Opfikon - Welcoming My Own Visitor

Idyllic House and Garden in Opfikon

I’ve just had Geraldine over to visit for 6 days and one of the things she wanted to do was to see the area in which I am now living. Since I’d just had my welcome tour from the council, I thought I could try to re-do the bit in Opfikon (she’s already seen my work place which isn’t that exciting, to be honest).

All good trips start with coffee and cake, so we went to the local bakery for a snack before we began. The immediate area near me isn’t that interesting – a few supermarkets, a few take-away restaurants (which are few in Switzerland but I’m outside of the wealthy city centre now), a few sit-in restaurants, and not much else.

In the summer, the busy road bridge over the river Glatt is decorated with flowers (I’m sure the flowers would get torn out in the UK!) and on each side of the river, there is a cycle path and a pedestrian path. We walked along the river and then finally turned towards the hill and started our climb up to Opfikon.

It was good to take a visitor because Geraldine was astonished at how you suddenly end up in a rural village in the middle of the countryside when minutes before you had to sit by a busy road to have your cup of coffee. The contrast is quite extreme. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and it was a hot summer’s day. I’d been driven up by bus before, so it was quite a hill to get there – nothing too strenuous but enough to make you sweat when it’s so hot.

We marveled at a cyclist going up the hill and then felt a bit smug when he got off his bike, but then we were put back in our place when it turned out that he’d got off his bike because he’d arrived home, not because he was too tired. We were just judging him by our own standards!

As you may have seen from the last blog, many of the buildings in Opfikon are old and have traditional beams. On the outskirts there are some more modern buildings, but they mostly look fairly large and wealthy. It is a rural area, so there are also a fair few farms. We stopped by a stable and peered inside to look at the horses.

Geraldine has an allotment in the UK, so she couldn’t believe her eyes at the Swiss version on the edge of Opfikon. Each allotment had a little hut with curtains and a flag, clearly done out for living in to some extent. They are like beach huts in the UK and many Swiss people will go and spend a day in their allotment eating and drinking and passing the time away in the countryside. Each patch of land was exceptionally well tended without a weed in sight. It’s so perfect, it’s really a bit surreal.

We walked past an orchard (or was it cherry trees?) and at the end of each row of trees there were a couple of rose bushes just to make it look more decorative. There was a notice up explaining that the netting above it was to stop hail from damaging the trees and apologizing for its unsightliness. This is Swiss perfection for you.

The roads are quite narrow in Opfikon ; we were there on a Saturday and it seemed that nobody was about. A bus seemed to be following us about, which took up the entire road whenever it passed. It felt like we were walking round an open-air museum.

We got desperately thirsty at one point. We passed a farm shop and even though it looked closed, the notice in German on the door proclaimed that it was open. I tentatively tried the door and it led into a barn with various produce – fruits, honey, jams, eggs, and drinks. Nobody was there. A noticeboard hung on the wall where various people had posted their “I owe you” notices. Otherwise, an honesty box (milk urn) was in the middle for you to pay for your goods. We took a couple of Apfelschorle (apple juice with water), and dropped our payment into the honesty box. I’m not sure there’s anywhere left in the UK that operates such a system these days.

I took Geraldine to the viewing area on top of the hill and we noticed a huge slide (like a flume) going from the top to half-way down the hill and into a children’s playground below. I was half-tempted to go on it, but actually it looked too scary. The children no doubt love it.

Somehow, walking round this little village took us almost the entire day, although possibly we didn’t start until noon anyway, since neither of us were in the mood to rush about. We walked back down to the busy road below and it felt like we’d been away somewhere completely different.

Glattbrugg - A Swiss Welcome

The Newcomers Invade Opfikon

One really good thing they do in Switzerland – I have no idea if other countries do this (or even other Kantons other than Zurich, actually) – is that they organize an introductory day for people who have newly moved in to the area. You might think that this would be just an hour’s lecture and that would be it, but actually it is a fairly full-on itinerary, or at least it was in my case.

My one started off, I think at 9am in the fire station. This is just five minutes away from where I live, so it was very convenient. I walked up the road and could hear a brass band playing; there were balloons outside and people were wandering in. This was all to welcome us newcomers! You checked in and then there was tea, coffee and croissants available. At this point, I should probably say that, unusually for Switzerland, the whole event was free, including any drinks or food laid on at various junctures.

We were given a short talk by the fire station chief, and by various important people on the council, who explained their roles and responsibilities and what sections of the council do what. They played a short video – beset with technical difficulties (the band struck up again while we waited)  – and I was interested to see that they didn’t ignore the fact that this area is burdened with a lot of noise from the planes, but they did explain how much money the airport brought in (fair enough).

We had two huge buses and we must have been about 100 people. In Glattbrugg I think they run it just once a year; I got talking to one man who said he missed it last year and they let him attend this year’s one instead, which I thought was very good of them.

The buses took us round various points of interest. The first stop was the local library, which was actually my favorite stop, although we couldn’t stay there that long (I guess so that we didn’t disturb the users too much). The librarian explained what facilities they had and we were all presented with a year’s free pass. I even managed to find a book with dual text in German and Arabic!

We also went up the hill and into the centre of Opfikon, where I’d never been before and it’s actually a very pretty area, if rather small and not so easily accessible by public transport as where I am now. One of the farms had its entire roof covered with solar panels. From the top we could look over the whole area and our guide pointed out various landmarks.

We also visited the local football fields where a new bridge had been built across the river and they told us about little huts that you can rent out for events in the middle of the woods that were just across the road. We were given a while to wander, and I went to try to find these places, but I was too scared of losing the group to go too far, so I never did see them.

After that it was off to a children’s play area (not so interesting for me) and then, very weirdly, the bus took us to see the area where I work. I work in a fairly new area of Zurich (I think they said it’s been there 9 years) and it’s really not much to look at. However, it does have a canal just behind it and they’d set up a stall with free prosecco for us to have (I had at least two, maybe three). Soft drinks were also available, of course. It was a hot and sunny day, so perfect for sipping bubbles mid-morning!

We finished up at the local swimming pool, which of course I already know very well. The man I got talking to said it was going to be closed and refurbished soon since it was quite dated, which I didn’t know, but they didn’t tell us about that. We were treated to lunch there; a proper lunch where we were seated at tables and could go up to a buffet with various pasta dishes, I think we had a salad as starter, and fruit for dessert. There was a festival on in Glattbrugg that day so there was also a band playing in the background, too.

All in all, it was a very nice introduction to the area and it also gave you the chance to meet some of your other fellow new residents. It would be a good idea for this to be standard everywhere!

Northern Ireland - My First Visit

The Harbour in Donaghadee

For a blog about Switzerland and Egypt, this is beginning to turn into something more like a round-the-world trip. Anyway, as well as meeting up with my brothers, attending wedding celebrations, I was, of course, also going to Northern Ireland on two occasions to visit Pam.

I’d never actually been to Northern Ireland before. It’s one of those strange facts of life that you never visit anywhere that’s close to where you were brought up, but if you live abroad, you explore everywhere around you and it just seems so much more exciting than exploring your home country. And, so, I’d never been to Northern Ireland because it was just too close to (my original) home.

All the tales about the Irish being very talkative are completely true. I was a bit hungry when I landed, so I popped into the little (“wee”) store at the airport to buy myself a chocolate bar. There was an old man in the queue in front of me and even though I was obviously waiting to be served, the sales assistant just kept on talking and talking and talking to this man she was serving. She had all day. He had all day. Talk, talk, talk. If I’d have been in a hurry, I could have been annoyed, but fortunately I was feeling fairly chilled and just found it amusing. Also, I guessed the old man was probably glad of a bit of chit-chat.

Pam and I also joked about how everything is a “wee” this and a “wee” that in Northern Ireland. You buy your wee chocolate and the wee woman at the till puts it into a wee bag for you. Opposite my hotel window, there was a picture with “our wee country” written on it as if to emphasise the point.

It felt quite strange being in Northern Ireland and it reminded me of when I first went to Scotland. You can sort of identify it as being part of your culture (if you’re a Brit), but at the same time it felt distinctly different. It definitely wasn’t England. Also, like in Scotland, they print their own notes, so they have Bank of Ireland emblazoned on them, which, if you’re English, makes you panic because you wonder if you’ll get a whole load of hassle when you try to use them in England even though really you shouldn’t have any problem at all because at the end of the day it is the same currency. But the world doesn’t really work like that.

I didn’t really have time to do much sight-seeing. I took a bus tour of Belfast, although it was a bit confusing because there were several different ones to choose from and apparently my ticket allowed me to do two, but I had time only for one of them. I hadn’t realized before that the Titanic was built in Belfast, so the Titanic museum is really a must-see (but I didn’t!). I hear it is really good and the outside of the building is itself impressive. Apparently there were three ships built at the same time – the Titanic wasn’t unique.

The trip also took us to where the “troubles” used to be. I grew up with news of the IRA and bombs always on the television, so most of the names of the areas in Ireland and Belfast in particular are very familiar to me. They are trying to recover from their history and to show how much good there is in Belfast and in Northern Ireland in general. I guess that now there’s a whole generation behind me that didn’t grow up with it as part of their daily life. I lived near London, of course, and not in Northern Ireland, but the “troubles” often spilled over and targeted London, too, but I had no direct experience of it (thankfully), so it still seemed a little removed. There’s still a bit of a struggle to move on and to leave their history behind, but most people I met wanted to be working towards a peaceful future and not to harp on about the past (and here I am talking about it – sorry!).

There’s some really great shopping in Belfast and some even better restaurants. Really, we had some amazing food while we were there and the atmosphere was always buzzing. It was incredibly difficult to find a hotel at the last minute – some of the prices were outrageous, but because of the paucity of hotels, they are able to charge a fortune if you can’t book in advance. But it means that Belfast is thriving, which is a good thing!

The coastline is also beautiful – I sometimes miss the wildness of the sea that we have in the UK since the bay in Sahl Hasheesh is very calm and, of course, the lakes aren’t tidal. There’s an advert in Switzerland claiming that those who live by the sea actually get the most homesick when they see a lake, but I don’t really think that’s true.

Anyway, I would love to go back at some time and see more of it. I hear the countryside is beautiful and I’d love to see the Giant’s Causeway. I don’t know why I never went over before, but I’m glad that because of Pam I have been kicked into making at least a start!

Tuscany - Steph and Nicolas' Big Event

The Families of the Bride and Groom

So, finally it was Saturday, and it was the day of the main wedding celebrations. I’ve never been to such a lavish extravaganza! We were all supposed to dress in costumes from somewhere between 1790-1910.

I’d arranged to hire a costume from a seamstress in town recommended by our hosts since this seemed to be the easiest option. In the end, I went there on the morning just before the event that was due to start at 4pm. Jo (yes, Gerard, the Jo that you know!) had decided to tag along, much to my relief as it turned out I was pretty incompetent. In my hurry, I forgot to bring the map and instructions with me (I’d left them in my hotel room). I’d remembered which bus we needed to take but that was about it. By some sheer fluke, we got off the bus just a few doors down from where the seamstress lived. I still don’t know how we managed that because we were pretty clueless

Anyway, our next problem was that each door had two numbers – one looked like old numbering and one looked like new numbering, so we weren’t sure which was the correct building. I’d also forgotten to bring the woman’s name with me and none of the names on the doors looked familiar. Fortunately, Jo had her phone (I didn’t, of course), so she phoned Steph, who advised us that actually the door had the name of an architect and not of the seamstress who lived there. This is Italy for you! For all that Switzerland can seem over-regulated (you have to buy the specified name plates and have them in the specified design when you move into a new flat), it does have its advantages.

Anyway, my choice of costume was easy because she suggested the lightest one (in weight) and that was good for me given the heat. It was a pretty good fit as it turned out and she just needed to raise the hem a bit. To my relief she said it was an old costume so it wouldn’t matter if it got dirty. That was one less thing to worry about.

We made it back just in time to get changed quickly. Jo helped me do up my dress, because my costume had to be laced up at the back. I now realize why they all had servants in those days – it’s just impossible to dress and undress yourself in those clothes.

Coming downstairs and seeing everyone gradually arrive in period dress was a lot of fun. We had an apero in the courtyard of the hotel; a singer and harpist played in the background in keeping with the era and helping to set a refined but relaxed atmosphere. Steph and Nicolas informally renewed their vows for those who hadn’t been able to attend the official wedding last year.

Afterwards, we walked into the garden where a large table was laid out. Even though it was early evening, the sun was still beating down; it was like mid-summer. We sat at our allocated places and the meal began, with course arriving after course. Between each course, and in keeping with the period again, a commedia dell’arte group played scenes for us to watch as we “rested” to let our food settle. It was definitely a feast for a King and Queen.

Half-way through the dinner we changed places at the table, so that we all got to talk to different people. I have no idea how many courses we had – it seemed to go on forever. That was also very much a theme of the entire visit. Food was extremely plentiful and in multiple courses; you were never quite sure when a meal would actually end. Italy is great!

Around midnight, I was ready for bed. I went upstairs to my room but was faced with the fact that I was unable to undo my own costume. I did what I could (took off my make up, took off my hair grips, brushed my teeth, etc) and then heard someone coming up the stairs.

I rushed outside and saw a couple who I’d spoken to quite a lot over the last few days. I shouted out to them, but they didn’t hear me and shut the door behind them. I stood outside the door a bit pathetically saying “hello?” and finally the husband opened the door. I explained that I needed someone to undress me. The poor guy looked a bit shocked and said that I probably wanted his wife! She bravely tugged at the lacing up the back of my costume while I stood in the corridor, but it was harder than she anticipated and she advised us to maybe do this in my room instead of in the public corridor. I got it off in the end, much to my relief, although I’m not sure what the seamstress thought when she got it back as it must have been obvious that it had been removed incorrectly!

The following day, those of us still remaining in Italy were again invited over to Steph and Nicolas’ villa for an evening meal. Once more the food was divine and again it was beautiful to be up in the hillside overlooking the countryside and the town below. It really was perfect and I felt privileged to have been invited to join this unique event in celebration of their marriage. May they live a long and happy life together!

Tuscany - In Advance of Steph and Nicolas' Wedding Celebrations

Steph and Nicolas's Villa

It’s time for something a bit happier. Another travel that I did was to Florence and Tuscany for Steph and Nicolas’ wedding celebrations. You may recall that it was their wedding last year, but this was the big honeymoon celebrations where Steph’s family could also come over all the way from New Zealand.

I seem to have developed this awful habit of not looking up the street map of where I’m going and it’s not a good idea. Steph and Nicolas had kindly provided directions as to how to get to the hotel where they’d booked us all in (about 30 mins outside of Florence). I got to the main station in Florence OK, then I got a bit confused about where to get a bus ticket. It was roughly at this point that I realized I wasn’t in Switzerland because it wasn’t at all clear at what point the bus would arrive or even really where it departed from had I not seen one that I’d just missed. Fortunately, due to the instructions, I knew which number bus to get.

I tried asking the bus driver to let me know when to get off, but he just confirmed that I was on the correct bus, which wasn’t exactly what I wanted to know. I sat nervously on the bus trying to work out which stop was mine. Fortunately, I knew roughly how long the journey should take, so I didn’t start worrying until 20 mins into the journey. I suddenly saw a landmark, tried to get off, but the bus continued on to the next stop before I was ready. Fortunately, the next stop wasn’t far.

Again, Italy isn’t always that logical. All the roads seemed to be named after months, but the months weren’t in order, so trying to find the road of 20th September wasn’t so easy. It turned out that you had to walk up the road a bit before you could see the road sign.

The pavements were also not what you’d find in Switzerland. It was quite a task to walk along because tree roots had pushed the concrete up into little hillocks and the trees also took up more space than was left for the pedestrians – all those bumps were not so good if you’re trundling a suitcase with you, but good exercise, I guess.

I arrived quite early and foolishly decided to go back into town again to explore. It was really hot, so before getting on the bus to go back, I stopped off for a cold diet coke. Unfortunately, this made me miss the bus and then the next one was late and then it was rush hour. And I was supposed to be back in time for the shuttle bus to Steph and Nicolas’ villa where a group of us were going to be catered for that evening by a chef. I was getting quite stressed.

I got off the bus feeling exhausted and hot and I was already late. I rushed up the bumpy, uncomfortable pavement back to the hotel desperately hoping that I might just catch the shuttle bus. Up in front of me, I saw a minibus turning down a road, which I was convinced must be my group so I ran after it waving my hands in the air and shouting (very Italian of me, I thought). It stopped and I thought they’d heard me, but then it just drove on, never to be seen again.

I got the concierge at the hotel to phone Nicolas (the concierge couldn’t quite believe that I didn’t have a phone) and he arranged for someone to pick me up, but from that point I had the reputation of being the one who was always late (which wasn’t true!).

Anyway, I got there in the end and we had a beautiful meal sitting on a long table outside looking over the Tuscan countryside and down into the local village below. The sunset was spectacular and the town looked very pretty in the dark with its lights twinkling beneath us. The food was great and it was good to meet some of the people I'd be sharing my experiences with over the next few days.

The next day, Nicolas and Steph had organized a wine tasting.  I was a bit nervous about this (despite having chosen it!) because I can’t take my drink these days. The plan was 3 wines and grappa in the morning, lunch with 5 wines, and then 4 more wines in the afternoon. It sounded lovely, but can I really handle that much to drink?

But it was beautiful. It was wonderful to drive round Tuscany and to visit these wonderful places tucked in the countryside. To my great surprise, I was able to try all the wines and remain sober by the end of it (I did not drink full glasses!). The sun blazed, the sky was blue, and it must have been 30 degrees. It was perfect.

Even better, I remained sober. I really, really wanted to enjoy the following day, which was to be the main event, and a hangover would have spoiled it. But the world was good and I was in fine shape for the next day.