Switzerland, Part Three

So we have spent the last couple of days wandering around Saas-Fee and generally taking it easy. The village is really nice. Having no cars seems to make a huge difference! The crepes and the hot chocolate in the village were pretty good as well.

Yesterday we decided to head to Zermatt, which is another ski resort about an hour from Saas-Fee. It is very close to the Matterhorn, so we thought it might be nice to have a look around the resort and then head up the hill to see the Matterhorn!

After a bus and train journey we arrived in Zermatt and it was freezing! We later found out that it was -11°C at the top of the hill. We looked around the village a bit - like Saas-Fee it was car free. Unlike Saas-Fee it seemed to be flush with money. It definitely seemed like a place where wealthy skiers stayed.

We then bought a life pass to head up the mountain which involved a two gondolas and a short walk. From the top you would normally have a great view of the Matterhorn, but unfortunately the clouds had settled, but I guess it was cool that I had never been at a higher altitude (on land of course) before! In fact it was so high they had signs telling people to take it easy, and I definitely felt short of breath and light headed while up there.

There was also an ice cave near by where people had carved out ice sculptures. It was a bit of a disappointment actually, there seemed to be more plastic then ice.

We then headed to a restaurant for a late lunch with a fantastic view before heading back to Saas-Fee.

Today we thought we would try our hand at skiing! We were told that there was not enough snow, but if you are in a ski resort you kind of feel obliged to have a go! So we picked up our skis and headed to the slopes to buy lift passes. Jules put her skis down, lined up and got the tickets. When she got back she noticed that someone had pinched her skis (or taken them by mistake), so we waited around for 20 minutes before Jules told Peter and I to go and have a ski. About an hour later Jules was still waiting, so we came back over to her and I waited while she went to the ski hire place to try and sort something out and Peter went up a Gondola to see if he could see anything at the top. Well it was bloody cold waiting there (later found out it was -25°C, so by the time Jules got back I was ready to head back inside (I could not feel my hands or feet). So Jules and Peter had a quick ski down before meeting me in the locker room.

Not wanting to write-off the day (or waste our lift pass) we decided to head up the hill to a restaurant at the top. The views were pretty spectacular and the restaurant revolved which was pretty cool! It made the day worthwhile!




Our Chalet in Saas-Fee



Saas-Fee Village



More of Saas-Fee



More of Saas-Fee



More of Saas-Fee



The Matterhorn



More of the Matterhorn



Zermatt Village



Skiers at the top!



Proof of the altitude!



It's so cold!



Zermatt Village



Saas-Fee Skiing!



Views from the Restaurant



Views from the Restaurant



Views from the Restaurant


Views from the Restaurant


Me!

Interlude

Okay, I realise this may be a boring post, but if you indulge me I would be most appreciative.

One of the things I miss from back home (but never ate) was Twisties. They are basically corn chips (or crisps for you English) with a chicken (why bother) or cheese (the only flavour in my opinion) flavour. You can buy then in the Australia Shop in London, but they are about 3 quid a packet (yes, that is about 7 baby dollars). Anyway, Mum sent me a couple of packets over earlier in the year which I have been enjoying, and I had even saved a packet to bring to Switzerland.

Anyway, the other day we were walking through the Jelmoli store in Zurich when we spied a packet of Fonzies! Apart from the name the packet looked exactly the same as cheese Twisties. So we grabbed a packet to see what they were like. It turns out they are like Twisties but without the flavour, so quite boring. So unfortunately for me Fonzies are not the new Twisties.

For anyone interested, they are from Italy (of all places) and even though the packet says cheese (Al Formaggio) they are nothing like cheese Twisties!

Oh and while I think of it, Mum, I am out of Twisties!



Side by side comparison


Fonzies!

Switzerland, Part Two

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Pete, Jules and I had decided to spend £30 on each other for christmas. Peter made us make up lists and he provided both Jules and I with a detailed list of what he wanted. Anyway realising that some of the photos from the opening of presents might appear on this blog I made the others have a shower before we were allowed to open the presents (I tried that with Jacob and Zac last year, but they would not have a bar of it!). Anyway, we all had great fun opening the presents (and even Peter was happy with the items both Jules and I bought that were not on his list!).

Jules made us some breakfast and we settled in for a day of eating and drinking and not much else. After some more talk with people back in Oz, we had a roast lunch and Peter and I tried to light the fire (which took a while, but it eventually started).

Unfortunately it was not snowing, but there was still snow on the ground, so I guess that counts as a white christmas!



Me handing presents out!


Jules and her Bop-It Blast


Peter and his Asterix book.


Me and my bright orange jumper.


Jules and her i-dog and bag (quite sad really..)


Peter and his Pens.


Me and my Absynthe!


Jules and a present she bought for herself (and found it very funny!)


Peter trying to light the fire.


End of the day...

Switzerland, Part One

Well it was Christmas time and Jules Peter and I had been discussing for years the prospect of spending Christmas in Switzerland. So with all of us being in the UK this year we thought it would be the best time. So with tickets all booked I headed up from Southampton on the 22nd to meet Peter and Jules. We were staying near London City Airport and flying out to Zurich early in the morning on the 23rd.

The flight was uneventful, but full of posh types heading off to Klosters and Davos (places far out of our price range). After landing in Zurich we dumped our bags at the hotel and headed into the city proper. Zurich is a nice place. It was cold, but bearable. It is full of lovely old buildings and interesting side streets. It is a pity we only had the afternoon to explore the place, but it is somewhere I will have to go back to. One thing I found pretty cool was they turned the overhead lines for the trams into lights (photo below), so they are far less of an eyesore! We went into a few shops, but they just reinforced our idea that Switzerland is an expensive place (even more so then the UK I reckon). We went into Jelmoli (a department store) to grab some food for the upcoming week and then headed out for dinner.

The next day (the 24th) we jumped on the train for our five hour journey to Saas-Fee - it was going to be our home for the next six days. So we headed to Brig, changed to a bus to get there. The scenery along the way was amazing. It is a very beautiful country. I can see why it is so popular with hikers in summer - it is something I have added to my list to do before I move back to Oz.

Anyway, Saas-Fee is a ski resort in the Alps about an hour from Zermatt. It was a pretty little village, busy with people arriving for Christmas. They have banned cars in the village itself (you have to park on the edge) which is a nice touch. We checked into our apartment (which was amazing) and then headed into town to grab some more supplies for the week ahead. After a couple of drinks and some unpacking as well as phoning Oz to wish everyone a Merry Christmas we headed out for dinner. Cheese fondue is a popular Swiss dish, so against my better judgment I decided to try it. for some reason I have an issue with melted cheese. My brain seems to think that it is far worse for me then normal cheese, now I realise that this is total rubbish, but I cant help it. So after a couple of mouthfuls I was over it all. But I guess I had to try it!



Peter and Myself in Zurich


Zurich Scenes


Zurich Scenes


Zurich Scenes


Zurich Scenes


Zurich Scenes


Jules and Myself in Zurich


Zurich Scenes


Zurich Scenes


On the train to Saas-Fee


On the train to Saas-Fee


On the train to Saas-Fee


On the train to Saas-Fee


On the bus to Saas-Fee


On the bus to Saas-Fee


On the bus to Saas-Fee

November and December

I realised the other day how far I was behind updating this blog. So I have been wondering how to go about it. It turns out it is not that difficult. Both November and December were fairly quiet times for me, so I can just do one post to cover the entire time!

On the 5th of November Jules and Peter headed down and we all went to a 30th birthday party for one of Jules' friends. Ev and Kris (Peter's brother and girlfriend) came down as well. They had just arrived in the UK so were jet lagged, but still kept up with us (most of the time). We also headed over to Portsmouth and checked out the HMS Victory (Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar) which was pretty cool.

The rest of November and most of December was uneventful. To be honest I have forgotten what happened, so it can't of been that exciting. I do know that work was pretty full on, so I guess that was taking up most of my time.

Matt and Dave, old flat mates from Canberra, came to visit at the end of December. They wanted to see the Victory (third time for me) and Stonehenge (also the third time), so we did that. My old colleagues from SCT were also having their Christmas drinks, so I got to catch up with them as well.

Also at work we had a major demonstration to our customer for the work we are doing. The customer is just about to confirm a £400 Million contract, so it was an important demonstration. Luckily it all went well so that was good (and a major relief)!

That is about it!



The Victory.


More of the Victory.


Stonehenge.


More Stonehenge.


The Bargate (part of the old city walls) in central Southampton.


Old bombed out church in central Southampton.


My place - Admiralty House.

Holland

Just got back from a long weekend in Holland. It was pretty good actually. Apart from seeing Luuk back in June, I had not seen the family over there since Easter. So it was nice to catch up with them. Also, my cousin Monica and her new husband, Duncan, were finishing their honeymoon in Holland and visiting Wim and Jitta for the first time, so I got to catch up with them as well.

I flew out on Friday night from London City Airport. It was pretty cool being able to turn up thirty minutes before the flight was leaving without any trouble - better then the ninety minutes you have to leave for Heathrow! Also you can catch the train and tube all the way there. No dodgy buses! As we were waiting to close the plane doors one of the ground crew came up to the person sitting next to me and asked to see her passport and then her credit card. So I start thinking who on earth am I sitting next to, but it turns out she had just left her purse in the terminal. So having a bit of a scare (thinking she had done something wrong as well) combined with the fact that she hated flying, meant I had a fun companion for the trip - to be honest she just talked at me for sixty minutes so it was not all that bad.

Monica and Duncan were not arriving until Sunday, so on the Saturday the rest of us (Wim, Jitta, Luuk and Nolan) went into the city (Rotterdam) and then just caught up - it was nice. The next day Wim and I drove up to Monnickendam to pick up Monica and Duncan and then over to Scheveningen to look around. For the end of October it was unseasonably mild (like most of October had been) so it was nice just walking along the beach. I had not seen Monica and Duncan since I left Oz, so it was nice to catch up. We all went to a restaurant for lunch (Mussels!) and then back to Wim's place for the afternoon. That night we met up with Wim's brother and went out for dinner in Gouda (tapas!) it was all very nice.

As a side note, one thing I like about Holland is that people keep their curtains open (even at night). So as you are walking along the street you can look in and see people sitting around watching television, reading a newspaper or having a chat. It is nice to see.

On Monday Monica, Duncan and I caught the train over to Delft. Wim had to work, Jitta had just finished a nightshift and the boys were at school, so we entertained ourselves. Delft is famous for making authentic Delft Blue (a type of porcelain) and the Nieuwe Kerk (new church). This is where the members of the Dutch Royal Family are buried. Oh and in case you are wondering there is also an Oude Kerk (old church). So we went into the new church and climbed the bell tower (naturally) which gave us some nice views of the surrounding town! We then went back and looked around Rotterdam a bit before heading back to Wim's place. We had a quick dinner before I was dropped off at the airport for my return flight. It was nice seeing all the family again!

As we were flying back into London you could see all these fireworks being let off, I assume for Halloween. It was a pretty amazing sight actually. More then made up for the stinky bus ride back from Heathrow (no flying into London City this time).




Canal in Delft.


The ubiquitous Dutch Windmill.


Canal again.


The Nieuwe Kerk.


Monica and I in the central square.


The Stadhuis.


Views from the top.


Views from the top.


Views from the top.


Rotterdam!

London

So I have spent the last few weekends (or at least part of weekends) in London catching up with friends.

First off Pat and I went and saw Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman on friday the 7th. It was a pretty good play actually (I did not know anything about it before I went in). Although the acting left a bit to be desired, it was still not that bad. This was also Pat's last night in the UK. He was heading off to India for a couple of weeks before going back to Oz. So it was good to catch up with him.

The next weekend (15th/16th) I went up to catch up with Caroline and David. They were staying at a mates place in Kensington, so I booked a hotel room near by for saturday night. David was lucky enough to score tickets to the Chelsea match on that day (although I am sure he would have preferred an Arsenal match). So Caroline and I hung around Kensington, went to a few shops and then Wagamama's for lunch (first time I have been there and it is fantastic!). That night we headed to a few bars but David did not have the stamina (I guess drinking all day at the footy will do that to you, so we had an early-ish night).

The next weekend I went up on the sunday to see Caroline and David for one last time before they headed back to Oz. Because of track work I drove to Basingstoke and then jumped on the train. Unfortunately there was a problem at Woking, so they got us off the train and were going to bus us the rest of the way. As we were waiting for the bus the conductors told us to go back in and jump on the train going to Guildford, we would head into London a different way. So thirty minutes later a full train arrived at Guildford to the confusion of the platform staff. It turns out there was no special train to take us the rest of the way into London. Forty-five minutes later we were told to jump on the train and head back to Woking and then into London. Needless to say I was not happy.

By the time I arrived in Kensington we only had time to head out for lunch (which was delicious). We then all headed back to Waterloo (Caroline and David were going to Guildford to visit David's brother) and I headed back to Southampton.