Slideshow 2

      http://gallery.me…/Switzerland2-Large

Grocery Shopping

Trips to the grocery store can be challenging and eye-opening.  Luke and I make frequent trips (2-3 times a week) to the store for a couple of reasons:  1.  we actually run out of food since we cook (we rarely eat out anymore) and 2.  since we don’t have a car, you can only haul so much on the bus ride home.  Another challenge is the language barrier - not just conversing with the register attendant, but also locating food.  For example,  Knoblauch is German for Garlic.  Now Garlic in the produce isle is easy, but when you are looking at the spices - it can be a challenge.  Along with the produce isles, the meat section is also easy to navigate.  Yes the meat is still in German, but it has small animal symbols on the corner of each package.  Now where we shop we have a wonderful variety of choices - beef (including veal), lamb, poultry, pork, seafood, etc.  Today as we were browsing through the pork section, we had an eye-opening experience.  Right next the pork was Pferd - which is the German word for Horse.  I did a double take thinking I must be mistaken, but sure enough on the corner of the package was a small picture of a horse.  I guess I stared a little too long or my thoughts were written on my face, because a man stocking the shelves pointed and said, “Ist Gute!”  Which means - It’s good!  Yeah....well, that’s one adventure I’m not sure my taste buds will ever be ready for.

Zurich Zoo

http://gallery.me.com/jcs1274#100061

Today we went with friends to the Zurich Zoo.  Luke really enjoyed watching the monkeys swinging and four lion cubs playing tug-of-war with a blanket.  We also saw horses, donkeys, and llamas parading through the zoo - several children petted the animals.  I think Luke’s favorite part of the zoo was the playgrounds.  I have attached a video clip of an amazing slide - it probably wouldn’t meet playground safety regulations in the U.S. - but Luke loved it!

Live Internet stream of Tonhalle Orchestra.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tonhallelate-11-03-2011

Pull out the computer and watch a live Internet stream of the Tonhalle Orchestra today - Bill will be playing!  The concert will air 3PM US Central time.  Click on the link above and enjoy!

No room for dirt.

Switzerland is an extremely clean country.  Everyday, with the exception of Sunday, our streets are swept.  To go even further, the street signs are also washed every other week - yes someone actually scrubs them! 

We have only found one unfortunate thing about Switzerland - smoking seems to be a common habit.  Luckily, people are not allowed to smoke on the buses or trains.  However, its not unusual to see several people lighting up just before the bus/train arrives or as soon as they depart from the bus or train.  People also cannot smoke in businesses and most restaurants.  Smoking restaurants have stickers on the door to inform you.  One day at the bus stop, Luke loudly informed me something smelled.  After looking around, he announce the guy on the bench was smoking.  Luckily, the man gave no reaction - sometimes not speaking the native language is a good thing!

 

We have been able to see our shadows for the past four days!  Today actually got up to the low 50s - we lost 5 pounds - from not lugging our coats around!  Luke and I both love exploring the forest trails near our house.  Occasionally, we stumble upon little farms with various animals.  Our favorites - horses, geese, and cows.  This week we also managed to see two longhorns.  Luke also loves to go to the nearby pond to feed the ducks.  Today, he ate the ham out of his sandwich - I think he was intentionally saving the bread for the ducks.

Switzerland Slideshow 1

http://gallery.me.com/jcs1274#100048/Switzerland-Medium&bgcolor=black

Love for children

In general people in Switzerland love children.  People often smile at Luke, offer him candy, or rub his head.  Last night on the train Luke’s irresistible cuteness got us out of two tickets - whew!  Technically, we think it was a miscommunication.  Here people are allowed to get on the trains as they please.  However, they often do random checks for tickets - I have only shown mine twice.  Anyway, back to last night - the security person was saying we didn’t purchase enough zones.  We kept trying to tell her we just got on that our extension should work, but she kept charging us for where the train came from - 2 zones away.  Anyway, she kept eyeing Luke, gave him a rub on the head, and told us to buy more zones next time.    

How the blog got its name

“Some people get on, some people get off.... we want train 14 not 11.... we have to stay on schedule.... there are two stations and we have to switch trains....”  - In the past Luke has enjoyed playing with his train set, but now that we actually ride them - play has taken on a whole new meaning.  As I write this, I’m watching Luke break apart styrofoam from our furniture boxes and place it on his train track - he says its snow.  (Probably terrible for our environment.)

This morning we took the bus to the train station and after the train we took a street car to Zürich’s Immigration Offices.  Part of our registration was a “Bioscan,”  which is just a fancy name for having your fingertips scanned.  Now we just need to purchase health insurance to be a legal resident of Switzerland.  

Luke really does a fantastic job on our outings - especially when a train is involved.  Luke tells us each time that if he’s good he will get chocolate and then quickly adds - “but I’m already good.”  So far each trip we stop at the main train station in Zürich and visit Sprüngli - amazing chocolate (only sold in Switzerland I believe).  Luke faithfully chooses 3 Luxemburgerli chocolates - strawberry, lemon, and pistachio.  They look like little hamburgers - see picture at top of blog.  Luke is not very good at savoring them, they are usually all eaten before he gets off the train.  Which is how our blog got its name - “Truffles on the Train.”

Partial Delivery

Hallo (not misspelled - just another way of saying hello pronounced: how-low).  Little bit of a challenging morning.  First the delivery guys had a difficult time finding our house.  When they did arrive, they only brought part of our order.  They insisted it was all there, but 9 items were missing.  The challenge - they only spoke German - my German is very limited and Bill wasn’t here.  To make a long story short - I'm going to have to start buckling down on learning German and we should receive the remaining furniture tomorrow.  Praying we do!  

Buying Furniture

Whew!  Today was spent at Ikea shopping for furniture.  Long day, but we furnish our place and everything will be delivered tomorrow - except for the couch.  We just happened to select a fabric that has to be special ordered.  While there, Luke spent 1.5 hours in the play area - which he seems to love.  His favorite obstacle is using a knotted rope to climb up a slide.  When I picked him up from the play area today he was watching a movie with several kids.  I asked him what the movie was about - his response, "I don't know."  I'm amazed at how well he has adjusted and seems to understand that we speak a different language.  Luke often asks how to say things in German.  We have been told that once he starts school, he will be fluent within a couple of months.  That may seem unbelievable, but I was amazed how quickly my Spanish speaking students learned English in Atlanta.  

Before heading home on the train, we stopped at McDonald's in Zürich - sounds crazy, but it was so good!  I guess in our case - absence made our tummies grow founder.