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September 4, 2011March 31, 2013

Thun, the Tanzschiff, and Ten years

So, as I noted before, September 1st, 2011 was our tenth wedding anniversary. Sarah and I decided to get a babysitter this weekend (no small feat in Switzerland), and go out for the evening. Sarah had been looking forward to this weekend for quite some time, as she had already decided where we were going for our anniversary.

We took the train down to Thun, a lovely city just 10 minutes south of us by train, that also lies next to the Thunersee (Lake Thun) right where the Aare river exits. In fact, a portion of the old city is essentially an island in the middle of the Aare river, connected to the rest of the city by pedestrian and motor vehicle bridges. On one side of the old city is the bahnhof, and on the other lies Schloss Thun.

Sarah and I walked around the old city, visited Schloss Thun, and had drinks at several outdoor cafes while strolling through the town. We also saw preparations for a festival in the middle of the old town called the Langer Tisch, a festival that involves one long eating table that meanders through the old town.

While this was all lovely, it was by no means the highlight of the day. Sarah had a special plan in mind. There are a number of boats that sail on the Thunersee, “cruises” if you will, that have any number of themes associated with them. There are simple tourist boats, lunch boats, fondue boats, fish boats, wine boats, almost any kind of boat you could imagine. And Sarah had her eye on one particular boat for some time: the Dinner-und-Tanzschiff (Dinner and Dance Boat). She had made reservations for us on this boat, which only rides about once every two weeks or so, when she noticed that one set sail on our anniversary weekend.

The boat itself was beautiful. The M.S. Berner Oberland is one of the largest tourist ships to sail on the Thunersee. The dinner was delicious; we had apparently been upgraded to a First-Class dining area reservation. The view of the lake shore as daylight faded, and lights lining the lake as darkness crept in was fabulous, and made for a romantic evening.

And what could be more romantic, than two 300-lb guys in plaid shirts, unbuttoned at least half way down, singing German folk music with a pre-programmed Yamaha keyboard? Well, that pretty much describes Duo Barbados, our entertainment for the evening. The beginning of every song sounded like Boney M singing “Rivers of Babylon,” which Sarah got tired of me singing until at one point they actually WERE playing “Rivers of Babylon.” Sarah kept referring to what they were playing as “Muzak,” but to me that seemed like an insult to Muzak.

And if they weren’t entertaining enough (and the video below should clear up any confusion there), most of the other boat patrons (many of whom likely got their tickets as a half-price deal through their local ballroom dance studio) sent the entertainment value soaring into the hilariousphere. Among my personal favorites were: creepy guy who sat alone all night without dancing, The Elizabeth Taylor lookalike (at least from about 1 week after she died) and her “partner” who took turns “dancing” with a man in a boat captain’s uniform, and Mr. Bolo Tie and his lovely companion, who were actually very good dancers and enjoyable to watch.

There are times when sitcoms seem unbelievably contrived, but there are definitely times when you can’t believe that your life has turned into a sitcom. The only thing missing from last night was a laugh track, or a live studio audience. But when you are celebrating 10 years of marriage, you don’t let something like a ridiculously surreal Dinner-und-Tanzschiff ruin your evening. Sarah and I toasted the night away, laughed at ourselves, and, most importantly, hit the dance floor a few times just to say we did it all!

See our photos from our anniversary adventure.

September 2, 2011March 31, 2013

Making Friends

Emily went to her first birthday party this week. Emily and James have had friends here in Switzerland since the day we arrived. There were kids playing outside on our street, and instantly they became friends. They speak German to the other kids, though not at a very high level. But it doesn’t really matter… they’re kids. They just ride bikes together, or play with toys, and *bang* they’ve made a friend.

And now they both go to school where there are plenty of other kids to play with and befriend, so that after only two weeks, Emily was invited to a party.

With adults, it’s completely different. Once you are out of college, making friends, even in my home country, isn’t easy. And Swiss people are notorious for sticking with their childhood friends. Introducing any new friends to their social group takes an extremely long time (i.e. longer than the year we are here). On top of that, the language barrier is a much bigger deal for adults. I can get along in a conversation okay, but I get lost fairly quickly once we are past the basic introductions. And, with adults, talking is extremely important if you want to get to know someone. There is no playing or school-like environment that brings people together. Adults don’t really *do* much, except sit around and talk. So, if you can’t talk very well, it’s kind of a problem.

The other night, Joe and I were watching Seinfeld and there was a bit about this very topic. It was good to laugh about it. But seriously, I’m not sure we’ll get invited to anything the entire year – at least not by anyone who doesn’t speak English.

September 1, 2011March 31, 2013

One Decade and Counting…

While this isn’t really related to our travels, I just want to make note that today, September 1st, 2011 is Sarah and my 10th wedding anniversary. It’s hard to believe that we have been married for that long, but I would be remiss if I didn’t note that I have spent the last 10 years with the sweetest, funniest, brightest, kindest, and most beautiful wife imaginable. She has followed me halfway across the world to allow me to pursue my career. And don’t forget that she has given me three wonderful kids, who she has practically raised all by herself for the past seven years.

So we will get you back to your regularly scheduled program, but I would like close by saying I love you so much, Sarah. I couldn’t be doing all of this without you. And I’m looking forward to the next ten decades together!

August 31, 2011August 31, 2011

Mixing business with pleasure

This post comes a little late, but on Tuesday, August 23rd I had the chance to visit a manufacturing facility for a large international Orthopaedic device maker. The plant was located in Le Locle, Switzerland, near Neuchâtel, about 5km from the border with France.
Interestingly, this location started manufacturing medical supplies when a neurosurgeon from South America came to Le Locle to talk with the Tissot family (manufacturers of fine Swiss watches) about manufacturing a tiny motor for cerebrospinal shunts used in kids with hydrocephalus. After a series of business acquisitions, mergers, takeovers, and moves, the facility ended up producing a large amount of Orthopaedic implants, including titanium trauma implants, and spine implants.

I was greeted at the rail station by gorgeous weather, rolling hills, charming houses, and a smiling Antonio and Isabelle, the representatives from the plant. Antonio and Isabelle took me for lunch to a local restaurant, the absolutely fabulous Restaurante de la Gare – Chez Sandro. The restaurant, a short walk from the train station, was started by an Italian couple who have since passed it on to their son, though the father still cooks and entertains the guests (and himself, it seems). If you ever find yourself there, the Saltimbocca with homemade pasta is as good as it gets. It has since made my dreams.

Antonio, Isabelle and I talked about the region, the effect of the Swiss Franc on industry in Switzerland, and their impression of the United States. We enjoyed our food, drank a bottle of local Neuchâtel wine, and eventually made our way to the plant.

The plant tour is probably only interesting to someone like me, but it did give me a concrete image of the “Swiss Quality” that is so often advertised here. It was a great time, and I had the chance to meet lots of great people who were proud to show off the work they were doing.

When the tour was done, Antonio drove me to the train station and I boarded my train. As I rounded Lake Neuchâtel and headed toward Bern I felt really glad to be in Switzerland, if only for a relatively short time. It’s nice to remember to feel lucky every once in a while.

August 31, 2011

Barthelmarkt in Oberstimm (part 2)

So, this is just a brief follow-up to yesterday’s post. Mostly I want to share our pictures from our time in Ingolstadt (including our time at the infamous Barthelmarkt in Oberstimm). I also want to put in a small plug for “backdoor traveling.” Basically, you can find the big tourist attractions, the must-see festivals and cities, and the can’t miss tours, but there is nothing that beats being off the beaten path. The best way to do it is to know someone who is passionate about an area and have them show you around. We’ve had just as much fun in small-town festivals and exploring castles in hamlets no bigger than a city block, as we have had seeing all the big sites.

August 30, 2011August 31, 2011

Barthelmarkt in Oberstimm (part 1)

When people think of Bavaria, they imagine men decked out in lederhosen and women clad in dirndls clutching liter mugs of beer, downing sausage after sausage, standing on wooden tables and spouting local dialects over the boom of an Oompah band.

Now don’t you feel just the least bit bad about stereotyping these people? Well, you should. In fact, the German people are a sophisticated culture with Bavaria being a center of high finance, manufacturing, avant-garde arts, and international relations. Chancellor Angela Merkel was recently voted the most powerful woman in the world by Forbes Magazine (apparently beating out Oprah and Lady Gaga).

And lest we forget Germany’s rich history. One of the most richly historic celebrations in Bavaria, in fact, the oldest annual Bavarian festival is the festival known as “Barthelmarkt.” While this festival has certainly been going on for the last 450 years, there is clear documentation of the festival from the mid 1300s, and precursors to the festival go as far back as the 1st century B.C.E.

It gets its name from St. Bartholomew, the patron saint of fisherman and shepherds. The feast of St. Bartholomew is August 24th, and was a gathering time for villagers to buy and sell horses (and other animals). Over the years this gathering began to involve a festival as old friends and horse traders converged on the area just south of Ingolstadt, Germany known as Oberstimm. Eventually it settled on the format of a four-day festival, beginning on Friday, and ending on Monday when animals and money are exchanged.

So this past weekend, we took the kids to Oberstimm, Germany, to meet up with our friend Kristina, and immerse ourselves in the rich history of this German festival. And that is how we found ourselves, Joe, James and Henry decked out in lederhosen and Sarah and Emily clad in dirndls, the adults clutching liter mugs of beer, downing sausage after sausage, standing on wooden tables and spouting local dialects over the boom of an Oompah band.

Barthelmarkt in Oberstimm — What a handsome family!

Damn stereotypes.

This festival features, among other attractions, a man who stands on a small bench, the bench held aloft by fellow festival-goers, while he chugs a liter of beer. There are mechanical rides, pony rides, food galore, large inflated bubbles containing your children that float on water, and multiple tents with bands playing music all day and night.

The highlight of the whole festivities is the singing of the Barthelmarktlied (it’s kind of an anthem). Below is a video from the very tent we were in showing the crowd getting worked up by the band as they sing the anthem. For those of you interested in following along at home with your own hymnal, download the text here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0yew9eelOI

As a quick postlude, Kristina just sent me the picture below, found on a German website. Enjoy!

August 26, 2011March 31, 2013

It’s the little things

Looking back on the past couple of weeks of school, work, and life, it’s hard to come up with any big things to write about. But, a few of the little updates are…

Emily lost two (yes two!) more teeth in the past couple weeks. It turns out the tooth fairy also comes to Switzerland. Emily’s smile looks like a checkerboard. James, who is 6 years old and hasn’t lost any teeth yet, is quite jealous. We tried to explain to him that Emily doesn’t have many more teeth to lose, whereas he has a goldmine in his mouth that is sure to start paying off at some point.

Henry no longer needs his precious nookie. The plan, as recommended by our dentist, was to poke a hole in it and gradually make it bigger until its functionaly was lost and he gave it up on his own. Joe didn’t quite catch the gradual concept, and basically mutilated it right off the bat. It caused a couple of painful bedtimes, but it worked. It’s yet another thing that shows what a big boy Henry is becoming.

We got library cards at the local library. The kids were starved for new books after a month of reading the small selection we brought from home. The collection of English books is pretty sparse (even in the “big” library in Bern), but we immediately maxed out our limit of books we can check out. Emily was thrilled to find quite a few new “Rainbow Magic” fairy books, even though they are in German. I am still impressed that she can read chapter books in two different languages!

We attended some community events, including a festival at the swimming complex, a 5K run (didn’t run, just watched), and a marching band parade. I also found the Catholic church, though the mass was in Swiss German, so I only understood about 50% of what was said.

So why write about the little things? You know how, when you see other people’s kids only occasionally, they seem to grow so much? Yet, when you see your own kids (and yourself) everyday, its a lot harder to perceive the growth. It’s all the little things everyday that are adding up to big changes.

August 25, 2011August 31, 2011

My new office

I have just got a key to my new office, which I share with one of the Oberarzts (staff doctors). We have a wall with large windows on it that looks down on part of Bern. In addition, the helicopter landing pad is just outside my window. See the pictures below for the view.

This view from my office window looks North.

This view looks more to the Northwest.

And this is a shot of one of the emergency helicopters taking off from the landing pad.

August 23, 2011August 24, 2011

It costs how much?! (and what’s that in dollars again?)

I turned on one of my favorite podcasts today (Planet Money), and was suprised to hear that the topic was Switzerland. Specifically, it was about how strong, and therefore expensive, the Swiss franc has become. It’s actually a great episode, if you are into dorky economics, and it gives the big picture of what we are experiencing first hand.

It seems that we have chosen the absolute worst time, financially speaking, to live in Switzerland. Switzerland has always been expensive; we knew that. When we visited here in 2010, we had serious sticker shock. Now, the prices are still high, AND our dollars are worth a lot less. With some practice, we have gotten pretty good at bargain shopping at the grocery store. Meat is particularly expensive, so we haven’t had an ounce of beef (or a gram of boeuf) since we got here. To give you some examples from the past week:

*Swiss tidbit – they don’t actually sell eggs by the dozen here. They sell them in seemingly random collections of 6, 8, 9, or 10. But, we did the math.
Item	Price (CHF)	Equivalent Price (USD)
8 small flour tortillas	4.80 CHF	$6.06
1 small chicken (2-3 lbs uncooked)	8.80 CHF	$11.12
Dozen Eggs*	4.13 CHF	$5.22
Dinner out for the family (not fancy)	120 CHF	$152

We don’t buy clothes or other household items unless we absolutely have to. The podcast even talks about Swiss people going across the border to buy things, which made us laugh. We have a list of things that we need to get, which we’ve ben updating ever since we got here. We were planning on buying them in Germany when we visit this weekend.

The unnerving thing, is that native Swiss don’t seem to bat an eye at the prices here. Perhaps it is their inborn reserved nature. Perhaps they are making oodles more money than we are guessing. Or perhaps, when you grow up in an expensive economy you just know that certain things cost a certain amount. It just so happens that now, the Swiss Franc has a lot more buying power outside of the country than it has ever had before.

While, at first, that may seem like a good thing for the Swiss (more purchasing power), most everyone we have talked to is terribly concerned about it. Swiss exports are becoming unaffordable. Stores on the border are struggling to compete with their competitors just kilometers away in another country. Tourism could take a downturn in a country that heavily relies on it (though there are no signs yet). And businesses looking to locate factory work to a country that is known for its precision engineering are finding it prohibitively expensive, even with existing tax breaks for relocated jobs.

Which leads me to our proposal: the “Schwab Family Swiss Holiday Relief Plan” (formerly the “Swiss Family Schwabinson Grrrrrrreat Deal!” – we had to drop it for several trademark violations from Disney and Kelloggs). For those of you planning to visit us, we are happy to offer free lodging and meals that cost less than $30/person!

But no matter the cost, we both agree that we would not give up this opportunity for the world. It’s worth it! At least that’s our two cents (currently worth 1.59 Swiss rappen).

August 22, 2011August 31, 2011

Hospital priorities

Every morning when I walk into the hospital I see a marble bench that contains freshly baked loaves of bread. Each loaf is wrapped in a paper bag and has a tag on it indicating which area of the hospital it is intended for. Typically they go to staff or doctor’s lounges. As people come in for the morning, they stop by the bench, grab the loaf for their area, and head to work.

I don’t know if I’m more amazed by the delivery of fresh bread to the hospital, or the fact that no one seems to be tempted to steal one of these loaves. They look and smell so good. What a great way to go to work!