who live on the southern coast of France. Being on a French train and all, we had a couple of unscheduled delays, but in the end we were content to arrive at our destination a mere two hours late (yay, no strikes). We spent these extra two hours talking about how much we love Swiss trains, and vowing to never leave our country again.

Things only improved from there. Our friends picked us up at the train station and whisked us back to their home by the sea in St. Pierre la Mer, a tiny village of 500 inhabitants which swells to 100,000 during the tourist invasion of the summer vacation months. We spent the morning wandering the outdoor market by the beach, marveling at treats such as fresh almonds (which had furry green coats) and baby artichokes.

The afternoon was spent hopping from winery to winery, sampling everything the region had to offer.

Read moreEating and drinking our way through southern France

Eurovision mania

It’s like the World Cup, except that it involves only Europe (and Israel and a bunch of former Soviet Republics) and instead of a soccer team, each country fields a singer or a band. And the winner is determined by voting. And there’s no off sides. The Eurovision Song Contest was ABBA’s big international break, … Read more

Frogs: stuffed, posed, and accessorized

Last Sunday we drove with some friends from Geneva to Estavayer-le-Lac, a small town in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. This journey was motivated by my friend Alison’s and my burning desire to see a bunch of dead frogs that had been lovingly gutted (through the mouth), stuffed with sand, and posed in scenes from … Read more