Where Will You Be For New Years

As Aussie's already ring in their new year, it's not so good new years news for Londoners. Many people from London won't be all too happy on new years eve with a Tube Strike. Nicole in London reported yesterday she had to change her plans last minute as a result.

Some of my West Coast friends choose to go to Las Vegas while others travel to other cities to be with friends. I think it's a bit harder for me to get where I want to go (Europe when I'm in Vancouver).

But I know by far which new years was my favorite. It was ringing in 2004 New Years. I was in Switzerland in a small village near Zurich. The tradition there is to build a large bon fire from firewood gathered throughout the village 3 days before the event. The male villagers build the bon fire which must be at least 15 meters in height. The entire village climbs up the tiny hill overlooking the entire valley below. Soaked 100 kilo torches light the bon fire when new years strikes. The fire gets very hot and everyone gathers around and has a wonderful time popping champagne and chatting away.

Another funny report came out yesterday as a reporter in the UK called their snow storm "It feels just like the Artic". What you wouldn't know Mr. Reporter is that -2C is nothing like the Artic of Canada and You'd be wearing much more than just a thin rain jacket to keep you warmer. It got me rolling on the floor with all of this mans seriousness. I guess it doesn't get all too cold there in the UK after all.

Resolutions For All Year

I'm not really a fan of making new years resolutions because everyone else seems to make some type of resolution. It's a trend and something people do, so I don't do it. But I do like the idea the Washington Post has for the new year.

They've come up with quite a few resolutions to do all year long. Now that is my type of resolution, something that takes place all year. Some of the topics range from the Torino Olympics, a total solar eclipse or venturing off to Europe to find out many of the other interesting things happening in 2006. Although I'd love to take a trip this summer, I'm seriously doubting I'll have any plans to venture off. Oh well, for now I'll have to read and dream about it that much more.

Staying Out of Trouble

Yesterday P and I both decided we needed to get a lot of chores done. You know the vacation laundry, food, cleaning, and dishes. We also needed to tie up the loose ends from the wedding, which we completed.

I needed to get my application down to the finishing touches as well. But I'm still waiting on my finger prints from the FBI and France which is worrying me too much, especially since we all know how long things take when sent to France. And I've already gotten all of my other confirmations back about a month ago. It's totally making me wonder and worry why it is taking so long. I know I need to be patient but with our marriage certificate already here, there isn't much left until I can send in the entire PR application. Here's to hoping that everything will come together soon.

If anyone else is interested, joining the yahoo groups for immigration to Canada is a great resource and so much help. I've gotten a lot of little questions answered which the people on the forums don't have a clue about. Oh well, at least we are staying out of trouble this weekend.

Campbell River Outing

On the 27th of December, we all set out to have lunch at the top of Mt. Washington. That morning it began raining heavily and I was seriously doubting heading up that way at all. By the time we got half way up the mountain, blankets of snow were around us. That was too much of a match for our front wheel drive mini van. So we turned around and headed out to Campbell River.

Campbell River is about 60 kilometers north of Comox and somewhere that I had never seen before. I guess it's a rather small fishing town and retirement resort which employs people at its local pulp mill. We had a lovely lunch right at the waterfront with a wide choice of seafood dishes to choose from. P and I both opted for some type of salad since we were feeling like we had been fed a bit much over the holidays.

I did manage to take a few wonderful photos of the area. It's so serene and different than Vancouver. The most noticeable difference is that you can bald eagles flying around which is definitely a treat. All in all, the excursion was a welcomed treat and something I really wouldn't see every day on the mainland.

Crazy People

Crazy People
Originally uploaded by thnkfst.

This photo might not look all too odd except for the fact that it was taken on Dec 26th of this year. These crazy fools gather around with some hot chocolate, strip down to their swim suits and dive into the water like Polar Bears.

I think traditionally the Polar Bear swim happens on New Years day but in Comox they choose to get it over with a bit earlier. I was happy to watch all of these fools turn bright red. I'm no dummy, I was for 14 years and that is enough with my swimming career.

The above photo was another picture from the start of the race. It was extremely hard to take photos since I'm not 7 feet tall. Everyone gathered around to watch the crazy fools go into the water. I've been there, done that for too long so there was no way I was going to freeze my behind off for no apparent reason.

Photo Happy in Comox

On December 26th, we set out that morning to the Comox Spit. The Spit, better known as Goose Spit is where the ocean and the island end. Upon arrival into Comox, I thought the marina must be the end of the little inlet we were staying on. Check out the link on Goose spit to see a good image of what I am really talking about. Indeed, the spit which was a few miles down the road was at the end.

Sitting Duck
Originally uploaded by thnkfst.

I ended up finding many great photo subjects like this lonely old boat. I have a few favorites of this shot but liked this one because of its reflection. Reflection or Blue sky, which would be your favorite? I really couldn't decide but opted for the reflection.

Just off to the side of this boat, the view was incredible. Really I couldn't decide what photos to upload but here is a great picture of this lonely boat both P and I would love to have ourselves one day.

The weather completely cooperated with us that morning and there was a crowd who came out to join all of the well wishers who wanted to photograph what insane things people do the day after Christmas.

I'll have to leave that for the next post. Any guesses???

We're Back in Vancouver

So after traveling all day long through a tough and rainy morning, we managed to make it back to Vancouver Mainland. I'm so tired right now from all of the traveling. I seriously feel like I've taken a plane flight. And since it is 6 hours after we left, I think that our travels could compare to say the least.

I'll have more to post later but if you go back to the map below, you can see where we went in more detail. Our journey took us to Comox, Campbell River and half way up to Mt. Washington and down to Nanaimo.

We don't feel like eating in so a good walk is in order, followed by a stop at the sushi restaurant. Vacation was nice but it's so nice to be back home. I'll post photos and more about the trip once I upload them onto the computer.

Christmas Eve

So I managed not to touch a computer yesterday. And today on Christmas Eve, I'm doing pretty well considering that I didn't even bring my laptop to the island. I'm feeling guilty blogging while everyone else is out chatting away. I'm experiencing everything a typical Canadian family might be doing at Christmas. I'll be back some time after Christmas I suppose but for now I'm taking a much needed break for a few days. I'm sure I'm not the only one doing the same.

We're Off to Vancouver Island

Tomorrow morning we are off to Vancouver Island on one of the early morning ferries. No it doesn't make me happy that we are leaving at an insanely hour for no reason other than to assure we get our car on the ferry. So I'm off to try and do 50 loads of wash and pack whatever I might need for however many days I'll be away.

I'm looking forward to the trip since this is only my second time on Vancouver Island. It's been super hot here since yesterday. We had a high of 12 and yes it felt like you didn't even need a sweatshirt on or anything. Postmen were reported wearing shorts among the downpour of rain. Although it will keep raining the entire time, maybe something will change by Christmas day and we will see a white Christmas. For now, it's just looking to be warm and wet.
So This is the area where I will be at. We will be near the mountains near Mt. Washington.

Missing a Good Christmas Market

The best Christmas markets can be found in Europe without a doubt. Last night PBS had a wonderful show on Christmas markets from an episode of The Seasoned Traveler.

The Christmas Market tradition spans more than 500 years old and are traditionally set up in town squares. Because these markets are so incredible, you will find many Americans flocking to these Christmas markets because they are so different compared to the malls and other places in the states.

These markets display crafters, local artisans, all handmade from Europe. The best way to find Christmas markets is simply looking in a town square. Some of the famous countries to host such markets are from Sweden to Spain and from Paris to Prague.

So if you'd like to get your fix of gluhwein and sausages why not visit any of these European hot spots. In this particular show, George Bauer took a look at several Christmas Markets, beginning in Vienna (which has several of them) and Salzburg in Austria, then to places like Passau, Regensburg, and Nuremberg in Germany.

For me, Vienna was simply stunning. It's a place I have yet to visit, with many markets throughout the town square, you just have to walk around to find them. The next stop was Salzburg which I saw last on tv with Matt Lauer. Passau was the next stop which is home of the world's largest organs of Bavaria. Neuremburg is Home of the Oldest sausage kitchen in the world and is also where the Christmas market tradition began, and bustling beauty especially for children.

So for this year, I guess my fix will filled by everyone reporting back from their nice strolls and the tv shows I find that are all about Europe and Switzerland.

Fast Track to Hamburg

Swiss Blogger TimTom whom I personally met on my last August visit to Lausanne found a funny find last week. Tom found out that somehow you can take a city train in Lausanne and end up in Hamburg. Ironically, Hamburg is situated in Northern Germany and is impossible to just get there via a Swiss train. Obviously this was a big mess up on some engineers part but it's the type of classic mess up you never get to see a photo of. Thanks to Tom's mobile, he got a great picture at the Lausanne train station.

Check out the full story from TimTom himself.

Winter Solstice Arrives

Well it's that time of year again for the winter solstice. I'm happy because there are only longer days ahead and that's exactly what I like to see. I know there are some weird gatherings and crazy rituals people do. Others celebrate with an evening concert or party.

Being from a swimming background, I think these guys are darn crazy. I've had to swim in cold weather because the heater was broken. I've had to get into a freezing pool at 4:30am when it's about 0C outside and your bed is a lot warmer than the 20C plus inside that pool. I hated that feeling of jumping into that swimming pool. Adrenaline and showman ship are probably why they do such crazy acts in the winter months.

I found a pretty cool winter solstice quiz.

1. The Romans honored the Winter Solstice with a festival called Saturnalia. During this celebration:
2. The Scandinavian barbarians held a festival called Jiuleis to celebrate the solstice. Can you guess what popular custom came from this feast?
3. Did you know that many of the ancient ruins we visit were built to celebrate solstices? Which of the following temples honors the Winter Solstice?
4. In Norse mythology, Balder, the god of the summer sun, was killed by an arrow made of a now popular Christmas leaf. Which one was it?
5. Many of the traditions associated with Christmas actually come from the pagan worship of the Winter Solstice. Which of the following festivals involves the custom of giving presents?

Now take the quiz and see how you did or take a few more quizzes along with your children. Originally I didn't remember anything, but after taking the quiz a second time I did wonderful. :) haha...

I'm curious to know of any winter solistice traditions you have encountered or celebrate. I'm sure the next day or so will be filled will a few funny tails and thereafter. Here's a pretty good run down from all over the world including Europe.

Surprise

Well we've been married for an entire 10 days. And for no specific reason P brought home something to make me smile.

He's just so nice to me. :) I guess I'm really lucky. Funny thing is that because I had extra time I just had to watch Dr. Phil. They had dysfunctional newlyweds on the show. What he said was the most important thing was to give little notes and do little nothings for your significant other for no apparent reason. I think P is doing a good job.

Time is Flyin

Today was my day off from my normal work and it sure went fast. The sunsets in the evenings the last two weeks or so have been incredible. I managed to get in a few shots from inside and I'm pretty impressed on what came out. The mornings have been equally mesmerizing. But this morning ended that with our first day of rain in about 10 days, which of course is unusual for Vancouver.

I've been busy working on completing my application for Permanent Residency in Canada. Right after, I found one interesting article about a couple dealing with loosing their own paradise. It seems James is also blogging about these issues. I know I'm feeling it in a bit of a different way but it still effects me the same.

Other exciting news, I set off the smoke alarm today. I thought the burner was turned on over the kettle but that wasn't the case. It gave me a little scare especially since there wasn't even smoke. Oh well, things are settled down now and I'm happy to start cooking dinner for P for the first time since we got married. We usually are never together for dinner because of my job so that is a bit exciting for me to actually have dinner ready once he arrives at the door.

Am I Traveling in Europe Again

As I read this wonderful article from the Washington Post, I couldn't help to think about Europe. Of course it is how much Germans and Dutch seem to travel these days, via RV for a vacation that is. And that is exactly how the German Ambassador used his summer holidays to explore the US and "rough" it.

As issues about how cramped the campgrounds might be, Wolfgang assures Jutta things won't be as cramped as Europe. Reminders of Lake Starnberg in Bavaria and Lago di Como in Italy are in their heads as they trek throughout the Eastern US. Of course when it is all finished, the best thing to come back to is your own bed. Sure enough, there apparently are reminders of Europe when you RV across the states after all.

Feeling Left Out

Yesterday we went out in search of a Christmas Festival. Sadly I was quite disappointed with what is presented in Vancouver. Everything we saw was a complete disappointment and not much of anything. I was wishing there was an outdoor skate rink to get people in the festive mood. Sure everyone has indoor rinks but it's about getting outside and enjoying the season. All I see here are people trying to capitalize on spending money which totally looses the true meaning of the season.

Maybe Vancouver is so dull because Switzerland and Germany have such great Christmas markets. Or maybe it's just that I've failed to see where these Christmas markets exist throughout Vancouver. Regardless, I'm missing the wonderful warm gluh wine and everything else that has to do with being cold and trying to feel a bit more cheery. So I'm left with a really bad void in my stomach just wishing I could jet over to Switzerland to get my fill.

To make matters worse, I'm still feeling like a total outsider without an identity. Really I wish I could speed up my process of becoming a Canadian resident as my life would be made so much easier. You see, we opened up our first joint bank account as a married couple this weekend, but I was told because I'm not a resident YET that I could not be primary account holder. I'm not sure if anyone else knows how it feels to be a nobody but I sure still feel that way. I've felt that way since I've left in 2001. I guess it's just one obstacle that will feel bitter sweet when I finally feel like I have an identity. I feel like my identity has been taken away and only time can help me to get it back. Let's just hope that I won't be feeling all too left all that long.

Just tired

Well I've been wanting to blog all day but I guess I need a break. I'll be back tomorrow with a bit more interesting of a post.

View above Bloedel Gardens. It's been looking like this outside lately during the day. Pretty nice for raining Vancouver in December.

Excited

I opened up my personal email box to see 10 wonderful emails from friends. It was so nice to read all of the emails in response to our wedding photos but of course the one love stuck out in my mind.

The email I loved the most was a set of photos sent from my Swiss family that I lived with for 1.5 years in Montreux. Little Max is now 5 years old and a big boy. I spent every day with him when he was age two to three. It's a pleasure to still know that I'm his "ifer". That's what he used to call me because he couldn't totally pronounce "Jen" and it was how his father said my name. Now if you could only hear it on audio, you would think it was just that cute.

He'd walk down to the basement yelling "IIFERRR", "IIFERRR" (with a French accent as "EEFAIR" and a rolling R) at the top of his lungs. It was so cute every time because he just wanted to say hello and smile. I guess I've had enough impact on him to remember me two years later.

I missed this family dearly when we visited Switzerland this summer because they were more than likely in Korea where Dad was working. The best news is that they are going to be back in Europe to live. So if our adventures take us to Europe, I want to visit them!

Now that the week is almost ending, I'm excited to get more into the Christmas spirit. But more importantly just to walk and spend time with P as our first week as newly weds approaches. I really haven't said all too much about the wedding and I know a lot of people were asking so I might as well try to say a bit.

Our wedding was incredible and completely in the festive Christmas spirit. Besides nervously waiting for our wedding commissioner to arrive at her stated time, the wedding itself went perfectly. She was wonderful too. We had a few younger kids there and they all found playmates. Everyone was so entertained and told me they loved it more than a church since they could walk around and visit the indoor garden. The wedding itself I imagine lasted about 5 minutes in all. Just perfect! Charlie the bird was a hit with everyone.

Most of the wedding was completely non-traditional. We had a dinner which followed the ceremony. Since we were combining some Canadian traditions with American, it was all new for all of us. All I know is that Canadians love tapping their glasses and making us kiss every other second. The dinner was excellent and the food, especially the appetizers were outstanding. I just look back at the last wedding I went to in Switzerland. It was a long day.

Since my parent's wedding anniversary is on the 18th, I've got to quickly figure out some good pictures to put together for them. The only bad thing which we were sad about was my cousins car window got broken into. They couldn't steal the car because it had the safety chip inside but still it was a sad thing.

I'm off to enjoy the blue skies above.

Some Random Things About Me

Some Random Things About Me

I took this Meme from Sara who took it from someone else. Sure it's going around but I liked it. :) And really I just wanted my husband to read it because I'm pretty sure he will do just that.

TEN Random Things You Might Not Know About Me

1. I swam for 14 years and even got a full scholarship to university as a result.
2. I was a swim instructor for 10 years by the time I was 23.
3. I have really big feet, 11 in the U.S. and 42-43 in European.
4. My husband and I have the same size feet and hands.
5. I can't survive without my chap stick.
6. I'm addicted to Swiss Chocolate.
7. I check out cars like most men, especially if they are a perfect shade of navy blue.
8. I used to be a gym junkie but since living in Europe, I can't even walk into a gym anymore.
9. I had the same size feet in second grade as my teacher. She wore size 6.
10. My nose is like a basset hound as I smell everything.

NINE Places I've Visited

1. Grand Forks, North Dakota (ask me why?)
2. Antwerp, Belgium
3. Eindhoven, Netherlands
4. Monaco
5. Interlaken, Switzerland
6. Salzburg, Austria
7. Prague, Czech Rep.
8. Oahu, Hawaii
9. Puerta Vallarta, Mexico

EIGHT Ways to Win My Heart

1. Be a gentleman.
2. Give me a massage.
3. Surprise me with flowers.
4. Take me to Switzerland.
5. Tell me we are packing up and moving.
6. Send me a photograph.
7. Tell me you'd love to go run or hike with me.
8. Provide me with enough space to have a husky.

SEVEN Things I Want to Do Before I Die

1. Live in Switzerland
2. Have my own photo studio.
3. Travel around the world with my husband.
4. Be fluent in French.
5. Live a full life and watch my grandchildren grow old.
6. Feel like I've accomplished a lot in my lifetime.
7. Have a family.

SIX Things I am Afraid Of

1. I am afraid of heights and I get bad motion sickness.
2. Gaining enough weight to be fat.
3. Being fat and pregnant.
4. Losing my husband.
5. Not being happy.
6. Never finding the job I absolutely love doing.

FIVE Things I Don't Like

1. Being cold and in the rain
2. People who are fake.
3. Short Winter Days.
4. A messy Kitchen.
5. People who aren't on time, ie flakey people.

FOUR Ways to Turn Me Off

1. People with bad manners.
2. Men who really stink (remember my nose).
3. Chew with your mouth open.
4. Being mean/rude.

THREE Things I Do Everyday

1. Speak with my husband.
2. Get outside.
3. Check my email.

TWO Things That Make Me Happy

1. Being married to my husband.
2. The love of my family and friends.

ONE Thing On My Mind Right Now

1. My hubby.

Not In The Mood

Today is just one of those days where I'm not in the mood to do anything I need to be doing. I woke up late because I wasn't in the mood to get started. I found out that kids are home sick from school with the flu. And I'm not really in the mood to deal with that.

So that spun off not being in the mood to really talk too much today. I'm not really in the mood to work out but I really need to. So it's just a full not really in the mood type of day.

In short - Other news.

Switzerland might start giving consumers a discount for paying cash.

Dog breed bans might be more strictly enforced. What it confirms to me is that people in Switzerland are just as concerned with dangerous dogs as people in Canada.

Although the weather outside is blue and beautiful, I'm not so sure I'll get in what I want to do.
Oh well, the weekend is soon so things can only be looking up and up.

Swiss Lift to Put CN Tower To Shame

The CN Tower in Toronto is considered to be the world's tallest structure at 553m high. But that is soon to change when a new underground rail line is built in Switzerland. The line will connect parts of Switzerland from Zurich to Milan in a high speed underground train.

But the catch is on the way up. You must take a lift which is 800m high up to the surface. Just imagine the lift to be 3/8 bigger than the CN Tower. The "Porta Alpina" if approved will be the deepest underground station in the middle of the longest railway tunnel, connected to the surface by the longest lift putting the CN Tower in Toronto to Shame. The diagram looks to show the Eiffel tower as being about half the size of the lift.

The idea to expand and put in the "Porta Alpina" train line was so that people of the isolated and economically depressed mountain region in Graubunden could be connected to the rest of the world by a high-speed rail link. What it means is more people visiting the area.

I don't know about you but I'd still be concerned about my safety on the way up. That's sure a long lift! If people are able and willing to travel to this area, then I think the high speed line which will be finished in 2015 will be a good hit. For now, I guess we have to take a more conventional route to the Graubunden region.

Go here to check out the pdf German version of the plans.

No Frills Airlines

American Eagle now has the distinction of a "no frills" airline along with Air Canada. The days of getting free food on planes are over. What can we expect now - more crappy service to come! What more can you want??

Next in line every airline will start charging $1 for your soda. So you know what I say bring it on. Let's make all passengers start bringing in coolers full of their own sodas. They can charge .50 for that and make their own money from the airlines. Everyone can start bringing in more pillows to load up planes. Don't worry about overpacking as we will have to start loading earlier to be on time.

The best news is if everyone on American Eagle reacts to buying a coke, then the bigger airlines such as American will go to a pay for everything service to. It sounds like a nightmare coming true. What will be next? Paying $25 to $100 for first class food?

Obviously I'm not for this change. We pay a high price to fly. There are already "no frills" airlines that you can choose to fly on, such as SouthWest and EasyJet. But when the airlines start saying this is main stream because everyone is doing it, that's going a bit too far. One thing is for certain, I guess I'll be taking my food business elsewhere before I arrive.

Tipping 101

With my parent's first visit to Vancouver, I was asked a lot about tipping etiquette. Really I don't take too much notice of what the standard is since we rarely even go out to eat. But I believe it's 15% normally. But I was also asked that for the bridal dinner. Really I didn't know, but hoped I had given the correct answer. I had better take my own advise and catch up on what the tipping etiquette really should be. Maybe it would have come in handier if I had found this last week instead.

Oberwalden Becomes Tax Paradise

The Canton of Oberwalden has joined Schwyz and Zug as having the distinction of a tax paradise for those who earn more than 300,000 CHF a year. Tax incentives are included for businesses who only have to pay about 6% income taxes. The push and hope is that more people will stay or settle in this tiny canton located central Switzerland near Lucern, Interlaken and Schwyz.

I'm pretty sure there are a lot of people who are against another canton serving as a tax haven. But one thing still remains true, Oberwalden is a paradise with its beautiful blue azure waters.

Picturebook Sunsets

On the evening of our wedding, the sunset was again just plain incredible. Although I did not have enough time to bust out the camera, I found a photo on the Internet which is comparable.

The last week has just been awesome weather wise here in sunny Vancouver. We've basically had blue skies and lots of 4pm sunsets that you wished could last forever. If I ever have a balcony, I'm sure I'm going to capture a lot more of these unforgettable sites.

Of course all of these sunsets make me wish for warm weather along with beautiful sunsets. I start dreaming about being somewhere like Venice or along the shores of the Australian Coast. Some day I'll pick up and go where I want, riding into the sunset with my camera in hand longing for the paradise I see every day in every hour that I live.

Newly Weds

The Photo Says it All. We're Happy. :)

The Big Day

We're getting married today. Yes I can't believe it's happening to me.

Yesterday was a very hectic experience. I met P's dad for the first time. We went to Bloedel Gardens to stake everything out, kind of a pre-wedding thing. It's a super informal wedding so we aren't doing a re-hersal or anything of the sort.

As we were visiting P's dad, we totally forgot that we hadn't gotten the cake. So off we went to down town Vancouver in rush hour traffic. Luckily the cake was a zip to get and we were on our way home.

The way home consisted of a lots of traffic and me being completely mesmerized by the most incredible pink, baby blue and purple sky. Oh it was a treasure that I hope will last. The best picture I could paint in your minds is what a beautiful July night looks like while you are waiting for fireworks. Sum it up in one word - Breathtaking!

The night was late and dinner was very nice but rather long. We had a night cap at the bar with the single people altogether which as fun enough for us old farts. Heck - the Canucks won in a shoot out.

So these are the gardens where we are getting married. It's indoors so don't freak out. The colors are vibrant and full of many Christmas decorations and an abundance of beautiful poinsettias.

Kids in Sattel Ski Free

There's a new project which was launched in the town of Sattel to promote more skiing. The town of 240 children introduced a cheap ski card for children which is the first Swiss ski resort of its kind in Switzerland. Sattel is located just outside of Zurich in Canton Schwyz.

With the card, local school children up to age 16 can buy a season ski pass for only SFr10, instead of the normal price of SFr220. 25 per cent of the funding comes from the local authority and the rest comes from canton Schwyz and sponsors. Kids who live in Switzerland normally get to go on at least one ski trip a year with their school.

Marzipan Heaven

Yesterday we ran into a shop on the North Shore that was selling chocolate marzipan rolls. I haven't seen marzipan for the most part so widely since I left Switzerland, with the most famous carrots. In Migros they sell marzipan chocolate in a 3 pack which of course was my total favorite.

I just hope I don't get myself in trouble walking down there all the time to get a piece of marzipan cake.

Meeting The Parents

So yesterday was my last day of work before my wedding. I got off work at a perfect time and then zipped over to the other side of town to meet P's mom for the first time and eat dinner. It was pretty exciting since it was my first time seeing her.

After dinner my parents called and said they arrived in town. We walked over to meet them at the hotel and take them out to eat. They drove us in a brand new Dodge Durango rental call that had a grand total of 103 km on it!
We ended up seeing our wedding venue again. It's so beautiful even when all lit up in the dark. We have to make up some directions to the venue since the road is now all torn up for the construction of the new rave line for the Olympics in 2010. I now know what it means you can't make right or left turns!

So if you want to see a very cute post - just head over to P's site. He's the sweetest.

Wedding Gifts

P called me during his lunch with some exciting news. The guys at his work ended up giving us a very large wedding gift. Since it was totally unexpected, it's really a nice surprise to end the work week for us.

In addition, we've gotten a few other gifts from friends that we honestly didn't think they would do for us. It is definitely a nice surprise, especially with all of the nice wrapping paper and golden bows. I still can't believe all of this is happening, but it sure is nice.

Christmas Traditions

While yesterday was St. Nicolas Day for most in Europe, I found a very interesting book last night containing many of the Canadian traditions for the Christmas season.

With being an expat since 2001, I have been searching and figuring out the traditions of the world because I was just too oblivious to other traditions. After stumbling upon a great show last night about traveling through the Interlaken area, it prompted me to figure out where the foundations for the Swiss traditions started.

One notable tradition if you go to Lucern is the beautiful livesize advent calendar (seen above) which adorns an area of the downtown shopping area. If you've ever been shopping in Lucern during Christmas, I'm sure you seen this famous calendar.

Klausjagen
In Switzerland on the eve of December 5, the tiny village of Küssnacht am Rigi in canton Schwyz comes to life with the "Chasing of St Nicholas". Men dressed in white robes hold large headpieces designed from cardboard known as "Infuln" as they march through the town with a candle lit inside. St Nicholas himself appears at the rear of this procession, escorted by several Schmutzlis (his assistants) and torch-bearers. Several hundred men known as Klausjäger, or pursuers in white farmers' shirts march with traditional large Swiss cow bells swinging from their hips.

Samichlaus
St Nicholas is popularly called Samichlaus in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. He appears on December 6, when children awake to find the shoe or boot they put out the night before filled with mandarin oranges, nuts and cookies, as in Germany.

Female characters take on a similar role in other parts of the country, such as Befana in the Italian-speaking southern canton of Ticino and Chauche-vieille in French-speaking Western Switzerland. In Ticino, children hang up stockings on night of January 5-6 (the word Befana is derived from Epiphany): "good" children receive sweets, while tradition has it that "bad" children find a lump of coal, or sugar lumps resembling coal, in their stockings.

Who brings the presents?

Traditionally, children in Catholic areas were told that the presents were brought by the Christkind (German), Le petit Jésus (French), or Gesu Bambino. But probably these days children are just as familiar with the character almost universally recognized as Santa Claus.

Here is more information about Swiss Christmas Traditions. However, I'll be wrapping up all of my Christmas shopping as the family comes today to combine early Christmas and wedding all in one. I'm off the rest of the week to make sure all of the last minute wedding details are complete. So I don't expect to be here all too much until next week when I start my new life.

Not So True But Hilarious Swiss Facts

I was going through my stats and stumbled upon a website that gave some very untrue but hilarious facts about Switzerland.

I guess I do know a few things about Switzerland because I could have sworn all of these facts listed below are completely wrong.

I'm wondering if there was a loss in translation somewhere. But get ready for a few laughs and someone who really needs to study Switzerland better.


Some really "off" facts about Switzerland

1. "Switzerland is bordered by the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Slovakia."
Hmm - Last time I checked Switzerland bordered France, Germany, Italy and Austria.

2. "Switzerland joined the European Union in 1995 along with Sweden and Finland, and the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999." Hmm - last time I checked, Switzerland was the only country still not part of the EU. Although they are in talks to make this happen. I could have sworn the monetary unit is still a Swiss Franc.

3. "Switzerland lies at the heart of continental Europe, a beautiful and mountainous area with the Alps lying to the South and West." I wasn't aware the Alps were in the Western Part of Switzerland. Can you ski in Basel now and trek the Alps above Biel?

4. "The majority of Switzerlandns live in the warmer and more fertile climes of the North-East."You certainly don't mean Zurich do you? The last time I checked the weather in the North East, I almost ran into Liechtenstein or more towards Davos. Maybe I'm a bit off but anywhere East (ie Heidiland) is relatively cold and snowy all winter long. Ususally the Eastern area of Switzerland dips into the colder temps of -20 to -30 C daily.

5. "The stunning Alpine scenery ranges from the gently rolling hills of Muhlviertel to the 3,798 metre tall Grossglockner mountain." The last time I visited Austria I ran into the Muhlviertel. However, the last time I was in Switzerland, I thought the Jungfraujoch region of Switzerland was the tallest mountain range in Europe. Each of the famous Swiss mountains are "Eiger" (elevation 3970 m = 13025 ft), "Monch" (4099 m = 13448 ft) and "Jungfrau" (4158 m = 13642 ft). Maybe they shrunk since yesterday?

6. "Vienna in the North-East is the capital of Switzerland." Did they move the Swiss capital out of Switzerland without the world knowing it? Last time I checked the Bundeshaus was still flourishing in Bern.

So there are my sightly finds for the day. Really I can't believe someone could actually state these facts about Switzerland.

Les Marches De Noel

With Christmas just around the corner, Switzerland boasts some of the most remarkable Weihnachtsmarkt and all while enjoying the spirit of Noel.

Better known to most English speakers as Christmas markets, there are at least 6 markets within Switzerland and 6 others just across the border in Germany, Italy and France.

One of the coolest things about Montreux is what happens to the area during the winter. The gardeners are very creative and theme extravagant expositions for the winter months while the flowers are not exactly in bloom. Here's little Maxime in front of Medusa on Dec. 11, 2002. This is what we would do in the winter months and as you can see, both of us enjoyed every minute of our walks. How could you blame me with a view like that? And of course the enjoyable walk down to the Christmas market made our journey complete. Most of the time I just had to advoid "le carousel" because Maxime became obsessed and always wanted to ride it. Every day! I learned how to get very creative in distracting him.

Of the markets in Switzerland, I've had the pleasure to see two of them. I would have to say my favorite was in Montreux. Having lived in the city and visited the market daily during my morning walks, I couldn't wait for the evenings when the city came to life with bright lights and a lively atmosphere. For such a small city, Les Marchés de Noël in Montreux is in my opinion the biggest and most beautiful. There is so much to offer for the entire family. Kids can enjoy many different rides, including the large Carousel which lights up the sky. Adults can enjoy the hot wine and dine on wonderful Christmas food. There are about 150 shops which align the waterfront and make for great Christmas gifts.

The other Christmas Market I was able to attend was that of the Basel Weihnachtsmarkt. The year of 2003 seemed to be a bit cooler and windy than the previous year in Montreux. I wasn't as fascinated by this market as much because it did not seem to be as child friendly. There were many shops but since they were so close together it made it hard to browse the small shops. But everything is in the central down town area which makes for large crowds and a good atmosphere.

Some of the other Christmas markets in Switzerland include Einsiedeln in central Switzerland, Lucerne, Zurich which is located in the train station, and Morat. The places outside of Switzerland include Strassbourg, Colmar and Mulhouse in France, Europa-park, Fribourg en Brisgau in Germany and Milan in Italy. I'm sure there are a few more around but I know these markets exist.

Check out Christmas Markets here for many of the listings throughout Europe.

Swiss Say Obesity Is On The Rise

According to a new national nutrition report in Switzerland, more and more Swiss are becoming overweight. With about 37 percent of the population being overweight, the figures from the report which comes out every seven years is quite shocking.

My first thoughts as I entered Switzerland back in 2002 was that there were a lot less obese people. I attributed the result mostly because there are a lot less people who eat fast food. However, the problem is getting bigger as noted in this new study. But there still are a lot less fast food places in Europe compared to the United States or Canada.

What's a bit disheartening are the numbers of obesity seem to grow each year quite simply because many youngsters from the age of 15 to 25 eat fast food at least twice a week. If this is what is happening in Switzerland, I wonder how many people are obese in other countries such as the US and Canada?

Diseases and health problems related to weight cost SF2.7 billion every year in Switzerland with a rise in obesity of about 50,000 people per year. There are groups out there such as Swiss Balance which promote exercise and healthy living.

From all of my research, eating more fresh vegetables and less processed foods will combat this problem. The biggest obstacle is choosing to do this for yourself. Quite easily would be banning some of these foods from the food chain completely. Oh how to dream.

One exciting new program I think that is doing good is the tv show "The Biggest Loser". I'm guessing the biggest epidemic in this world is obesity. It will continue to grow until we all start changing our lifestyles with eating foods that help you healthy and strong.

The Count Down Begins

So the weekend has passed and the count down is in full swing before the big day. My future mother in law arrives today. I won't be seeing her until Wednesday night or so, but I've never met her because she lives in Quebec and I live in Vancouver. My parents arrive on Wednesday as well. We have a lot to accomplish this week as they have never visited me since I've moved here. But most importantly I'm excited that I will have 3 days off from work this week. This week will be a first of many things for much of my family.

P and I both joke that it's a great way to get people to visit us here!

Getting Pampered

Well yesterday I got my hair and make-up done for a pre-wedding try out. Really I loved the make-up and although I would like a bit less, I think in the photos it will look impressive.

However with the hair, I'm really not so sure. I realistically liked my hair as it was before I got it done (shown in this photo).

Believe it or not, in this photo I did nothing to my hair. I personally hate hairspray and getting it all tangled for a better poofy look. I've semi been stressing about this all week. I'm not sure how to tell the hair dresser to tone it down or should I just not do anything at all?

The World's Largest Time Piece

On November 23rd, the street of Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse experienced the lighting of something new. The Christmas Illumination as it is called happens from November 24th until January 2nd every year on Zurich's famous Bahnhofstrasse. For the most part, the lights are illuminated from 4pm until 12am and again in the mornings from 6:30am until 8am daily.

The most interesting part of the street is the lights are modern and new as they are considered as the world's largest time piece. The time piece consists of 275 lighting rods with 32 clusters of 28 LED's, each weighing 60lbs lighting up the Bahnhofstrasse, consisting of about .8 miles in length. But what is different from past years is the amount of light saved by these new time pieces which amounts to about 80% less lighting than previously used.

The time piece constantly changes throughout the Christmas season and throughout the course of the day. The name "the timepiece" was conceived because it keeps track of time in a sense. I'm sure if I were there, I would have glazed over it as I went about my daily business.

A Good Road Read

I'm a big sucker when it comes to buying travel writing books. I think it has to do with the travel bug and all of the excitement I've gotten since living Abroad. It's been incredibly hard to get me hooked on any type of book other than that lately. I think I'm drawn in like a magnet as it pulls me to the travel writers section of the bookstore without failure.

So when I saw "Road Reads" in the Washington Post the other day, I was just drawn in. Seeing the photo of foreign houses and a clear target audience of "those who want to see the world in the company of someone who loves to talk about it", I was reeled in.

The book as you would have it sells much cheaper on Amazon.com and is definitely A Way to See the World. I must admit, I trudged down to the bookstore in the snowstorm just to see if they had the book. I happily found a few other books that I refrained from buying for the moment. (My brain told me to buy the books but the wedding next week told me to hold off.) I've got my copy coming my way and can't wait to get started among everything else I should be doing too.

Busy Days

The other morning while I was shopping, I saw an artist starting her designs for the shop window. I saw her magically draw some black plain outline of what appeared to be Christmas presents. But when I came back in the afternoon it was fully decorated Christmas stocking.

Still Impressive to me, so I took a quick snap shot as I walked past the shop still amazed what a person could do so quickly.

I've found myself running around like a chicken with its head cut off all week, as we near just over a week left before our wedding. P and I have written down the "list of things to do" and are just trying to check everything off and double check to make sure everything is correct. We don't want to find out something was forgotten.

I've picked up my wedding dress as I nervously wondered if it would fit. You know that "magic weight gain you don't know how it happened thoughts" were running in my head all week. Ah no problems, I looked great in dress said the wedding store lady. I personally felt dress fit perfectly and I shouldn't be worrying but still am.

I managed to network and found someone to do my make up which is a feat in itself considering that I'm set in my ways and still like going back to people I know from where I grew up in California. Plus the fact that I really don't wear much make up has something to do with it too.

As well, I contemplated relentlessly on what I should do about my hair. You know, should I wear my hair up. It's not long enough as it's still a bit shorter than my photo on the side of this blog. Wishing I could do more but really wishing I could just walk into my hairdresser in California.

I also tried to go Christmas shopping as I won't be seeing my family for Christmas, only for our wedding. Managed to do most everything without problems, so far at least. Well except for the pesky critters that have joined my living space where I spent most of the morning cleaning out the cupboards.

Next week will go quickly. I will have 3 days of work followed by 2 nervous days of showing my parents around Vancouver as well as making sure everything is complete for the wedding. I've heard there is some wonderful flower blooming at the indoor gardens where we are getting married even.

I'm not stressed but I'm definitely busy. A better way to really put it is that I feel like I'm running around like a chicken with its head cut off. At least I've managed to take a few pics of it all.

This pic I took after walking down the hill to all of the stores. You can vaguely see the snow on the side after a day of sunshine and the mountains still full of snow. So more busy days are ahead but I'm not complaining because I'm busy which makes me happy.

TSA Sees Scissors In It's Sights

Going through airport security might not be as bewildering anymore. A decision has been made for US security posts that screeners should be focusing more on the route of terrorist problems - the bombs. The TSA according to the Washington Post will now allow sharp objects back onto the planes.

Basically it boils down to letting airline passengers bring small scissors and other sharp objects in their carry-on bags because these items no longer deemed to pose the greatest threat to airline security. Other changes in effect will be a variation of screening where you may or may not be asked to take off your shoes before screening.

As well, you might be asked for security purposes even before you get to your gate. I do think this is moving more in the right direction but I still enjoy the screen process in the EU and abroad a lot more as you don't feel like a down right criminal when going through their security checks. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way too.

World Aids Awareness Day

People from all over the world are recognizing today as World Aids Awareness Day. But don't think the problem is just in Africa. People from all over the world are astonished at the rise in cases of Aids within the past Ten years.

There are approximately 5.1 million people who are infected in India. China is putting forth a campaign where estimates in that country could be as high as 10 million by 2010. Sadly only 15% of people in Africa are able to get the needed medicine to fight the disease. Switzerland is in the fight too, but the messages aren't working so well anymore.

I think the World Aids Day Organization has done a great job with their new poster as seen above. They have a few compelling stories on the site as well.