Final Semester IV

As I wrote in one of the previous posts, I applied for a workshop at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. And I was pretty happy when I got an email with the invitation for the event. It starts next Thurday evening with a dinner at the Club zum Rennweg. The club is pretty, how should I say, exclusive. It's the only private member-club in Switzerland that found its way into the International Associate Clubs. People like Georges Kern, CEO IWC Schaffhausen, Philippe Gaydoul, CEO Denner or Christoph Franz, CEO Swiss have free access there. As dinner is about to end late, Roland Berger booked a hotel room for me: My first night in a hotel in Zurich! Maybe it's time to say something about them: Roland Berger Strategy Consultants was founded in Munich in 1967 by a man named, surprisingly, Roland Berger. Now the company has offices in 27 countries and employs about 2100 consultants. In Germany they are number two in market share after McKinsey. Besides I had to buy a new suit, as the dresscode for the event is business dress. So I got a dark gray suit, after checking out several stores in Zurich. Now I'm looking forward to a new experience in the consulting business.

Besides I got a brand new 3GS iPhone. My contract was due to expire, so I was offered a new mobile phone anyway. Thus, I was thinking, why not the iPhone. And indeed, it can support me in many situations. Especially at ETH, when I need to have a quick look at citations, I just can browse in the internet. I can write emails in the train, I have unlimited access to the train, tram and bus timetable, I have maps and GPS and a very useful calendar that reminds me of upcoming events.

The last two weeks I mainly focused on studying and went to the library to have a quiet place to study. The only event that was up recently was a raclette evening at Kai's new place in Dachsen, and lunch at Tibits with Lea. But honestly, I enjoy sitting in the library with a warm cup of coffee staring out the window at the autumnal sky over Zurich. I don't need too much distraction now, I'm happy with the thought of finishing my last semester in a few weeks time.

Final Semester III

Now I’m already on the way back to Zurich, typing these words into my MacBook. Today the weather was just great, I enjoyed the sun, eat crêpes at Creposuk, as I already did last year. It’s still a great place to have crêpes, and they use wholewheat flour, which makes them special. I walked along Rue Saint-Honoré, went to the japanese-style concept store Collette (Tom Ford scarf for 485 Euro, almost bought it). I walked through the Tuileries gardens, walked along the Seine, the Bassin de la Villette, and read a lot. Besides I made some decisions and I fueled my spirits. Now I can focus on my studies, and look forward to the winter with confidence.

Part two, on 27th of October
Today I attended the 2nd Natural Science Day as I wrote in the last post. Located in the Technopark in the vibrant part of Zurich West. The area is now full of construction sites, one of those is for the new Mobimo Tower. Anyway, back to the event. I was working for DSM Nutritional Products together with 12 other students on every possible level (PhD, Master and Bachelor). And it was quite international, as we had students from Japan, India and Indonesia in our group. DSM was present with the people from the Recruiting Center, with Dr. Klaus Kraemer, Secretary General of Sight and Life, Dr. Ralf Biebinger, who did his PhD at the Human Nutrition Laboratory at ETH. The workshop was pretty much about the topics of the Nutrition lectures we had in the last semester. So I was kind of the expert in that field. At lunch, we had the opportunity to talk to the DSM representatives and could ask questions about career and possible jobs. All in all, a great networking day! After the event was over I met Kai and Thomas for dinner at the Restaurant Movie (Beatenplatz 4, near HB). Well, it was not that good actually. But Kai and Thomas made up for that.

Final Semester II

Right now I'm sitting in a Starbucks Coffee at Boulevard Haussmann in Paris, France. I bought a TGV ticket some weeks ago and will meet Peter in a few hours. But it's a pretty short stay here, tomorrow I have to go back already as on Monday I will attend the 2. Natural Science Day at Technopark in Zurich. There I will take part in a workshop of the company DSM Nutritional Products, where I already had a job interview (and they wanted me) a year ago. But back to Paris. I just wanted to have some time to think. Time to watch out of the train window, watching the autumnal forests and foggy meadows passing by with great speed. I have to get my mind clear, I want to now what to do with my future. I had a job interview yesterday at a software engineering company where I could work as marketing assistant. But I'm not quite sure if it's a good idea to work 20-30% during my last semester. I know I have not so many lectures and I could manage that. But maybe I should better use the time for studying. And maybe I even could work at the consulting company that I've worked during my bachelor studies. That would be another option which I rather might accept. Besides, I right now work at the Laboratory of Food Biotechnology in a project about 3-HPA, an antimicrobial substance produced by some Lactobacilli.

Anyway, as I'm already talking about job, I read "Das Magazin", actually a number that was published somewhen in 2004. It's about how Zurich works. How you get a good, well-paid job in Zurich. Is it always the best qualified person or the person with the biggest social capital, which means with the biggest network of people with influence and power? So I wondered about the secret of success. Thus I wrote an email to Mark van Huisseling, the journalist and columnist. I proposed an equation that includes factors like talent, ambition, diligence, social capital and luck. A well-balanced mixture of these components will make you successful. Mark agreed with me. And what did Lucien de Rubempré say in "Illusions perdues"? He said: "Unbounded ambition makes an obscure life simply impossible for me." Right.

To strenghten my economy skills I also attend the lecture Discovering Entrepreneurship, which is provided by the MTEC department (Management, Technology and Economics). The lessions are great and the professors too. I guess I learn a lot. And maybe, if I don't go into Research & Development, I might do an MBA in the future. I attended a podium discussion moderated by Kurt Aeschbacher, the famous, at least in Switzerland, TV man. And as Urs had birthday, he organized an apero at his place. And guess who belonged to his guestlist? Patrick Rohr, another famous moderator. You see, I was up to quite a few things in the past few weeks. I attended even more discussions, with Doodle founder Michael Naef or presentations of the new professor Raffaele Mezzenga at ETH. Besides, I went to eat Pizza with Silvio, a buddy studying medicine that I know from the time at the army. Or with Yu, a japanese, south-african citizen, who is also studying at ETH. Then I applied for an event called "Consultant for a day" at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. It's about obesity and strategies to decrease the prevalence in Switzerland together with Dr. med. Markus Meier, head of Gesundheit Sprechstunde. Another TV show.

Enough talked, I'll enjoy the Paris weekend and see Peter and Marie for a drink at Bastille, eat some crêpes and just enjoy the autumn with a good book by Balzac.

Final Semester I

Actually, I wanted to post something with relevance. Some general thoughts about success and how important an efficient network can be. And some general thoughts about my life. Next time more of that. Still, a little review of the summer of 2009: I guess it was one of the best summer that I ever had. I travelled a lot, I saw new countries, new cities, met so many amazing people. I was happy! And still I am. But now it's already October. Time to seriously concentrate on my last semester. Unbelievable, already four weeks have passed since I returned from New York. And in approximately two months time, I will have my last lecture at ETH. That's kind of glad and sad in combination. No joke, I loved to attend lectures, even though the first year was not that easy and for my taste focused too much on Maths. However, I'm also eager to transfer my knowledge into a proper job position. That's what we were trained for. So I'll enjoy the next two months as much as I can. In January and February I will have my last few exams, and then I will start my master thesis from March 1st at Givaudan.

Besides, the weather in September and beginning of October was great. It was warm and a few days ago, we had 26°C! Two weeks ago I spent the whole Sunday at Güterhof together with Thomas and Kai. First we had a coffee, then got the last Ice Cream of the season at El Bertin and returned for grilled fish and baked potatoes. The day before I was invited to a flat party by Sophie. It was a nice evening and I met quite a few people, that I haven't met for ages! For example Muriel, who was in Tokyo together with Sophie two years ago. Then, as Sophie also had birthday a few days later, I was again invited for some delicious pasta.

And I went to see Inglorious Basterds, the newest movie directed by Quentin Tarantino. It was really fabulous, and even though some scenes are quite brutal there are others were you barely can't stop laughing. And Christoph Waltz playing Hans Landa is just awesome! No wonder he one the award for the best actor at the Cannes International Film Festival.

In the first week of the semester, there are many opening parties. So I went, together with Sophie and Silvan, to the Alte Börse where the Wednesdaze took place. The music was great and I met many old friends, but drinks were too expensive. Fortunately I could sleep at Sophies place and didn't have to return back home. A few days later, the French DJ David Guetta had a concert at Alte Börse. Unfortunately, I couldn't get any tickets anymore...

New York X

To make it short: I love New York! Some months ago, Tokyo was kind of the number one. But now I'm not sure anymore. I guess, New York made it to the top. Paris is also cool, so is Vienna. But they are too normal, too much european, too small. New York is just another feeling. A feeling of belonging to the sophisticated. And I kown there is much more to see, much more places to go, much more restaurants to eat, much more bars and lounges to have a drink, much more clubs to dance. So I'll take every chance to return to New York. Maybe not next year, but certainly within the next three years! Because I guess you need to experience NY as long as you're young.

Back here in Switzerland, I still feel in another mood. I just feel more relaxed, more confidential than before. The trip was just great, not only New York, but also Montreal, Toronto and all the other places we visited. Awesome. Now I look forward to some other trips. Maybe Singapore next year, but certainly Hong Kong and Shanghai. And what I still like to see is Oman, or the United Arab Emirates. Nobody knows what the future brings, so watch out!

New York IX

The last days in New York were just awesome! We had so much fun and enjoyed the city as much as we could! Thanks to Kai we got free entrance to the MoMA, the Museum of Modern Art. I'm not an art student or something like that, but the MoMA is really well worth seeing. No wonder it's often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world. It has one of the best collections with works by such famous names as Warhol, Dalì, Picasso, van Gogh, Monet, Matisse or Cézanne. But the museum does not only feature paintings but also includes works in architecture, design, sculpture and photography. And for those who don't know: They have the first Freitag bag in their collection. And I loved all design pieces such as the chaise lounge by Le Corbusier or the Eames lounge chair.

As we alread talk about style and design, I had to buy a Jack Spade briefcase! We were walking through SoHo, which is the hippest neighbourhood that you can find in NY. And actually we just had a coffee at Café Café on Greene Street, when we saw the store. Honestly, I didn't need a briefcase but that one was just awesome! And even though the price was also awesome I bought it. SoHo was really cool. Fabulous young couples, wealthy singles, and ex-suburbanite empty-nesters long ago took over Soho from the artists. Now, the cobblestone streets, cast-iron buildings and designer boutiques draw quite a crowd. Literally. The people on the streets look exactly like I imagined people from NY have to look. And the streets in SoHo look pretty devoid, but as soon as you enter an unimposing store, it's huge and heaps of young people are inside! That happened with the Café Duke. Outside it looks like nothing but as soon as you get through the entrance you feel absorbed in the crowd.

That evening I went to buy some Zoot running shoes in a cool store some blocks from our hotel. As Thomas and Kai were at the tennis game, and Laura was out to meet a friend, Sandra and I went to eat at Spice Market (403 West at 13th Street) in the Meatpacking District, where you can see, especially on weekends, celebrities and fashion models all over the place. I actually feel pretty small compared to these 1.85m girls. Anyway, the Spice Market is a restaurant by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, one of the most celebrated chefs on the planet! New York Magazine wrote that in the past two decades, no single chef has had more influence on the way New Yorkers dine out. And it's true! The menu was pure explosion of the senses!

New York VIII

After dinner at Wolfgang's we met two friends of Kai, that also study at the University of St. Gallen. After visiting the top of the Rockefeller Center, we walked to the Times Square with all the colored lights and advertisements and heaps of people on the streets. We intended to have a drink there at a cozy lounge bar, but it was already full. Fortunatley, you just can walk around the corner and you're prone to find another good bar or lounge. However, better stick to the following recommendations, an incomplete selection of the best bars and lounges in New York, or better, in Manhattan:

The Stone Rose (10 Columbus Circle at 58th Street), a 510 square meter lounge located at the Time Warner Center, is capable of seating 300, and its massive windows facing Central Park make the city itself feel like a hired character. Leather and light wood paneling, plush banquettes, and muted lighting lend the enormous, marble-floored space surprising intimacy. The lounge was designed by Yabu Pushelberg, two great interior designer! To stick to the topic, the W (1567 Broadway at 47th Street) was also designed by Yabu Pushelberg, hence its interior is modern and invites you to relax. They serve marvellous drinks but you might need to come early to get a seat. Salon de Ning (700 Fifth Avenue at 55th Street) lies on top of the famous Peninsula Hotel. Drinks are good but expensive, the atmosphere is relaxed but views on Manhattan are better from the top of the next rooftop-bar. The 230 Fifth (230 Fifth Avenue at 27th Street) fills up the penthouse and the 2000 square meter roof of a former hotel. Great location, stunning views of Manhattan by night, but drinks are lousy and come in plastic cups. The Brasserie (100 East 53rd Street) is located in the Seagram Building and was built in 1959. The stunning reincarnation showcases the award-winning, ultramodern design of Diller + Scofidio. Drinks are perfect but the bar is rather small, better come for dinner.


Finally, we went to have a drink at the Stone Rose and used the personal atmosphere for good talks about architecture, banking, fashion and a lot more. After two hours we had spent enough money and decided to go back to the hotel. The two girls also joined us and so we could continue our discussion there. It was pretty late when we went to bed that night, so we decided to sleep a bit longer in the morning. I was hungry, so I went to Starbucks quite early and then walked along the busy 42th Street. My hunger was calmed and so we went to the Guggenheim Museum at 89th Street, right across the Central Park. The museum was built in 1939 by Frank Loyd Wright and is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art, and also features special exhibitions throughout the year. However, most of the floors were closed at the time of our visit. Still, the paintings by Picasso, Chagall and Kandinsky were worth seeing. After this cultural visit we walked through the Central Park, where you kind of feel as if you were in another world. Or at least you wouldn't expect to be in the largest city in the United States. And as we the walking made us hungry again, we went to eat the best burgers in town at Shake Shack (Madison Avenue at 23rd Street) located at the corner of the Madison Square Park. Besides, Kai had bought tickets for the US Open some time ago. Unfortunately we didn't see a game with Roger Federer, but the match of Djokovic vs. Verdasco was quite ok.

New York VII

The next day we went to eat bagels at Ess-a-Bagel (831 3rd Avenue). I strongly recommend the whole wheat bagel with baked (not smoked!) salmon, it's just delicious. However, expect long lines at lunchtime. Then we boarded a Greyhound Bus to Atlantic City in the state New Jersey. The city is famous for casino gambling, shopping malls and sandy beaches. As we stayed over night, we booked a room in the Trump Plaza, which is a hotel with a huge gambling hall in the heart of the building. Funny enough, we all slept in the same room that had two beds for the five of us. As the name Atlantic City already indicates, it lies directly at the sea. So it was just rational to eat at Phillips Seafood. But don't expect much, it's pretty touristy and there are heaps of people eating there. The main dish, Ahi Tuna, was delicious but the starter, a shrimp cocktail, was nothing special. After dinner we took a taxi to the newest and most glorious casino in Atlantic City, The Borgata. It was build for $1.1 billion in 2003 and indeed, it's grand and carries the glory of Las Vegas. And here the impression comes true, money does attract beautiful women. There was a dance club in the Borgata and as we glimpsed inside, we had the feeling of taking part in a movie, all the tall tanned girls were dressed in very short skirts and high-heels that could not be higher, gorgeous. You can imagine the contrast we felt when we returned to our room with the two beds for five people.

The next day we returned to New York. We purchased a combined ticket for the Rockefeller Center, so we could go up to the top both on daytime and at night. The building with a height of 259m is only the ninth tallest in New York. However it offers spectacular views on Manhattan with the Empire State Building, Downtown, the Hudson River and Central Park. The $30 entrance fee is a lot, but I guess it's worth it. That evening we went to eat at the second-best Steakhouse in New York, the Wolfgang's. However, to the pleasure of my friends, I ordered a grilled tuna and the Wolfgang Salad as starter. Actually I preferred the Wolfgang's, but more because of the location and the interior because I couldn't compare the steaks.

New York VI

The very same night we went to the ever-so-stylish rooftop bar Plunge on top of the sophisticated Hotel Gansevoort (18 9th Avenue). There's a skinny pool on top where guest can swim overlooking the Hudson River. At night this rooftop-bar attracts block-long lines and if you are dressed in t-shirt the doorman won't let you in. Understandable, nobody was tired that evening, as it was our very first night in New York! Anyway, the next day we walked all the way up Fifth Avenue, had breakfast, read the Times, and enjoyed the city and did some windowshopping. We went to Abercrombie & Fitch, where you are served by male models showing their six-packs. And another thing for the girls: We went to the flagship store of Tiffany & Co., undoubtedly the most famous jewellery store in the world, that became popular when Truman Capote wrote his novel "Breakfast at Tiffany's". Not far away, Apple's newest flagship store lies below a huge glass cube at 767 Fifth Avenue. It's open 24 hours a day, but there are still heaps of people at every hour of the day. For lunch we went to Peter Luger Steakhouse located in Brooklyn. It was rated as New York's best steakhouse for 24 years in a row. For dinner, you need to reserve a table months ahead!

Actually New York has a great subway network and the price is ok with 2 Dollar for a ride. However, we almost always took a taxi to get from A to B. First, it's pretty easy to get a yellow cab in almost no time, except from 4 to 5 in the evening. Second, we were mostly a group of at least four, so we could divide the amount, which was rarely more than 10 bucks.

In the afternoon we walked over the Williamsburg Bridge to Manhattan. Actually we wanted to see the Brooklyn Bridge, but the waiter at Peter Luger suggested to walk across the Williamsburg Bridge instead. After crossing the East River, we went to see Chinatown, the Finance District with the famous Wall Street, and walked down to Ground Zero. Actually you can't see anything there, except for a big gap between the buildings which is now a enormous construction site. As we were tired of walking we went to Starbucks for a coffee. By the way, there are currently 209 Starbucks stores in Manhattan. And compared to Switzerland, the products are bloody cheap in the United States. Finally, we walked down to Battery Park, where you can see the Statue of Liberty standing far away.

New York V

The trunk of our car was completely full when we put all bags in, stuffed with clothes and shoes that we had acquired after our extended shopping tour. At least it was no long way to the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. But we soon after had another problem. We were a group of five and normally it's difficult to find a taxi that has enough space for five. But it might even be impossible to find a taxi for a group of five plus eight pieces of luggage. So Thomas and my humble self agreed to take the Air Train to Midtown Manhattan. As we were studying the New York City map, a big Afro-American soldier dressed in desert uniform got on the same train which kind of seemed to come directly form the Iraq war. He looked at us and asked where we were going. We told him that we were heading to Manhattan and as he had to get off on the same station, he helped us with purchasing tickets for the metro. When we had to say goodbye to Mr. Watkins, he gave us a handshake that almost broke our fingers. Probably, he was really in Iraq.

We got off at Penn Station, near the Empire State Building. When we arrived after a 40min or so ride with the train, it was already dark. But as soon as we, after a cookie and a coffee to go at Starbucks, entered the streets of New York, it was as if it was daytime. There were so many people out in the streets, so many lights on the buildings, so many yellow cabs, it was just awesome! We walked all the way to the Hotel Kitano at Park Avenue, buying another coffee at Starbucks as well as the New York Times.

The rooms at Kitano were spacious and just great! It's actually some sort of japanese hotel, thus the interiour design was pretty japanese, which I like, of course. In the lobby they have live jazz concerts every weekend, from our rooms we had a direct view on the Empire and we had a personal cleaning lady, that even came to prepare the beds for the night after they had already been made in the morning. Pretty cool service.

After relaxing a little bit we dressed for dinner and went to the italian restaurant Salute (270 Madison Avenue). It was a recommendation of the Kitano staff, and a good one. The interior was modern and held in white, still with a view on the busy streets. Kai and Thomas got the five course menu for 80 Dollar, whereas I was not so hungry that evening. However, the Bresaola with Mozzarella di Bufala was brilliant. So was the Risotto ai frutti di mare. But I did envy Kai and Thomas a bit, as all courses looked very delicious. At least I was still ready for a drink somewhere. The place to be at night is, no question, the Meatpacking District, which runs roughly from West 14th Street south to the Gansevoort Street. One hidden spot is the APT in a nondescript building on West 13th Street, mixes high-style with homey comfort. The bar was honored as New York's best bar in 2001 and has been described as a nightlife masterpiece. Indeed it's pretty cool inside, even though the music was kind of strange that evening.

New York IV

In the morning of the next day we had a relaxed breakfast at Starbucks and then just strolled around the city, did some shopping, and watched all the different people passing by. As we had to check out at the hotel we soon were looking for a place for lunch. Near the Four Seasons we found a nice restaurant, that rather looked small at first glance, but we could get up to the first floor where we were lucky to find a rather large terrace with palm trees and a small bar. I had some whole wheat pasta (yeah, whole wheat!) with chicken, cherry tomatos and pecorino! Fabulous, especially as that was a nice little spot to eat! If you want to know the name, just ask. Soon after we were back in our car, heading in direction of Niagara Falls. Due to our incredible TomTom GPS navigation system, we never had to think about wrong turns. Moreover, we were totally five people in the car. Especially the backseat in the middle was not that comfortable, so we always changed our sitting positions at every eating or fuel stop. And there was just one way to put all the baggage in the trunk! The doormen at the hotels always tried to put the baggage in, but we had to help or at least tell them how to put it in correctly.

Anyway, the Niagara Falls were pretty amazing. The falls are situated at the border of Canada and the United States. The Niagara River connects Lake Erie with the Lake Ontario and drops down for more than 53m between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, ON and Niagara Falls, NY. That's approximately twice as high as the Rhine Falls, but what makes it even more impressive is the fact that they are more than 790m wide! Actually it's pretty difficult to get a full picture of the falls, because you have a cloud of tiny water drops in the middle of the falls. At least there's always a rainbow in the sky.

At the border to the United States we had some little problems. As Laura had a student visa, she was actually not really aloud to re-enter the States without a green form. Thus, we had to wait in a overcrowded waiting room, full of Asians and Mexicans that were waiting for their visa. You were not aloud to make phone calls unless you wanted to get arrested. And Barack Obama was smiling at us from the picture frame on the wall. Eventually, after waiting for an hour, we got our passports back and could pass the border. As it was already late, we decided to sleep in a cheap motel in Syracuse, NY. The next day we drove to Central Valley, NY where, hidden between green hills, lies the Woodbury Common Premium Outlet. Here you can find brands like Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger or Salvatore Ferragamo. We spent quite some money there!

New York III

The next day we left Quebec pretty early in the morning because we wanted to get all the way down to Toronto, which covers a distance of approximately 800 km. As we just had short stops in between it didn’t take too long to get to the largest city in Canada whit a population of more than 2.5 million. After a seven hour ride we arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto. Again the hotel was great, with a beautiful lobby and friendly and helpful staff. However, the rooms at Westin in Montreal were better. The weather was great and we had warm 25 degrees which were much more than the 8 degrees in the morning in Quebec. Besides, Toronto is one of the world's most diverse cities by percentage of non-native-born residents, as about 49% of the population were born outside of Canada. And indeed, the folks on the streets were really cosmopolitan and international. And that's cool.

We had a short rest at the hotel, then went out and were just amazed by all the skyscrapers. We walked all the way down the Yonge Street to the CN Tower. In between we stopped now and then for photos and went to see the Allen Lambert Galleria, a 6 storey pedestrian avenue designed by Santiago Calatrava. The CN Tower with a hight of 553m was the highest construction built by men for more than 30 years. Now only the Burj Dubai is taller (actually way higher with 819m. Crazy. The Empire State Building in New York which is 381m tall, was built in 1931 and held the title of the worlds highest building until 1974. And now we are at 819m. Crazy!) We took the elevater to the observation deck on 346 meters and enjoyed the sunset on Lake Ontario. Everything has other dimensions here. This lake has half the size of Switzerland. Even on 346m you can't see the end of the lake and you inevitably think it must be the sea. Besides, on the observation deck you can stand on a glass floor, where you can see down on the ground. Cars seem like ants and people are just tiny points moving so slowly.

New York II

After a very delicious breakfast at the Westin with toast bread, salmon, ham, egg, yoghurt, cereals, fresh fruits and coffee, we went out in the drizzle and walked to the old town of Montreal. In 1967 the Expo 67 took place in town. For that event Moshe Safdie built an interesting living complex called Habitat 67 which is located on a small island behind an ugly wheat factory. This factory is just huge and the biggest part is shabby and derelict. From Habitat 67 we walked over a bridge from where we had a good view on the skyline of Montreal as well as on the Saint Lawrence River, a massive river that connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic. We then took the metro to get to the Olympic Stadion that held the olypmic games in 1976. The stadion looked like a building of Calatrava (in Toronto we later saw a gallery of Calatrava). Montreal has a huge underground city. You can find the entrances at some metro stations or in the underground level of shoppings malls. You'll find restaurants, bars and many shops down there. In the evening we went to Vargas for Dinner. I had a Tataki Salad with grilled tuna that was just great. Unfortunately, that was only the appetizer and I was already quite full. As main plate I had a Chicken Teriyaki with chinese noodles. However, I couldn’t eat all of that even though it was really delicious. After eating we intended to go to a rooftop bar next to the Vargas. There was already a long queue of girls in short skirts and high heels waiting to get to the top of that building. We also took the elevator to get up, but as we had to pay 15 Dollars to get in, we decided to just have a drink at the Hotel bar, because we didn't wanted to dance as we were all completely full.

The next day we drove to Quebec, which took us about 3 hours. Quebec is rather small compared to Montreal or Toronto and has a unique french character. There are narrow cobblestone streets, with small european houses. The old town is even on the UNESCO world heritage list because the protection wall around the city is the only remaining in North America. We strolled around the old town, went to see some churches all called Notre Dame, went to see the Chateau Frontenac, which is really beautfiul and reminded me of Schloss Neuschwanstein in Germany. From there we had also beautiful views on the Saint Lawrence River. The weather was fine and sunny and we even met some swiss guys from Basel when we visited the citadelle of Quebec. In the evening we even witnessed a firework in town. Our Hotel was the Loews Le Concorde, which was inside one of the highest buildings of Quebec. On top, there was a revolving rooftop restaurant. We went up there for a drink and had nice views on Quebec by night.

New York I

Now I've really been in New York. Been. Because right now I'm sitting on my bed in the Hotel Westin in Montreal in Canada. But maybe I should explain that chronologically: On Thursday Kai, Thomas, Sandra and me took the 10AM train to the airport in Zurich. We were pretty early, so we had plenty of time to have a coffee at Starbucks, eat something and stroll around the shops in the shopping mall. The flight with Delta was quite okay, I mean it took almost 9 hours from Zurich to JFK in New York. During the flight we had stunning views on greenland, revealing its snowy mountains and deep valleys. Having arrived, we got our rental car and then waited for Laura, a girl studying with Kai at HSG. She was in Berkeley during summertime and now joins us for the trip to Canada. When we finally had our car, we headed for Boston, but as it was already late, we needed a hotel for the night. So we stopped at Sturbridge in Massachusetts where we found the Hampton Inn. There, the desk clerc asked us where we were heading to. As he heard that we were on the way to Boston he told us that the city would be crowded with people because Ted Kennedy's funeral would take place there. We already heard that in the news, but didn't know that even President Obama would come to the funeral in Boston. So we had to change plans and instead headed north to the canadian border. On the way to Montreal we passed by the skyline of Albany, NY which is actually the capital of the state New York and came across Lake Placid, where the bobsleight runs take place in winter.

As I already said, we stay in the Westin here in Montreal. The rooms are just great! We even have Starbucks coffee in the rooms and a radio with iPod connection. All in all perfect. For dinner we dressed in shirt and went to Steak Frites (405, Rue St-Antoine Ouest). I enjoyed a perfect filet de saumon and duck rilettes as appetizer. For desert I tasted the crème brulée, which was good, but that one I had in Paris last year was, I'm sorry, better. But the restaurant as well as the clientele were superb! But funny enough, some restaurants do not have a licence to sell alcohol, so you see a sign in front of the building that says: Bring your own wine. Thus, many guests walk in with bottles of wine in their hands. Before we walked back to the hotel, we had a drink at Suite 701 (701, Côte de la Place d'Armes), a nice lounge in an old majestic building. But we were so tired, that soon after we went back to our rooms and had a long and deep sleep.

In Between II

A few hours after the last post I went to drink something with the girls from Unilever at the terrace of the Surstoffbar. Actually, only Ulli and Renate worked or better still work at Unilever, Nathalie is just a friend of Renate and lives in Zurich. It was pretty funny and I guess we consumed rather much but paid rather less. The evening was even more special because they spontanously asked me to join them for a hike up in the mountains. Not in a weeks time, but 10 hours later! Naturally, I could not turn down that offer, so the next morning we met at the old busstation in Schaffhausen and drove up to the mountains by car. In between we stoped for gas and had to fill our bags with something to eat and drink. Anyway, our hiking tour was perfect, the weather beuatiful and we had a bath in the Seealpsee, which was so refreshing in the heat of the day.

In the evening I had to watch the 100m final at the world athletics championships in Berlin. It was insane. Usain Bolt set another fable world record with 9.58. Unbelievable. And actually I still remember Donovan Baileys 9.84 in Atlanta or Leroy Burrells 9.85 in Lausanne. Then an improvement of 1/100 was considered as huge, compared now to the 11/100 improvement by Bolt, this seems to be as little as nothing.

One evening I was at a concert of Big Zis at Kaufleuten in Zurich. Thomas won two tickets for the evening, so we just had to go. First, I went to the gym, took the bus to get to Thomas' place, left my belongings there and soon after we left for the Kaufleuten. But before we got our free entrance tickets, we went to eat a Tiger Prawn Salad at an irish pub and restaurant at Sihlstrasse. Funny enough, as everybody was talking english, the waitress also talked english with us. Okey, the concert was fun but over pretty soon. All the same, I was happy that I could sleep in Zurich and didn't had to worry about trains and buses.

The day before I intended to join some friends for BBQ at Flurlingen, but as a thunderstorm came up shortly before, we changeed the location and went to the tallest building in Schaffhausen. There you can overview the whole town and we saw fascinating flashlights far away. The terrace on the 15th floor had a roof, so we had a great evening up there! Actually I was the only local, all other were either from Germany, Austria or any other country.

On Wednesday I met Michael for ice cream as the therometer hit to 30 degree mark. We then met some friends at Güterhof and talked about anything but nothing. On Thursday I intended to go for a swim with Jonathan, unfortunately I had to work longer, so we had to cancel this. Besides, the train ride back home was sometimes pretty displeasing, as it was extremely hot inside the trains, as only the ICE has a good air-conditioner. It was much hotter inside the trains than the oustide and we had outdoor temperatures of more than 33°C. That day I watched the 200m final with the astonishing 19.19 world record set by Usain Bolt and then I went running at 9PM, when it was already getting dark outside. However, the temperature was still very high... Anyway, it was just great running at dusk with Bolt's dream run in my mind!

Yesterday I went to an openair concert for the first time in my life. It was the Bodensee Hegau OpenAir located in the little village of Aach in Germany. It's actually not far away from Schaffhausen, by car it takes you a bit more than half an hour to get there. The acts playing were not less famous than Reamonn, Sunrise Avenue, Milow and Maria Mena. The weather was just perfect and the location out in the nature too. We had much fun there and all in all that was a great evening!

Last, a little bit about New York:
We just changed our swiss francs into US Dollars and as Kai is working for a swiss bank, he could change them at a rather good exchange rate! Well done, Kai! Besides, I checked out my Lonely Planet and found some good spots, for example rooftop bars or lounges, where you have fabulous views on New York! If that's not enough, we will climb the Empire State Building at night and make some stunning pictures of NY by night!

This is the last post before I leave for New York. I will update you as soon as I've made some pictures! See you soon!

In Between I

I'm not yet in New York but all arrangements are up to speed. We already booked the hotel in NYC, actually we had to book two, as it's, even a few weeks in advance, pretty difficult to find a good one. When we first sat together we were thinking of the Royalton (44 West 44th Street), which has been designed by Philippe Starck. However, the rooms, which combine a funky mix of modernd and classic styles, were just a bit too expensive for some of us. Anyway, we will check out the Bar 44 in the Royalton which is a inviting mecca for conversation and cusinie as stated on the website. Now to our hotels: The first one we booked is the Kitano (66 Park Avenue at East 38th Street), rated by Lonely Planet as a Deluxe Indie Inn. Just have a look at the web if you're intrested. More of that as soon as we'll have checked in. The second hotel is the Roger Williams (131 Madison Avenue) that blends vibrant color, bold architecture and a hip and homey feeling in the fashionable Murray area of midtwon Manhattan. Okey, that's it with NYC for now. More in the next post.

The days after I returned from Vienna were, again, just great! First, a photo that I took in Asakusa in Tokyo was published in the newspaper and I now could win a MacBook or an iPod touch. But actually I don't care about the prizes, it's cool enough to have it published. Then I went swimming in the Rhine with Sophie on a beautiful evening. We met just after working in Zurich and took the ICE to Schaffhausen together. Then we walked to the Rhine, which was not that warm on this day, and had a long swim. As swimming made us hungry we went to Güterhof and had a drink and grilled fish with a delicious salad. After that I went to see Gran Torino on top of the castle Munot as the Munot Openair Cinema took place up there. That, once again, was just marvellous. The atmosphere was just great, the weather fine and it was fullmoon, which made it even more special. Two days later I stayed in Zurich and met Livia after a workout in the gym. We bought some ingredients for a delicious salad with citron and blood orange dressing. We made some pasta with red pesto and opened a bottle of wine. We sat on the balcony and enjoyed the menu as well as the superb view on Zurich. Besides, the next day I bought Jamie Oliver's book Happy Days With The Naked Chef. I'm looking forward to some more cooking sessions! Then on Saturday I went again to the Güterhof with Kai and Tobias, who is currently doing an internship as investment banker in Frankfurt/GER. So we talked quite a lot and enjoyed the evening further on at Oberhof and Orient. It was a really great evening and a foretaste of New York!

This past week I was out with Kai and Thomas on Thursday, as we met at Güterhof for grilled fish! I love these summer evenings where you can sit out until it gets dark! And unfortunately it's getting dark earlier and earlier each day... Anyway, on Wednesday I met a friend in Zurich and first had coffee at Starbucks and then enjoyed the sun at the Limmat. I left soon after as I joined Thomas for the train back to Schaffhausen, where we talked a lot about architecture. And today we went to Stein am Rhein in the morning and drove down in the rubber boat! We listened to chillout sound, had a stop now and then for ice cream and just enjoyed the ride back down! Pure life!

Vienna Again III

We started our last day with shopping. We first went to the Energy store right across the street. I considered buying a jacket, but then found that there must be something better. What I bought afterwards was not a jacket but a Puma bag, that I found in the Puma store on Mariahilferstrasse. As we got up without breakfast, we were pretty hungry and decided to immediately have lunch somewhere. And again, we went to the NENI at Naschmarkt were I had a very tasty caesar salad with grilled chicken breast. It was surely over 30°C and sitting there was pure beach feeling, so we decided to go to the Danube river in the evening. But before we went seeing the Rathaus and the nearby Votivkriche. In Vienna you need to drink Café as much as you can, because it's really delicious, comparable with Paris, even slightly better. So we went to the Café Central (Herrengasse 14), that was founded in 1868 and where Trotzky used to play chess and Loos designed his works.

Loaded with caffein, we took the metro to the Vienna International Centre, which lies just north of the river Danube. In the evening sun, the high-rise buildings looked pretty majestic. Anyway, we took the bus and after a short ride, we were at the Vienna City Beach! It was great relaxing in the evening sun on the sunloungers with chillout music playing in the background, right at the shores of the Danube. I felt far away, felt the summer, and was happy!

For dinner a friend recommended the restaurant Oswald&Kalb (Bäckerstrasse 14) with modern viennese cuisine. However, we didn't know where it was and so we were lucky that I had my PowerBook with me. So we just went to Starbucks for a coffee and used the WiFi hotspot and google maps to get the location. The self made chanterelle ravioli and the pecorino cheese on green salad were again superb. We thought about going to the nearby Buddha Bar for a drink, but decided to go home first and take a shower to get ready for the nightlife. At that time the Impulstanz Festival Lounge was located at Novomatic Forum at Karlsplatz. The whole bohemian socity of Vienna seemed to be there! It was pretty cool and we even knew the DJ that was performing at today's Deep Down and Discofied. However, we soon left and checked out the Fluc and the Volksgarten, but we were not quite satisfied. So we eventually ended again in the Passage.

And that was our trip to Vienna. The next morning we had to get up quite early to get the train back to Zurich...

Vienna Again II

The next day we slept a bit longer than usual, as we did not have much sleep in the train and the previous evening was over pretty late. First we went to the Café Sperl (Gumpendorferstrasse 9) where we had coffee, read some newspapers and later decided to have lunch. So I ordered a Erdäpfel-Vogerl salad with roasted duck stripes. We then continued our sightseeing tour for Schloss Schönbrunn. In April I visited the interior of the Hofburg, this time it was the interior of Schönbrunn. However, the audioguide did not reveal much more than it had at Hofburg. The next stop was the Hundertwasserhaus and the KunstHaus, both designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser. The first one I’ve already seen, this time we had coffee in the Café on the terrace. The KunstHaus was rather unspectacular, so we just had a short rest there.

For dinner we were pretty late, and some restaurants already ran out of menus, but eventually we found a restaurant that had still open. Then we walked to the museumsquartier that was pretty crowded. They have some cozy seats called Enzi, and you barely found a place to sit. We had a drink at the outdoor bar before a girl group celebrating a wedding-eve party came along. They were pretty funny, and they were not expecting to find two swiss guys there. After relaxing at the MQ in the warmth of this lovely summer evening, we decided to go clubbing. We went to the Passage that hosted the Club Fusion that night with techhouse. The crowd was rather snoby with men almost only wearing dress shirts and beautiful long leged girls with high-heels that all seemed to be overdressed slightly. Anyway, the party was great and we danced all night long!

Vienna Again I

I'm in Vienna again. This time we, that means I and a former track and field training partner which is now a doctor in medicine, went by train, the night train that leaves Zurich at 10:40 PM and arrives at Vienna Westbahnhof at 8AM. After a short walk we got to Chwallagasse next to the metro station Neubaugasse where our hotel was located. The location could actually not have been better, as we had the shopping street Mariahilferstrasse just around the corner. The Gumpendorferstrasse with the Café Sperl, Ra’mien, Shanghai Tan and the Naschmarkt were also in short walking distance. Even the sizzling museumsquartier was not far away. Thus, a great starting point for our trip.

In the morning we had breakfast and coffee and then walked to the museumsquartier where we could have gone to the MUMOK, the museum of modern art or to the Leopold Museum, where Gustav Kilmt’s paintings are presented to the public. However, as the weather was so good (actually, the weather was good all days long and hot, really hot. Summer. As it should be) we walked on to the Maria-Theresien Platz, the Hofburg with the Heldenplatz and then went to the Burggarten, next to the Palmenhaus.

In the meantime Ulli called and we decided to meet for a coffee in the afternoon. So we had enough time to go to see the Stephan’s cathedral and do some shopping at Kärntnerstrasse. Then we went to Figlmüller (Bäckerstrasse 6) to eat the famous Wiener Schnitzel. It was quite big and pretty tasty but the location was just a bit too touristy. For coffee we met at the station Kettenbrückengasse next to the Naschmarkt, where Ulli already waited for us. We found a cozy place where she gave us some very helpful recommendations for good bars and clubs. She came with us then and we went shopping again in stores such as American Apparel, Diesel and others. As we were pretty tired we went home and relaxed a bit, wrote some messages on facebook, and then decided to go to the Naschmark for dinner. We found a comfy place called NENI (Naschmarkt 510), where I had a delicious tuna steak with wasabi puree. It was pure summer feeling, as the NENI was mad just like a beach bar. Then we joined Ulli and her friends for a drink before we went to the Tanzcafé Jenseits, which was funny to see. Not much later we went to the Camera Club that the waiter at NENI recommended, as it hosted some electro and minimal acts that night.

Restart VI

I spent an awesome weekend up in the mountains! I already announced that trip in previous posts, now we put that in action. Urs, Livia, a friend of hers and my humble self met on Saturday morning in Zurich where we took the train heading along Lake Zurich for Glarus, the hometown of Urs. When he was studying Food Science, he used to commute every day, but now as banker he lives amidst Zurich at sizzling Schaffhauserplatz. He bought some breakfast and we enjoyed the journey up to his place. There we wandered up to a alp hut that belongs to the family of his. Just a few days before a helicopter brought fresh food, gas and water up there. After a few hours of climb in the steep terrain, we arrived and we were to find an amazing view of the Alps and the Klöntalsee down in the valley. As there were still some clouds covering the sun, the ascending was pretty comfortable. As we were hungry we cooked two packs of spaghetti with a delicious tomato sauce and mango and banana pieces with chocolate cream as dessert. With a glass of wine, the evening was perfect! Thank to the iPhone we even had access to the internet and could play music all night long. And for the romantically minded among you, the sky up there at night is just awsome! I'm no ignorant and also watch the stars back down in Schaffhausen, but sorry, I never saw so many stars as I saw up there! And Livia and I even saw a shooting star dashing across the beautiful sky! However, the night was bloody cold so we were happy to find some blankets in the hut.

When we woke up in the morning a fabulous blue sky waited for us! We had breakfast with everything you could imagine, really! We enjoyed the sun, relaxed on the sunloungers, listened to good music, got tanned and eventually decided to take a bath in the nearby creek that was following its path down the valley. It costed quite an effort to get the whole body into the bloody cold water, but it was so refreshing! After the descent, we had another bath in the Klöntalsee, which was not much warmer. But again, with an ice cream in one hand, it was pure pleasure! The evening we spent at Urs' place where his parents prepared dinner for all of us. Tired but filled with joy, we took the train back to Zurich and said good bye.

Besides, last sunday I went to eat ice cream with Michael and we planned a trip to Belgium in late fall. And most important of all, I'm going to Vienna this week! But this time I'll take the night train on Wednesday evening and will spend the weekend in that beautiful city! Actually we wanted to go to Stockholm, London or Berlin, but as it was rather short-term, there were no cheap flights. So we just came up with the idea to go to Vienna!
Together with Urs and Livia, I plan to go to London anyway somewhen in September... Amazing!

Restart V

Don't know where to begin! :-) This past week was just great! I did so many things, met so many people, had so many good talks, made so many new plans. I'm just happy!
Let's start with this week. On monday I only had a workout in the evening and finished Balzac's "Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes" which I started reading in April, but because of the exams and everything else that I was up to, I could not continue. Now I'm reading "The Great Gatsby" by Fitzgerald, which is set in New York and hopefully it helps to get into the NYC feeling! Anyway, on tuesday I worked until 5:30PM and then went to a friends apartment in Zurich for a glass of wine. As he offered the wine, I offered a Tuorta da nusch, the engadinian nut cake. With these appetizers as basis, we had good talks about architecture and our future jobs and the ever-existing questions of how important the salary is. I had to leave pretty soon after, as I went to see Ice Age 3 together with Livia and Urs. We met in front of the Abaton cinema at Escher-Wyss-Platz, where you can see the movie in 3D. This was pretty funny, as you have to wear some stupid-looking glasses.

That night a enormous thunderstorm swept over Zurich and Schaffhausen. When I went to bed, I could see lightnings all over the sky. And in the morning I again woke up because of the thunder that echoed through the city. On wednesday I went to the gym in Zurich and then intended to relax a bit at home. But a friend called and asked if I'd join him for a drink at Güterhof. Of course I could not turn down that offer! The next day the sun came out again and it was pretty hot. So I went swimming in the Rhine with Jonathan and his friends and after that cooling we enjoyed the evening with a nice BBQ. On friday it rained the whole day, ceaselessly. I intended to meet Sophie, and as the weather was that bad, we immediately went to see "Alle Anderen" at the cinema Riffraff. I really liked the film, and Sophie even knows the main character Lars Eidinger personally. After the movie we went to eat at Lily's just around the corner at Langstrasse 197. I can fully recommend the Red Thai Curry and the Edamame, they were just delicious! Before I went back home, we had a drink at the Riffraff bar, which is pretty cozy and invites you to relax on the couches.

Yesterday I went out with some girls from Unilever. We met at Haberhaus, where we already had a drink a week ago. I have to admit, that were two pretty funny evenings! And it was always fairly late when I was at home. Besides Ulli, also an intern at Unilever, studied in Vienna and she now asks her former professor for any open master topics. If there is something interesting I might go to Vienna next year! :-) If this doesn't work, then I try to get a project in the United States or any other country. And if it's too difficult to find something abroad, then I try to find a project in the industry in Switzerland. That would enlarge my network in Switzerland and maybe open another door.

Restart IV

Wow! I'm just sitting outside in front of my place and drop this lines while watching the fabulous summer evening sky! That's just the end of a great day! After a workout in the morning, I went to Zurich to get the Lonely Planet New York City guide and check out some shoe stores because it's time for new ones. But as I got my shoes from all over the world, I guess I'll wait until I'm in New York. Anyway, after shopping I went to the Letten where I met Carlina (beautiful name, isn't it?) and after a bath in the Limmat we went to the mercado mundial, which is a market at the Latin Festival Caliente with lots of culinary specialties, exotic drinks and good music. As she had to work in the evening we went back to the mainstation where we caught our trains. Back at home I met Kai for a drink at Güterhof.

And now I'll tell you what we planned: On thursday evening, after I came back from Zurich, we all sat together at Oberhof and discussed all opportunities we had for trips around the world. First we intended to go to Copenhagen by car, then we thought about going to Croatia for a week, as we could have stayed there for free. But then Kai came up with the idea to go to New York! And that's what we are going to do! But not only that, we will combine that with a roadtrip to Montreal in Canada. There would even be the possibility to go to Toronto and then see the Niagara Falls while driving back to New York. We intend to stay approximately one week in New York and the rest we'll be heading north!

And I also have another trip in my mind. On thursday I went swimming in the Letten with Livia and Urs. By the way: It's just so refreshing and relaxing to do that after work. Urs then had the superb idea to buy some meat for a BBQ at his place. And with a glass of wine, we decided to go to Den Haag/NED for a weekend, most likely plus a friday so that we have more time to spend there.

On wednesday I went to eat at Tiffins together with my cousins. This is an asian restaurant in the vibrant Seefeld area located at Seefeldstrasse 61. They have a very delicious selfmade Ice Tea which definitely got my recommendation! Besides, it was very nice to see my cousins again. Actually they are also studying in Zurich but I do not see them very often. Unfortunately.

Restart III

Twenty days later. And so much changed inside me. Happiness came back to my heart, it's like a rush through my body that fills me with joy. I don't even remember when I last had that feeling. I spent a few wonderful weeks, enjoying life as much as I could. In the south you would say: "Pura Vida". That's what it is! Sitting together on the terrace in the evening sun, with a mouthwatering dinner on the table and a glass of finest wine. Talking and talking until the sky turns dark. Pure life!

Besides, I was invited to join a lounge opening in Fehraltorf. I've never been in Fehraltorf before in my life, but the lounge was pretty cool and the food was just delicious. I need to add that it was for free! We even met the swiss actor Walter Andreas Müller, which now sounds like Mark van Huisseling's B-promi list. Anyway, that evening was pretty cool and as it was already late, I stayed in Zurich that night (it was a monday). Then I went to "DJ Sam meets Oberhof" at Oberhof with a former training partner, which is now a Dr. med. The party was great and even though it was a thursday I stayed quite long and enjoyed the good vibes. Then I invited Livia and Urs for a selfmade thai dinner at my place. That was also a great evening, we had so much fun together! And we now plan to spend a weekend in the mountains in Glarus, where Urs has a small cottage somewhere up in the heights. I'm really looking forward to that, I miss the mountains quite a bit... Then we had also a great evening in Zurich at Urs' place! He can really create marvellous menues!

I did a lot of sports and feel in shape. Hope the weather stays good for the next weeks, so we can go swimming in the Lake Zurich after work!

And I'm not sure if I should join Kai and his friend for a trip to New York in September. The flight is bloody cheap, but I do not have so much time... Maybe if I just go for a week than it would be possible to go also on the roadtrip to Copenhagen. Anyway, time will show! :-)

Restart II

I guess it's time for a new post. I'm still thinking a lot. This time I deal with my future, in contrast to the previous weeks, where I was mainly trying to deal with the past. As I had plenty of time the last days, I went to have some drinks at the edge of Lake Zurich, watching the sunset with a friend, planning our roadtrip to Copenhagen in Summer. That's what we're going to do. I can spend hours on flickr, looking for stunning photos from all over the world. If I don't stop, I guess I'll soon book a flight. I have time, I've got money, so what? Another friend plans to go to Shanghai next year, so I might join him with some friends after my graduation. That brings me to another point: What to do after I have finished my studies in 2010? I mean I could immediately try to find a good job. I could try to find a job abroad, possibly within Nestlé or Unilever. So I could spend some years outside Switzerland to gain more experience, because I know, that I will not do that for more than a few years. Or I just plan some trips far away, come back and try to find a job in Switzerland.

Anyway, nobody knows what happens tomorrow, so everything can change from day to day.

I even forgot to tell you that I currently work for SQTS which is located in Dietikon/ZH. I help to investigate the migration of printing ink from the food packaging to the product. It's very interesting and we have lots of fun in our team!

Restart I

Today it's my birthday. But today there was also a crack in my heart. A crack that hurt. I have to think a lot. I can spend hours sitting in the sun, doing nothing but think. Yesterday I had my last exam. Now I have time. But nothing to do, there is nothing to fill the gap that opened. I know that sooner or later I will be able to fill it. I'll do my best.

Fortunately it's summer!!! Winter would make it even harder. Winter is like a shallow sleep, summer is pure life. People connect, you feel happy, you feel good. There are so many things to do and to see. And I want to see as much as I can. Until one day I can settle down, be proud and say: I used my talents, I did what I could, I saw what I wanted. I'm happy.
I'm looking forward to this day!

Life is manifold, complex, a mixture of wins and lots of losses, broken dreams and ever-reaching hope.

MSc in Food Science IV

Recently, I was up to so many things, that I barely found time to eat and sleep. I don't want to complain but I work up to 60 hours a week. The main problems are the presentations and reports I had to write for my studies as well as preparing for exams, working as research assistant, doing administrative work... To give you an overview about my projects, here are some titels: "Decreasing Enterobacter sakazakii food contamination level with bacteriphages: prospects and problems", "Optimization of a cofermentation process with Lb. plantarum and P. freudenreichii for high folate and vitamin B12 production in a cereal-based medium", "Understanding consumers' perception of conventional and functional muesli using soft laddering technique". Sounds good, isn't it? And the worst was that I also had to waste whole weekends working, mainly because I have to go to lectures basically from 8 to 5 and then catch the train back home and write reports, research projects and presentations.

Vienna IV

The last day in Vienna started with a delicious breakfast at the hotel. Then we had to gather our stuff together to be ready to move in a bigger room. This time, we had a very spacious and bright room looking right on a calm backstreet. We had a free standing bathtube with view on the flatscreen on the wall. Unfortunately, it was only for the last night. So in the morning we went into the St. Stephans cathedral right around the corner. We even payed the 3.50 Euro entrance fee to get to the top of the tower, nota bene by feet. It was pretty narrow on the stairs, and as I was carrying my Bree bag on the back and Valentinas bag in the hand, it was difficult to pass by for those who were coming down. But on the top we had a stunning view on the roofs of Vienna.

Then we strolled around the Kohlmark and went to the Palmenhaus near the Hofburg. This is a very beautiful café and we had something to drink, as it was sunny and pretty hot. After this stop, we walked to the museum and had an insight to the magnificient chambers of the former emperors. Afterwards we were pretty tired and went back to the hotel. But as it was our last day, we soon pulled us together and went to the Café Leopold at the Museumsquartier. There we enjoyed a chicken wrap whilst the sun slowly disappeared behind the horizon.

Vienna III

Yesterday the weather was not that good as it was the day before, but as long as it doesn't rain sightseeing is still amusing. We took the metro to the Vienna International Center which is lying north of the Danube River. It houses several tall buildings and towers with heights up to 120m. Then we went to the Hundertwasser house built from 1983 to 1986 by Friedensreich Hundertwasser (I already saw a public toilet built in Kawakawa in New Zealand, which was built by this architect). Within the house there are 52 apartments, four offices, 16 private terraces and a total of 250 trees and bushes, growing from inside the rooms, with limbs extending from windows.

After that we had a short coffee break and wrote some postcards in a nearby Café. Then we headed to the metro station Kettenbrückengasse where the famous Naschmark is located. There, you can find local vegetables and exotic fruits, seafood and everything you can imagine. From there we walked to the Museumsquartier and then passed by the Maria-Theresien Place on the way to the Rathaus. From far away it looks like a huge church, but then you see that the towers do not form a cross. In the early evening we went to the Prater, where the Riesenrad is located. I guess it was in High School, when we read "The Third Man" by Graham Greene. In the novel Harry Lime and Holly Martins meet in the Riesenrad. Actually my imagination which I had then was quite different. The Riesenrad stops every now and then because the cabins are pretty large and visitors need some time to get on and off.

After the Riesenrad we were getting hungry, and so we decided to have dinner at ON at Wehrgasse 8. Unfortunately, we didn't have a reserved table and therefore had to sit next to the kitchen and in the smoking area. Nevertheless, the meals were delicious!

Vienna II

Yesterday we had our first individual breakfast at the hotel. The staff was very friendly and attentively and the breakfast was rich and delicious. Soon after we left the hotel as it was sunny and the temperature was over 20°C. Firstly, we went to the Schloss Schönbrunn with its enormous and impressive gardens! I guess you could spend hours strolling through the gardens. After that we walked to the next beautiful palace, the Schloss Belvedere. We sat down on the lawn and enjoyed the sun and the view over the old town of Vienna. After that rest we went shopping at Graben and Kärtnerstrasse.

For dinner we decided to go to "Dai Fratelli", but that was a mistake. It's an italian restaurant just around the corner of Stephanplatz and our hotel, and the crowd sitting on the terrace looked pretty sophisticated and well-to-do. First, since it was already late, we had no table, but after a minute or two, we got a seat inside. Now, the waiters didn't care about anything. We got the drinks, the salad came a minute after that, and the pizza after two minutes. We had no time to eat, and they were talking in italian and in the next moment in english and than in german. They didn't care about us, and as the service was bad, we decided to give no tip. So Valentina rounded the bill up and said that to the waiter in italian. However, he didn't care and gave us less change! What an impudence!

After that, we strolled along the wide nocturnal streets in Vienna. Impressing how much folk is out on the streets at that time of the night!

Vienna I

Valentina and I will stay the next 4 days at the Hollmann Beletage in Vienna. We got up at 8 today, had breakfast in the lovely spring sun, took our luggage and left for the Airport in Zurich. After a short flight with a fabulous view down on the ground we landed in Vienna. We didn't have any difficulty finding the hotel, which is situated in the heart of old central Vienna. The spacious and bright bedrooms impress with neat, modern design. All rooms bear a certain surprising effect like in-closet-hidden bathrooms or completely open-in-room-integrated bathrooms. As patron Robert Hollmann knows his business (he is both an actor and a chef) every guest starts his day with an individual breakfast. Sounds good, right?

After a short rest, we left the hotel and popped up right onto the lively streets of Vienna. We walked passed the Stephansdom, had a coffee at Starbucks (I know, I know) on Kärntnerstrasse and walked to the Hofburg, where we enjoyed the last sunrays.

For dinner, we went to ra'mien at Gumpendorferstr. 9. The minimal designs make you feel like dining in a school cafeteria, but that makes it friendly. And yes, the food was good, very good indeed!

MSc in Food Science III

Last saturday Valentina and I went to Winterthur as there was a information day at the Zurich University for Applied Sciences. Valentina intends to do her Bachelor's in Physiotherapy there, so this was a good opportunity to get an insight into the studies. After the presentations we walked to the main shopping street and had lunch at Wagamama. I had some delicious Udon Noodles with chicken and ginger and as starter some edamames, which are green soy beans. Valentina had some japanese rice with chicken in a dough. Maybe we will find some time to go to the Zurich branch once, as it is really mouth-watering! Some days before we also had dinner at Lemongras in Schaffhausen. The curry there is always worth trying! And this thursday I had my first BBQ this year. It was a wonderful day and so I went to Chällis apartment in Zurich where he and his girlfriend were already waiting! We didn't have a wide selection, but the carrot salad, the meat and some bread were just enough!

As it was so warm and sunny, I went running quite often and I also took my bike out to have ride outside. This is what I'm going to do right now!

Besides, I went to a presentation about job opportunities at the Boston Consulting Group, which is located in Zurich. The presentation was for free and at ETH, so I just wondered what non business people are doing there. As I was working for a consulting agency for quite long, I certainly know what consulting is, but at the agency nobody had graduated from natural sciences.

And I went to see another presentation with the title "Decreasing Iron Deficiency without increasing Infection" held by Dr. Gary Brittenham from Columbia University in New York. It was interesting to see the connection between iron and infections, which was quite new to me, even though I worked with iron for my bachelor thesis.

MSc in Food Science II

Today I had a job interview at the laboratory of Swiss Quality Testing Services in Dietikon/ZH. As the current spring semester will finish end of May, and the fall semester will start mid September, I have plenty of time for a second internship. This time I'd like to work in the analytical and chemical field, which is what interests me most and besides I think I'm more an analytic kind of person.

A couple of weeks ago I and Valentina were invited at the apartment inauguration of my friend Chälli. He moved to Zurich together with his girlfriend some time ago, so it was really time for the inauguration. It was pretty funny to see some old friends and we had some good talks. The evening passed by much too fast, and fortunately Kai gave us a ride to Winterthur where we could catch a train back to Schaffhausen.

Whenever we pass by the Gelateria El Bertin, we just can't pass by... Even though the weather, with a few exceptions, was not good during March, I invited Valentina, or vice versa, for a spoon of ice cream at least once a week. However, there was one sunny and fine day where I went jogging to Merishausen in the evening. I once again will participate at the yearly SOLA race in May, to run the Uetliberg stretch for the Food Biotechnology Team.

MSc in Food Science I

Finally I finished the novel "The Bonfire of the Vanities" by Tom Wolfe which I started reading last fall. Unfortunately I had not so much time to read every day, so it took me some time to get to the end. But commuting to Zurich and back gives me enough time to read.

However, I need to read heaps of scientific papers about microbiological applications or nutraceutical production of vitamins by some bacteria strains. But reading is not all, I also have to hold a few presentations at the end of the semester and conduct a study about fruit and vegetable intake in swiss school children and another one about laddering techniques in sensory evaluation. Yes, there is quite a little bit of work to be done, but that makes live interesting.

Besides, Valentina is also going to carry out a research project as final thesis. And coincidentially she has the same supervisors as I had, when I wrote my thesis about the brachiopods fauna in Schaffhausen in 2003. How the years pass!

Lucky me, I now can work as research assistant at the Laboratory of Food Process Engineering at ETH. I work on a PhD project on the flow structure of non-newtonian fluids in elastic tubes. Must sound horrible to lay people, though.

Internship X

Yesterday I had my last day at Unilever, at least for that internship. We organized a nice little aperitif with sandwiches, brownies, coffee and fruit juices. First we were quite disappointed, as only a few were coming, but the room filled soon after. We then went on a final goodbye tour and eventually got our certificate of employment, which was pretty good. In the end the internship was a very interesting experience in a young and motivated team, where I could gain much knowledge.

Today Valentina and I went to Zurich after having breakfast early in the morning. We then first had lunch at Tibits, which is to say we took it away and went to the lakeside. It was such a beautiful day, heaps of people were promenading at the lake. After having taken a bath in the early spring sun, we returned to the Bellevue, bought a box of stracciatella Mövenpick ice cream and went shopping. I bought a pair of trousers and a polo-shirt to be prepared for the spring. Then we went up to the Uetliberg where we had stunning views on Zurich and the snowy mountains! We just sat there in the sun and enjoyed that day eating ice cream.

Taling about ice cream, the gelateria El Bertin will open again next weekend! I'll be there for sure!

I was once lookig for interesting architecture in the internet and once again Santiago Calatrava catched my eyes! Therefore I post a picture of the law library he designed in Zurich.

Internship IX

I'm back! :-) The internship at Unilever comes soon to an end. On monday the new semester starts at ETH, but I will be at work on monday and friday until the end of the month. But the best thing is that I'm highly motivated for the next two semesters.

This week I went to see the movie "Slumdog Millionaire" which is set and filmed in Mumbai, India. It tells the story of Jamal, which appears in the Indian version of "Who wants to be a Millionaire" where he knew the answers of most questions by chance, because of things that happened in his life. It's really impressive seeing these young kids live in the slums of this large city! Once again this was a stunning movie!

On thursday I met Michael at Güterhof for a drink and some ice cream. I don't even remember when I last saw him, but it must have been long long ago, as we could talk and talk and laugh and talk.

And Valentina and I already planned a new city trip! In April we will be in Vienna/AUT for 4 days. I found a reasonably cheap flight with Swiss and then looked for a hotel, which will be the Hollmann Beletage, right in the city center! I'm really looking forward to discovering the city with Valentina, it's always a pleasure and much fun with her!

Now I come to the picture. I didn't feel good one day, I guess it was some kind of influenza, so I had barely some appetite. But somehow I wanted to eat some salad. Therefore I walked into the supermarket and bought some carrot salad together with a japanese dressing. The dressing is made by a company called akari taste gmbh, consisting of two young entrepreneurs with one of them having studied food science at ETH. They're now really successful and I only can recommend the dressing! It tasts great!

Internship VIII

Last week I got my diploma and I now officially hold the academic title "BSc ETH in Food Science". Actually my last lecture finished already in May 2008, but the bachelor thesis took its time and so did the bureaucracy at ETH. But what says the proverb: Good things come to those who wait!

Maybe you won't believe me, but I feel highly motivated for the next two semester and the master thesis which I'll start to write exactly in one year. What I don't know yet is if I write the thesis in the industry or at ETH.

Saturday was a beautiful day! I went to the gym in the morning and then met Valentina in town to walk to the Rhine and back up to the castle Munot. Unfortunately, it wasn't that warm as it seemed and we were pretty much frozen after our walk so that we headed back home to eat a hot selfmade pizza.

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a few new books, as I got a voucher when I extended my GA last fall. First, I needed some english literature, therefore I bought "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. As last spring I was reading some novels by Balzac, I bought another one belonging to his "La Comédie humaine", namely "Splendeur et misere des courtisane". And the last one I bought was "The stranger" by Albert Camus, written during the Second World War.

Right now I'm reading the novel "The bonfire of the vanities" by Tom Wolfe. It's supposed to be the most famous novel by Wolfe. The story is a drama about ambition, racism, social class and politics in 1980s New York City. To make the story more realistic I use google maps to see the streets that Wolfe describes in New York. Or you search for the street names in Flickr, and then you're suddenly in the middle of the plot.
The novel evoked this feeling in me, saying "I have to go to New York!" Strolling around Fifth Avenue, going to the central park, seeing the enormously expensive apartments on Upper East Side...

Internship VII

Here it is, in full glamor, the new year 2009! It started good, the weather was fine and not too cold. The evening we spent at Güterhof, sitting in a lounge chair with a nice drink on the table. The Güterhof was bursting, nevertheless we tried to invite some friends, but unfortunately, most of them were skiing somewhere up in the mountains. The main thing is that we enjoyed it anyway. New Year's Eve was very funny but pretty unspectacular although we had a delicious dinner.

The day before we went to see the german movie "Buddenbrooks" in the small but authentic Kiwi Scala cinema. It's the adaption of Thomas Mann's novel which he finished in 1901 and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929. It portrays the downfall of a wealthy mercantile family over four generations. Again, a movie worth seeing!

The picture in this post I already used in my blog some time ago. It shows downtown Tokyo, shot in 2005.

Internship VI

Merry Christmas and a happy 2009!
In retrospective this year was just great! I spent a wondeful time together with Valentina, in summer we went to her hometown in Italy and travelled to Paris in autumn, I finished my bachelor studies with a 5.75, found an internship at Unilever, exactly what I wanted.
This were only the most impressing things but there were so many other fantastic and exeptional experiences. Just imagine a warm spring day sitting in the garden, basking in the sun with a good book and the sweet flower odor around you. Or daydreaming at the edge of the Rhine, watching the water pass by and by with your girlfriend in your arms... This moments are invaluable! In this spirit: Have a happy new year!

Internship V

Tomorrow I'll have a day off! As I still need some christmas gifts, I'll go to Zurich as every year. Hopefully the trains won't have any delays because of the snow. Since more than a week, we have plenty of snow and ice on the streets. Actually I should pass by my former employer in Zurich as I got a gratification this month, even though I only worked for half of the year. I don't think that I'll get anything at Unilever, mostly because I'm just an intern. Besides, the salary is not bad either.

Almost forgot, the raclette evening was much fun, as promised! I bought just enough cheese and meat, and we even had to much chocolate mousse. Kai, a guest, still wanted to have a drink at Güterhof afterwards, but I was too tired to have one, so I stayed at home. I guess, they didn't go either. Last saturday Valentina and I went to town after a short workout at the gym. As we both were hungry, I spontanously invited her to the restaurant Bambus, the second thai restaurant apart of the Lemongrass. It was delicious, but in my opinion the service and the interior at Lemongrass are slightly better.

Internship IV

I finally got the mark for my bachelor thesis: 5.75. This is what I expected and I'm very satisfied but one's always looking for a 6, isn't it? So now I'm only waiting for my bachelor diploma which I hope I'll get soon. Besides, as I will begin my master studies at ETH next February, I was already planning my schedule. Hopefully I don't have any lectures on Monday, so I could work, preferably at ETH as junior research assistant. This is what I will apply for in the next weeks.

Beside working at Unilever I went to the Eurofit two or three times a week. I kind of need to do sports in the evening to get my mind free... and a workout with my ipod and some friends to talk to is just perfect. Then time has come to see my girlfriend, which I enjoy so much, as I don't have to study or write reports right now.

Last week I invited my girlfriend to a thai dinner at my place! It was pretty spontaneous, but that's what it makes special, right? Today I'll have the raclette evening I mentioned in the last post! This will be great fun, promised!

Internship III

Yesterday I went to see the italian movie Gomorra at the Kiwi Scala cinema together with my co-worker Marcel and Christoph. The movie deals with the Camorra, the mafia-like criminal organization in the region of Campania and shows a grim picture of the suburbs in Napoli, Italy. Around 50% of the business is in the hand of the Camorra, and 4000 murders in the past 30 years have been carried out by the Mafia. It kind of reminded me of City of God, set in the poor suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. Both movies are highly worth seeing!

On Tuesday I went to eat out with the people from Unilever at a small hidden restaurant in Stockach/GER. It was more due to the fact that we have a lot of Germans in our office than due to the cheaper prices. Almost the whole time I was talking with a former chef, who has been cooking in many different countries and has seen a lot of the world. Besides, the internship is very interesting. I'm working on four different projects and got to know all processes and administrative problems that can evolve during the development phase.

As I now earn more money as before when I only worked part-time, I bought a new white 2.1 GHz MacBook! The old PowerBook was getting too slow and I was running out of storage space.

Apropos eating, I will invite some friend at my place to eat a delicious Raclette in a few weeks. Just send me a text message if you want to join us! :-)
Moreover, I read an article about the restaurant Schlössli Wörth, located directly at the Rhine falls. The rating was pretty good, so I might check it out soon!

Internship II

Last saturday Valentina and I could celebrate beeing together for a year! I got a wonderful selfmade photobook as present with pictures and a lovely text for every month we spent together! That evening we went to eat thai at the restaurant Lemongras to have a nice and warm end of the day. A few hours ago I looked at the photobook again and was pretty impressed by what we all did during that amazing year! And watch out, there will be a lot more to come!

Before the last month ended I took a day off and went to Zurich to finally hand in my Bachelor thesis. According to my supervisor my mark should be pretty good, but from now on I can't do anything else than wait. Besides I went drinking coffee with Jonathan that day, met some friends at ETH and was looking for some new clothes. I just remember that we had 5 cm of snow that morning and I was quite shocked when I opened my window! I decided to take a later train as I read in the internet that trains and buses all over the Zurich area had delays.

Besides what happened? Yes, as everybody is talking about the global financial crisis, I read some articles about the Great Depression in the early 30s. It all started with the stock market crash on October 29, in 1929, known as Black Tuesday. The Great Depression had a great impact on Germany where one in five of the population was unemployed at the time. In my eyes, one book depicts the difficult situation in Germany at best, Erich Kästner's Fabian. It describes the life of Jakob Fabian in Berlin in 1931 with a lot of irony. Strongly recommended!

Internship I

As I was working pretty hard the last two weeks, nothing of relevance happened, so here are some thoughts.
Mark van Huisseling (MvH), a journalist, was in Paris the same time as we were. He writes a weekly column in the journal "Die Weltwoche", this time about his stay in Paris, where he was invited to attend a jeans auction at Drouot. In his article, he recommends the club "Les Bains" which we may go to see next time we're in Paris!

Another piece of news: Guru's Jazzmatazz will perform at Blue Note in Biel/BE on friday, 14th November. I've listened to all albums and it would be great to see them perfom live, but most likely I won't attend the gig. If it was in Zurich, why not, but Biel is a bit too far away.

Lately, we watched Keinohrhasen, a german movie with Til Schweiger, which is pretty funny. Then we watched Into the Wild, which recounts the life of a 22-years old student which sets out on a crosscountry drive towards his ultimate goal: to live alone and off the land in Alaska. Into the Wild was directed by Sean Penn, which stars also in 21 Grams, a 2003 drama directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Then we watched Atonement, which won an Oscar and was nominated for six others.
Besides, Wall-E is a movie which is in cinemas right now. It's a computer-animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios, which has been highly rated and already been compared to the japanese anime movies directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

Murano Resort VII

Now we come to the end of the story. On tuesday morning we had to leave our room but could leave our luggage there. So we went to the Champs-Elysée to have breakfast and buy some souvenirs and food for the journey back home. Then we went to the H&M at boulevard Haussmann where we met Hélène. She has been in the same hostel in Tokyo one year ago and lives in Paris. Unfortunately we had only 15 min to talk as she had to work before and we had to leave for the airport Paris-Orly in the south of the city. Therefore we took the metro back to the Murano, snatched our baggage and went to Les Invalides where an Air France Bus should leave every 15min to the airport. Should. That was our problem. I read that in the Lonely Planet and had made already a calculation. We already sat in the bus as a man asked the driver when the bus is going to leave. And the answer was hard. He said in 30min. This would still have been okey, but it was 4PM and therefore a lot of traffic on the streets! Yes, and as we finally arrived at Paris-Orly, the easyjet desk was closed...

So we had to pay 100 Euro and to wait until 9.45PM for the next flight to Geneva. But that was the next problem. The flight was around one hour, so we were in Geneva at 11PM. At this time we had no train to Schaffhausen or at least to Zurich. In Zurich we for sure could have had a room at my friends place. But in Geneva? Jeannine, the wife or Valentinas brother then organized us a bed in the YHA in Geneva. We arrived at 12 and had to get up again at 4.15AM to catch the 4.56 train to Zurich. We tried to sleep in the train but at 7 it was impossible, as all commuters had to go to work in the morning. So had I! When we were in Schaffhausen Valentina took all the baggage and I went straight working at Unilever, as we had important product tests! I was pretty exhausted in the evening! :-)

Murano Resort VI

I'm sorry for the delay! I hope you'll soon understand why I didn't blog for a couple of days. Okay, back to the last post. After we walked along the Champs-Elysées we had a relaxed lunch in the Jardin des Tuileries, which is surrounded by the Louvre, the seine and the Place de la Concorde. We were watching the ducks in the pond and all the people walking by. The sun came up just to say hello and disappeared behind the clouds soon after. This was the sign to leave the park and to take a metro to Les Galeries Lafayette. I saw some shoes the day before in a store named Minelli, which you can find on every corner in Paris. But unfortunately they had a very narrow cut, so I decided not to take them. However, inside of Les Galerie Lafayette I found a pair of shoes by G-Star Raw, which I immediately bought. After a coffee we went to a H&M near boulevard Sébastopol, where Valentina bought some clothes.

As we were tired because of our shopping tour we went back to the Murano. For dinner we actually wanted to go to Baan Boran again, as this thai restaurant was really delicious! But then I found an indonesian restaurant with the tellingly name Indonesia, located near the Odéon at rue Vaugirard. I took the Nasi Goreng menu and Valentina the chicken curry. Frankly, we'd better gone to Baan Boran again. It was not really special, somehow the indonesian taste was missing. The drinks were too sweet and very small and all the small details which we have seen at Murano or Baan Boran were missing as well. For the next time we know! :-)

After a short ride with the RER train, we were at the Eiffel Tower again! This time it was illuminated in a blue colour with stars on one side. At 10PM thousands of small lights started flashing for 5min. That was very beautiful!

Murano Resort V

Before we went out for dinner yesterday evening, we went to the Tour Montparnasse, where we bought a ticket for the elevator to the 56th floor. There we had to walk up another 3 floors to be on the rooftop on 210m. It was extremely windy up there and pretty difficult to take pictures. Nevertheless we managed to make a few good shots! As I mentioned before, we went out for dinner afterwards. Actually we planned to eat senegalese in the restaurant Nouveau Paris-Dakar, but unfortunately we noticed to late that most restaurants in Paris close on sundays! According to the Lonely Planet a thai restaurant was supposed to be open. Its name was Aux 3 Eléphants, rue Tiquetonne. The rest you can read in the internet or in the Lonely Planet! :-)

This morning we had our pain au chocolate and the coffee and tea respectively at the same place as yesterday. As the sun was shining, we walked past the boulevards and discovered a little nice café called De La Ville Café at Boulevard de Bonne Nouvelles. There we drank a Jus de Litchi before we took the metro to l'Arc de Triomphe. We took a few pictures and walked along the Champs-Elysées.

Murano Resort IV

Today we were upgraded to a Junior Suit at the Murano Resort. So in the morning we had to pack our luggage before we left the old room. When we came back in the late afternoon we were already received by a concierge, who led us to the new room in the 5th floor. When we entered we couldn't stop marvelling at the size! The new room is at least three times bigger than the old one, the DVD screen is larger and the bath room is divided in three rooms! It doesn't feel like a hotel room, but more like a cutting-edge design apartment!

Besides we also did some sight seeing today! In the morning we had breakfast in a café at the Boulevard Montmartre before we went to the white church Sacre Coeur on the montmartre hill. Sooner we took the metro to the Jardin de Luxembourg. There we bought some chicken with rice and coconut-lime sauce at Wokbar! This is a small take-away restaurant with a great concept. You can choose each ingredient and they prepare it in a wok just in front of you! Three minutes later you can eat your menu at the bar or take it away. We eat in the Jardin, which surrounds the Palace de Luxembourg. It's a lovely palace with a little pond and palm trees on each side. Unfortunatley the weather was not that good to really enjoy it.

Sooner we walked to the Pantheon but we didn't go in as we would have paied an entrance fee. Normally you don't pay for churches, so after the Notre Dame and the Sacre Coeur we didn't wanted to see a church that demands an entrance fee. So we went to Starbucks for a coffee. Furthermore, while walking to Starbucks, I already saw some shoes I might buy tomorrow! After the coffee stop we walked to the Jardin des Plantes near Gare d'Austerlitz where we looked at all the different plants Mr. Linné collected some centuries ago!

Murano Resort III

Yesterday evening we went to the Louvre. On friday evenings the entrance is free for people under 26 years. So in no time we were inside the famous museum. Actually we just wanted to see the Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo da Vinci back in 1505. So we walked straight up to the first floor and past most other paintings. Most other visitors thought the same, as a big crowd was already waiting to see the Mona Lisa. Honestly, it's not that impressing as the painting is rather small and behind a glass wall.
Anyway, we then went upstairs to see some belgian painters like Rubens.

When we left the Louvre, there was a fantastic evening ambiance! The sun was lightening the sky and all the old majestic buildings! So we decided to eat in the nearby thai restaurant Baan Boran. The chicken with green curry and cocos milk for Valentina and the chicken with red curry were delicious, so were the fruity appetizers called Phuket Morning! The restaurant is located rue Montpensier, actually just around the corner of the Louvre. It was already full and we had to wait for 5 min until a table was free. But the waiting time was really worth it!

This morning we went to the Tour Eiffel. You either could walk up the stairs to the first and second floor, or you could take the elevator to the third floor on 274m! And this is what we did! It was pretty cold and windy up there but the stunning views made up for everything! The weather conditions were good as well, so we could take some good pictures. When we returned to the ground we walked to Trocadéro where we eat crépes! After a short metro ride we left at Avenue New York where we saw the Lady Diana memorial flame, as she died there in a car accident in 1997. Valentina knew that there is a replica of the statue of the liberty in Paris. I found something about that in the Lonely Planet and not much later we strolled along a artificial narrow island in the middle of the river Seine to the statue.

After a lunch stop we went to La Défense. It's the major business district for the city of Paris, with 150'000 employes and 20'000 residents. We sat down for a while and enjoyed the sun!

In the evening, we went by metro to the station Crimée where my friend Peter was waiting for us. We last saw us at the Kantifest in Schaffhausen and he was so kind to drive us home late at night. This time we were invited by his girlfriend Marie to eat a very delicious quiche lorraine!

Murano Resort II

This morning we got up at 9am as we sat in the hotel lobby for quite a long time. The lobby, under glass roof, is dominated by a colossal fireplace whose flames spread furrow in 6-meters. A huge Chesterfield is facing it, to contemplate the fireplace at one’s leisure. First we had a nice fruity drink in front of the glowing fire. As we were hungry we sooner ordered a Club Sandwich, which was larger as expected. Sitting in the lobby is very special. This urban palace of a new style, is a subtle mixture of luxury, modernity and comfort.

After getting ready in the morning, we took the metro at Republique and went to the Centre Georges Pompidou to have a coffee at Starbucks. Then we walked to the Hotel de Ville and further on to the famous church Notre Dame. It's impressing not only from outside but also from the inside. After eating a crêpe at Creposuk, we went to La Fayette were we strolled around and had a closer look at the newest fashion trends.

Murano Resort I

On the road again! Today we boarded an aircraft from Geneva to Paris. After a very short flight we landed in Paris Orly, took the train to Paris Central and then a taxi to the Murano Urban Resort! It's a deluxe design hotel in the Marais district of Paris, with everything you can dream of! As soon as you arrive the concierge takes your baggage, they show you around the bar, the lounge and the restaurant.

Then they lead you upstairs to your room where you have to register your fingerprint, as you do not have a key. You just press your finger on a little field next to the door. Then you have a big Bang & Olufsen DVD and CD player as well as Grundig toilet interior. The rest is all brand new design. The table, the chairs, the bed, everything! You can even change the color of the room from green to blue to yellow to red... I'm just sitting in front of the DVD screen on the wall writing this post on my Apple Powerbook. Live blogging, actually!

In this post some pictures of the bath in our room. It's held completely in black and with with silver fittings. Even the toilet paper is black!

September V

On friday, after having finished my work at Unilever, I went to town where Valentina already waited for me. We walked all the way down to the Rhine, bought some ice cream and sat on a bench in the sun. I was always wondering why the El Bertin Ice Cream Shop is that succesful (I have to wonder as food scientist)... With enough cash I'd buy the company and open some more stores in Zurich, Bern and Basel. Guess, it would be succesful? I mean the concept is simple: You need some fresh raw milk of the region, a good product presentation and good staff which is helpful and doesn't chat all the time. And indeed, they work all the time without chatting, and with the white uniform the staff looks very professional. And what you need is a perfect location! This is given in Schaffhausen, as people walking through town inevitably walk to the Rhine, passing by the shop! Today El Bertin closed and will re-open in March 2009.
Besides, Ben & Jerry's opened their first ice cream shop in Luzern this week. They started back in 1978 in the mountains of Vermont/USA, now belonging to Unilever. What success!

On friday I then went to Zurich with the 18.09 ICE from Schaffhausen. I attended the European Research Night located at Bellevue. The ETH, the university of Zurich, the ZHAW and some companies presented their projects to the public. The organization was great! There were boats from Bellevue to the Zurichhorn every 10 minutes, always with a small presentation.

Also, I walked past the Corso cinema where a big crowd in black was waiting around a red carpet. They were waiting for Sylvester Stallone, the US actor! He got the Golden Icon Award on the occasion of the 4th Zurich Film Festival. And at the Research Night I suddenly passed a man, who looked familiar. I then realized why: He was the swiss actor Hanspeter Müller-Drossaart, who played in TV-shows as well as some movies in cinema.

September IV

On friday evening Valentina and I have been at the Kantifest, which takes place every 4 years. It's a great event to meet old friends and indeed I had to stop every minute to say hello to friends that I haven't seen for ages! For example Simon, who graduated the same year as I did, and who also went to the Auckland University of Technology. Sooner we met at ETH but it's been certainly more than a year we didn't see us! And of course I met my buddies Joni, Chälli, Kai and Lukas, and of course the four Fuchs brothers! Many thanks to them for the lift back home at 3:00! Valentina had to work at a bar from 1AM, so I and my buddies stayed in the very same bar, to get some drinks for free! Actually there were more than 30 bars offering drinks and food.
On saturday Valentina and I went to the Rhine for a walk, as the autumnal sun was out! We even went to have an ice cream at El Bertin which is about to close its doors in a week!

September III

Last weekend I finished my bachelor thesis which holds the title: "Validation of a 24-h recall with a 3-day weighed food record for assessing dietary iron intake in Swiss women of reproductive age". I sent it to my supervisor at the ETH to correct it. If everything is ok, then I will print it and and wait for my mark! I have a good feeling as I invested heart and soul and a lot of time!
My internship at Unilever Schweiz GmbH in Thayngen is very interesting. The centralized R&D in Heilbronn/GER develops new products and we implement them in the factory here in Switzerland. I'm really looking forward to the time I can spend at Unilever!

Wow, one year ago I went to China! How fast time passes! Unbelievable!

September II

Back to the surprise I mentioned in the last post: Well, I ordered a Lincoln Stretch Limousine to pick me up at my place. I just said to Valentina that she has to be ready at half past seven in the morning, but she did not know what exactly we were about to do. As soon as the driver stopped in front of her place, I jumped out of the car and knocked on Valentina's door. She was pretty astonished when she opened it! Back on the street, we crused to the rhine falls were we stopped and enjoyed the wonderful mood in the early morning sun. Then the driver drove us to Stein am Rhein and further to the Lake Constance! It was just great! And everyone was watching as we passed by!

That same afternoon we again went to the local airfield to watch the Patrouille Suisse, the jets of the swiss airforce. It was crazy what they showed, flying in a line with 3m gaps in between! I'll post some pictures in the next post!

September I

Last week I had quite a few things to do. As I want to finally finish my bachelor thesis this week, I worked hard and even went to the green library at the ETH on friday. So I was alone and could just focus on the work. And as soon as I'll have finished my bachelor thesis, I will start my training again. Recently I didn't have time to go to the gym in Zurich. As I now work in Thayngen I will do my workout at Eurofit in Schaffhausen. It's near and since I go to work by bike I can reach it quite fast.

Besides, I'm already signed in as master student, but on leave because of my internship!

On Saturday I had a big surprise for Valentina... More to that in the next post!

Italy V

Today it's Valentinas Birthday! Congratulation!
In retrospective, the holidays in Italy were pretty cool! It was always sunny and hot, you could get up and get on your shorts, t-shirt and flipflops without thinking if the weather might change. Then the food was delicious, homemade as well as in the cozy restaurants out in the countryside. And I could relax! I was working a bit for my bachelor thesis, but no that strict. So mostly I was reading books or just enjoyed the sun and the beach!

Italy IV

Once we made a trip to the most southern point in Puglia, which is located at Santa Maria di Leuca. Our way led us up to Otranto, a small beautiful town famous for the catacombs of Torre Pinta.
Another day we went to Lecce, a city with a population of 92'000 people. Lecce is famous for its many churches. And indeed, if you walk through the old town you see church after church! We had a coffee break and then went back to Veglie.

Usain Bolt once again set an unbelievable world record in the 200m with 19.30. 12 years ago, I saw Michael Johnsons run to olympic gold in 19.32... And I never though that within 20 years someone will break this record. But now Usain Bolt holds the 100m, 200m and 4x100m world record. And to now that he even can go faster, is nearly frightening! I guess with 2.0m/s tailwind and an optimal reaction time he could go below 9.60 and, noticing that he had -0.9m/s wind in the 200m final, below 19.20 in the 200m!

However, there is still a dark cloud over the Jamaican performances. There were virtually no doping tests before the olympics and the braces Shelly-Ann Fraser and Melaine Walker were wearing, are hints for the use of HGH, the human growth hormone.

Anyway, in TV I saw many places in Beijing that I've visited the previous year!

Italy III

A few minutes ago Usain Bolt set an unbelievable world record in 9.69 in the 100m olympic final in Beijing! Asafa Powell, whose former world record of 9.77 I've seen live at the Weltklasse in Zurich, didn't even win a medal. Second was Richard Thompson of Trinidad & Tobago in 9.89 and third Walter Dix of the United States of America in 9.91. I clearly remember the olympic final in Atlanta in 1996, when Donovan Bailey set a new world record of 9.84, and now we are at 9.69! Unbelievable!

But back to a new story about my stay in Italy. One evening we went to a kart racecourse, near Porto Cesareo. I've never drove kart before, but Valentina and her brother Pino together with Jeannine had already been on that track the year before. First, it was a bit tricky to find the right speed in double bends but in the end to race against the other three was very funny!

Besides, shortly after I returned from Italy, I met a friend from High School in the bus. We had not really time to talk in there, so we went to have a drink at Oberhof that same evening. The Oberhof is a lounge/bar which opened last fall and offers a cozy and calm ambiance to talk. A week later I invited Valentina for dinner at the newly openend restaurant Güterhof, located next to the Rhine. I always wait for the bus in front of that building, and even late at night, it's full to burst. When we arrived that evening, we first had to wait 15min until we got a table. Fortunately they offered us a drink at the bar. The meals were delicious and served with devotion to detail; and all in a charming atmosphere! Apart of that, the Güterhof is the first restaurant in Schaffhausen where you can eat sushi! Yamm!

Italy II

Italy is famous for it's kitchen, and indeed, it was delicious and very cheap. Whenever we were hungry we went to "Il Refugio", a pizzeria just around the corner. On weekends we went to beautiful restaurant located outside the town in the olive groves. One of them was Masseria Zanzara, a former baron country estate built in 1471. As the evenings were still warm enough, we always could eat outside in the cozy courtyard, surrounded by olive and palm trees. The days were much hotter, sometimes the temperature reached 39°C!

P.S. Today the 29th Olympic Games started in Beijing! The opening ceremony was just spectacular!

Italy I

The last three weeks I spent in the hot south of Italy! To specify, I was in Veglie, a town near Lecce in Puglia. It's Valentina's hometown and her grandparents and cousins still live there. It was just great to be in a sunny place that long, especially together with Valentina!
Helvetic has several flights per week from Zurich to Brindisi, which is the nearest airport. However, we went all the way down by car, which took us about 16 hours. And then we went to the beach - each day! We had exclusive sunloungers at Bassamarea Lido Club located near Porto Cesareo. It's a beautiful club, held mainly in with and light brown. It had a nice lounge in the center and a bar for drinks, snacks and ice cream. We even had our own parking lot for the very old BMW we drove down there.
One day we went to a photographer, which had already made fotos of Valentina some years ago. Early in the morning we went to the beach where we had an one-hour photo shooting. It was great fun and that same evening we could already have a look at the fotos!

Summer is Here IV

This evening I'll be on the way to Italy! See you in August!

Summer is Here III

Two weeks ago I had my last day at the consulting agency I've now been working for 2 1/2 years. Recently I've been working quite a lot, always after a workout in the gym in Zurich. Now I can focus on my bachelor thesis and after my holidays in Italy together with Valentina I will work for Unilever for half a year.

Besides I got some exam marks back. Actually I was really good this time, got a 6 in Marketing (this exam I had just an hour after my job interview at Unilever), a 5.5 in Human Nutrition and a 5.25 in Food Processing. Now I write on my bachelor thesis to get the final 17 credit points.

Almost two week ago, Valentina and I went on the Rhine by boat. Her cousin drove us to Stein am Rhein, where we pumped the rubber boat and soon set sail! It was a hot day, but the water was still a bit cold at 15°C. Nevertheless we jumped in to have a swim. We stopped several times to have a cup of ice cream or something to drink or eat. Especially when the evening sun lit everything in a beautiful red color, it was pure pleasure to float on the Rhine!

Last week we went to Herisau AR, where a sport meet was set. Valentina once trained in a local club and wanted to support her friends. As they had their first performance early in the morning, we left on friday evening and slept in the car! This was quite funny as we slept in the car trunk with plenty of space! We had blankets and pillows in there, so it was like a normal bed! :-)

The day before I went to eat a Pizza with my friend Michael, as we didn't meet for quite a long time. He's now going to Lanzarote with his girlfriend! I kind of envy him, as I have beautiful memories of that little island!

Summer is Here II

Actually it's not what the titel indicates... The last two weeks were not that sunny, but as I worked twice a week and did quite a lot for my bachelor thesis, I didn't care.

I got my first exam mark last week. It was a 5.25 in Fermented Milk Products, which is part of the Biotechnology lectures. This is exactly what I expected, and now I soon hope to get the rest of my exam marks.

Last monday I had a job interview at DSM Nutritional Products in Kaiseraugst AG. I could have worked in the functional food marketing for Teavigo. It was very interesting to hear their projects, but I already had my work contract with Unilever for September 2008. I'm really looking forward to getting some work experience during this six month internship.

Last week Valentina went to Italy to attend the marriage of her cousin. Unfortunately I couldn't join her, as I had to work for my bachelor thesis that weekend. But I went to pick her up at the airport in Zurich, so we had time to talk on the way back through the empty streets on that Sunday night.

Summer is Here I

My birthday started as it ended 17 hours later: Valentina called me to wish me a wonderful day! I couldn't be with her all day long, as I had my last exam in Human Nutrition on that morning. My goal was to get a outstanding mark, ans this I should have reached, as far as I can estimate my effort. After the exam I returned back home to have lunch and afterwards went to see Valentina. She gave me a fair and beautiful letter and a present, but her big present has yet to come. Unfortunately I had to leave her alone, as all my food science friends met at Rote Fabrik to celebrate the end of our Bachelor Studies. The Rote Fabrik lies directly at the shores of Lake Zurich and as we could sit outside under the mighty trees, it evokes a very special atmosphere. The meals were delicious and we had good talks. But the clouds over Lake Zurich were getting darker and darker and the storm warning lamps began to light. Soon a heavy thundersturm sweeped over us and everyone who could not find any shelter was soaked to the skin after a few seconds.

On the way back home, I had to run a few times to catch the train, as I missed a streetcar and had to wait for a local train to Zurich Mainstation. I had only one minute to change tracks (from track 53 to 24), so I was lucky to know I could run 100m in 11 seconds... :-)

On friday morning Valentina surprised me when she arrived and blindfolded me during the car ride. Even after we had arrived I had to stay in this condition and she led me down some stairways until she said that I should sit down. Then she loosed the blindfold and I realised I was sitting in a boat on the way to the Rhine Fall rocks! The boatman left us when we reached the rocks and we had a romantic breaktfast amidst the thundering water mass! It was stunning, fantastic, marvellous, just awesome!

Later that day we went to eat a Coup Denmark at El Bertin and went to have dinner at the thai restaurant Lemongrass, just before it started to rain.

6th Semester VI

Tomorrow I will have my last exam during my bachelor studies! I already had exams in Marketing, Biotechnology, Microbiology and Food Processing. This is the reason I neglected my blog quite a bit. Besides I had to give a presentation about Kopi Luwak, the most expensive coffee in the world. This coffee is rather special as the coffee berries are eaten and digested by a small tree-dwelling animal in Indonesia. Locals will collect the digested beans and wash them extensively before they are roasted and ready for consumption. As only 400-500 kg are produced annualy, one cup costs up to $50!

I had some excursions to Emmi AG, Pastinella and Bischofszell Nahrungsmittel AG. Actually I enjoyed the last one most, as they had the best day program and the best meal afterwards :-).

Even though I had exams, I used the time I spend each day in the train to read some books written by Honoré de Balzac. My first novel was "Father Goriot", now I read "Eugénie Grandet" and already bought "The woman of thirty". All novels are set in Paris and present the french life after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815. Balzac's work habits are legendary: He used to work often for fifteen hours or more at a stretch. His preferred method was to eat a light meal at five or six in the afternoon, then sleep until midnight. He then rose and wrote for many hours, fueled by innumerable cups of black coffee (There is a coffeehouse chain in Germany named after Balzac).

Once more I ran a 6.2km stretch with 420m in hight difference for our SOLA 2008 Team "Meep, meep"! As Valentina came to Zurich to watch me running, I tried to run as fast as possible so she wouldn't wait too long! :-) Unfortunately I wasn't faster as last year, so I invited her to eat at Tibits before we returned to Schaffhausen.

What happend as well is very tragic... One of my friends commited suicide. I was pretty shocked because I met him a few days before and I didn't noticed anything! He was talkative and funny as ever...

6th Semester V

On May 1st, Valentina and I have been together for half a year! As she returned from her camp the day before, we were just chilaxing and in the evening we went eating pizza with her parents at the restaurant Mamma Rosa. The next day I worked for my bachelor thesis and later went to Valentina where we had BBQ with her cousin and his girlfriend after we have been in town for some ice cream (I chose rhubarb and saffron – very exotic and strange, I know).

We actually had no plans for Saturday until the morning, when we sat in the garden thinking of going to Rümlang to a kart course. But this course is indoors, and as we wanted to enjoy the beautiful and warm weather, we thought of taking a boat tour on the Rhine.

But then Valentinas grandfather had a great idea: He supports a local airfield and therefore had some vouchers for a flight. So Valentina and I took the car and in no time we were already sitting in a small four seat aircraft! After take off, we flew directly to the Rhine fall, where we turned and had a marvellous view over Schaffhausen. It was fantastic! Over Lake Constance the pilot made a parable flight, where you can feel weightlessness! Admittedly, we had quite a queasy feeling afterwards!

As we had a car, we drove up to a small artificial lake called Engeweiher. We enjoyed the warm spring evening and let the day fade away... All in all, I spent a wonderfull day with my girlfriend!

6th Semester IV

As I mentioned in my last post I participated at a workshop at the Sprungbrett Event last Monday. I could attend a workshop for Unilever and the goal was to create a brand activation concept for Bertolli, an Italian food manufacturer. First, we had an introduction into the world of Unilever whose mission is the add vitality to life. Then we formed two groups for brainstorming and soon we brought our ideas to paper. After lunch, each group held a short presentation in front of the senior brand manager of Bertolli.

The next day, Valentina sent me a text message saying that she saw me in the newspaper. And indeed as soon as I was at home, some neighbors talked to me and asked how it was at the workshop…

Last Wednesday we had an excursion to Midor in Meilen. Midor produces ice cream as well as bakery for Migros. We had insight into the whole production steps from mixing the ingredients to packaging the final product. Even though they might use state-of-the-art technology, there is still space for improvement, because after filling the boxes it needs to be checked manually by a women sitting next to the band-conveyor.

On Saturday I went jogging from my girlfriends place in Schaffhausen to Merishausen, a village in a valley leading to Bargen, the most northern town in Switzerland. Actually I run pretty fast, as I made the 9.6km with a height difference of at least 100m in 45min. It was a beautiful day and the sun was shining through the light green leaves, turning the whole way through the forest into a green tunnel. I feel in shape for the SOLA race on 17th of May!

Yesterday I had my second BBQ this year at Valentinas place. Unfortunately she had to leave soon, as she has a school camp until Wednesday. I will certainly miss her!

6th Semester III

It happened quite a lot since I wrote my last post, especially what my bachelor thesis was concerned. The human nutrition institute intended to create an iron food frequency questionnaire for swiss women aged 18 to 40 years. This has never been done before for this age group and therefore it would have needed a huge effort to accomplish the FFQ as bachelor thesis. So it was decided that I now have to validate a 24h diet recall instead of the FFQ. I intend to interview approximately 10 women of the targeted age group seven times over a defined timeperiod. This has to be done, as it's almost impossible to get the average daily iron intake with one recall. And one big disadvantage of this method is that people are likely to forget what they eat the last day... But still I'm highly motivated to write a good thesis!

Next monday I will participate at a workshop for Unilever, a company based in Thayngen in Schaffhausen. It's part of an event called "Sprungbrett", where local companies give an insight into their work field. The goal of my workshop is the development of a brand activation concept.

Two weeks ago, all third year food science students organized a party called "E175 - The Taste of Gold" at StuZ2. It was a great evening, even though I went back home with the last train after I worked at the bar for a few hours.

Last week Valentina and I had a sauna lasting two ten minutes sessions with a cooling in between. For me it was the first time in years, but she does it more regularly. It really helps to relax and forget the world around you...

6th Semester II

I'm still looking for an internship starting in fall 2008. It's pretty difficult to find good offers, and I'm not quite sure when my bachelor thesis is due to be finished. I had a job interview at Lindt & Sprüngli in Kilchberg right at the shores of Lake Zurich. The atmosphere and the workplace were great but as the beginning of the internship was planned for July I had to call off because of my bachelor thesis.

I now have one week of easter holidays so I can rearrange everything. Actually it's spring now, and a week ago we already had 18°C... I went running and after that relaxing in the garden wearing some shorts. In the afternoon Valentina, I and Michael with his girlfriend went to town for some ice cream, as the "world's best" Gelateria El Bertin opened its doors.
But the last few days the weather changed... it snowed! I think it only snowed once or twice this winter, but now as it is should finally get warm and sunny, it's snowing...

6th Semester I

The last semester of my bachelor studies has just begun. I have lectures in Food Microbiology, Food Processing, Food Biotechnology, Human Nutrition and Marketing. We also have some lab classes in Technology and Processing which are pretty cool, as we can create and process our own food! Last week we made some vanilla ice cream… whereas “some” is kind of an understatement, we made about 50 liter. And we made our own tofu by milling soybeans. In a supermarket we bought rice and thai vegetables and made a delicious meal!

At my girlfriend's place I created a thai dinner on friday. I also intended to make some Sushi, but we were full after the thai dish. I was influenced by the restaurant Lemongrass, where we went for dinner a week before.

The last days in February were beautiful and I went cycling and running and spent much time outdoors with Valentina, but unfortunatley I then caught a cold. Now as it is rainy all days I feel better...

Longing For Spring VI

Last Sunday I joined Valentina and her family for a walk around the shores of Lake Constance at Stein am Rhein. The water level is that low, you can walk in for more than fifty meters without getting wet feet. The local newspaper brought a report about the low water level and as it was a beautiful and warm day there were hundreds of people out there, mainly families and amorous couples.

The beautiful weather continued and on Tuesday I had the first BBQ of the year! As the semester at uni had started, we all came together on the roof-deck of the Food Science Institute. We all brought some steaks, sausages, bread and salads! Sitting there in T-Shirts we had a cozy first BBQ!

Besides I started with my bachelor thesis in human nutrition about the validation of a food frequency questionnaire about iron status in 18-40 years old women. Right now I have to do a literature review and read many studies that already have been done, which is very interesting!

Longing For Spring V

Spring is coming! The last two weeks were always sunny and pretty warm, even though the nights still were winterly cold. During these days I had a lab course in food microbiology at uni. We could buy our own food and bring to the course to analyze the bacteria content. I found some Listeria on my Mövenpick smoked salmon, which can cause severe illness. And don't use your PET water bottles for too long, they're soon contaminated with E.coli and other gastrointestinal bacteria!

The week before the lab started, Valentina and I went to Zurich, and I walked her through the whole ETH campus, showed her the sports facilities, the libraries, the lecture rooms, the different restaurants we have there... We then met Jonathan at Starbucks and talked for a while until we started back for home.

I read quite a lot of books during the semester break. During the semester I don't really have time to read as I need to do many things for uni, especially now where I have to write my bachelor thesis. Anyway, I read two books by Haruki Murakami, "Noakos Lächeln" and "Afterdark". Then I read some classic literature such as "Wallenstein" and "Kabale und Liebe" by Schiller and "Effi Briest" by Theodor Fontane. Right now I'm reading something more up to date, "Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini.

This brings me to the movies. Marc Foster directed a stunning movie based on that book. It's now in cinemas in Schaffhausen, so I might watch it soon. Yesterday I went to see "27 Dresses" with Valentina and I bought the DVD "Monsieur Ibrahim and the flowers of the coran".

Longing For Spring IV

Last week I did quite a few things. As I don't have any lectures, I went to the gym three times and even cycling one morning though it was bloody cold. I always went working after my workout at the gym and later went to Valentina each day!

But first I should start with last sunday. As it was a really beautiful and pretty warm day, Valentina and I went out for a walk to Stetten, a village up in the hills and therefore always oustide the thick fog we have down in Schaffhausen. What we saw was just fantastic! The snow covered Alps seemed to be just one arm's lenght away... We walked and walked until the sun finally set. The last part of our walk led us through a rocky wood section, I've last been ten or more years ago with my grandparents...

Then on Tuesday I got a new mobile, the Sony Ericsson W910i with a contract that enables me to call Valentina for free after 8PM. It has a built-in 2 megapixel cam and a fantastic screen. A big improvement compared to my old one...

As Thursday was once again a beautiful day, Valentina and I went to see the Rhine Fall in the afternoon. During the winter season, it's not that spectacular as in summer, as the Rhine doesn't carry much water. However it was beautiful and we made many pictures :-)

To complete this week Valentina and I went skiing and snowboarding in Davos on Sunday. Actually we had tickets for the Jakobshorn area, but they had to close down everything couse of a winter storm (in the italian part of Switzerland the temperature rised as high as 22°C). So we got new tickets for the Rinerhorn area, which was much smaller but we could still enjoy that day up in the mountains.

All in all it was a fabulous week, mainly because I could spent a big deal of my time with Valentina!

Longing For Spring III

Finally I found some time for my blog! ;-) I had my last two exams last week, and now I get my marks day by day. The best I had so far was a 5.75 in food processing. Actually I now have winter break until the beginning of February. But I decided to work every second day at the agency to earn quite an amount of money. Besides I'm going to the gym three times a week and dropped my coffee consumption to one coffee a day. I want to be in shape for the SOLA race in May and the summer in general!

Then I changed my education plans. As I finish my Bachelor Studies in June, I decided not to continue immediately with my Master Studies but to work for half a year as a Trainee. I sent my application to several companies in the food sector. As at today I already had one job interview and I also got the job. But as the salary is pretty low I might cancel.

Then I've spent much time with my girlfriend Valentina. We went to Geneva by train on a cold but in the end sunny day and strolled around the Old Town and the Lake Side. I really enjoy being with her in another city where we both could discover unknown spots and places!

Nota Bene: The picture in this post is the first one that has been processed with Picasa. My girlfriend did a great job!

Longing For Spring II

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!!!

See you again in 2008!!!

Longing For Spring I

I'm sorry... I've once again been pretty busy the last months... AND I just noticed that I haven't even posted one entry about what I did during the semester that started immediately after my trip to China and Japan. But actually I have been busy with my studies, been writing laboratory reports in food chemistry, with working at the agency and one other thing: I got a new girlfriend, the prettiest, the loveliest, the most adorable girlfriend you could ever imagine. Now as I look back it must have been more than just hazard and coincidence that we met that night. And life is full of coincidences. So she had classes with my former biology teacher who used my research material and even made an excursion to where I did my research project. Some days later I invited her for a asian dinner at my place and soon after we were a couple! P.S. 02.06.2009 It has all gone!

Madrid

I'm very sorry that I didn't blog for a long time now... I had some exams in food sensory, food biotech and food analytics and therefore I had to study a little bit...

Now I want to post some pictures of Madrid where I've been in October for four days! It was actually a pretty spontanous trip, I never had plans to go to Spain and not at all during the semester. But then I got a call from Livia (she was one of my friends that have been in the Netherlands) and she asked me what I was doing on the weekend. As I didn't had any plans, I immediately accepted her offer. Our aircraft was due to take off in Basel bound for Madrid on Thursday evening and come back on Monday. That was just perfect!

Her flatmate Janina is actually from Madrid and so we only had to pay for the flight, everything else was organized. So we could stay Janinas aunt's place and her parents even payed for the metro & bus ticket.

All in all we were around ten people, me, Livia, Janina and her brother, their parents an grandparents... It was just great having such good cityguides. We visited the whole city and what we did most was eating. The weather was just great, it was sunny and still pretty warm, at least compared to Switzerland. One evening we went to Café Central where the Lluis Coloma Jazz Trio was performing. Damn cool!

Tokyo IV

My last day in Tokyo was a relaxing one. I had nothing really to do so I decided to spend my day reading and drinking coffee at Starbucks in Shinjuku. When I came to Japan in 2005 Shinjuku was the first neighborhood I've been in Tokyo, so I knew my way through the crowded streets. I ordered a Java Chip Frappucino and sat down at the window front and continued reading my book by Haruki Murakami. Then I suddenly was involved in a conversation with a japanese girl named Nozomi. We talked quite for a long time and found that we have a great deal in common. As I asked for a place to eat out with my friends, she recommended the Daikanyama area, but my friends already had other plans... We joined David, a swiss friend of Sophie living in Tokyo for dinner and karaoke afterwards. It was fun as hell and especially Davids interpretation of "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin was a highlight!
My flight back with KLM was comfortable but pretty long again, as I had a stop over in Amsterdam. Back at home I enjoyed a beautiful autumn day before my lectures at ETH started for the next semester...

Tokyo III

With my new cell phone I called Sophie and Muriel and we agreed on meeting at Shibuya for lunch. As they didn't have some okonomiyaki before, I proposed to go to the same place i've been with my friends some days before. This time I was kind of an expert and knew how to cook the perfect okonomiyaki ;-). Then we walked back to Harajuku, where we had a short stop over at one of the ubiquitous Starbucks before we continued our walk to Omotesando. There we split and I walked further on to Aoyama, a neighborhood well known for its fashion houses, restaurants, and shopping. It's in this neighborhood, where the famous swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron have buildt their famous building for the fashion company Prada.

They are the same architects that buildt the Olympic Stadium in Beijing, which I incidentally missed when I was there. Anyway, their building for prada was very very impressing! Then I went back home, checked emails, had some quick meal and talked with other guests in the lobby.

On Friday I went shopping almost the whole day and the evening I went to Roppongi Hills to meet Sophie and Muriel. We had dinner at Bamboo Bar, which evokes a very special atmosphere, as the colorful illumination changes all the time. After the delicious meal we went to the Tokyo branch of the Absolut Vodka Ice Bar. I've already been in that one in Stockholm, and there are another five in London, Copenhagen, Milano, Shanghai and Jukkasjärvi. It was ice cold in there, but it was a nice alternation to the heat oustide...

Tokyo II

The next two days I almost entirely spent with my new friends. They knew a japanese girl in Tokyo, so we had the perfect cityguide. First we had a walk in Asakusa where we found many small shops, selling dishes and vases. I bought a cute small brown vase before we returned back to the hostel. We talked for quite a long time until we decided to go to Shibuya to have dinner. Shibuya hosts many restaurants and is full of mainly young stylish people as there are many fashion and shoe stores. We had a quick look inside some of the stores but we all were hungry and so we went to eat some delicious okonomiyaki! After that me and Akim went to have some Ice Cream and a coffee at Starbucks whereas the girls went shopping and bought some cool hats. Back at the hostel we talked for hours and as before it was interesting as hell!


The next day we slept a bit longer than usual and me and Akim went to Akihabara, which is famous for electronic equipment. We saw the newest plasma flatscreens, the newest digital cams and the brand new iPod Touch! I bought a mobile phone so I could stay in touch with my japanese friends and with Sophie and Muriel.
Unfortunately Akim, Hélène and Ilham had to leave for France in the evening... So I intended to stayed at the hostel as I was tired anyway. But I met two girls from Switzerland. When I asked them where exactly they were from, they said: Schaffhausen! Crazy... And we even have some mutual friends! So we went to have a drink at a bar just around the corner of the hostel...

Tokyo I

The night I arrived in Tokyo I met some high school students from Augsburg in Germany. They were on a trip across Japan because they all attended japanese classes back in Germany and the teacher, half german half japanese, was going on that trip every year. Of course, everybody wanted to learn japanese then...
As it was already pretty late (almost 3AM) I had to find my room in the hostel and then find some sleep. But it wasn't that easy... My room consisted of six beds and I got the bed number five. So I opened the door and as I had no light with me, I stepped into the room in the darkest darkness. It was very narrow and my bag punched every bed I passed. Then I had to find my mobile phone so I would have a faint light to be able to make my bed. By that time almost everybody in the room was staring at me, wondering what I was doing at that time of the night!

One thing about that was positive! We could talk about my arriving late at night! So I got to know my three roommates! Ilham, Hélène and Akim were all from France and were supposed to stay in Tokyo until Wednesday. They were working for Air France and could travel for almost nothing. That day I was slightly tired and had a relaxed day. I took the subway to Omotesando and walked to Harajuku and further on to Shibuya. There I had a coffee at the world famous Tsutaya Starbucks store that could be seen in "Lost in Translation" and "Babel". I did a bit of shopping, bought some new shoes and enjoyed the hot day (33°C). The evening I spent at the hostel talking to my french friends in english!

Beijing IV

As the weather forecast predicted sunshine on Saturday, I booked a trip to the Great Wall. Back in Switzerland I saw georgous pictures of the not so touristy section between Jinshanling and Simatai. The only problem is Jinshanling lies 120km out of Beijing. So the bus left the hostel at 6:15 in the morning and the journey took almost three and a half hours. In the bus I met a couple from London and we talked about travelling and China, because the've been in Hong Kong some days before. At Jianshanling, we had to take an old and scary cableway up to the wall...

Then the 11.5km hike began! The sun was shining and it was pretty hot, but fortunately I had enough water with me... Some sections of the wall were rebuildt whereas others were almost destroyed. However I was deeply impressed by this enormous construction! The Great Wall is the world's longest human-made structure, stretching over approximately 6,400 km. It is also the largest human-made structure ever built in terms of surface area and mass and it was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.To set an end to all the rumours about the visibility from the moon: No lunar astronaut has ever claimed he could see the Great Wall from the moon...

Mao Zedong had a saying, "You're not a real man if you haven't climbed the Great Wall" ("Bú dào Chángchéng fēi hǎo hàn"). So now I can call me a real man! :-) Having arrived in Simatai, we got lunch in a restaurant and our group talked about all the world and his brother. We all were tired and on the ride back everyone was sleeping...

The next day I had my flight to Tokyo at 4:40PM. Under no circumstances I wanted to miss my flight, so I went to the airport quite early. I had time to go to Starbucks at the Departure Terminal, where I met a webdesigner from Hong Kong, who's working in Shanghai and Beijing. We talked for a long time until we had to take our flights. Mine with Air China was delayed and so I arrived in Tokyo pretty late, as I had to go through customs and everything... As I didn't book my room in advance, I went to the Sakura Hostel in Asakusa by taxi and fortunately they still had some beds available.

Beijing III

The next day was still rainy but it didn't hinder me to do a bit of sightseeing along the mainstreets in Beijing. I walked for several hours and stopped every now and then at Starbucks or had lunch somewhere. I was impressed by the way buildings were built everywhere. And they all were huge! Really huge!

One problem I had was to stop a taxi. I never succeded and if I saw one standing near the sideway it already had a customer or was supposed to pick up somebody. So I decided to walk to the official taxi stoppoints. In the afternoon I wanted to go to the Summer Palace which is northwest of Beijing.

In December 1998, UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List. It declared the Summer Palace an "outstanding expression of the creative art of Chinese landscape garden design, incorporating the works of humankind and nature in a harmonious whole." It is a popular tourist destination but also serves as a recreational park but I could not really enjoy the beauty as it was still rainy that day. However Lake Kunming and Longevity Hill are even marvellous at such a cloudy and foggy day.

Beijing II

My second day in Beijing was a rainy day. First I went to have a coffee at Starbucks at Oriental Plaza which is a huge shopping complex on Wangfujing Street. I strolled around and was impressed by the sheer grandeur of the buildings and streets! But actually I was a bit disappointed of Beijing and I couldn't really imagine how they ever will be able to organize the next Olympic Games. The smog was thick as butter and even when it was supposed to be sunny you could hardly see a sunray. The public transportation system in specific and the traffic in general were everything else than well organized. They only have two subway lines but hundreds of buses.

The problem with the buses is that if you can't read the chinese characters you won't be able to figure out where the bus is going and where the stop is you have to get off. So the only mean of transportation is taking taxis. But here as well, taxidrivers don't speak any english at all. Actually nobody does (as far as I was concerned). Anyway, I had my coffee at Starbucks and then I decided to walk to the Temple of Heaven which is approximately one hour by walking. The temple complex was constructed from 1406 to 1420 during the reign of the Yongle Emperor, who was also responsible for the construction of the Forbidden City and was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998.

Beijing I

I had my flight to Beijing on Tuesday, 9/11, which is exact the same weekday as in 2001 when the two airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City. I was pretty early at the airport in Zurich-Kloten so I even found time to have a coffee in the Airside Center Starbucks Store. Boarding time was 5:30PM but my flight was delayed. In Vienna all connecting flights were negative, except the one to Beijing! I was flying with Austrian Airways, but I was slightly disappointed of the service they did. The airplane was old and the board entertainment system too. And for you engineers out there, I have an assignment: Why can't you build soundproof airplanes? It's that noisy in there because of the aircraft turbines I had to listen to my iPod with maximal volume and the music was still very low. During the night we could see Moscow below, an immense sea of lights down there.

Finally having arrived in Beijing I took the airport shuttle to the city centre, and then I struggled to find my hostel. There was no subway in that direction, no busdriver understanding even a single word in english, even the taxidrivers didn't know the location and they as well spoke no english at all. Anyway, a taxi drove we at least in the right direction and the rest I walked even though I was tired as hell. I had to share my room with a finnish guy who took the transsiberian railway from Moscow to Beijing. We talked for a while and I then explored the neighborhood by myself. I walked to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Outside of China, the square is widely known for the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 when over 500 students lost their lifes. The square is 880 metres south to north and 500 metres east to west, a total area of 440,000 square metres, which makes it the largest open-urban square in the world.
I met a chinese couple from Shanghai and went to drink tea in the hutongs, which are narrow streets or alleys around the Forbidden City. After that nice experience I went back to the hostel and immediately fell asleep...

Summer X

When do you feel happy? And how do you measure happiness? I thought about that quite often recently, as I had my exams and therefore I had to take a backseat to most other activities like doing sports or reading books/magazines as well as watching movies and surfing in the internet. So what makes me happy? Friends? Girls? Success? Sports? Job? Money? I think it's a good mix of all of that. But there loads of other activities and things that help to feel happy and confident. Reading, music and movies, time to think, time for myself. And this is also very important. I actually need people around me, but sometimes I only want to be alone with my thoughts. Sometimes I just imagine how things will be and what may happen in the future. Sometimes I compare all the billions of possible ways how things could turn. Sometimes I just set a goal for myself and then I give everything to reach my goal. These are things which make me happy... And I now that anticipation is the highest form of joy...

Actually I was just listening to a song that reminds me of the good time I had last fall. And again, I guess music has another big influence on my mood. There are songs I basically listen only during practice in the gym and others that make me feel sad cause they remind me of certain things...

But back to my time this week. I five exams in the last two weeks and now there is only one left on Monday. Yeah, Monday. After the exam we're going to a party to celebrate the end of the exam session. And on Tuesday my flight leaves for Vienna and then for sizzling Beijing! Damn, I can't wait anymore! Got my visa last week and now I'm ready for China! But Tokyo as well will be amazing!

I'm posting once more a Starbucks sign, as today me and Jonathan went to the new-opened Starbucks store inside of Orell Füssli at Bellevue. So you can order a delicious Frappuccino and enjoy a book right on the cozy sofas. I found a nice book called Lounge Design, where you can see the world's best lounges! Just amazing!

Besides Jonathan, Lukas and I went to Lausanne on Sunday. We just had the idea to go to Geneva or Lausanne by train. As we all had something to learn or read the six hours journey passed by quite fast. In Lausanne we had some lunch, did a short sightseeing and went to Starbucks... You wouldn't believe, but I have to change my lifestyle a little bit and one thing that I want to change is: Drink less coffee which means not going to Starbucks anymore!

Next time I'm gonna post pictures of my trip to Beijing and Tokyo! Will be back 24th of September!

Summer IX

Today I had my first of seven exams. We had one hour time to solve three problems in physical chemistry. I wouldn't say it way easy, but I tried my best and I solved most of them. The next exam in food technology will be in a weeks time, so it's not that stressy. The last weeks I was mainly studying in Zurich, so I don't sit alone at home, but can drink coffee and have lunch with my friends from uni. Besides Jonathan and Lukas are working at UBS in Zurich, so last week we met for a drink after work at Pur Pur. It was a nice evening and we could talk about the usual topics like girls, money (mostly money and girls depend on each other) and our future. Right now they are making quite a bit of money in the bank, working in the investment department ;-)! As for me, I can't work during the exam session. But as soon as I'm back from Asia and the fifth semester has started, I'm back at work.

On Friday me and Jonathan went to Mascotte and as we were too early, we checked out the Wings Airline Bar & Lounge at Limmatquai for a drink. This time we had no problem getting in at Mascotte and we then grabbed a seat at the lounge inside. We met two cute girls from Persia and talked to them for a long time. As they wanted to dance with us we just forgot about the last night train at 3AM and instead took the first one in the morning ;-)!

Jonathan then bought a bottle of Moët & Chandon Champagne on Saturday. So we met at Andy's place and had a relaxed evening. The next day I felt bored so I called Jonathan and we then spontanously decided to meet. At his place we had kind of a BBQ only for us two. Moreover our timing was just perfect because as soon as the steaks were ready a thunderstorm sweeped over Schaffhausen.

Right now I just can't be alone... I'm really longing for people to talk to me. And I take every chance to get to know people. Not much more than a week ago I got to know Jane and her friends at Domino and now I bump into her all the time... Actually no wonder, as her parents own the Café Vordergasse, where I'm walking past almost every day!

Summer VIII

Another amazing weekend has passed by! On Saturday the world famous Streetparade took place in Zurich with more than 800'000 people celebrating all kinds of electronic music. Even on Friday afternoon there were extraordinarily many people out in the streets, so Jonathan and I decided to check out some clubs in Zurich that night. As we had a train to Stadelhofen Station we spontanously decided to go to Mascotte at Bellevue. The queue was pretty long but we didn't care... Actually we talked quite a lot so we didn't realize that we wouldn't be able to get in without girls. So we had to ask girls to come in with us. That was no problem at all, but we didn't get in anyway due to the age restriction of twentytwo, as we had another younger friend with us. We then decided to drink something at Pur Pur, but it was rather empty in there, so we walked along the lake right to Mythenquai where we went into the Acqua Club. The entrance fee was for the Fresh & Stable Streetparade Warm-Up Party was pretty high with 25 CHF, but anyway, we finally found a club to party. Down in the club Rolf Imhof and DJ Le Noir were playing some Tech-House whereas the Lounge upstairs provided some chill out tunes. On the turntables was DJ Mahara McKay, who was Miss Switzerland a few years ago. Besides we met Bligg, a swiss hiphop artist becoming famous with his hit single "Alles scho mal ghört". At 3AM we took the last train back and as we met some friends this night found a good end.
On Saturday we once again went to Zurich, had fun, party and met many really strange though interesting people from all over the world!

Summer VII

I didn't write down much here recently. And I even don't have an excuse. I was studying and working in Zurich this week as I discovered a nice library where I can learn more efficient as ever in my life... The last two weeks I was studying at home which has one really good advantage: I can do sports whenever I want to. As soon as I'm fed up with learning I can go out running or cycling or even go to the gym. But there is distraction around. I eat too much, spend too much time in the internet actually doing nothing and the worst is I go to bed late which makes me sleepy the next day. So right now I get up at 6:45 and take the 8:00 train to Zurich. This week I spent practically all my time in Zurich. Went drinking coffee at Starbucks and Tannenbar, went swimming in the Limmat, prepared a nice dinner with Livia and her roommate Janina and could have gone eating Sushi at Yoojis with Sophie and her friends... And best, I didn't care when I was at home, as I was studying for hours every day. Besides, exept for a extrem hot Monday, we had heavy rain the whole week! When I went to Livia's place I was walking trough the rain without a proper jacket so I got wet as hell!

On August 1st we celebrated Swiss National Day. So the day before, Jonathan and I went to Zurich to have some drinks before checking out a few clubs. On the way to a bar, Jonathan met a friend from Uni, so he joined us spontanously. We first went to Edi's Weinstube and talked a few minutes. Yu, which was his name, is Japanese and also a citizen of South Africa. And he even did military service down there as marine officer! Crazy, init? And best of all, he has connections to Tokyo, Japan!
We then went to Lake Side right at Lake Zurich. We haven't been on the guestlist, so we waited in the queue for one and a half hour until the bouncer said: "Sorry guys, we're completely full, you have to leave!" So we were pissed, really pissed. But we catched the next taxi we could find and headed back to town to check out some other clubs, but once again they were full to burst. Eventually we found a bar, had some drinks and stayed until 4AM when they turned on the lights. We felt hungry, so we again took a taxi to the Langstrasse where you can find food 24h a day! At 5:40 we took the train back to Schaffhausen and witnessed a wonderful sunrise! At 7AM I was home and went to bed for a few hours before we again had BBQ at a friends place.

On Saturday it was my turn to hold a party at my place! I prepared sushi, salmon sandwiches, tiramisu and many kinds of salades together with Livia and Urs, who just came to help in the afternoon as he had some business meeting later on. All in all we were more than twenty people out there and yeah, we had fun! The next morning I got up early as I couldn't sleep anymore and besides it was a beautiful day anyway. So Sophie, Jussi and I went swimming in the Rhine which was a great start into the day! I guess I have to do this more often, even though soon it's gonna be fall again...


"make money, have fun, forget reason"

Summer VI

As I had plenty of time and nothing to do, I participated at a research study about left-right differentiation two weeks ago. I had a brief assessment and then had to fill out some forms about my mental state and my well-being before I had to do some tests on the computer. After a little bit more than an hour I got a bookshop voucher, so I went to Orell Füssli at Bellevue where I just strolled around for a book to catch my eye. I didn't quite find what I was looking for, so I bought a Lonely Planet city guide for Beijing.
Actually I spent days in the internet looking for interesting places to go in Beijing. I was quite impressed of what I found at Flickr about The Great Wall at Jinshanling. I'm really looking forward to walk the 10km to Simatai.

Besides I finished reading "Hamlet" by Shakespeare and "I am Charlotte Simmons" by Tom Wolfe. Both of them were fantastic! "Hamlet" I read entirely in the train but the other one was so interesting I couldn't stop reading! I somehow feel sad I already finished... For my trip to China and Japan I bought Haruki Murakami's "South of the Border, West of the Sun" but right now I have to start learning for my next exams in August and September.
Recently I met quite a few friends and we had a great time together. Last Thursday I met a friend from sports to have a drink at Fass and later on at Tabacco Lounge where I met a few more! The weekend before I met Sabine for Ice Cream and a short city tour as she is from Basel. Some hours later me and Jonathan went to Winterthur as we've actually never been out there. Again we met a friend in the train and later in a Club, so we decided to sleep at her place...

This weekend Jonathan and I went to Pontresina up in the mountains to join a friend for a mountain hike. So we walked up and up and up to the Boval SAC hut at 2495m altitude. We talked and played games until late and in the early morning we departed for Diavolezza at almost 3000m altitude. In no time we were up there even though we had to cross two glaciers and so we had some Ben & Jerry Ice Cream as reward ;-)

Summer V

Yeah, last week was rather boring because it was once again rainy and cloudy all day long. So I decided to help a friend move from her old apartement to the new one. First we went to her to-be-flatmate and moved all her belongings from the third floor to a hired car downstairs. Then we had to take everything up to their new apartment on the fourth floor... Was pretty hard work especially as I went to the gym in the morning, so I actually had two workouts! All in all we had a great time moving all the furniture and besides I'm getting to know more and more places in Zurich ;-)

Moreover I've got some awesome news: I'm going to Beijing/CHN and Tokyo/JPN in September! As I told you long long ago I have a friend working in Beijing, so why not going to see him? :-) After five days in China I will move on to Tokyo where I'm going to meet Sophie and her friend Muriel and we for sure gonna render Tokyo unsafe! :-)
Unfortunately the flights I'm gonna take are bloody expensive which means I have to work a lot the next weeks... However I spent another fortune on clothes, bought at Blue Dog and Diesel Store Zurich.

In Zurich the Zürifäscht took place last weekend. As I was working anyway in town, I took the opportunity to have a glance. I met Sophie and we went to have some green thai curry at a very nice place somewhere up at Seefeldquai. We had our own sunlounger and a superb view over Lake Zurich with music and drinks right a few feet away. Time passed fast and soon we went back to the Bellevue to watch the firework over the Lake...

The picture I made when I once walked home early in the morning (yeah, pretty early) showing the railway bridge over the Rhine.

Summer IV

I had to change my mind this week. I had this idealistic view that summer is always sunny and warm. But the last days were everything else than that. It rained and was pretty cold. So on Thursday Jonathan and I decided to take an train early in the morning down to Locarno as the weather in the Ticino was much better. Jonathan as well split up with his girlfriend a few days before so we could talk about everything concerning girls and relationships during the 4.5 hour journey. In Locarno we went to the Lido at Lago Maggiore and relaxed in the sun and took a swim in the lake. At 5PM we left Locarno and continued our journey back to Schaffhausen. We read [Shakespeare - Hamlet] and talked again, but this time the train was abuzzed with commuters. Even though we were pretty tired we decided to sit back in a bar, get comfy and end the evening on a cozy note. This is what we did! We even met friends who were celebrating their school graduation. So we joined them and went to the Orient Club and later to Tabacco Lounge. On Friday I slept a bit longer and then went working until 8PM before heading for another party: the Unterstadtfäscht in Schaffhausen. It's actually more than a party, kind of a big openair party, held on Friday and Saturday. It's crazy how many people you know and it was a great event to socialize and get to know new people!

Summer III

Yeah, I just returned from a slightly exhausting bike ride along the Rhine, took a shower and now I'm sitting outside in the garden soaking up the last sunrays of the day. Last Thursday I had my last exam (which I passed) and so from Friday on, I'll have holidays until 21th of August! Seems to be a long time, and, yeah, it is! But you don't have to be jealous, I have to learn for the exams in August and September. Anyway, the next few weeks I won't touch anything concerning my studies. I can work at the agency, do a lot of sports, definitely a lot, and enjoy the rest of the day...
Which is something I already did the last days even before my last exam. On Wednesday I decided not to learn too long, so I went swimming with Jonathan and his girlfriend. It was such a warm day, I guess the hottest this year, so we decided to go to a chilly und cosy spot directly on the Rhine to take a swim in the evening sun. It was one of these days when the Rhine just smells like the sea, and you wish summer will never end!

We listened to Jack Johnson, talked and once in a while took a swim in the clear blue green water. When I came home at 10:30PM the sky was still bright and I sat down for a moment to soak up the beauty of this wunderful summer evening.
On the horizon I could see lightning, but I knew it was too far away to concern me...

After my exam on Thursday I went to eat Pizza at Santa Lucia with a friend before I went back to the BQM, where we talked and had some drinks. Most of us went to a party called SoNaFe located at ETH Hönggerberg. There was no entrance fee and therefore it was full to bursting. It was once again a nice evening, and I hope I can post some pictures soon...

Summer II

I just got up a few minutes ago... Actually I should be learning for my last exam next week, but I think there's still plenty of time to do so. But I have an excuse for sleeping that late. Yesterday was the ETH Beach Party on the edge of Lake Zurich! And we had even more than one reason to go. First, it was a Thursday and we don't have lectures on Fridays, so this was perfect. The other reason was an exam we had in the afternoon. And after exams you want to do something. On Wednesday when we had another exam in food chemistry, I went cycling for an hour or so. And yesterday we simply went to the Beach Party. It started at 3PM and you paid 10.- entrance fee, but you could eat and drink as much as you wanted. We had a great time together, went to take a swim in the lake, danced, talked and enjoyed the Party!

Already on Wednesday I went to town having a few drinks with my friend Jonathan. We talked about the world in general and women in special ;-). Last weekend I was invited at a BBQ by a friend of my friends (and so on). Right now nothing is cosyier than chilling in the garden with nice music, nice people and a nice drink... Yeah, summer is great! As my friend had to get up early the next morning I also hoped I could get to bed soon (as I went clubbing the day before until 4AM). But no, we had some Ice Cream at El Bertin, a drink at Domino Club and there we met so many people we literally were trapped ;-)!

Last week, I had a few Milkshakes with Jonathan and once I went to have a drink at Lounge 74 with a girl I met at the competition I mentioned in the last post. So again, I never felt bored since spliting up with my girlfriend...

Summer I

I guess this is gonna be a long long post, cause I have to write down quite a few things.

Maybe the most important thing is: Me and my girlfriend split up... Just one day before my birthday we had a big crisis. I tried everything, and I mean everything, to fix it. But she didn't wanted to accept, so I didn't see a future together. It was hard, I couldn't sleep, was thinking and thinking all the time, and most of all I was sad. Really sad.

But as soon as it was over, and this was the point: when I knew it was definitely over, and I wasn't in uncertanity any longer, I said to myself: Hey, you did enjoy this time as much as you could, but now you have to go on and look forward to your future.

And I once again want to citate what I wrote once before (It sounds best if you listen to Nelly Furtado - All Good Things (Come to an End)):

Good things never last, so enjoy the good moments whilst they last. Because they never last. Sooner or later, it all comes to an end. What matters then is how you handle it.

Yeah, how you handle it. Want to know what I did? I called a friend, went to cinema and then drinking; drinking until 5AM. I had to get up a few hours later, as I had a competition. And even without a good preparation I won the 1000m race, which made me think, ...wow... no sleep, drinking, and you still win races.... Then I went back home, made a delicious Tiramisu and took the train to a Party in Zurich held by Sophie (the girl that supported me on phone when I was lost in Glattbrugg). It was cool and I had a few drinks to really enjoy this marvellous party! Again it was pretty late until we went to bed...

One thing I want to tell to everybody who was here for me, talked to me and gave me many helpful advice: Thank you!

Then I started reading the novel "I Am Charlotte Simmons" by Tom Wolfe. This was almost the only thing I could do the last week. But again, it helped. Check out the link if you're interested.

Right a few minutes ago, I happened to witness a thunderstorm I've never seen here. The sky suddenly turned black as hell, it became sturmy and it started to rain. And the rain became heavier and heavier. There was lightning after lightning. Thunder after thunder. And I had to take the bus to town... At the mainstation: Pure chaos. Only a few, including me :-), had an umbrella, the rest was waiting or looking for shelter. Now as I write down these words, the rain stopped a bit, but still, this was crazy...

UPDATE 05.06.2007: The thunderstorm's been in the news all over Switzerland...

Spring VII

Where should I begin my post? Maybe two weeks ago, when an exibition called Polymesse was held at ETH. It's an annual event, where famous and less famous companies present their industry and actually recruit potential experts among us students. Even if I don't even have my Bachelor yet, it's a good opportunity to get a glance at what you will expect after you've got the Master. Besides most of the stands have some chocolates or some other candies as freebie. I went to a very interesting presentation of Nestlé, the world's largest food company, and I talked to several guys of the marketing staff of Unilever.

Two days later we went to another excursion to PanGas, a gas producing company in Dagmersellen/LU. I really enjoyed it, not only because the first thing we did was having coffee and cookies. We did some cryocooking, where you cook with liquid nitrogen whit a temperature of -196°C! Yeah, pretty cold, and I wouldn't put a finger into the bottle... So we made our own ice cream within a few seconds. Why not open the first Cryo-Bar in Zurich?

Last week I only had classes on monday and tuesday so I had plenty of time to do sports. On saturday I even made Sushi and then watched the japanese movie Laputa - Castle in the sky which I first watched in New Zealand together with my japanese friend Shinsuke. Yesterday me and my friends spent half of the day at the Lindli as it was a hot day. I even went to take a bath in the Rhine...
As completion of the day we watched the swiss movie Snow White.
The pictures shows something I discovered on a wall. I don't know what it is but I guess these are some kind of insect eggs.

Spring VI

What a freakin weekend! It actually started already on friday morning when I had to get up at 5:15AM as I had an excursion to Bell AG, the biggest meat manufacturer in Switzerland. We actually saw everything from slaugther to the complete product ready for sale. It was very interesting except of the blood which was everywhere ;-) We even were invited for lunch with the CEO of Bell. Funny, almost everyone eat up the meal which included a piece of meat...
At around 3PM the excursion was over and so I seized the chance to have a coffee at Starbucks at Steinenvorstadt, before I walked back to the mainstation. Then I was invited for a BBQ. But for the first time for weeks it started to rain...
And the rain continued until Saturday where I once again had to get up at 6AM as I had to run 6.2km with a difference in altitude of 420m. It was the same stretch as one year ago and I was even faster as 2006 even though I had the feeling of a perfect race. I needed exactly 33:45 min to get to the top of the Uetliberg. Next years goal is already fixed: Below 30:00 min ;-) !

I went home to sleep a bit and then I once again returned to Zurich, as I went to drink something with a teammember. Then we went to the italian restaurant Santa Lucia at Marktgasse to eat Pizza.

Further that evening we had some drinks at Edi's Weinbar before we went to the SOLA-Party at Uni Irchel. Actually I wanted to get back to Schaffhausen at 10PM but, you know, I didn't made it... Then I decided to get home at 1AM but then they were no trams anymore so I had to walk and time was getting short, so I decided to take the last train at 3AM. I had to dash to the trainstation at Oerlikon cause it was already late. Unfortunately I had run out of money and couldn't pay the nightbonus.

And it happened what had to happen: the conductor came. So I could decide to pay CHF 80.- or disembark at Glattbrugg. I chose the second thing. To my regret, the next train to Schaffhausen should come at 5:15AM... I was alone and the only thing I could do was listen to my iPod which was running out of battery as well... and a particular thank goes to Sophie who supported my by phone during this difficult time!

Spring V

It's already May 1st. Unbelivable. April was just great! I think it never rained a single day the whole month. And the temperature was about 6 degrees above the average. And so it was time for Ice Cream! I spent more than CHF 50.- for Ice Cream and over 120.- for Coffee last month... Maybe because Starbucks is now selling the marvellous Banana Java Chip Frappuccinos for CHF 8.40 (medium size). Today Perrine and I took a train to Zurich only to have a Frappuccino at the lakefront. Crazy, isn't it? But an elderly woman said what I was thinking: The possibilities are endless, as long as you're young! (and pretty and have plenty of money in your pockets)
She's right...

Another thing about Starbucks. I met my cousin a few days ago and he said he's going to quit his job at Starbucks as it's too hard to balance job and studies. And another fact: I've been at every Starbucks in Zurich except the one at Rindermark and the recently opened store at Sihlcity. But I wouldn't call me addicted... :-)

The weather forecast for saturday predicts rain and right then I once again run for our SOLA-Team. I was training hard the last weeks, been in the gym, biking and jogging and even sprinting again. I feel in shape as I had kind of a nutrition plan (including my ice cream) and I'm prepared for the race!

Spring IV

I love spring! Actually I wouldn't call that spring, it's rather summer. We never had a cloudy day since the easter weekend and it was even pretty hot with 26°C... I was eating ice cream all day. To keep in shape I also did a lot of sports. I went jogging and biking the last weekend, and during the week I went twice to the gym.
On friday I met a friend from sports. He was going to meet two working partners from Germany, so I joined them for a drink at the Fass. I dashed home to get ready for the evening. My girlfriend wasn't here, so I did something with my friends. We went to the Domino Club, where we met many other friends... It was funny to see them all again! Then we joined a group of girls celebrating a wedding-eve party. This was really crazy. They wanted to see our sixpacks, so we took off our shirts and showed them our bodies. As reward they paid for some drinks and a Dürum Kebab...
I came home at 5:30AM and was tired as hell...

Saturday was great as well... After sleeping the whole morning I went jogging and then met some friends. That evening I was invited at a BBQ (the first in 2007) until we again went to town to have a spoon of chocolate ice cream!

On Monday I went to Starbucks at Bleicherweg and finally went to the lake to take a bath in the sun.

Spring III

This easter week was a wonderful one. It began on monday, when I went to training with my former coach. I tried to do the whole workout together with my training partners, but it was too much for me: I had sore muscles until friday... But on friday I took my bike out for a ride to get a bit out of town as the weather was beautiful. On Sunday I was jogging again and yesterday I did a short sprinting workout in the morning...

Last thursday a friend from uni made a party at his new apartment in Zurich, near Starbucks at Schaffhauserplatz. We were about 7 people and it was quite funny!

On saturday I met another friend from High School, so we went to eat Ice Cream at El Bertin. I guess I've been there almost ten times this week :-)

I enjoyed the sun at the Lindli and watched some movies after the sunset. So I've been in the cinema watching The Number 23. Yesterday evening there was Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du coran on TV. I previously read the book, so I knew it was a good movie! All in all a wonderful week! ;-)

Spring II

This was another spring week where many things happened...

On the way to Zurich I met my former Track coach and so we talked about training and took a trip down the memory lane. So I decided to give my comeback today evening! The result you can see in the next post... On friday evening my former trainingpartner called and so we went to have a drink first at El Bertin and then another one at Surstoff Bar in Schaffhausen. We talked about almost everything...

On saturday I went jogging for 45 min to keep in shape :-) Then I went to Sihlcity in Zurich where I bought a sweater at H&M and some pretty expencive 55DSL by Diesel shades. Even as Sihlcity is quite big, it was crowded as hell this afternoon. After coming back to Schaffhausen I went to a friends birthday party to have dinner and some drinks... ;-)

The picture I took at the law library in Zurich, constructed by Santiago Calatrava. This is already the forth work I saw, after the Turning Torso in Malmö/SWE, the Montjuic Tower in Barcelona/ESP as well as Stadelhofen Station in Zurich.

Spring I

Last week I finally got my exam mark: 4.7. In my opinion this is ok. Even though I was secretly hoping for a 5. But I passed and this is what matters.

This weekend we escaped from the late snow to the warm and sunny South. We again took the 8:09 Cisalpino in Schaffhausen with direction to Venice in Italy. We had our own compartment and could install the speakers for our iPod. In Bellinzona we stopped and bought something to eat and soon we took another train to Locarno and then to Verscio, where the Teatro Dimitri is located. After watching some lessons, we went back to Locarno and took the bus to Mesocco, where we have a house.

On sunday we forgot to change the clocks to daylight saving time. We realized it when the bus didn't come...

Early Spring IV

Wow, what a weekend! On saturday morning I had my last exam in organic chemistry. Actually I studied not that hard because I thought I don't really need a good mark to pass. But during the exam I could solve problems I could never solve before. So I was happy in two ways: The chemistry exam was easier than expected and the exams are finally over...

In the afternoon I went to eat some ice cream. After strolling around in Schaffhausen we decided to visit the Haberhaus, a bar in and old medieval building in Schaffhausen. The evening we went to the Tabacco Lounge to have a few drinks.

On Sunday we went to Starbucks in Berne to have a coffee as we didn't really sleep that much. Then we took a train Neuchatel where we had a short stopover on our way to the Creux-du-Van. It's is a long, half rounded cliff that developped naturally through erosion and its ripid walls are up to 160 meter high. We had to walk 2 hours to get to the top which lies on 1400m (the trainstation is on 700m above sealevel). It was really impressing. Back in the train to Zurich we all were very tired and slept the whole way.

Early Spring III

Only one exam left... Yesterday I had one in biochemistry and I think it was one of the best marks so far. But I've been learning a lot so this is just the reward for the layed out time. The last exam will be in organic chemistry on saturday (!) morning. This means I probably can't even get out on friday night... But I already know what I'm doing right after the exam. I will dash to the mainstation and take the next train to Schaffhausen. Then I'll head for the Gelateria El Bertin, which will open its doors on saturday.

Last saturday we could see a total lunar eclipse here in Schaffhausen. In most parts of Switzerland it was cloudy but here we could see the moon in a fantastic but strange red color. On sunday I went to the Lindli as it was a beautiful day and I didn't intend to learn the whole day. I met some friends and talked until the sunset. I really love spring!

Besides: In a few days there will be a big opening in Zurich - Sihlcity opens its doors. It's a huge complex for shopping, living, pleasure and wellbeing. Zurich's new neighbourhood is rising up on the foundations of the former Sihl Paper Factory. It is the innovative execution of a sophisticated concept that unites a wide variety of activities in a single location.

Early Spring II

First I have to apologize a trillion times I've not been updating my blog for the last few weeks. But I had to study very hard for the exams at uni and my notebook crashed and I had to get a new one, this time a Powerbook G4. But this will come later...

Yesterday I had the second of seven exams. In the first one, in food analysis, I got a 5 so I was pretty pleased. Tomorrow we will have the very important exam in physics. And on friday another one in anatomy. This will continue for 3 weeks...

Anyway, it's definitely spring now. I've been learning several times at the Lindli which I'd never done before in February. Actually this was a year without a winter. It snowed once and there were hardly ever days where the temperature dropped below 0°C.


Recently I was often listening to Coldplay as their songs remind me of the time in April when the trees get their beautiful green leaves!



NOTE: I will add some more text here in the next day without opening a new post! So check again later!

22.02.2007
Today it's my brother's birthday... I went to the hairdresser at 8AM (yeah, pretty early) and then I was learning and enjoying the sun and the warm temperature. Again I was at the Lindli as I was fed up with learning at home. I hope I'm prepared enough for the anatomy exam tomorrow.

After my exams have finished, I'll start my workout to get in shape for the summer :-)! I already went to the gym 3 times a week now and have been cycling and jogging. But this is not enough... I want to be in shape so I would be able to compete again in track and field. Maybe I once will find time to do so.

Early Spring I

It's Spring now - definitely! On friday Locarno measured 23.8°C! Imagine: 30°C in Summer is really hot in Switzerland and now in January we have almost 24°C... In Schaffhausen we have pretty warm 15°C and everywhere you can see blossoming flowers and hear birds singing. The previous weekend I went to the Lindli for the first time in 2007. It was a sunny day with almost no wind, so I took off my sweater and sat there reading in the t-shirt. I made it into the local newspaper, as a journalist wrote an article about the mild weather and saw me sitting there...

Last week it was pretty stormy as the hurricane Kyrill sweeped over Europe. Once as I was outside, it was as I would walk into a wall because of the wind. And besides it was pretty dangerous as many trees or branches crashed down on the streets.

Recently I bought an 80GB iPod in black! I know 80GB is much, but so I can use it as external harddisk...

On sunday evening we went to the cinema and watched the swiss movie "Breakout" with Stress, Melanie Winiger and Max Loong. So yesterday I was pretty tired at uni but fortunately my some lectures were cancelled, so me and my friends went drinking something at bQm.

Maybe I have to finish our Paris story: New Year was a beautiful day and we again went to the Eiffel Tower, later to the Pantheon and besides we just strolled around. The next morning we had to get off very early to get to the airport. In Basel we went to Starbucks again and in Zurich once again, where we met my cousin and talked a bit, as he also was in Paris during High School.

Paris VI

After our first night at the new hotel, we intented to climb the Eiffel Tower. There was again a pretty long queue... So we had a devilish plan :-) We went along the queue and took some pictures and slowly but surely we fused with the queue... We paid 3 Euro entrance fee and climbed up to the first and second platform. We didn't went up to the third one on 274m as it was quite foggy and the sight was limited. But anyway, we had a superb view over Paris!
Later on, we strolled around the neighborhood and found some small food markets and we really felt the french atmosphere!

As it was New Year's Eve, we bought some Champagne and went home to relax a bit, before we intended to go to the Champs-Elysées to watch the firework. But as we were again on the streets it rained cats and dogs. We decided to drink coffee somewhere, couldn't find one but a Chinese Restaurant! After a delicious dinner we went back to the hotel and took a bath with Champagne...

Besides: The firework was cancelled!

Paris V

In the morning of the following day we had to check out at the hostel and check in at the Hotel Belfort in the 11th Arrondissement. This hotel was on a calm street but still not far away from the metro stop Voltaire. We had everything there: A big supermarket, a bank, small fruit shops and many bakeries. The room and the bed in the hotel was bigger than the other one and we even had a bath.

We were very happy it wasn't that cold anymore, no, we felt as if it was spring already because now the temperature was far over 10°C. So we just walked around the 11th arrondissement and we soon came to the Bastille, a prison, known because of the storming on July 14, 1789, which is considered the beginning of the French Revolution. This date is now the French national holiday.


We walked and walked and soon we were at the Place de Vosges, the oldest square in Paris. We again saw the Notre Dame from behind and decided to see the Pigalle at night before returning to the hotel.

Paris IV

The third day started as the second ended: Bloody cold! It was around -2°C but with a strong, icy breeze that made the felt temperature decreasing to -7°C. As we had warm clothes we didn't care and went to the westernmost extremity of Paris, to La Défense. It's the largest business district in Europe and lies on the Historical Axis, which begins at the Louvre in the centre of Paris and crosses the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe. Maybe the most important building at La Défense is La Grande Arche. It should represent a 20th century version of the Arc de Triomphe and was completey in 1990.
The Arche is almost a perfect cube and it has been suggested that the structure looks like a four dimensional hypercube projected onto the three dimensional world.

As it was that cold we had a coffee at Starbucks and wrote several postcards for our friends. As it was still sunny, we decided to take the metro to the possibly most recognized monument in the world: The Eiffel Tower. Including the 24 m antenna, the tower is 324 m high. At the time of its construction in 1889, the tower replaced the Washington Monument as the world's tallest structure, a title it retained until 1930. The queue was so unbelievable long we walked on by to see Les Invalides, a complex Louis XIV initiated in 1670, as a home and hospital for aged and unwell soldiers: the name is a shortened form of hôpital des invalides, the hospital for invalids. Tired of the coldness and getting hungry we took the metro to Les Galeries Lafayette, a big departement store with a beautiful dome in the middle.


As soon as it was 18'o clock, we went to the Louvre because on fridays everyone under 26 will get free entry. We only had to show our passport and in no time we were amid hundreds of paintings and sculputres. We were pretty tired, so we just wanted to see Leonard da Vinci's oil painting Mona Lisa!
In the hostel we met some Austrians as they were cooking in the hostel kitchen. Suddenly a deafening alarm siren went off. It was the fire alarm because of a pan that was was too hot. A few minutes later the fire brigade was there with three cars and the whole hostel was in trouble... :-)

Paris III

After a bloody cold night in the hostel, we got our free breakfast with bagettes and coffee and then climbed up to the 130m tall Montmartre Hill, that overlooks Paris.
Sadly it was pretty foggy and we couldn't see that far. We went into the well-known Basilica of the Sacré Cœur that was built from 1876 to 1912. Its white dome is a highly visible landmark in the city, where just below it artists still set up their easels each day amidst the tables and colorful umbrellas of Place du Tertre.
We walked around the narrow streets and found many galleries, artists and cafés. Famous artists, such as Dali, Monet, and Picasso had studios or worked around Montmartre.
Then we looked for the Café "Deux Moulins" on Rue Lepic 15, where the movie "Amélie" was set. It was so crowded with folks, we had to wait 40 minutes until we finally got our Café crème and Crême brûlé.
From the café it's just a short walk to the famous cabaret Moulin Rouge in the district of Pigalle. Then we took the metro to Place de la Concorde and walked to the Champs-Elysées and on the way we took some photos of L'église de la Madeleine, a huge church, of the Palais Royal and the major tourist attraction Notre Dame. It's widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture.


Finally we went to the Centre Pompidou, where the French national modern art museum is located. The building structure is very distinctive: The coloured external piping is the special feature of the building. Air conditioning ducts are blue; water pipes are green; and electricity lines are yellow. Escalators and elevators are red. White ducts are ventilation shafts for the underground areas. Even the steel beams that make up the Pompidou Centre's framework are on the outside.
Besides there are some very nice paintings shown: All in blue. You need much time to see every detail... :-) But it's not my duty to judge modern art...

As we were getting very tired we found a Starbucks right around the corner and had a coffee.

Paris II

This time I decided not to travel with a direct train to Basel but with a stopover in Zurich. In Basel we met a friend of mine and went to Starbucks to chat and drink some coffee. Then we took the bus to the EuroAirport.
The flight was pretty short and we could see a beautiful sunset from the sky. In Paris we took the train to Gare de Nord where we took the metro to our hostel on the Montmartre Hill. We just left our baggage there and went on the way to the Tour Montparnasse, with 210m the tallest skyscraper in France. The 58 floors of the tower are mainly occupied by offices, while two floors are open to the public: The 56th floor with a restaurant, and the terrace on the top floor. Up there, we had an absolutely stunning view of Paris!


Back on the ground, we bought something to eat and went to the Champs-Elysée and walked up to the Arc de Triomphe where we took the metro back to our hostel.

Paris I

This morning we came back from our awesome holidays in Paris! It was just pure pleasure being in the capital city of France! We experienced that much during our six day trip: We went on top of the Tour Montparnasse, on the Eiffel-Tower, had another stunning view from the top of the shopping mall Galleries Lafayette, walked along the Champs-Elysées, climbed up to the top of Montmartre to see the Sacre-Coeur, went into the famous Notre-Dame, had free entry to the Louvre and much more... We even witnessed a fire alarm in our hostel. But I'll soon post everything in chronological order.

Wintersemester VII

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!!!

See you again in 2007 after my trip to Paris!

Wintersemester VI

Right now I feel a bit depressed even though there is only one day left until christmas holiday. Even though soon I will be in Paris. Even though we just had a little party with christmas cookies, cakes, chips, coffee and wine after the last microbiology practical training. But still I don't feel happy right now...
[Listening to Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars]

Maybe one reason for my mood might be that I didn't sleep that much recently. I watched once again some movies I got from a friend:

Yamakasi - Les samouraïs des temps modernes
Blow
Das Experiment
Wrong Turn

Yamakasi - Les samouraïs des temps modernes is a french movie and demonstrates the skills of the Yamakasi, a group of freerunners, who battle against injustice in the Paris ghetto. You can find a short freerunner video here.
Often mistaken for Japanese, the word yamakasi is actually taken from an African language, which is spoken in the two Congos. Ya makási can mean "strong body, strong spirit, strong person", though in French usage its meaning is closer to "high energy".
Blow with Johnny Depp was very touching and is now one of my favorites.

On sunday all shops and stores were open so we went to town for a walk where we met Joëlle. We went to have coffee at Fass, where a vernissage of Milk and Vodka, a comic drawer, is held until January.

Since beginning of December we now have fast ICE trains from Germany instead of the always late italian Cisalpinos. However we still have only one direct train to Zurich an hour. But Zurich has a vision for 2025 where they have a wide train, tram and bus net to cover all suburbs and surrounding regions.

Wintersemester V

Once again a week passed that fast! And in 14 days it's Christmas. But I'm absolutely not in the mood for christmas time. Yesterday I walked home at 5 AM after checking out some clubs in town. And I clearly heard birds singing spring melodies. I sat down as it was quite warm and listened to the birds' twittering. I felt as it was spring, really... Yeah, maybe I have to tell you where I've been yesterday: First I went to the Kammgarn to have some drinks and then to another club called TapTab, where I met some friends.

On friday we went to the cinema to watch Children of Men which is set in London in 2027 where human no longer can procreate: No children. No future. No hope.

Last week I checked out the two new Starbucks stores I mentioned in the last post. When I was in Oerlikon I strolled around the new suburb and was quite impressed and made a few fotos.

Then I was looking for a Freitag bag. I wasn't quite sure if I should get one as they are pretty expensive (CHF 200.-).

The last thing I want to mention: A friend made a video clip for a swiss hiphop combo, which is now playing on Viva Swiss.

See the clip on YouTube!

Wintersemester IV

It's already December, which means only a few days to go until we take off for Paris. More information will follow in the next posts.

I went to have my hair cut at Kopfsalat in Schaffhausen. Actually I made once a picture when it was closed...

Moreover I went twice to Winterthur in the last weeks, just for fun. I think it's Switzerlands 6th biggest city with a population of almost 100'000. Once I decided to drink coffee at Tibits by Hiltl. But then I realised I had to take the next train back to Schaffhausen.
But let's talk about coffee: Starbucks opened several new stores in Switzerland. In Zurich they opened one at Schaffhauserplatz and one in Oerlikon, where a whole suburb (Centre Zurich North) was created around Max-Bill Platz.

Wintersemester III

As the titel indicates it should slowly but surley get winter. Indeed it's everything but winter: Yesterday Glarus, a city up in the mountains, measured a temperature of 21.5°C! In Schaffhausen as well we had pretty warm 14.9°C. And that's not all: We found many blossoming flowers and bees and butterflies. And in less than a week it's December...

Note: [It's now Sunday the 26th of November and it was even hotter! In Bad Ragaz the temperature raised to 22.2°C]

Wintersemester II

On Friday I went to have a drink with a friend at Lounge 74. We talked about topics such as girls, sports (he once was U18 swiss champion in the 400m dash) and studying. Besides we met many other friends we hadn't expect to meet there!

And on saturday I watched "The Da Vinci Code" with Tom Hanks and Andrey Tautou. As it's partly set in Paris we now have some other places we want to visit in December.

Last week I had to buy a new GA at the SBB shop in Schaffhausen.

"With the General Abonnement (GA), you can hop aboard the next train and enjoy unlimited travel on SBB's network as well as on most privately operated railways. The card also entitles you to free travel on postbuses, lake and river boats and on trams and buses in numerous Swiss cities and urban networks – totally over 23'500 kilometres of public transport. And many mountain railways and cableways grant special discounts for GA holders."
www.sbb.ch

Wintersemester I

Week No.3 at university ended today. I'm quite pleased that I passed the exams and now I'm motivated for the next semester and the exams in February and March.

My studies now consists of two practical trainings in physics and microbiology. This is a nice change from the lectures. We work in groups of two and every group has an assistant which is mostly a PhD student. In microbiology we breed bacteria and viruses.

The focus in this semester though lies in physics. Then we have lectures in maths, biochemistry, environmental economics, organic chemistry, anatomy of humans and animals and in food analytics.

Today I couldn't attend my lectures as I had a cold with fever...

So I listend the story: The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince) writen by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and published in 1943. Although ît's ostensibly a children's book, it makes several profound and idealistic points about life and love.

Fall V

I passed!

Fall IV

I'm still waiting for my exam result... It's now thursday evening and I don't know if I passed or failed. And therefore I'm not sure what to do tomorrow. On Tuesday I went to the gym at Irchel and met two friends and with both of them I went to Starbucks. On wednesday I worked some hours at the agency and did some sports in the morning. Actually I decided to do more sports and I try to eat healthy and pay attention to my nutrition.

But anyway... I only attended two lectures so far this week: One in biochemistry and another in environmental economics. What else should I do as long as I don't know my result?

Besides I've been at the Kammgarn-Bar with my friends to chat and have some drinks yesterday evening! We suddenly felt in the mood to have a drink so we spontanously decided to check this bar that we didn't really know.

Today it was more than 20°C warm! I was sitting on a bench in a yard surrounded by medieval buildings. I had to move to a bench in the shadow because it was too hot to sit in the sun! And soon it's November!

Fall III

Last sunday I went to have a drink at Lounge 74 with a friend from High School. He's been in Vancouver/CAN this summer and now he's going to study at the same university as I do. So we met and talked about everything we experienced during this time. Besides we suggested that we could do our workout together at uni. Apropos workout, I've been in the gym for the first time since my exams started in September. I did exactly what I usualy was doing, but the next day I had sore muscles, they were hurting like hell!
Maybe this was a good reason to watch some movies, as I couldn't move anymore... So I watched

Lost in Translation
City of God
La Haine
Princesas

I was watching Lost in Translation together with a friend and I told him before that I like the movie because I've been in Tokyo and Kyoto, where the movie is set. In my eyes it's the only fact I like the movie. As for him, he didn't know the locations so he was waiting for the action to come. He always thought in the next few minutes something is going to happen... But nothing happend. This movie doesn't really have any action.

Yesterday we went to eat Chinese at a Chinese Restaurant in Germany but still near the border. After the meal with noodles and spicy chicken, we took a bus to a village in the countryside where we climbed up a hill to enjoy the beautiful weather and the deep blue sky.

Today the semester at university started! But I'm still waiting for my exam result, so I don't really know what to do. Tomorrow I will attend some lectures and go to the gym and maybe meet some friends. Maybe...

Fall II

Finally my exams belong to the past! On monday last week I had a two hour exam in earth- and productionsystems and yesterday the last one in law. So me and my friends went to drink coffee at Starbucks (that one at Rennweg) and we went into a big department store where we bought Sushi! Then I realised that one year ago I've been in Japan!

One week ago we watched the Oscar-winning movie "Crash". It's one of my favorite movies, maybe even the favorite one. The film depicts several characters living in Los Angeles during a 36 hour period and brings them together through car accidents, shootings, and carjackings. Most of the characters depicted in the film are racially prejudiced in some way and become involved in conflicts which force them to examine their own prejudices.

The next 10 days I will do whatever I want to and start reading some books that I wanted to read long ago: William Shakespeare - Othello and Franz Kafka - Der Prozess. As my exam results will be published on 27th of October I don't really know if I should attend my lectures at uni...

Fall I

Last weekend we went to have dinner at the restaurant Sommerlust right at the shores of the Rhine. Around midday, when the fog had disappeared, we went to a small hill which provides a superb view over Schaffhausen to have a picknick with chilled champagne. As soon as we finished the champagne we went to the museum to visit the Otto Dix exhibition Retrospektive. Then, as I already said, we had our delicious dinner.

Actually it happend a lot, though nothing really happend... I had two other exams this week, biology and mathematics. On friday I was quite upset because of the maths exam and so I went to the cinema with two friends to see the movie Click with Adam Sandler. It was big fun and so I could calm down a bit!

Yesterday evening a friend of mine celebrated his 30iest birthday at the Tabacco Lounge in Schaffhausen. It wasn't until 2am when I was back home.

Besides: This September was the hottest one since beginning of the measurements. And indeed I can't remember having worn shorts that much in September.

Late Summer IV

After the exam on friday me and my friends all went to Starbucks to have a cup of coffee and to talk about our prosperous future :-)! I don't know my marks yet but I think it was not too bad. On monday we had the exam in economics, on wednesday in Technic of Problem Solving and on friday morning we had a two hour exam in Diversity of Animals and Plants. But there are still 6 exams left. I try to learn as hard as much but I don't forget to live...

Late Summer III

I will spend New Year in Paris! Actually I intended to visit Paris after my exam period in October but New Year isn't bad either.

So I spontanously booked the flight with easyjet yesterday evening! We will spend six nights in the romantic city! The hostel for the first three nights is located on the Montmartre hill in the 18th arrondissement and is named Le Montclair Montmartre. Then we will spend the last three days in the Hotel Belfort.

The movie "The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain" is set in Montmartre, so we'll enjoy a coffee at the famous Café "Deux Moulins", Rue Lepic 5. Besides we will see the worldfamous Eiffel Tower, the Champs-Élysées, the Basilica Sacré Cœur, the Panthéon, the Louvre...

Late Summer II

My exams are approaching... In 10 days I will have the first one. But I don't feel stressed as I don't want to build up any pressure. So I can enjoy my life as much as I can. I read books, blog or do sports whenever I feel to.

Yesterday I created a new Flickr account where I can share my personal photographs with a wider community. Check it out!

On Tuesday I went to the Rhine as it was a warm day and I wanted to soak up the last sunrays.
Besides the weather is already partly autumnal. In the morning it's cold and foggy until the sun emerges at midday.

Late Summer I

Today it's exactly one year since I started blogging! Time flies fast, I know, but I never thought that fast!

Here is a short summary of what I did since being back from Scandinavia:

1. Preparing for my exams that will begin on 18th of September
2. Went to see the athletics meeting Weltklasse Zurich
3. Watched some movies (Erbsen auf halb Sechs)
4. Met a lot of my friends at the same weekday without appointment

Today I went shopping in Zurich. Schaffhausen is too small and has not a wide variety of shops and boutiques so I always go to Zurich. Spent once again too much money on clothes! ;-)

Scandinavia VIII

The last station of our trip through Scandinavia was Oslo in Norway, one of the most expensive cities in the world. As of 2006, it is ranked first according to the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Yet about 22 % of the population of Oslo are immigrants what we couldn't overlook. We payed 80 NOK for a return ticket to get to Grefsen where our YHA lay and provided a superb view of the city.
Unfortunately the weather changed from sunny and warm to rainy and cold. Luckily we already explored Oslo the day we arrived! The second day we spent mainly in cafés and shopping centres as it was raining outside.

Actually my impression of Oslo was not that good. Sweden and Copenhagen were much better!

Scandinavia VII

In the morning of the 6th August we took a bus which drove us back to Sweden and straight on to Göteborg. The weather was great and it was even pretty hot, even though there was a slight wind from the sea. In Göteborg we hadn't booked a hostel in advance, as we couldn't find any in the internet. We then went to a tourist information centre. They had bad news: All hostels were booked out. At least they gave us some youth hostel numbers. I then called some of them but they had only dorms for female. But we were lucky this time! The last number I tried had still some beds!


In the afternoon we enjoyed the beautiful weather while we were walking through the city centre. Because of the European Athletic Championships the whole city was in party atmosphere! There was the so called EM-Festen a big music festival with swedish and international bands such as Eskobar or CKY. We watched Eskobar after we had been to the Ullevi Stadion where the EC take place. They played great!

The next day we relaxed and then went to the Ullevi Stadion, as we had half day tickets for the Athletic Championships! We watched the 100m quarterfinals with Dwain Chambers, shot put, javelin, and the womans 10000m final!

Scandinavia VI

We spontanously decided to stay two days in Copenhagen and then move on to Göteborg back in Sweden. We decided to sleep a bit longer than usual cause we've been out until 3:30AM whereas the italians came home at around 5AM! In the morning we first had coffee with the italians and after a short walk to the tourist information centre we had another at Baresso, rated as the best Coffee-Bar in Danmark.


Besides we went to Christiania a partially self-governing freetown which was founded in 1971, when a group of hippies took over an area of abandoned military barracks.

Scandinavia V

In the morning of the next day we left Malmö by bus and headed to Copenhagen in Danmark. The journey took us over the Öresund Bridge with a total length of almost 8km. It's quite impressing beeing over the bridge that provides a fantastic view over the strait.
Arrived in Copenhagen, we first went to our hostel where we met two funny Italians, Fabio and Antonio. They offered us some italian coffee and we talked and talked and talked. As the weather was really nice we decided to leave the Italians and to do some sightseeing. We visited Amalienborg Palace, the winter home of the Danish royal family, Strøget, the longest pedestrian shopping area in the world, the Kastellet, one of the best preserved fortifications in Northern Europe and constructed in the form of a pentagram. Of course we went to see the little Mermaid, maybe the most famous tourist attraction in Copenhagen.



The Italians in our room invited us to a party on the Stubnitz, which is a huge fishing boat, which had been transformed into a mobile platform for parties! Unfortunately it was quite expencive to get in, so we decided to have a drink somewhere else.

Scandinavia IV

The following day we took the X2000 train from Stockholm to Malmö which is the third largest city in Sweden. Malmö is situated in the south of Sweden and once again the weather was superb although it was raining most of the time in the train.

Our hostel was outside the city centre, so we left our luggage in a locker and explored the Old Town. And again we had some stops for coffee. We were hungry and therefore went to Pizza Hut to buy a Pizza. Smart as we are we ordered only a small Pizza to save some money. Actually it was still pricey. But what we got was soooo small... You couldn't name it Pizza!



Nonetheless, we were ready to go to the beach in Malmö. One thing which is visible almost everywhere in Malmö is a skyscraper named HSB Turning Torso. It was designed by Santiago Calatrava and officially opened in 2005. The tower reaches a height of 190 metres with 54 stories and is actually an apartment building apart of some offices at the bottom.

Scandinavia III

The next day we got up early to catch a sightseeing bus that drove us through all parts of Stockholm. We were still tired so both of us fell asleep during the tour. Maybe it was because I listened the tour information in French :-)

We had lunch in Gamla Stan and bought some coffee. Then we were ready again for new explorations.

We walked to the island of Södermalm, former renowned for its poverty and regarded as a slum. Today it is considered a fashionable place to live or to go to, and it boasts prominent shopping districts and a wide range of cafés, restaurants and bars. Also, rather than being known as a slum, Södermalm is now known as home of bohemia, alternative culture and a broad range of cultural amenities.

Once again we stopped for a coffee on our way to the Globen. The Globen is the world's largest spherical building (it has a diameter of 110 metres and an inner height of 85 metres). It is now mainly used for Ice Hockey and music concerts. Even Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela have been inside.


Besides: On our way back to the hostel we took the subway for the first time!

At 9:30 PM we went to the famous Ice Bar in the lobby of the Nordic Sea Hotel. The outside temperature was around 22°C whereas it was bloody cold inside with -5°C! The interior and even the glasses are made of pure ice!

Scandinavia II

The first thing I can remember is that I had to get up at 3:40 AM... And I tell you: That sucks!
After a two hour flight we landed in Stockholm and immediately went to our hostel. We couldn't check in at this time but store our luggage there. After a short rest and loads of coffees we explored Gamla Stan, the Old Town of Stockholm.

The weather was fine and not to hot as it was back in Switzerland before we left. However, we were quite tired because of the walking we did. We wanted to save money by not taking any means of transportation. So we walked and walked.



After several coffees and energy drinks we went to the Vasa Museum on the island of Djurgården (Stockholm is built on 14 islands). The Vasa was a hugh war ship in the 17th century but sank during its maiden voyage in 1628. In 1961 it had been salvaged and now it's preserved in the Vasa Museum.

In the evening we went to Friday's to have a drink to celebrate our first day in Sweden.

Scandinavia I

I hope I will soon find some time to post all pictures and stories of our Scandinavia trip! It's been a fantastic journey through three countries and three capitals within 10 days...

I went to an Openair Cinema to watch "Brokeback Mountain" the same day I landed in Zurich. It was a bit stressy but seeing that movie made up for everything...

Summer Break II

20 minutes ago, I was lying on my towel at the Rhine because it's bloody hot out there... But let's begin with something else: Today I bought a new digital camera: Sony Cybershot T30! It was quite expencive as I also had to buy a new 2GB Memory Stick at MediaMarkt in Winterthur. I guess I'm not the only one who was interested in the black T30: Most of the internet shops were out of stock.

Since I came back from the Netherlands it was always more than 30°C and it never rained here. Some trees already lose their leaves or the leaves are getting red or yellow as in early fall. It's almost too hot... If you sit in the bus or old trains you can't stand it longer than a few minutes. I usually go running or cycling in the morning to escape from the heat.

But soon enough I will be in Sweden, Danmark and Norway. On monday I met my friend for a short briefing. We decided also to go to Kobenhavn/DEN and then back to Helsingborg/SWE. Besides we got tickets for the European Athletics Championships in Göteborg. Hope we will find a hostel there. In Stockholm we already booked one for the first two nights, the City Lodge!
This afternoon I changed my swiss francs to swedish, dansk and norwegian krones. I'm ready for Scandinavia!

Summer Break I

I went to Glarus on Monday for dinner! All four "Netherland"-friends came together and we recapitulated all stories and everything that happend to us during these days. Moreover we exchanged our pictures and enjoyed this warm summer evening.

Now I have to learn for my exams in September... I don't really want to, but that's not the question. I try to do some sports to get a change from learning.

Netherlands IV

On saturday morning we again had so much luck! We wanted to go back to Leiden to take the train to go to Den Haag. But as we paid for the hotel we got the advice to take a direct bus from Noordwijk. This is what we did. We were almost the only four people travelling to Den Haag. Then again, we had to find a hotel. At a tourist information center they recommended us the Stayokay YHA hostel. It was quite cheap but for the first time we had only dorms with six beds.



We were all hungry so we bought a meal at a Yam Yam to go and after another shopping tour we took the tram to go to Scheveningen where the most frequented beach in the Netherlands is located.

In the evening we went to eat Pizza in an Italian Restaurant before having a drink in a very chilly lounge near the water.

Netherlands III

After our shopping tour we decided to go to the North Sea to relaxt at the beach. The first step was a phone call to a hostel in Noordwijk. They offered two double rooms with breakfast included for 24 Euros per person and night. No wonder we accepted! Step two was to get the train and bus tickets to Noordwijk. The woman at the ticket office at Amsterdam Centraal Station was very friendly and explained that we had to go to Leiden by train and then change to a bus. Arrived in Leiden, we organised the bustickets and soon after we were sitting in the bus to Noordwijk.



The next problem was: Where to go out? We didn't know where the hostel was so we remained in the bus until we noticed that we were already driving out of town. Then the busdriver suddenly stopped and asked where we wanted to go... We told him the name of the hotel and he just said: "No problem, just walk along this street for 7 min and you will be there". And indeed, after a 7 min walk we spotted the hostel.



We then went to the beach to have a picknick with food we bought back in Amsterdam. There was a beautiful sunset at 10:30pm and the sky was full of different colors. We almost couldn't believe how the sky could change its color!



The water was quite warm, so we decided to stay another night at the hotel so that we could spend a day at the beach!

Netherlands II

I guess it's now time to introduce my friends. As you may have noticed I don't usually use names but now I'll change my mind. Here they are:


Urs is from Glarus/GL and decided to quit studying at university. He now tries to get a job at a bank. Hope he will soon find one. Besides he's a pretty good curling player.

Livia was born near Zurich but then moved to Kehrsatz/BE. She now lives in Meilen/ZH in a big house where she can hold awesome parties! ;-)

Larissa is from Herisau/AR but now lives in Zurich in an apartment. She loves to play piano and is full of ideas, which is always very helpful.

All pictures were made during our trip in the Netherlands...

Netherlands I

Wow, this trip was once again a full success! We had soooo much fun together! But let's start at the very beginning. On wednesday we boarded the airplane in Basel and about one hour later we landed in Schiphol where the airport of Amsterdam is located. We took the train to Amsterdam Centraal Station and what we needed then was a cheap hostel were we could leave our luggage.



We then found the * Hotel de Koopermoolen not far away from the redlight district. After a short rest we went to eat indonesian which no one of us had ever tried before.

The next day we made a shopping tour in Amsterdams most famous shopping lane, the Kalverstraat. We all four bought some new shoes, I found a pair of yellow Adicolor Shoes! Had to buy them immediately!

Early Summer V

Today I need to take a train to Basel to get to the airport. Me and three friends from uni spontaneously booked a flight to Amsterdam/NED. We don't even have an accommodation nor a detailed idea what exactly we want to do there. I don't worry about that, I'm quite sure this will be great fun.



I finally made it to post a picture of the Rhine Falls. See here.

Early Summer IV

Perrine called me on thursday and said she wanted to show me something. I was curious and immediately took the bike to get to her. It was already dark outside, so I had no idea what it could be. But then I realised that it had to be dark: We saw hundreds of glow worms! They were hovering over a small ditch near her garden. I was impressed! I didn't even know that there are some glow worms in Schaffhausen... I only saw them in New Zealand before.

On saturday I invited some friends from uni to a BBQ. I prepared everything from salad to meat and from drinks to dessert (the pictures shows how we made ice cubes). Some of them slept here and the next morning we went to see the Rhine Falls before taking a swim somewhere below the falls.

Can't believe it: The second semester at uni is already over and now I have to learn for the exams in September and October. The detailed plan we got last week: There will be 9 exams in 4 weeks.

Early Summer III

In May I moved my room from upstairs to downstairs. But my new room needed a better interior. So I got a bigger bed and moved some furniture around. But something was still missing. I wanted to have a small table in the centre and a cushy couch to chill. On friday I took the car and drove out to Dietlikon to IKEA. There you can spend a whole day if you want to. It's just huge! Their vision is as follows:

"The IKEA business idea is to offer a wide range of home furnishings with good design and function at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them."

They indeed do! They even sell plants, swedish food and you can have a rest in the foodzone. No wonder I spent more than 4 hours in there!

I bought a small table, a couch, 2 lamps and a new pillow.

The Rhine in the evening sun... Beautiful...

Early Summer II

On tuesday I had a fotoshooting with a professional photographer! It's an easy job but you have to smile, look and move exactly how he tells you. I wonder when I get the pics... Right, maybe I have to say I didn't make the fotos for my proper use, but for the agency I'm working at. We need them for the homepage as well as for CVs.

Last friday I had an excursion from uni to the Greifensee, which is a lake not far away from Zurich. The focus was on biology in general and botany in special. Actually I'm interested in botany as far as trees are concerned but during this trip we only saw grasses (the pictures in this post shows a flower of a tulip tree [Liriodendron]). I and my friends were quite bored until we got some handmade yogurts from a local farm!
When I bought a mango in a supermarket I met a friend from high school. We talked about girls, sports and nutrition... So I decided to go home to eat my mango and go running. What I did...

By the way: Everybody is watching soccer these days! On monday Switzerland played against Togo. We won 2:0...

Early Summer I

Last weekend I and a friend from uni made a Ice Cream Tour from Schaffhausen to Berne via Zurich. In every city we bought some Ice Cream and checked the water in the Rhine, in the Aare and in the Lake of Zurich. In Berne I went swimming for the first time this summer! Okey, I admit the Aare was still too cold, so we went to the Marzili swimming pool...

Something about the Ice Cream: The cheapest one was in Schaffhausen (this one is even handmade)! The most expensive one was Häagen-Dazs in Zurich and Berne had most different kinds...

On the evening of the same day I went to a BBQ on the shores of the Rhine. When we left at 11pm it was still dusk! I love the summer!

On sunday Perrine and I went to the Rhine which is a great place to bask in the sun! We almost spent the whole day down there before we went to the brand new italian restaurant Santa Lucia to eat pizza! The pizza "Quattro Stagioni" tasted excellent!

Picture: Platanus occidentalis and blue sky

Ticino IV

No wonder the Ticino is pretty famous for good food: Italy is not far away. During the bus ride from Bellinzona to Mesocco we saw many small grottos, so called family-run restaurants. They serv wine and authentic food often made from own cultivated products.

Our budget was rather small so we bought some Gnocchi and a tomato/pesto-sauce as well as salad in a large supermarket. Mmmh...

Ticino III

The next day we had to clean the house and then take the train back to Schaffhausen. Of course we first had a long breakfast with coffee.
The journey back is quite long, it takes more than 4 hours. Moreover the highway leading to the Ticino was closed so there were hundreds of people waiting for the trains. At 7pm we were back. Tired but more than satisfied.

Ticino II

On sunday we slept late and then went to a Pasticceria in Mesocco to buy some fresh bread. After breakfast and coffee we took the bus to Bellinzona and from there the next train to Locarno. This city is located directly at the shores of Lago Maggiore. I’ve been there several times, always in a training camp in spring. So I knew the way to the best ice cream shops and places to see.


We then took a bus to Ascona on the other side of the river Maggia. Many famous people have lived or been attracted by this city: Hermann Hesse, Carl Jung, Erich Maria Remarque, Paul Klee, Rudolf Steiner, Gustav Stresemann and many others.
We walked through the old town and went to a place directly at the waterfront to relax. I felt so free...

Ticino I

As you can see, the last post was about the kiwifruit I eat in Bellinzona. Now you might wonder why I was in Bellinzona. There is a simple reason: The weather there is often inverse to that north of the Alps. This, and a warmer climate in general, as well as the lakes together with the sunshine make the Ticino pretty attractive.



As my grandparents both are from Mesocco, which lies in the Mesolcina Valley, and we still own a house up there we spontaneously decided to take the 8:09 Cisalpino Canaletto to Bellinzona. We bought some freshly-baked bread that tasted absolutely awesome and climbed up to castelgrande, the first of the three castles in Bellinzona which all belong to the UNESCO world heritage!



Although it was very windy, we enjoyed the superb weather and the mediterranean climate with its palm and fig trees.

Daily Life II

When I was in New Zealand I always had a Golden Kiwi for breakfast. The kiwifruit got its name from a marketing strategy, naming it after the kiwi, the national bird of New Zealand. Unlike the green fruit, it is less hairy, with yellow flesh and sweeter, less acidic and more tropical flavour than the green kiwifruit.