T̶w̶o̶ One p̶e̶r̶p̶e̶t̶u̶a̶l̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶a̶t̶s̶ immigrant settling into home country number five.
We had no specific goals for our 1.5 days in Rome, except to eat well and relax. My last several trips to Rome were on business, so it was nice to reestablish this city as a place of leisure. There wasn’t any advanced planning involved beyond the hotel. It was nice. Especially the food. All … Read more
I better get blogging about the details of our Italy trip before I start to forget them… Let me preface this post by saying that I know Italy well. I’ve spent approximately two and a half years in the country. Since moving away in 2005, I’ve gone back many times. But still, my perspective is … Read more
Last night we crossed another item off the things-we-should-do-in-Switzerland-but-haven’t-gotten-around-to-yet list: dining in the dark. Apparently dark restaurants are becoming quite trendy these days, but Zurich’s Blinde Kuh (German for ‘Blind Cow’) was the very first of them. I found myself giddily excited while anticipating the evening, something which almost never happens to me. We arrived … Read more
I was in the US for so long that a lot of changes happened back home in Switzerland. For one, Switzerland lowered immigration restrictions for western Europeans. The Germans are coming! Well, even more of them than there already are. Migros started carrying a vegetarian version of Zürcher Geschnetzeltes, the local veal and mushroom sauce … Read more
I was lucky enough to be accompanied by a native Louisianian, Jami, on my journey to New Orleans. I hit her up for recommendations on everything from bars to local delicacies, and her knowledge did not disappoint. My only regret is that we didn’t have time for the drag queen brunch in the quarter. A … Read more
I don’t have anything particularly profound to say about Strasbourg, since I only spent about 6 hours there this time around. It was nice to see it without the massive crowds that were there for the Christmas market. Strasbourg definitely has its charming side, and I wouldn’t mind going back another time. We attempted to … Read more
Day one of my recent trip to Alsace was spent in Colmar, an adorable little town full of narrow cobblestone streets and half-timbered houses painted in vivid colors. It’s just a 2-hour train ride from Zurich, changing trains in Basel (I’m being nice in this post, so I’m biting my tongue about the cleanliness and … Read more
I’m getting a little better about going out and enjoying this “beautiful” weather we’re having. If I just pretend it’s summer I can usually stand to leave the house without bitching and moaning to everyone I see about how much I love snow and WHERE DID WINTER GO? I have to admit it is fun … Read more
Last weekend we took advantage of the beautiful weather and headed north to the Rhine Falls (Rheinfall in German). It’s one of those places that has been on our we-should-get-around-to-going-there-someday list for quite a while, so the trip gave us a nice sense of accomplishment, too. We took the train to Schaffhausen and wandered around … Read more
Not sure how I managed to miss this sign in the entryway of the Zeughauskeller on our first three visits there. So is that what this stuff (sitting below the sign) is?