Zurich - The Lost Blog

Museum Rietberg - Gardens of the World

Whoops, what with signing a contract on a new flat, moving out of the studio, returning to Egypt... I forgot to do my weekly blog. Thanks to Gerard for caring and for asking me what had happened; thanks to Willem for his continued interest, too. I'm fine, just forgetful, which really isn't anything new...

The photograph is from the Gardens of the World exhibition that I managed to see just before I left (at the Rietberg Museum). I have cacti growing outside my flat in Egypt!

Hopefully, business will be restored to usual next Monday!

Zurich - A Wedding and A Flat

Dining Area of (Maybe?) My New Flat - Current Tenant's Furnishings!

Generally, you are advised to keep to one topic per entry in a blog or it fails to have a sense of structure. I’m going to break this rule, although maybe I should have entitled this entry something like “General Weirdness in Switzerland” as that’s really the theme I want to tackle. Actually, the blog is really to record various differences in culture from a Brit’s perspective, so this is in keeping (that’s my excuse).

I don’t usually write about other people’s lives in my blog either as I think it is unethical. However, as a blog entry that breaks the rules, I’m going to break this rule too a little bit here on the principle that the majority of people are happy for weddings to be public knowledge (and it’s in the public register!).

Anyway, my friends Stephanie and Nicolas got married this week (congratulations!!) in Basel. I might have even ventured a photograph on this blog, but frustratingly I can't get my memory card out of my camera just now (the door sometimes jams and I just have to wait until it fixes itself).

This whole getting married thing is quite different over here in Switzerland. In the UK, you can choose when to get married and nowadays I think you can even choose your venue with virtually no restriction. If you want a popular date, say February 14th, you might need to book at least a year in advance, but subject to availability, you can do that.

In Switzerland, if my understanding is correct, you can only get married officially in a registrar’s office (any religious ceremony happens afterwards and is not legally binding) and you can’t choose the date. You apply to get married and then, if they accept your application, they give you three date options for your wedding and you choose which one of those suits you best. See what I mean – weird, huh? If you need to organize a wedding with people coming from far-flung places, it’s not the most convenient system, but I guess the flip side is that it’s all very organized.

The ceremony itself all sounded very Swiss (despite being held in English), particularly at the beginning, where the registrar stated to those attending that this was the only place where one could get legally married. She also advised the audience that the records of the applicants had been examined and it appeared that all the documentation was in order; therefore, the marriage was now permitted to take place. I can’t imagine something so official being said as part of a wedding ceremony in the UK! I don’t remember that from my friend Lena’s wedding in Switzerland, but maybe it passed me by at the time if it was in Swiss German (I can’t quite recall now).

I won’t say too much more for the reasons given at the top of this blog entry, but would just like to add that it was a fabulous day – I met new people, spoke to some I hadn’t seen for ages, drank a bit too much for midday… The weather was perfect and the old town of Basel is stunning in the sunshine, as were the bride and groom. There was also a lovely reading at the service about love and friendship.

The day was made even better for me in that I received a phone call while I was on the train getting there to inform me that I was being offered a flat in Zurich (just outside the city centre). Actually, thinking about it, it was a bit like the wedding ceremony, as they started off telling me that they’d checked with my employer and my last landlady and my references were both OK, so having passed examination, they would now like to offer me the flat.

Of course, things over here are never quite that simple. They now wanted an additional official statement that I wasn’t being prosecuted for debt pertaining to my previous Swiss address and not just my current one. They also said they needed the original documents and not just a photocopy (I don’t really understand the need for this, but hey ho, that’s how it is). I explained that this could take a few days to get, but they seemed happy enough with that.

I said I was going to be away until mid-November, so couldn’t enter the flat on 1st November, but that I’d pay the rent from then and it wasn’t a problem. Maybe it’s just me, but I sensed a bit of displeasure when I said this (I hope it wasn’t regret on their part as I don’t have the contract yet!). I didn’t think it would be an issue. In the UK, the agent has the keys and they just let you have the flat when you want it. Here, though, they said I had to move in on 1st November and I’d need to get a power of attorney for someone else to be there for the handover. I said I could do this easily, but actually, I’m a little bit worried!

On reflection, I think it’s to ensure that you don’t have any complaints about the flat that they would need to deduct from the previous tenant’s deposit. Just as when you move out of a flat, they detail every single flaw and make you pay for the slightest mark on any surface, when you move in, you have to be just as thorough so that you don’t pay for the previous tenant's “damage”. Anyway, it’s a totally different ball game from in the UK.

I cancelled the four viewings I had lined up, so I hope nothing happens now to stop me from getting this flat. I was convinced it would go to a family, so am really pleased to have got it. Finally, I’ve got some leisure time back!

Zurich - International Film Festival

People Watching a Film at Pavillion of Reflections

The Zurich International Film Festival has just come to an end and I tried to maximize my time as much as possible (despite the flat hunt!).

Switzerland actually has quite a few film festivals – the most famous one is probably the one in Locarno; there’s also an animation film festival and other such events around Switzerland. This was the 12th Zurich International Film Festival, so it’s a relatively young event, but gets bigger each year. On this occasion, we had Hugh Grant, Ewan McGregor, and the guy who plays Harry Potter (among others) coming along and giving talks / receiving prizes.

A bit like getting accommodation in Switzerland, I tried to get tickets to see Hugh Grant receive his award, but tickets were sold out within 10 minutes of sales opening. This seems to be a bit of a theme in my life just now.

Nevertheless, I bought myself an afternoon pass, which cost 59 CHF and let me go into all performances for free that started before 6pm. Since one film costs 22 CHF, it doesn’t take much to get your money back (so to speak). I don’t work most afternoons, so this suited me just fine.

I must have seen about seven films in total. On some occasions, the director or producer is there to talk a bit about the film and to take questions afterwards. It’s very interesting, but can also be a bit stressful if there aren’t many people in the audience and everyone is waiting for someone else to ask a question. The moderator, of course, always has questions to fill in, but that tension is still there (at least in my head it is, even if it isn’t in anyone else’s head!). Each film has a speaker welcoming you to the Film Festival and introducing the film before it starts, so it is different from just a normal cinema viewing.

Annoyingly, they really want you to get your tickets at the Festival Centre and not at the cinema (or at least, this is the case for Corso, where virtually all my films have been). It’s annoying, because it’s easier just to get the ticket from where you need to be rather than making an extra detour, even if it’s only just across the road. Moreover, the Corso, which usually has up to four desks open for giving out tickets, had only one desk open for the Festival. Madness! It’s not what I expect from Switzerland.

The film blurbs generally tell you what language the film is in and what language(s) the subtitles are in. However, sometimes, this really isn’t that clear. For instance, I saw Vollmond which said it was in Swiss German, French, and Italian and had German subtitles. I thought this meant that the Swiss German would also have subtitles, but it didn’t. The subtitles were only for the French and Italian, so most of the film was in a language that I struggled to understand (I maybe caught about 40% - enough to get the gist, but I also felt I missed a fair amount).

This also happened with a Tim Roth film where it was supposed to be in English and Spanish with German subtitles, but it was actually pretty much all in Spanish. I was OK with the subtitles, but Caterina, who came with me, was totally lost.

I am probably sounding a bit grumpy, but that’s not really the case. I’d deliberately timed my stay in Switzerland to coincide with the Film Festival, so that’s how enthusiastic about it I really am! Moreover, the afternoon film pass is great value and since I never go to the cinema in Egypt, it was nice for me to have a chance to overdose (although I don’t feel like I’ve overdosed!).

Another fantastic feature of the festival was the free showing of films in the Pavillion of Reflections (pictured in an earlier blog). This is a temporary wooden structure going out into the lake. You cross over to it via a wooden bridge that wobbles a bit as the water pushes against it. It has a screen area in the middle of the water with seating around a boxed-in portion of the lake. Bar seating is around the edges.

I wandered down spontaneously on Friday, and got a bit sidetracked by seeing someone who was obviously famous (only I had no idea who he was!) surrounded by people wanting their photos taken with him. It really added to the atmosphere. I then ambled over to the Pavillion of Reflections, bought myself a prosecco, and watched two very interesting shorts with the water occasionally lapping up to my shoes. Again, the weather was exceptionally mild, so it was a great experience.

I hope I am able to go again next year.

Zurich - Finding Accommodation

Bellevue - Always on the Tram to the Next Place!

I’ve got quite attached to my studio flat in this short time and it’s made me realize that I would be happier if I could always be coming back to the same place each time in Zurich. It would also be easier as I could leave clothes here, I wouldn’t have to buy the same things each time (washing powder, salt, herbs), and I wouldn’t have the hassle of learning my way around. In addition, I am supposed to be resident here and I don’t want to be registered at my friends’ house for more than necessary.

Consequently, I decided to start looking for a small, cheap flat to rent in Zurich.

It’s amazing how straightforward this sounds and how difficult it is in reality!

In the UK, finding a flat is pretty easy – you set your criteria and you can generally find what you want. I remember when I was looking for a flat to rent in Horsham and I turned it down saying it didn’t have a shower and they immediately offered to put in a shower for me if I would take it.

It’s nothing like that in Switzerland. There are literally hundreds of people looking at the same flat and competing for it. Some flats have viewing days, and you have to queue to get in to see it. Often, they’ve run out of application forms (at one place 120 application forms had gone in 10 minutes of the flat viewing starting). I keep on going to viewings and feeling exhausted before I’ve even seen it. It’s just the sheer number of people that are there. At one place I mentioned I couldn’t take it without a shower but this time my criticism was met with total indifference.

On top of this, I’d totally forgotten that the application process is quite convoluted. It’s harder to get a flat than it is to get a job in Switzerland, so your application for a flat has to be seen as a sales document that will get you chosen for the flat over the hundred other people who are also applying.

Each application has to contain an official statement that you are not being prosecuted for debts (you have to pay for this certification, of course). The application form asks you how much you earn, how many savings you have, and sometimes you have to provide your last tax bill. On top of this, you have to write an application letter, you are advised to attach your photograph, stating why you want the flat. Some people advise you also to attach your CV.

Then they will have criteria that they don’t tell you about. So, many landlords want you to be applying for a flat that will be a quarter to a third of your income. This means someone like me is unlikely to get a cheap flat because of the amount I’m earning. Sometimes, they don’t want a single person having a two-bedroom flat as this is deemed too many bedrooms for one person. Some landlords won’t like foreigners, whereas others will encourage them for diversity.

It’s thought to be a good idea to talk to the decision maker so that they will be more likely to give you the flat. Often it’s a matter of who is the first to get their application in, but I’m sure they must get piles of applications all at the same time, so heaven knows how they choose.

I’ve now signed up with an agency in the hope that I might get to view some unadvertised properties and thus have a chance of getting in first. It’s gutting though when you see a flat that would be perfect for you but you just know you don’t have a chance of getting it.

Zurich - A City of Events

Sihlwald Buffet Area and Hut for Cinema

I’d forgotten that quite a few events are usually still on in September in Zurich. The first weekend I was back, there was the Theaterspektakel (I’ve blogged about this before) and the Long Night of the Museums (I’ve also blogged about this before). There were lots of adverts around for the Zurich Food Festival and this year everyone seems to be posting about it on facebook. Here, I feel I was ahead of the crowd, because I blogged on that already last year.

However, there was one thing on that I hadn’t done before and that was the open-air cinema at Sihlwald. Most of the open-air cinema has ended for the season (and I’ve blogged about my favorite two before), but I just squeezed in the last weekend at Sihlwald. The film was Eddie the Eagle, so a very good film for Brits to watch and I went along with Lena.

It wasn’t really quite what I was expecting. I imagined that we’d be sitting in the middle of a wood, with a makeshift screen hanging across the trees; we’d be huddled on rickety seats wrapped in blankets and shivering as we watched.

However, it actually took place in a large wooden hut. There wasn’t any heating, and we had plastic chairs in rows. So we weren’t outside at all. I guess this makes it more functional as you aren’t hindered by rain, but on the evening we went, it was clear and not too cold.

The website talked excitedly about their bistro, but again, it wasn’t really very extensive. One dish was cheesy (maybe raclette, I can’t remember), so for me that was out. The other was a dish of polenta with a mushroom sauce, so rather stodgy but at least it didn’t have cheese; truth be told, I’m not so fond of polenta either.

We’d forgotten to check whether the film was in English; as the adverts all came up in Swiss German and a guy came in to introduce the film in Swiss German, our fears were confirmed. The film had been dubbed. It was OK – I was a bit shell-shocked for the first ten minutes, but then got my ear back in to German and then actually it wasn’t too much of a big deal.

The event was also very typically Swiss in that it was so perfectly organized. They’d laid on an extra train to ensure that you could get back into town afterwards (in the UK, you’d just be left to sort out a taxi or be stranded!). I was surprised to see how busy the city was when I got back, but then I realized it was the long night of the museums and people were still busily dashing off from one museum to the next.

The Zurich Film Festival is on at the end of this month, so I’m looking forward to that. I won’t say much just now in case I decide to blog on it when it happens.

I’ve just made it to Switzerland in time for the last few weeks of the “Badi” season – where you can swim in the lake and the various open air pools in Zurich. And I was lucky enough to arrive during a late heatwave, so the air temperatures have been in the early 30s and the lake water has heated up quite nicely. I’ve blogged on swimming in the lake before, but it’s strange how different things strike you when you return on different occasions.

This time, maybe because I had a cold and wasn’t really fit enough to swim, I was much more aware of how much less buoyant I was in the freshwater lake than in the salty Red Sea. I do prefer going into the lake by the steps / ladder rather than the gradually increasing depth of water that I have when on the beach in Sahl Hasheesh. It’s OK to go in bit by bit in the summer when the water is warm, but in the winter months, having to stride in slowly makes it much more difficult to enter the water!

Although the lake water is really clean (it’s got the quality of drinking water), I was fascinated this time at how green it was and wondering how it gets to look that colour. I stick my hand below me in the water and, true enough, I can see my hand as clear as daylight, but the only other thing I can see is a murky green all around. I thought I would be able to see the lake bottom.

But even Badi Enge had changed. Unless I’m mistaken, it now has a new, additional entrance. I almost missed it with all the bicycles parked alongside it, which makes me wonder if I’d just completely overlooked it before, but I’m pretty sure it’s a new way in. Life just doesn’t stand still!

Zurich - Settling Back In

Manifesta 11 Pavillon de Reflections - New in Zurich!

Returning somewhere is always a bit of a wake-up call. You somehow expect nothing to have changed, but it always has.

It takes me about 45 minutes door-to-door to get to work from my studio apartment. This is the longest commute I’ve ever had. Surprisingly, having to leave earlier isn’t bothering me at the moment – maybe it will be different in the winter months when the sun isn’t streaming through my window already at 6am. However, I will need to start taking a book or having some kind of task to do for the journey, as it’s rather boring, to be honest. On the plus side, I’m on a route that many of my colleagues and former colleagues take to work, so I’ve caught up with a few people by just greeting them on the tram! It’s been great to see them, and all without the effort of organizing mutually-agreeable times, venues, etc.

On arrival at work, I had to renew my entrance badge because it had expired; for a moment I even had to think about which floor I was on. And then, as soon as I entered the office, change was obvious. We’ve got new decorations in the office of cardboard cutouts of trees standing in the middle of where you walk. Two new people were sitting where I used to sit and where Steph used to sit. In fact, many people seemed to have changed location.

I was placed at a different desk and had to register my card before I could book my desk, just as if I were a new person! It was nice, though, to see everyone again, to get all the greetings; even the cleaner welcomed me back, much to my astonishment.

I was reunited with the items I’d left in the office. I’d left a whole rucksack full of shoes in the office (trainers, walking shoes, shoes for snow, work shoes – all items I never wear in Egypt but are costly to buy new), so I was relieved that they’d not been thrown away. However, I’m not sure if I was being shown them as a hint to remove them or just to let me know they were there. It was probably a bit of both. I’d really like to leave them there for now as I don’t have anywhere else to put them. As an employee, I’m entitled to some cupboard space, surely…

Returning also means you have to do all your start-up tasks again. I had to buy a monthly season pass for the public transport. This really went fairly smoothly, only when I paid at the counter, their machine told me I’d got the wrong PIN for my Swiss account and I ended up putting it on my UK credit card (which means I’ll get currency change charges now). I got it wrong a second time when I paid for my year’s subscription to the swimming pool, so that too had to go on my credit card. In the evening, I hastily transferred some money across to make sure I could pay it. 

I avoided using my debit card after that but I knew sooner or later I would have to give it that third and final attempt. My cash ran out and I resorted to the number I first used, and on the third go, it worked. Phew!

I feel a bit panicked at how much money I’m spending. I’d forgotten that about Switzerland. But it’s also a feature of coming back as you have to buy everything all at once – your salt, your spices, your washing powder, your sugar, your shower gel, your soap, your rice… normally these are spread out a bit. This has made me pine for renting somewhere that’s mine. 

Although I’m starting to settle into the studio flat now, I keep on having to remind myself it’s only for five weeks and then I’m out. It’s not really “mine”. If I get any kind of contract extension longer than 3 months, I may try to see if I can rent a flat by offering to pay the year’s rent up-front, just so that I can settle myself a bit better (and also no longer burden my friends who I am registered with). It seems a bit of a waste of money, or a lot to pay for storage, basically, but I think maybe it’s psychologically worth it.

Zurich - A Six Week Stay

Home for the Next 5-6 Weeks

I’d had a bit of a trauma with organizing my recent trip to the UK due to the visa situation in Egypt. 

It used to be that UK citizens could get a year's visa in Egypt and multiple re-entry visas (meaning you can exit the country without having to reapply for a visa when you get back), plus you could renew the visa annually.  This is now seldom possible and there appear to be no rules for visas in Egypt, so getting a visa is now a bit down to luck. 

The only thing that seems to be relatively certain is that if you enter the country and get a one-month tourist visa at the airport, you can extend it for up to six months without much problem. Anything more than that, and it’s in the lap of the gods. There’s a facebook page set up for people to report back on their visa experiences in case we can work out what rules are being applied at any one time (the answer is that we can’t, apart from the above – although most people with cars seem to be able to get a year’s visa, but after that it’s a lottery). 

When I originally got my 6-month visa on my return to Egypt in mid-April, they wouldn’t let me have a re-entry visa.Anyway, I’d read on this facebook page that some people originally refused a re-entry visa had been given one once they took along their flight ticket to the passport office.

I duly did this before my recent UK trip and, yes, you guessed correctly, I was told that re-entry visas no longer exist. This meant that when I exited Egypt, my current visa was invalidated and I would have to go through the visa application process all over again . I wrote this on the facebook page and there seemed to be varying opinions on whether re-entry visas really had been stopped altogether. Such is Egypt.

As a result, I had to get a tourist, one-month visa from the airport when I recently returned from the UK. Because of this, I’ve decided to spend September and some of October back in Zurich rather than try to get a visa extension; Zurich is still my official place of residence and I need to spend some time there anyway to keep it as my main home (I always was going to go back at the end of September). I’m also hoping to retain a 60% work contract. Let’s see!

I’m officially living with some friends in Zurich, since with a work contract of less than a year, it’s hard to get accommodation. For this stay I decided to rent a small studio flat in Zurich via airbnb rather than stay at my official residence. This way, I could see whether I could cope with going back to living in a smaller space, and it would also let me see what it’s like to commute to work rather than to live within 10-15 minutes walking distance. The studio flat is also very central, so it’s a chance for me to see how I like staying right in the city centre.

As usual, I really didn't want to leave Egypt; each time I change country, I sulk about having to leave. When I left Zurich, I couldn't think why I wanted to go to Egypt. But once I arrive, I think it’s great to be in the new place. Although it’s an emotional upheaval,  I do like leading two completely different lives, and it's a good sign that I'm attached to both places.

I haven’t moved back and forth enough yet not to have any surprises on my return. So, this time, what I’d forgotten was how creamy the milk is in Switzerland – probably because I have skimmed UHT milk in Egypt and fresh semi-skimmed milk in Zurich. Having said that, the milk in Switzerland is noticeably creamier than in the UK. I’d also forgotten that I buy fresh milk in Switzerland, so on my first supermarket trip I was looking out for the shelves of UHT and then realized that wasn’t even what I wanted!

This time, for some reason, I was really taken by the architecture in Zurich. I love the old buildings. It’s really hot for September and it seems that the Swiss summer was postponed until now (so I’ve been lucky again). Consequently, I'm not missing the Egyptian sun, but I am missing my air conditioning. I find it quite hot at night and feel a bit frustrated that I can’t just turn on my air conditioning when I’m feeling too hot like I do in Egypt. Maybe I just haven’t adapted to being back to Switzerland yet and am actually still in a bit of a sulk!

Another thing that struck me this time was that because I’m living in a different area, I don’t actually know where to buy things. Each time I wanted to buy something slightly out of the ordinary, I could only think where to buy it where I used to live previously. But that’s quite a distance from where I am now, and I know there must be other places in the district where I'm living now. It’s almost like living in a different city. 

With all my moving about within Zurich, I’m starting to feel that I’ve experienced what it’s like to live in quite a lot of areas in the city (and there’s not been anywhere yet that I haven’t liked), although each move to a new district is its own learning experience.