Feeling a Bit Unlucky

This morning I was quite busy. I was off from one place to the next and was able to squeak in finding a few Christmas gifts for my family who are coming up next week for our wedding. I wanted something a bit more unique that was Canadian. I think I fared out pretty well but I wish I had more time to look. As I got home, I had about an hour before I needed to pick up my wedding dress when I got the dredded message. We kind of slipped up and you can't come in yet. My Jaw dropped!

Today I heard that a seagull giving you a bit of a gift might be lucky. Although I've gotten that gift at least once in my life, I'm not so sure I've been so lucky today.

So I was supposed to pick up my taylored wedding dress. Instead, I was told that they completely messed up and didn't put my dress in the "too be taylored" pile. I'm a bit nervous with all of that since Ideally I need the dress by Sunday. So here's to holding my breath I can get my dress soon!

I'm glad I'm not really that much of a stress case. I do get impatient but it's mostly because I'm always on time and have things planned out well. Keep your fingers crossed for me that they hurry up with my dress!

** Good news update - They pulled strings and the taylor came in today especially to fix the goof up. So I can pick it up tomorrow. Now I don't have to worry as it is such a relief.

Crazy Critters

I started off the morning laughing at the little cuttie** playing in the snow. Little Twister just couldn't stop having fun out in the yard with all the fresh white stuff.

He found a piece of wood that he started making into a snowball. Imagine that snowball underneath his little 6 inch gap of a belly and the snow. I actually had to drag him back inside. He looked at me like I was a party pooper or something, but it was cold out there and I really didn't want to watch him get me soaking wet from his snow ball party.

When I woke up this morning I heard busy little critters in the walls up to no good. I'm not really sure what type of rodent is in there, but it's something that is strong. I'm thinking it's a squirrel who decided to get into the DSL box and turned off the phone and internet lines by damaging all of the cables. The rodent is incredibly annoying and I wish I could board up his little hole and tell him off.

Luckily by the evening we got things working again but the pesky little creatures have been causing a stir. I wasn't able to do any work today as a result. Not fun!

So what do I do, take little Twist for a stomp in the snow down to the drug store. He was a hit with everyone as he was walking me to the store, leash in mouth and content as any little critter could be. I wish I had photos of him in the moment, but those are once in a lifetime shots that my tiny camera is not capable of handling. If I dragged out the D70 I would have been too excited if I got it wet and dirty so it stayed nice and warm in its case. But don't worry I'll be bringing it out for the wedding next weekend.

**This is my little cuttie. We were at school and he's wondering if I've gotten a good enough photo of him so that we can go outside and see the girls. Intelligent little fella, can't you see it in his eyes?

The Swiss Keep Getting Richer

A new report on the 300 wealthiest Swiss put out by Bilanz is now on newstands. According to the survey published, the richest people living in Switzerland just keep getting richer. The ten richest people in Switzerland alone have a worth of 103 billion Francs.

If you are up for reading the German magazine, then you'll be able to find out about the top ten weathliest Swiss residents. I'm sure you can guess the #1 person. It's the Swede Ingvar Kamprad, owner of Ikea who lives in canton Vaud. Roche pharmaceutical group (famous producer of Tamiflu) family of Oeri and Hoffmann families (worth SFr15-16 billion) comes in 2nd. A joint 3rd was held by Ernesto Bertarelli, the Brenninkmeijer family, and the Latsis family (each worth SFr9.5 billion).

The noted person off the list as Mohammed Al-Fayed, the billionaire boss of British department store Harrods, no longer lives on the shores of Lake Geneva as he has taken up residence in Monaco. The Latis Family, made known famous for dating Paris Hilton, was a new edition to the list. Of Course Shania Twain and Michael Schumacher were on the list as well.

The most impressive part of all of it is that all of these Swiss have gotten SFr31 billion richer since the last survey, as a result of stocks being steady money makers and strong real estate holdings. It's always interesting to know who all these wealthy people are in Switzerland as you usually hear about them but never see them.

Let It Snow

So I woke up to a snowy backyard and the sounds of a "Christmas Election" here in Canada. I wasn't surprised about the snow at all since the temps have been rather chilly here.

I'm not sure that I'm all too thrilled because I'm not used to driving on summer tires, no snow removal on the tiny side streets we live on and steep hills all at the same time. Let's hope the snow doesn't stick around on the streets too long as I don't want to be walking on that stuff on my wedding day. Anyhow, here's a quick look at our back yard that we are still getting as I speak.

Immigrating to Ireland

Since I'm currently part of that immigrant pool, I found this article in the Washington Post to be quite compelling. The remarkable article of East to West Migration speaks about a 39 year old man named Janis Neulans from Latvia and his struggle to immigrate to Ireland.

The article brings about the possible exploitations of new workers coming into the country and how welcoming the Irish are for these new immigrants. Why? Because they were in the shoes long ago. Many job rich countries such as Ireland, Britain and Sweden are welcoming immigrants while France Germany and other EU members aren't doing so. I'd say Switzerland is in the pool with France and Germany too. It's quite an eye opening account of one man following his dream.

The Complete Mythen Holiday Experience

As I awake to a beautiful pink Vancouver sky, I began thinking of one of my favorite areas in Switzerland during the holidays in canton Schwyz. Maybe it is because you can do so much in such a little area. Really I have too many thoughts that could sway my answer so I'll just let you know why the area of Schwyz can be The complete experience.

The Mythen Center in Schwyz has incredibly shopable holiday hours. The translated version of their holiday hours are as follows : "Opening times of holidays - also before holidays myths the center Schwyz for you is always open to 20 and/or 21 o'clock." I knew them to be a bit more open from time to time but still 9pm on average is pretty nice.

What I love personally about the area is that you can potentially choose to go shopping early in the morning and still make it either skiing in the afternoon or to the thermal spa, then walk down on the water front of Lake Lucern and have an incredible dinner. Talk about a treat. I used to do this from time to time. The ski areas about 15 minutes away are Stoos and HandGruobi. Here's the Stoos Cam.

The top photo shows the Stoos as we view it from the house during the winter months. Expect just as great views from outdoors at the Swiss Holiday Park up the hill in Morshach. We used to go for a few hours to the adventure bath which costs about 22 CHF on weekends. The best time to go is about 6pm because everyone starts leaving for dinner.

Swiss Voters Go to Polls

Two of the noted changes in the Swiss Polls for today were against genectically modified crops and extending hours for shopping in major train stations and tourist areas. The major changes are as follows:

• Voters accepted a five year ban on all genetically modified crops in all 26 cantons by 55.7%.
• Restrictions for Sunday shopping will be eased at railway stations and airports. The effect really will only be seen in urban regions and was only won by a narrow margin.
  

Dreaming of Chocolate

Ever since I moved to Switzerland, I've wanted chocolate on a weekly basis. Of course it's quite easy to find good tasting chocolate cheap at a local store. But the most incredible time to buy chocolate is during Christmas. I still remember my first box of Swiss chocolates that was given to me as a gift from a family friend in 2002. The taste was incredible and nothing like anything I had tasted before. The chocolatier was from a local shop near Vevey and looked something like the photo of this Harrods chocolate by Swiss Gysi.

This past year there has been a move in the US to make chocolates available all year long. In fact, many smaller chocolateries have been selling chocolates in style all year long. They offer different flavors that are touting just how good the coco beans really are. I'm anxious to see the market here in north america become more like the Swiss market for chocolate.

But there is one catch, they are touting a hefty price to go along with it. I like chocolate but not that much. So I guess I'll take my one or two samples as they come or just wait to go back to Switzerland to get the best tasting chocolates I desire. For now, I think I'd rather just dream of a marble chocolate roulette and think I can work it off on my next run.

It's Laundry Day

It's laundry day for P because he's got enough time to do it. The poor guy worked an incredibly hard shift at work this week which made for no time to see him. I just wish we lived closer together so that I could sneak in a few of his loads while he is working and surprise him.

We have to stick around the apartment while all 4 loads get done. It's beautiful outside and what do we opt to do? I managed to talk him out of going running and instead we went off grocery shopping. Fun stuff.

Now the sun is glaring inside, I'm sitting here nearly sweating. But I did get to catch up on more reading and lots of thinking. We still haven't moved in together yet and we only have 2 more weeks until the wedding. I'm wondering what it will be like in our new apartment. I sure hope laundry will be easier to do. At least I'm thankful it doesn't take 3 times as long as it took me when I lived in Switzerland. That was a total drag.

I just sit back and giggle as he separates all of the loads perfectly. I on the other hand want to maximize my outdoor time and try to get one more load of clothes into that washer when I can. Really I can't complain because he was taught so well how to do laundry and certainly beats me hands down with his good habits. He's really the perfect house husband. I'd rather call him "the house wife" but he takes offense to that and wants to be called a house husband.

I'm really lucky to have someone so incredibly gifted. He's self sufficient in many ways, especially when it comes to cooking, cleaning and doing laundry. It will be nice to help him out from time to time because he never asks for help. I just want him to sit and smile too. **

** Side note - It will probably take him a few days before reading, but I know P will read my entry eventually.

Swiss Playing Moderator

A Swiss politician is leading an investigation to help out finding whether or not the CIA actually moved around prisoners in the war against terrorism to prisons in Eastern Europe. Since nobody will claim these facts, the chief investigator will have to see for himself by satellite images if in fact the CIA did use secret prisons to house prisoners.

Personally I think it's a sad fact the US cannot be trusted anymore. And in fact, one story from the Washington Post outlines how the American dream is tarnished as everyone can't believe what they do let alone to be trusted to be treated fairly. It's one state that Americans themselves will have to fix and is quite a feat at that. It is a sad reality that has changed in the last couple of years.

A Funny Snow Story

While growing up in sunny California, I never really got a chance to play a lot in the snow. I saw it snow two times for a few seconds in my home town, that was it. We never had snow on the ground, just too hot of a climate. Sure I went skiing lots up in the Sierra Nevadas. We even had a few ski cabins up there for the winter months. But I never learned how to build a snowman until I spent my time in Switzerland.

It is shocking but really, if nobody tells you how to start building a snowman, how would you know how to start? I never was taught. I never had other kids around me making snowmen as a source or peer model. So it was shocking to me the day I took the kids to school and saw a child rolling a ball around in the snow. The snowball was sticking and just becoming bigger. I always thought you just gathered snow in a snowball and you just built it from there. How much easier with this new way. Who would have known that I would have learned this when I was 27! Maybe I just neglected to watch the start. Really I don't know...

So the house in this photo was where I learned about how to build a snowman.

Swiss Food For the Holidays

Yesterday I came across a bunch of interesting Swiss recipes after thinking about all of the food I was missing out and not making for Thanksgiving. As I began investigating further, I found many of the recipe names to be incredibly deceiving and just got me laughing.

Many of us in north america seem to miss what we call "cookies" upon our arrival in Switzerland. I began asking myself "Where can you find that chocolate chip cookie?" I don't think I really ever did or just after I totally gave up from even looking for them. Maybe someone knows this answer but really I never figured it out. It's just different.

Well when I began looking at some of these recipes I was giggling. Here are a few of my finds.

Apfelkuechlein (Deep fried apple cookie) - I know them to be just plain donuts.

Basler Leckerli (Basel cookies) - I'd call them a honey bar.

Fasnachtskuechlein (Carnival cookies) - I'm not so sure what constitutes a cookie anymore after seeing this one.

The one recipe I'd love to try myself is Schokolade Kuchen (Chocolate cake)

And my personal favorite is the Apple Cake which I still have yet to make here in Canada and I know the receipe.

Which Parade Are You Going To?

With the ever popular Macy's Day parade in New York today, I thought it would be a good time to mention a few other rather cool parades which will be happening soon. Here in Vancouver we already had our Christmas Day parade last week. I'm not really sure why it's so early, but it is. Maybe the reason is to kick off the holiday season.

The people of Fribourg will be celebrating the 100th St. Nicolas parade on December 3rd, a parade which has been held every year without interruption since 1906. The festivities take place for two days beginning with an evening concert at the college church. The next afternoon, thousands of people are expected to flock to Fribourg to see St. Nicolas and every surviving St. Nicolas from past parades.

I'm sure the same thing happens in many of the other towns and villages too as St. Nicolas is seen riding into town on the back of a pony throwing sweets to the crowd. We watched a parade in Erlach which was very exciting but cold and festive. Montreux, Zurich and Basel are also great areas to check out during the Christmas season. I've been to all three places and loved each place as there is lots to do, especially drinking hot wine.

I've been able to find a great receipe for all of those who might want to make this wine at home.

Samichlaus Gluh Wine

Liter good red wine
Quarter liter water
Lemon juice to taste
Cloves
Cinnamon sticks
Oranges (ideally organic)
Preparation: Mix red wine and water and lemon juice and spices in pot. Heat until near boiling. Give mulled wine in pre-warmed glasses. Also, I think you can add raisins in there for more flavor.

Celebrating The Holiday Season

As people in the states celebrate Thanksgiving, many other people in the world are going on with their normal lives. I am always starting my day 9 hours later than I wish. But the only way I could curb that is by living in Europe. I'm one of those people working today too and we won't be having anything that would resemble a turkey dinner unless I decide to make it all myself. And that just isn't going to happen.

But I remember my last Thanksgiving which was in 2003 while I was living in Switzerland. I was off of work and invited to a Thanksgiving weekend dinner in Biel. Since everything was so different, it was by far my most favorite. I enjoyed spending time with my friends and meeting new expats. All of us were missing our normal Thanksgiving dinner but somehow we felt wonderful to be together. The flat we were in was just remarkable. It had high ceilings and an incredible outside patio. The people who lived in this flat considered it to be small but for my friends and I, we knew it was very large, especially for something in Biel. Definitely something I remember now that I seem to miss all of my holiday meals.

Bill Gates Gives More Than One Can Imagine

On Tuesday morning, many anxious gamers waited in line in Bellevue, Washington for Bill Gates to sell them the first new XBOX 360. Microsoft of course is hoping for wonderful things to come out of this video game system. But that's not the only thing Bill Gates is doing.

Bill Gates is certainly a remarkable man. Maybe some of you don't know he probably gives more than Oprah to good causes. One of the causes which he is on the forefront is for fighting malaria and have given $100m boost for Swiss-based malaria venture. According to Swiss Info, the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) has been awarded a five-year grant of $100 million (SFr132 million) by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It's great to know he is giving back to the community and world who know live with part of them on their computers.

Travel Deals

I'm a big watcher of travel deals. I generally like to keep my eyes peeled and read about the travel deals around the world. At least I'm aware of new places and hope some day maybe I'll get to travel to some of those places they advertise on the travel agent windows with the big cut outs on appealing tropical destinations.

I guess I'm a real window shopper. Thanks TBF for pointing out a travel site you use too! Sadly my job really doesn't permit me to do much more than travel around greater Vancouver area. This summer we got to fly to California for 3 days. It's just not all too fun when your travels are so short. Even with our wedding in nearly 2 weeks, we will be staying around town. But I plan to make the most of the Christmas Vacation and hope to be skiing at least. As I know my job won't be forever, when I finally finish sometime next year, I'll finally have a bit more control of my holiday schedule. So I'll be holding out for those travel deals after all. :)

Finding Ski Deals

Over here in Vancouver, all of our local ski mountains are open for business, but they are running a few limited runs. Prices are high and staying that way. It seems Switzerland has a little less snow so far compared to Canada for the season but that's not stopping them from drawing people to the mountains.

The ski resorts with glaciers have already opened and expect to draw a crowd to their slopes.
Les Diablerets glacier ski area near Gstaad has opened two kilometres of its runs.

According to Swiss Info: There is skiing between 2,500m and 3,500m in the resort of Saas Fee, and on the glacier above Zermatt, which I believe exists all summer long. Zermatt has risen the age when children have to pay for ski passes from six to nine. Gstaad and the resorts in the Alpes Vaudoise (Villars, Leysin, Les Diablerets) are following Zermatt's lead.

Saas Fee has taken a different approach. Parents with two or more children up to 15 years of age only have to pay for the first child. Oh so I get it, discriminate to those who actually have kids. I'm just looking out for those who don't have little tikes. But I should keep my mouth shut as it could be me some day too.

Blue Skies Ahead

As I opened up my curtains this morning, it was such a nice feeling to see blue skies. It's been a lonely 3 or so days with fog so thick that it never went away. Last night the fog was so bad that we were running 30 minutes early for practice and ended up being on time as a result of the highway being closed and grid locked traffic. I guess the fog got to many people. I chose to walk about the town that night as a result. Well at least it was nice to get in some exercise.

Meanwhile I'll let you ponder this one.

You Gotta Laugh

I'm sitting here this morning thinking I feel this way too:

(Click to Enlarge)

A French Family's Struggle

There's a compelling article in the Washington Post today about a French Family who is struggling to exist. The Nadaud family has been struggling to exist in the outskirts of Paris for the past couple of years.

Marc Nadaud, the unemployed husband originally from the Ivory Coast, has been unemployed and trying to start his own business in urban wear and sports clothing for five years now. Veronique works a normal job in a school library somewhere in Paris, while her husband faces discrimination for being of color and without a job for a while. It's a compelling story that everyone needs to read.

Getting Lost In The Fog

Our weekend consisted of a lot of fog. I guess it's not all too common to see fog in the November months here in Vancouver.

We actually thought the fog on Saturday would lift, but we were left not being able to see anything in the sky instead. Not all too nice when you are out and about trying to enjoy the beautiful weather without rain.

When we were heading out of the north shore, the view looked like this. I'm sure it would have been wonderful up a bit higher than Grouse Mountain but then on Sunday the fog was just too low.

So I'll leave you with a wonderful view from atop of the mountains of Vancouver and wish the weather would turn to something like this instead. By the way, I think this view looks so much like that of the mountains in canton Schywz overlooking Lake Lucern.

100 Things About My Expat Life

100 Interesting or not so Interesting Facts About me.

I have succumbed because honestly I don't know why really. I am going to write the dreaded 100 things about me. You are obliged to read it and tell me how much like/unlike me you are.

Are you ready?

1 I was born in California and consider myself an expat for life.
2 I have an odd accent from living in Europe.
3 I love traveling and talk about Switzerland too much, just ask P.
4 I only want to live in Switzerland and tell my husband this daily.
5 I've aged to the big 32.
6 I learned how to ski in California when I was 5.
7 I hurt myself skiing in a race once at age 8. I wanted to go to the Olympics too.
8 Because of this accident, I think I'm really careful about getting hurt.
9 My parents saw me in the toboggin going to the ski patrol room.
10 Most of my best friends don't live in Canada which makes me homesick.
11 I live far away from my mom and dad and brother.
12 I adore puppies and want a husky of my own some day.
13 I also adore Lance Armstrong and Michael Jordan and used to visualize to "Van Halen" before my swimming races. (I know it's cheeky but it paid for my university degree!)
14 I find inspiration from Le Tour De France, the outdoors and photography.
15 I broke a BC record for 30 to 34 year olds for swimming.
16 I consider my husband to be as my best friend in the whole world. I've got a few girl friends in California that I think about often too. I've got some in Switzerland too.
17 I love writing and photography and would love to only do that with my life.
18 But my husband, he's incredible because he so sweet, sexy and thinks I'm the most incredible woman in his life and is so lucky to have met me.
19 And I hate cleaning because I just suck at it, but I'm not a messy person.
20 I hate fake people.
21 I like hanging out by myself and would rather have a few close friends than many fake ones.
22 I love listening to European music in different languages. It's just better! So far, I like French radio the best. Maybe it's also because I can understand what they say.
23 It's hard to convert back to listening to North American crap for music. I get too bored with it. And I'm too lazy to load up my mp3 with stuff. I just think of everything here and that turns me off.
24 I don't keep up with my French and tend to forget too much of it. My hubby says we should speak it at home, but we never do fully.
25 I usually have to step in and speak French because my husband to be looks at me like a deer with headlights coming at him when people speak French to him. Mind you that he is fluent in French and could easily say something. How does that work???
26 I earned a scholarship in Swimming, so off to University I went.
27 I only went to NCAA's for 3 of 3 years. My brother did the same thing ironically.
28 I didn't swim my last year of elgibility.
29 I went to a fairly small university, but got swimmer of the year.
30 My brother ended up going to the same school. I was shocked when he told me where he was going to be. He only swam for 3 years too, but was 1st place each year.
31 I wasn't living in the same city as my brother while he went to University.
32 My brother is nearly the same age younger as my husband is older to me.
33 I love chocolate marzipan and marzipan cake. But I can never find marzipan cake being made. I only ate it once and have dreamt of eating it ever since. Best in Switzerland of course.
34 The best chocolate cake I ever had was when I was 18 and made my a Belgium team mate who took 2 days to make the cake for a wedding shower.
35 I love the taste of coffee and wish I could drink it all the time.
36 I started drinking coffee in university because everyone kept on saying how good it was. Oh peer pressure.
37 I have been able to kick the coffee habit twice but still keep coming back for more.
38 I've never smoked a cigarette in my life.
39 When I tell people that fact, most don't think it's true.
40 I sometimes crave the cigarette flavor but still don't want to try one.
41 I don't ever plan on smoking, as my parents would dis-own me.
42 Vancouver doesn't allow smoking inside restaurants or bars.
43 I adore Swiss architecture.
44 I gained 30kg when I moved to Switzerland.
45 But I lost all the weight and more before I moved to Canada.
46 I always want to loose 15 more lbs.
47 I always need to spell check my words, but was a great speller before I used my computer every day.
48 I love blogging too much and don't do enough of my internet work.
49 I hate speaking on messenger now that I discovered the entertainment aspects of blogging.
50 I got my husband to start blogging after we met.
51 I've used a computer since I was old enough to know it existed.
52 My parents bought their first computer the same year I was born, 70's.
53 I've used the internet since 1992 or around that year.
54 I'm so addicted to the internet as it's hard to get my away.
55 I wish I started my internet business in the 1990's.
56 I'm so happy I quit my job one day and moved to Switzerland.
57 My favourite animal is a husky. My ex-boyfriend has one and we both fell in love with each other.
58 Molly, the husky, greeted me every day with lots of hugs and kissing.
59 I wasn't allowed to say hello to anyone but her when I arrived.
60 My fave color is navy blue. But it's specific in the color as I get goose bumps when I see it.
61 I got married in 2005 in a very small wedding.
62 I'm not sure when I want to have kids.
63 I can't wait to actually buy my own house.
64 I want to live in a place with incredible views.
65 I dream of living somewhere else every day.
66 I love cars, especially Audi's in the station wagon version and grey in color.
67 I loving driving but my car isn't here so I'm always a passenger.
68 I have three pierced ears and don't want anything more than that.
69 I don't like wearing jewelry, but wear my watch always.
70 I've never had to stay in a hospital.
71 I think of photography and taking photos the second I walk outside.
72 I watch Rick Steves even if I have seen every episode 25 plus times.
73 I love photography and being outdoors.
74 I love being on top of a mountain overlooking the entire valley or cities.
75 I miss Switzerland so much and think about living there every day of my life.
76 I love taking the train and not having to rely on anyone else to get to my desitinations.
77 I love seeing college swimmers in speedos and shaved bodies.
78 I think men that are tall and dark are very handsome.
79 I love shopping on Saturdays in Switzerland.
80 I could see Shania Twain's humble abode from the castle above my house in Montreux.
81 I used to wake up every morning and put my hands on the radiator while admiring the incredible view of Lac Leman.
82 I got to travel for 16 weeks my first year I was in Switzerland.
83 I want to travel to a lot more places around the world.
84 I'd like to visit Britain, and Iceland and Scandinavia, and more of Europe.
85 I want to go to Tahiti some day.
86 I hope to visit Australia and New Zealand once.
87 I think I'd love to have a place in Sydney.
88 I want to have my own dog one day.
89 I am not afraid of snakes but don't think I like them anymore.
90 Tiny frogs used to be my favorite thing to play with as a youngster.
91 I love wearing sandals and flip flops everywhere.
92 If I could, I think I'd wear a t-shirt and a skirt/shorts all year long.
93 I didn't stop having incredibly horrible tan lines until age 23.
94 I thought I'd never ever get rid of them.
95 I used to sport raccoon eyes all year long. Not many people knew it was from swimming.
96 I used to not be able to stay away from water. Now the only thing I can stand is a hot tub.
97 I want to visit many beautiful spas around the world.
98 I don't think I will ever not want to live in Switzerland.
99 I always daydream and am much more ambitious than people really know.
100 I have never enjoyed any paid work I've done in my life.

Today In Photos

Ms-Mac had a lovely idea to pass on this day in pictures which she pinched from her friend Cheryl who created this day in photos. I'm not exactly short of ideas today but since I'm a photography fanatic and love the beauty of this world, I'll go for a laugh too.

Here's how you play: Do a Google image search of the following and post the first (or favorite if you want to cheat, but label it so) result for each:

• The name of the town where you were born
• The name of the town where you live now
• Your name
• Your grandmotherÂ’s name (just pick one)
• Your favourite food
• Your favourite drink
• Your favourite song
• Your favourite smell

So, here are my results.

1. I was born in an area of the world that is always bathing suit weather - sunny and lovely and near the ocean.

2. Now, I've traded in my swim suit to swing from the trees and to cross bridges and much cooler weather.

3. Yes I bet you didn't know I played baseball for the Red Sox and am quite Famous at that.

4. Everyone used to carry a bit of my grandmother around in their pockets.

5. It's the type of food you love to look at during the holidays in store windows around the world and especially in Switzerland and Europe.

6. I'm not sure that I have a favourite drink, but here's something that looked good to me.

7. I'm not sure I have a favorite song, but here's a stab at it.

8. I've got a strong nose, so I smell everything. My favorite scents might be something you find in a candle store.

Federer Looses to Nalbandian

Despite a great game match, Swiss tennis player Roger Federer was defeated at the Tennis Masters Cup Sunday in Shanghai. Federer was beaten 6-7 (4), 6-7 (11), 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (3). This was only his fourth defeat this year. Still not all too shabby for Federer with a record of 81-4 this year.

According to the report from Swiss Info, Federer was a bit disappointed. "It's been a fantastic year... unfortunately I couldn't win the last one but this year will be a great memory for me," said Federer.

How Do You Spend Your Money

With Christmas just around the corner, American's are beginning their spending binges on many not so needed gifts. Some of the noticeable charms of the Christmas Season are all of the decorations necessary to make your Christmas complete. What is even more noticeable are the differences in how people around the world spend their money.

I was particularly taken back and reminded about this today in an Excellent article written in the Washington Post about a multi-million dollar Korean entrepreneur who doesn't even spend as much as a $100,000 income earner in the US.

If you ride a motorcyle, you probably know the brand HJC helmets. This company came from behind in the early 1980's through thrifty spending and saving every penny they made. Today, HJC is so big that they have 3 headquarters around the world. What is even more impressive is their success story behind it all.

And believe it or not, this Korean isn't the only one establishing a surplus in savings. The types of spending behaviors between the two company leaders show extreme differences between each countries citizens.

In the United States, imports exceeded exports last year by $617.6 billion, a record gap equal to 5.3 percent of gross domestic product. The U.S. trade deficit has swelled even further in the first nine months of this year compared with the corresponding period in 2004.

South Korea, by contrast, ran a $29.4 billion trade surplus last year, or 4.3 percent of its GDP, and even that paled by comparison with Japan's $132 billion surplus or the $100 billion-plus surplus China is expected to post this year.

Seeing American's spending habits is a bit concerning to many people. There are benefits to each side of the perspective but I'm not so sure how long all of this spending can last. The article is definitely a great read. Maybe you'll find out which side of the spending table you are on too.

I'll leave you with this quote:

"Sooner or later, the rest of the world will decide that the United States is no longer a safe bet for lending more money," said William R. Cline, a scholar at the Institute for International Economics and author of a new book titled "The United States as a Debtor Nation."

Mountains Filled With Fun

Yesterday our local ski hill called Grouse Mountain offered the entire day of free skiing. If I had all of my ski equipment up here in Canada, I think I would have gone also. But seeing that I only have the clothing part, I've got to decide how I'll get my equipment up here soon. There's already 130cm of snow base and I'm actually a 10 minute drive from the parking lot.

It seems Grouse isn't the only mountain trying to entice skiers and snowboarders to come up and try the new season out. With such a bad snowfall and season last year, there are high hopes for this year to be at least somewhat normal. So far Canada is looking good as almost all of the local small hills are already open for business. It's also been rumored that more people are snapping up their season passes early.

All of these resorts have one thing in common, they all make their own snow which gives them advantage of having a lot more runs open a lot earlier in the year. And yes the view is that incredible from atop of Grouse Mountain.

3 Weeks Until I Enjoy My New Life

I'm going to be a new person in just 3 weeks. Why? Because the man at the marriage license facility told us so. He told us to "Enjoy your new life". I'm not really sure what makes it so different from before that special day to the day after, but I guess we will just have to take the journey upon us to find out.

I think it's something to the effect that if you let stardum get to you, it can. Maybe it's all of the gifts you think you might be getting for the life you are starting as a married couple. Maybe it's the days you spend living together. Maybe its the fact that I can claim myself as a Canadian some time next year.

But reflecting on other aspects of my life, really I don't think I was a changed person after I made a huge stepping stone in my life. I never acted differently after making it to NCAA's. I held my head a bit higher and I was certainly proud of my achievement. Maybe this is what will happen. Maybe it's just another step in the road. But for now, I'm just concentrating on everything I NEED to accomplish this weekend. You know, ordering the wedding cake, the flowers, getting my dress fitted, making sure all of the little details are all ironed out.

But for now it's back to the normal parts of my every day life, so I'm off to go run and enjoy my not so new life.

Exploring Your Genetic Journey

National Geographic has an interesting new project in the works called The Landmark Study of The Human Journey. The project analyzes your DNA and traces back your ancestors to the origins of where they started some 60,000 years ago in Africa. It doesn't matter if you live in Europe or North America, because your beginnings came from one specific origin.

The goal of the project is to map the appearance and frequency of genetic markers in modern people. The project is set out to create a picture of when and where the ancient humans moved around the world. However, they need sample testers to get this data. So guess how they do that? They sucker you into paying them money to get the evidence.

The end result will be you can see your ancient origins, but nothing all to detailed. You won't get any information that deals with your ancestors a few generations ago. But you will find out you are part of an area of descendants of a small group of Africans. Every part of our ancestors eventually moved from this small group of Africans to occupy even the farthest reaches of the Earth.

It's pretty hard to grasp we all came from the smallest group of descendants. I guess if you are willing to pay them to do something National Geographic should be paying you, then you can be part of this study too.

For now, I'm not too keen on providing them information they need for a fee. I think National Geographic does a great job into suckering you into thinking your getting a great deal. You know that ever so appreciated question of "What's in it for me?" But it's definitely something I might ponder in the future. And it's certainly a great Christmas gift for some people.

Polishing Off The Wedding List

I was just drawn to the headline considering our wedding is in about 3 weeks. Upon first glance I thought the subject would talk about "pre-wedding" plans instead of what was happening after the wedding. You know, shopping for all of those gifts you wish you got on your wedding day.

I was particularly amused on the picks of gifts and all of money spent at certain stores post wedding. It really amazes me how much Americans tend to spend on everything. I'm not so sure we will be polishing off our list so fast as I've got a few other priorities ahead of buying what I want.

Think Healthy Think Mineral Water

One of the treasures I miss most about Switzerland is the pure water. I love bubbly water and definitely miss the Swiss water. Switzerland has water everywhere. Go for a walk and I'm sure you will wind up seeing at least one fountain.

You seem to also guess Swiss mineral water would be popular all over the world, especially since practically every tourist brochure touts it's vast water resources, including rivers lakes and mountain streams.

When I first arrived in Switzerland I in fact didn't even know if the water was safe to drink. (I'd say that is odd, but really I didn't know!) I thought, it's near France, do I need to watch out? With very little advertising outside of Switzerland, little did I know how great the water tasted.

One good fact is the sales of mineral water is actually on the rise. The reason behind it's popularity is the potential of health advantages associated with the mineral water.

Did you know there are actually 48 mineral waters in Switzerland. Among the most popular that I know personally are Cristalp Saxon from the Valais, Aproz from Sion in the Valais, Henniez from Vaud, San Bernardino in canton Ticino, and Valser in the Vals Valley.

Of course I never knew that even Swiss tap water is often filtered, sterilized or chlorinated. I think this is common knowledge you acquire after living in a certain area for some time. That is exactly why bottled mineral water is becoming even more popular.

Bottled water is often untreated and often does not contain additives, making it the healthiest and purest commodity around. The addition of "gaz" is of course allowed. With some of the treatments such elements such as iron or sulfur are permitted in certain circumstances, but most elements are removed ahead of time.

Sadly, many of the above mentioned mineral waters are only produced in Switzerland and not really anywhere else. The main reason accordingly is because the market is flocked by the big guy who basically prevents any chance of the little guy to survive. Let's hope Switzerland gets a bit more bold in the future and sends out some of it's mineral water into parts of Canada and the States too.

Federer Still on Top

With all of the talk about Australia and Switzerland moving onto the soccer cup, I thought I'd remind everyone of the lesser known knews about other Swiss stars.

Swiss Tennis star Roger Federer has secured his spot in the semifinals of the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. There was a bit of a scare at the beginning of the match when he asked for his physiotherapist.

His matches consisted of 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4) and a move into the next round of the tennis masters cup match.

Finding Travel Deals

I usually never find any travel deals from the Airports I need to fly out of. When I saw the weekly travel deals email, I opened it up to find my depature city featured in one of the deals.

Doesn't it always seem like you find the deals at the wrong time, which certainly was my case. I just usually scratch my head and wonder why they can't have these deals all of the time. Or wish it was pre 2002 when I could still find a great deal just about anywhere.

Luckily I don't fly into Toronto Airport which has the bragging rights for the highest fly in fee of all time. It will cost any plane to land in Toronto about $13,000 in landing fees. I'll certainly opt to find a different travel deal instead. Weather in the states has been crazy at that too. Over 35 tornados happened this week alone because of a warm and cool front collision.

Looks like for now, I'll stick to a road trip. Mind you that I really haven't explored enough of Canada to begin with. Maybe a few more pictures will be taken in the process.

Made in Switzerland is Hiring

Switzerland is looking for ways to boost its economy and prosper. The best way it to find entrepreneurs who come up with ideas and who manufacture products inside the country.

In Switzerland there are more than 317,800 companies with 3.7 million employees with about 1 million employees in the industrial sector. Most companies have fewer than 250 employees throughout Switzerland. I'm not really sure how they are going to promote getting more companies to start in Switzerland.

From personal experiences, I've had many friends laid off from their jobs in Switzerland, while taking months to find something. Or even worse, moving out of Switzerland because they were unable to even find a job. Jobs have been cut left and right, but it certainly doesn't sound like the "Made in Switzerland" crew accounts for downsizing. I guess well just have to wait and see.

Ideas from Jayred's post this morning on recycling bags would be a great idea. Check it out - I'm all for supporting this nifty idea.

The Sound of Music Turns 40

It's hard for me to really fathom that "The Sound of Music" is celebrating it's 40th birthday already. I'm guessing I was 5 years old when I watched the movie for the first time and thought I was such a grown up. I remember we watched it together with family in our ski cabin around Thanksgiving time at the ripe old age of 5.

Of course that was definitely not in 1965 and more like 1980. So in style just as Oprah puts out her 20th anniversary dvd, The Sound of Music is celebrating with it's 40th Anniversary DVD edition.

I saw a little interview last week with all of the actors now somewhere in their 40's or older. It caught my eye only now because I've traveled to Austria and would love to see more of the scenes. This particular photo/scene was shot from a helicopter and was incredibly hard to actually get correct because of all of the wind.

And yes I actually appreciate the Sound of Music now that I've lived in Switzerland and toured the area of Austria and Salzburg, much unlike I would have an appreciation at 5 years old. I guess for now, the movie takes me back to the area of the world where I'll always want to live.

Too Cute To Pass Up

Last Thursday, my partner in crime insisted on keeping me company. Little did I know his interior motive, as he followed me around like a shadow. This adorable guy wanted to come to school with me. Yes - I'm speaking of the 4 legged kind.

Twister enjoys only the best things in life. He insists on sitting in the front seat once everyone is out of the car, playing fetch until all of his toys are out of his box, and napping from the hours of 9am until 2pm. That's when I make him go outside for a walk. Yeah, you'd think he was a cat if it weren't for that charming face which you just can't say no to. And that happy tail wag that just melts you to pieces.

So insistent he come to school with me, he was such the talker. Well at least I could see him saying to me, "Do I know that person", as he sat just like he is in this photo which I took today.

Twister would then look away spot another person and turn to me to ask me if that was in fact someone we knew. Let me tell you the american cocker spaniel was just too adorable. Although his photo here is not his best, maybe you can imagine his personality coming out. He actually let me take his photo about 5 times. He's a real character. And had me laughing at his antics to try and imitate his sister.

So the weekend did have a few surprises for me in the form of beautiful flowers from my beau. Of course, I tried to get him to take a photo with me, but we never manage to stop laughing.

So happy that I actually remembered my camera at 5pm today, I was able to catch a couple of incredible snap shots, while driving. I'll just leave you with one...

Extreme Travel Trivia

The Washington Post wants someone to identify where this flag is from. I don't have a guess, at least until I go look up the flags of the world.

Guessing anyone? I've sent mine in... I haven't traveled there before.

It's a cool morning here, but no rain finally. Cool for sure and I'm not exactly looking forward to going outside this morning.

Entertainment at its Finest

Confession time. I haven't exactly been accomplishing everything on my to-do list for a number or reasons, but mainly because I've been too entertained and off in my own world. In writing this, it appears I might be feeling a wee bit down lately, but nothing all too serious when you look at my excuses. Really life is great when you think about what I've been able to accomplish for the first time. Here's my list:

1. I think I've become a great procrastinator.
When I was younger, I wished I could procrastinate and do things on the fly and in the nick of time. Well I think my wish has finally come true because I've got a ton of work to do, but lately it just hasn't been an appealing thing to accomplish. Sure one might think I do a lot of work, but really I at least haven't been doing what I should be doing. I think time's just flying too fast. Maybe the minutes are just getting shorter in the day?

2. My executive in crime has dragged me out too much.
Yeah I'd admit coming home at 1am with Mr. P 2 days in a row hasn't left me much time to want to get back on track. But at least I've had a bit of fun doing it. I've learned a few new games along the way.

3. I've been trying to check off the wedding to-do list.
Can you hear that procrastination in my voice? Well less than a month left and we will be officially husband and wife. The plans are going well and we really don't have too much left to accomplish. Firsts for everything, right. But really I hate parting at the end of the week to go back to work. Hoping this will end soon.

4. Blogs entertain me too much.
Sometimes reading a great blog is so much more fun than accomplishing what I should be doing. For me, it's like sitting down and reading a great book. You get so immersed in it all, you just don't want to put it down until you finish. Thanks TSB and AG for the entertainment and inspiration for writing.

I think I'll fess up to option number 1 the most, in that the minutes in the day just keep dwindling away. Maybe my lack of a great view most of the time has something to do with procrastination. I'm just in my own world and well I hope I snap out of it eventually. Maybe it's a growing step again in my life. But really life is much better than I'm painting it out to be.

Ending off on a better note - I'd like to add that I did do something for the first time this weekend. Carcassonne was what I did. It's not really an accomplishment.

But I'd rather starting thinking about accomplishing "what haven't I done in my life, what could I go and do ?" I think the next year will be filled with accomplishing the things I haven't done in my life.

United's Hiring

I'm hoping the news that United will hire some 2000 flight attendants means much better things are in the future.

With a starting salary of $17,000 a year, I'm pretty sure you will have to love your job to get on board. It's been almost 5 years since United has hired any flight attendants but that will be good news for the Dulles Airport. Other facilities such as Chicago and San Francisco might follow.

I just hope this means there are more flights and opportunities for all of us.

This photo is somewhere across Greenland on our August trip from Europe. With rates almost doubled since I started flying from North America to Europe, any type of change is something that I will be welcoming.

Cooking Classes For Kids

When I saw the headline Cooking Classes, I was immediately drawn in. Personally I'd love to take another cooking class. I'm not a great cook, but it's mostly because of fears of getting sick if I don't cook the food enough. Or the fact that I never helped with dinner because my schedule as an athlete never permitted me to help make dinner, ever. As a child, I always sat alone after my swim practice and gobbled up my dinner long after the family had eaten.

While I was living in Switzerland, I noticed most men loved to do the cooking in the house. I was just mesmerized by all of the different recipes everyone pulled out. As I grew up, I only heard of the horror stories of men who could never fend for themselves. I'm not saying everyone in Europe or Switzerland can cook, but I felt one reason was because I was told most everyone gets to take a course in cooking while they are in school. Of course, this was just from my observations from whom I met.

Just to investigate a bit more, I wanted to see if these types of classes actually existed on both continents. In DC, parents can go with kids or teens and learn how to make Sushi type meals. Outstanding!

In Montreux, kids can visit the Montreux Palace and partake in cooking classes for children. The goal is to introduce young kids to the culinary adventure and let them enjoy cooking. Don't think the cooking ends just there. Expats can also take a few courses in cooking. In Lucern area, cooking classes teach how to shop so you ensure always having the makings of a great dinner on hand. Learn how to plan for meals on hectic nights, and how to use basic recipe concepts to make endless variations all throughout Switzerland.

These classes sound like an great concept to me. If you have an open mind and are willing to see what they have to offer, I'm sure at least you will come up with one new meal to fix along the way. And well, where ever you might be, I'm sure one can at least pick up on some new meals for the culture you live in.

A Joke For The Technically Challenged

I'm sure all of us should be accomplishing our "to do list" instead of reading blogs, so here's something for your enjoyment while you procrastinate longer.

In case you needed further proof that the human race is doomed through stupidity, here are some actual label instructions on consumer goods.

1. On a Sears hairdryer -- Do not use while sleeping.
(That's the only time I have to work on my hair.)

2. On a bag of Doritos -- You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside.
(the shoplifter special?)

3. On Boot's Children Cough Medicine -- "Do not drive a car or operate machinery after taking this medication."
(We could do a lot to reduce the rate of construction accidents if we could just get those 5 year-olds with head-colds off those bulldozers.)

Remembering Our Veterans

It's eleven eleven and a day off of Remembrance for those living in Canada. Remembrance day as it is known in Canada is a celebration from the well known fight of the soldiers in Flanders. Veterans day is what it is known as in the US. Here's one guys take on what being a veteran is all about. And check the post below to learn a bit more.

For us, it's more of a day of catch up. I'm glad I've got an extra day off to help get all of our wedding plans in order. And to watch the end of Where in the World is Matt Lauer. He's off to Croatia and boy do those sunny skies look enticing.

The Sweet Smell of Truffles

The first time I saw a white truffle was while I was living in Switzerland. When I first heard we were having some truffles, I was probably just like you thinking I was speaking about white chocolate. But the type of truffle I'm speaking of is typically found in the well known wine country of Barolo, near the area of Torino and found in such cities as Alba in Italy.

The lovely yellow house with the elegant blue shutters lured me in to finding out more about a place which reminds me so much of Switzerland. I'm speaking of an area 40 miles south Torino Italy where the winter Olympics will be held this year.

So what do the white truffles have to do with this beautiful villa? Everything. Quietly nestled in the town of Alba lies a dynasty. You won't see olive trees or be able to experience the Mediterranean, but you will be able to experience rolling hills filled with enormous oak trees lingering in the fog among many other cedar and poplar. These are the same hills which prize the wine of Barolo and a shaved seasoning of white truffles over pasta tossed in butter with your enticing meal.

Have I enticed you enough? Read on for more.

What the Poppy Means

For many of us, we scratch our heads trying to figure out why people are wearing a red poppy on their outside coat. I certainly like to know what holiday I am celebrating in the country I'm living in. Some of us have seen people like Tony Blair wear them, others in Australia wear them and here in Canada many wear them. So I thought I'd try to give everyone a few more facts about Remembrance Day, which is celebrated on November 11.



So what exactly is the Poppy for?
During the Napoleonic Wars, the poppy was the mysterious flower that bloomed over the graves of fallen soldiers.

The poppy, an international symbol for those who died in war, also had international origins. A writer first made the connection between the poppy and battlefield deaths during the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th century, remarking that fields that were barren before battle exploded with the blood-red flowers after the fighting ended.

Remembering our fellow comrads who have fought in war to make our country what it is today. "On Remembrance Day, we acknowledge the courage and sacrifice of those who served their country and acknowledge our responsibility to work for the peace they fought hard to achieve."

I'll take a stab at saying Remembrance Day is much like Veterans Day in the US. If anyone else has more to add, please enlighten us.

Where in the World is Matt Lauer?

I usually catch a glimpse of the NBC Today Show in the mornings and when I heard Matt Lauer was off on another whirlwind trip, I was glued to the tv. I've got a fascination for traveling, but I'm sure nobody knew that one. What caught my eye was when they showed Matt's trip to Zermatt, Switzerland. He got to do something many tourists do with parachute skiing.

Now Matt is in Innsbruck, Austria. What boggles my mind is that Matt's trip all started in New York where he set off for his first destination. Matt traveled from the Easter Islands in the South Pacific, then to Panama and then straight to Innsbruck. I sit there and am boggled still by how far humans are able to travel in such a short amount of time.

Although I don't have a picture right on this computer, I still remember clearly one of the best trips I had taken from the highways of Switzerland into the area of Austria. Well we actually only got to Garmisch-Partenkirken, but that's just 30 minutes from Innsbruck and completely the same look.

There's just something about the entire area, the Swiss Alps included, that just draws you in. The look of the buildings, the different culture, and the great prices attract many Swiss tourists to the area. If you are living in Switzerland, and still have a chance to drive on your next ski vacation, I'd highly recommend either Garmisch or Innsbruck.

One of the highlights from the NBC show showed the Stubai Glacier, still known as the land of eternal ice. Possibly only 50 or 100 more years of this glacier will exist if the pollution and melt down continues.

Nearly 40 acres were wrapped in white blankets in order to keep the ice glacier from melting. But this just doesn't affect this certain glacier, it effects every glacier in the alps in the same way.

Needless to say, this addition of the show today left me glued. They showed everything from Matt high up on a cable to another woman trying out skeleton riding, which is a bit like the louge but even more daring. Back to reality here in rainy Vancouver, I'm just hoping make my morning run without a lot of rain.

Swiss Railways Wins Milestone Award

The Swiss Company RailAway was awarded the Milestone award for its "most outstanding project" according to Swiss Info. Those of you not familiar with RailAway can be recognized by the fun ways of exploring Switzerland.

The Milestone award was created in 2000 to promote innovation and increase competitiveness in the Swiss tourist industry. I'm not really sure how many companies might be involved but I certainly did take notice of the deals RailAway has to offer.

If I'm not mistaken, RailAway is what you see when you go into train stations for travel packages and special offers, which are usually in Green. You can walk into the travel agency area of the station to find out more information. The Swiss Railways offers attractive and "affordable" travel packages with rail tickets and entrance to a wide variety of attractions. I think we used them when we were able to book a trip to Paris for 4 days and 3 nights. Their offers must be working since the railways turnover in the five years of existence.

Snow Capped Mountains

It's hard for me to drive and take pictures. Yes it's a funny but bold statement because I always see the best view while I'm driving the car. It's a partial height factor and I'm just a bit too short to see above all of the houses.

Seeing that I never like to run with a camera around my wrist, I've been lacking in the picture taking department since my arrival to Vancouver some time ago.

What I can say is that yesterday's sun made our local mountains look just like this. What's even more strange is there is a huge resemblance of the two mountains in this photo. When you look at the North Shore Mountains from down town Vancouver, you see what this photo presents as these locations to me look the same as this photo.

Waking up today with rain again, I'm not really sure how long it will last. This was the main problem last year. We had slightly warmer weather and lots of rain which melted the snow. Since the season has come earlier this year, everyone has high hopes the mountains will keep looking like a white wonderland.

By the way - I took this photo in the morning inside. It just shows you how incredible the view was for me every day. I think it's breath taking...

Paris Riots

After 12 days of riots throughout Paris suburbs, most people now recognize there is some sort of outlying problem fueling the spread of these riots. Local officials are now able to impose curfews in specific parts of the Paris suburbs and over 300 towns. My feeling is the curfews are there to make sure the riots get under control in the overwhelmed neighborhoods while still trying to not risk travelers from visiting popular tourist cities such as Paris (another outlying problem because France needs it's tourism).

Much of the Paris riots seem to have a resemblance of the 1990 riots of Los Angeles where people were standing up for a cause. They felt looting and setting cars and buildings on fire were the only way for the government to recognize the problem. France is recognizing "their social model is exploding" according to the article by Washington Post.

However, I think a better read is Swiss Info which recognizes Frances problem being that of integration. Switzerland should know about this problem since the Swiss really do work to integrate immigrants into society. They do not hide where they live on the outskirts of town either and instead try to make them mingle among everyone.

The most interesting take on the two stories was from Mr. P who stated basically jobs for immigrants did not exist because they were second in line for a certain job. This could be the case seeing that many immigrants were drop outs and unqualified for specific jobs. You'll have to read the two articles to decide for yourself.

One point is clear, the real problem France is facing is how to put their country back together so that everyone can live in peace. As the famous flag in Switzerland says "PACE" - It's Italian for Peace - Pronounced Pache.

Promoting Switzerland Through Tourism

Switzerland is working on their image through promoting tourism. There are subtle hints which can be seen in the country. Basel is currently advertising longer shopping hours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Since the consumer industry has been hurt by declining sales, the shops have been increasing their marketing spending in order to win back customers and attract new ones.

Basel definitely has something to do in the month of November along the Rhine as the traditional Basel Autumn Fair runs from October 29 until November 13. I think I'm feeling left out and wishing I could have partaken in the fun with Ms. Mac and Expatter who had a great Saturday out visiting the selection of rides and great food.

Throughout the city of Basel, there are different areas of the city where you can find market stalls, jazz and other festivities for the autumn months. The event was founded some 535 years ago when the mayor of the city traveled to the court of the German emperor, Friederich the third, to ask for permission to hold a fair in the Basel area. People from Germany and France are drawn to the festival to give you an idea about how big this fair can get.

On other notes, I had a super lazy weekend besides going out to dinner on Saturday night. I felt like it was "meet the parents" when I met Mr. P's aunt and uncle for the first time. Actually they were his first family members I've met since they mostly all live in Quebec.

Today I am just feeling so lousy and don't even know how I wrote this much of a post. Soreness from my weekend of getting to run twice might have done me in. But I hope I'll bounce back by this evening.

Where To Travel - Funniest Search of the Week

I love looking at some of the ways people find my site. This weeks funniest post was "why do so many people go to Evian Les Bains".

I'm not sure why they do actually, but maybe they are looking for a great spa. Other than the fact that it's easy to get to Evian from Lausanne, I'm not sure why people would want to visit Evian's highly over priced thermal bath.

I think it costs 50 CHF or more. The boat ride takes about 35 minutes and well there is one casino. I've been to Evian Les Bains 4 times and besides finding great cheap french cuisine, I was not too thrilled at all. We stayed for about an hour or two but we were ready to leave.

However, if you feel like going to France for the day, why not go to Yviore which is just 20 kms down the way. The town of Yviore is incredibly beautiful. The shop owners are so welcoming and the food is incredible. I believe the bigfinn also went there and enjoyed himself too.

Now that winter is just around the corner, I'd rather be visiting some of the more unique thermal baths throughout Switzerland. And boy are there a lot of those great baths all around Switzerland. Some of my favorites include Zurzach near Baden, Ovrannaz nearest to Sion and Montreux, Morschach near Brunnen and Bad Ragaz near Litchenstein. If you'd like to know more about any of these great destinations, feel free to let me know. I think I'll do a write up on http://www.expatraveler.com

Basic Canadian Facts

One of the coolest Canadian shows I have seen since I moved to Canada, is a show called This Hour Has 22 Minutes, a CBC news satire by Rick Mercer. Although I don't get to catch the show that much, I'd like to thank Expat for reminding me about how great this show really is.

The show really has me rolling on the floor every time I watch it. Rick Mercer has a real nack for bsing people. Some of the things he says, I could see how they could get some Americans but really it shows how much Americans don't know about other Countries, specifically Canada.

Here are a few great examples:

DID YOU KNOW that the capital of Canada recently relocated from Ottawa to Toronto? Former Vice-President Al Gore did!

DID YOU KNOW that a Canadian minute is actually longer than an American minute due to a strange anomaly in the space-time continuum? Iowa Governor Thomas Vilsack did!

Be sure to check out all of the great clips plus this one too. You might just find a new favorite tv show yourself.

Swiss Railway Facts

There's a great article today from Swiss Info about the railways of Basel.

Münchensteinerstrasse 115 in Basel has an interesting connection. I'm sure you wouldn't know what I was talking about until I mention something about a big brown copper tower as seen in the photo across the tracks.

What's interesting to me about the story was that I was that avid train rider who watched all of the architecture as I made my way into Basel main station or out towards Biel or Zurich.

Basel Main station is controlled by a big railway box, wrapped with copper strips that are twisted at just the right place in order to let in daylight.

What makes the building so unique is the copper coiling protects the sensitive electronic equipment of the signal box from lightning strikes. A pretty cool concept if you ask me, especially since the building is the main operations center for the Basel train system take care of French and German trains too. Of course most everything is controlled by big computer screens, but you'll just have to read the article to find out more.

Airlines Keep Increasing Their Fees

Since the oil giants announced an increase in quarter profits, I keep scratching my head wondering if the airline industry is applying the same tactic to their industry. Word came out from United Airlines about a few changes which should benefit the customer, especially the business class. Personally I think it's a lure to mask the increase in fees. None of this is mentioned in the first page of the Washington Post Report.

According to the post, United will start increasing fees for having a live person help you with your needed services. This is an attempt to make more people use the web. I think this is a great idea for those who have use of the world wide web. However when people do not have access to the web, such as many elderly people, I don't think they should be taken advantage of like this.

What it boils down to is that customer service is something we have to beg for in the 21st century. With all of the perks that come along with customer service, I guess it's now a thing a of past as more and more airlines move towards paying for food. It's a sad realization everyone has to come to grips with.

Rainy Weather Again

Seems as if every day lately we have had rain, but I'm hoping for more sun...

Lately according to the weather reports, here in Vancouver we have had an abudance of rain or at least a bit more than we usually do in the city. Really I wouldn't know since I have lived in Switzerland and Europe for the last couple of years. I can't really stand the rain, but I get by. Switzerland seemed to have some nice breaks in the rain all of the time. Here's one picture from the same month of the Montreux Vineyards.

Do you know what puzzles me the most? How some leaves can stay colored for a period of more than 1 to 2 months. Autumn leaves are still something that is new to me (yes while always driving in California, I never noticed seasons) and keeps me pondering questions in my head while I go for a run.

Looking at Female Curlers in a Different Way

Before I came to Canada and met Mr. P, I really didn't know anything about Curling. Besides seeing curling on the olympics or passing through a tv station for a few seconds, that was probably the most I was ever exposed to the sport of Curling.

The other night, Mr. P came home to tell me about his new revelation. And boy was it one! The women of curling are getting noticed in a totally different way. I'm sure it's working to gain at least a few male fans. If you'd like to check out the revealing photo, go here to find out more.

I might add that my luck with running yesterday didn't turn out to be that great. When I started, I intended to jog in a light rain. But half way into my run and far away from home, I got drenched in a down pour. Oh well, I was laughing as I ran. At least I chose to wear my rain gear and at least my head and my arms stayed dry. My clothes were so wet by the time I got home that I had to resort to drying them in the dryer. The basement doesn't have heat and my gear wasn't dry even in late afternoon.

Catching Up On Travel Bargains

The Washington Post has a pretty good list of travel bargains every week with prices that are pretty good for this time of year. One bargain caught my eye because it was pretty cheap and it's something I really miss taking - Trains. The closest thing I can get to is taking the sea bus across the Burrard Inlet.


Right now Rail Europe is offering a two-day France Railpass for $99 for a second-class ticket. It must be used within a one-month time period through Jan. 31; buy by Dec. 5.

Of course the mention of snow bound places was on the list. The idea has popped into my head as my cousin is coming up to see our wedding. He mentioned wanting to go to Whistler and since Mr. P and I have never been there, we are keen on possibly heading up that way too. With Whistler opening this weekend and with 70 cm of fresh powder, it starting to get a bit more exciting.

Making Swiss Property Open to Foreigners

With an attempt to boost the Swiss economy, there has been a movement liberalize laws making it easier for foreigners to buy property in Switzerland. According to Swiss Info, the movement was made by the cabinet on parliament who said the current Lex Koller legislation was too outdated.

In typical Swiss fashion, I'm not so sure the movement will be passed. However,
if the property market would open for foreigners the market would create jobs and increase the supply of rental properties which have been in shortage. The negatives of course are uncontrolled development and the possibility of urban sprawl especially in mountain resort areas.

The picture is of Montreux on a summer day in 2003. One of the houses in the row at the top was where I lived. I somehow don't think there will be any building in this area any time soon. It's populated enough as is.

Beauty in the Beast

Yesterday's article in the Washington Post really made me open my eyes more. Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky sees the world and landscape from a different perspective. He now displays 14 of his top photographs from certain places around the world.

What's different about all of these photos is that they come from the transformation of nature through industrialization. It's up to you to decide if you can help change the beauty in the beast.

If you haven't heard of Edward Burtynsky, you can check out his works of art here or on display at the Brooklyn Museum of art. Judging from the eye catching photo above, I'm sure you'll want to see more of this.