30 January - 15 February 2013 - Blind cows and back to school

Guten Tag meine Freunde! 

How is that for brilliant German.  After two weeks of intensive German School I think I am ready to be the German envoy to the United Nations.  At the very least I will be very good at drinking the champagne and eating the canapes at the fabulous parties at all of the embassies.  You know, its a job....if only.

Well after that little trip to fantasy land it is back to reality and back to updating all my faithful followers which number into the....well, let's pretend it is the thousands and I have Steven Spielberg and George Lucas knocking at my door for the movie rights.  Ben Afleck is dying to play me and we are in negotiations.

So, what has the exciting life of moi entailed.  I have spent more time applying for jobs and without any success.  The job market is very tight and there is an oversupply of candidates.  Having no European experience and very basic German is proving an obstacle.  Don't they know how fabulous I truly am?

1 February 2013

Was time to try something new foodwise and I had discovered a restaurant called "BlindeKuhe" in Zurich.  The direct translation is "Blind Cow".  Now this is not a place for visually impaired cows or ones that are really drunk.  In fact it is a dining experience in the dark, and when I say dark, it is pitch black.  This is the first of its type in world and has been copied.

It is an interesting concept where you cannot see your food or anything in fact.  We turned up and our mobile phones and any watches which illuminate are locked away and then you are lead by your serving person (who is visually impaired or blind) to your table.  The menu was available before you entered or you could go the mystery option and see what happens.  We did this and I did have some fear that we would end up with lamb. 

After acquainting ourselves with the table and managing to pour wine we were off on our adventure in darkness.  First course was a salad with goats cheese which we established with use of our hands - gotta love sticky fingers!.

Tables were close to each other and we ended up having a nice chat to the people next to us.  You would not want to go to this place if you had just had a fight as conversation is definitely necessary - no looking at the art on the wall or admiring the cutlery and glassware and wondering how to souvenir a piece.  Not that I would ever do that (as I admire my Finnair glassware.....).

Main course was fish and risotto.  The risotto was undercooked and it was clear at this point that presentation was not something they worried about as it felt like it was slopped on the plate.  Dessert was a white chocolate mousse with figs. 

Overall the food and wine were not spectacular (but not badly priced for Zurich standards) but the experience is incredibly cool.  I could not get over how dark it was.  You did get accustomed to where things were on the table and you could have an indecent grope and get away with it.  Preferably of course with the person you are with but .........

2 February 2012

S and I had recently braved one of the local IKEA's which unsurprisingly is the same as any other IKEA.  We bought a new wardrobe, wine rack for the cellar and some cushions and candles.  Just your average visit.  The little IKEA men came to visit to erect all the furniture which I think was a good decision.  It took three of them two hours.  I was trying to do the maths if S and I attempted it.  I think we could still be putting it together.

This then meant some re-organisation, especially of the cellar.  First step was to take many things out of the cellar to get things in.  Overall it was a great success and we have some very happy wine now and it means S can buy more - I think he has a problem. 





4 February 2013

Like the Qantas fleet a couple of October's ago, I have been grounded.  Why you ask?  Well I finally plucked up the courage and enrolled in an intensive German language course at Bellingua.  It is five days a week (8:30 to 11:40) and course A1 runs for nine weeks. 

So apart from the fact that it means getting up at 6:30 each day to take the train into Zurich I was a bit nervous about this learning experience.  What if it was too hard?  What if the other students were not nice?  What if I didn't like the teacher?  How about I start acting like an adult and not a small child?

There are eight of us in the class (another Australian, an American, A Mexican, a Vietnamese lass, a girl from Syria, a guy from Honduras and a girl from Geneva) and it has been interesting to compare stories and experiences.  Many of our Swiss gripes are the same which is very funny - like the terrible cellular service!  I don't like being cut off from the world on my iPhone!!! 

The lessons have been pretty good although we are having some issues with the teacher.  She is supposed to only speak German but keeps lapsing into some English.  This has been helpful but we have agreed that we need it to be all in German.  I think we are our own worst enemies as we have allowed this to happen.  We need strong resolve and to band together in our Deutsche Quest.

We have a little test at the end of each week which have been fine but still stressful.  Intensive is the best way to describe it as we are learning many new nouns and verbs each day and the various sentence structures.  It is a challenging language to say the least.  I did get a lovely complement from the teacher (not just on my good looks) as she asked how long i had been here as my German accent was so good - UN here I come!!

We students have also caught up each Friday to have a bite and a chat which has been really nice.  We may also now stay behind on some days to revise and go through bits we did not understand.

It is not work (and costs a lot of money) but it is great to get out each day and interact with a bunch of people.  I would say I have made some new friends!

11 - 13 February 2013

This week has been a culinary adventure for me as S presented me with proteins I had never cooked before and was a bit nervous about.  In fact I probably appeared less than enthusiastic about the whole prospect!  I did not want to ruin them on my first attempt.  So what were the meats of dread?  It was duck breast and bison!  I also decided to try cooking tofu as well - nothing like jumping in the deep end.

My first port of call is Google to find hints on how to cook these delicacies.  What did we ever do without the magic of the WWW.  I am guessing there was more conversation, whimsy and trial and error. 

I digress....I found great hints for duck and decided to go with a Moroccan spice rub crispy skin served with couscous.  Oddly enough, when cooking the breast no oil is needed in the pan due to the high quantity of fat which is rendered during cooking....read oozes out of the duck between skin and meat.  This can be saved to then cook potatoes in or, as I did, mix it with the cous cous.  Definitely no heart foundation tick on this meal!

So here is a duck in progress.  First cook skin down for 6-8 minutes.  Then cook on the other side for two. You can see all the delicious duck fat.

It is then into the oven for another 6-8 minutes depending on how rare you like Daffy.

Then carve and serve (after resting, the duck, not me).  The picture makes it look quite cooked but it was in fact nicely pink in the middle.  I was very proud of my efforts.

I have to say that it was remarkably easy and suggest you all give it a go.

So now it is on to the Bison.  This one baffled me as the only other time I had eaten it was in a burger and that givens you no idea of texture or taste.  I decided to treat it like beef and I cut some holes in ti which were filled with sliced garlic and rosemary and then liberally seasoned with salt and pepper.

It turned out a treat I must say and cooked just like beef!

Tofu is surprisingly challenging to find in Switzerland.  Not sure what the vegetarians do here....I suspect they eat meat!

Anyway one of the girls in class guided me to an organic store in Zurich which had plenty.  This was to be put to use in a satay sauce.  I figured if I stuffed this up at least the sauce flavour may hide the disaster.  It was not too difficult to cook but the satay sauce tastes much better with chicken!


15 February 2013

Another week of class successfully completed and survived.  Tonight we had dinner with a couple I met at the Australia Day event, (Natalie and Markus - Aussie and Swiss).  We headed out for a Japanese Hibachi which was good fun and enjoyed with a few beers and conversation.

Well, that brings you up to date and it is now the weekend!  We are off to Berlin today.  Me for one night and S for a couple as he has a fabric fair to attend - sadly I have school and could not go.!

25 -29 January 2013 - Dutch Dalliance

Ma and Pa had decided some months back to surprise Ma's brother for his 70th birthday in Holland.  What a lovely thing to do although it turned out that he nearly had a heart attack from the surprise when Ma and Pa walked through the door!  All have agreed not to do that again.

I was cordially invited to join them.  I was also told that Ma and Pa would not be coming to Switzerland this time so to see them I would have to go to Holland.  Cool by me!  Mum comes from a town in the south of Holland called Maastricht.  Not the easiest place to get to but a wonderfully pretty town.

So, as so many times before, my journey began from the sedate aerodrome that is Zurich Kloten. This airport just never seems that busy!

In case you are wondering about the absence of S, well he had a work trip to Asia so got off scott free on having to accompany me!! I had booked to fly Swiss but it told me it would be operated by Eidelweiss Air (....every morning you greet me, long and white, clean and bright, your fleet looks happy to take me......).  I think I could work in their PR department.  It does mean another little model plane which I successfully purchased on the way back.  Yippee!

So I was happily ensconced in my light blue leather economy seat with the centre seat empty on my way to Amsterdam.  Was a lovely little flight with a cheese roll and a red wine.  What more could you ask for....as it is me....quite a lot!

Once at AMS it was time for the Dutch choo choo for the journey to Maastricht.  Nice enough journey with one change of trains.  Cool thing was is that some of the Dutch trains have wireless internet on board.  Phew, I was not cut off from the world, Facebook and Words with Friends!

Mum and Dad met me on the cold platform and I was taken to my hotel, the very glamorous Golden Tulip Hotel Apple Park - I know, it doesn't even sound real.  I had found a great rate on Expedia in an "Executive Room" which worked out at under $100 per night - a bargain!  The hotel was a bit too industrial looking for me but was comfortable, clean, warm and offered three free to air straight porn channels - again, who could ask for more!

The top two photos are of the actual room.  I had a lovely view over the neighbouring football stadium.  As much as I would like to pretend the lounge/TV photos were part of my room they were in fact the Executive Lounge on the ground floor.  Sadly no evening drinks or canapes to be seen.  In fact I did not use it.

After briefly settling in it was off to Ma's cousin (where they were staying) for dinner.  I had not been to Holland for some 18 years and was very excited to be told that dinner to night would be traditional local food - frikedele (mystery meat sausage), meat croquette and chips and proper chip mayonnaise.  It was as good as I remember it.  Oh my!

Certainly no good for my svelte figure but so worth it.

Next day was met with breakfast followed by a visit to downtown Maastricht.  It is a beautiful old town with cobblestoned streets (and stoned patrons in some bars!!), wonderful architecture and more shoe shops than even Imelda would know what to do with.

This is the Town Hall and Ma and Pa got married here (not today, some years ago now).

 Hot food vending machines

Pretty street

We had no idea what connection this shop had to Australia.  It was a coffee and ice cream shop with nothing Australian in it!

More pretty stuff!

















Tonight it was my Uncle's 70th birthday and not being held as a surprise - don't think he could take it!!  It was at a local cafe and more family came and we ate, drank and were merry.

Mum and her youngest brother Gary.

Dad and my Uncle Jo whose birthday it was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday was another family day which was great.  Headed to see my Aunt and Uncle in Sittard complete with coffee and cake.  In fact the four days were filled with food and wine, the perfect way to spend some time. 

 

Afternoon was at another Uncle's place.  They have lived in this apartment forever and although the furniture has changed, it still has the same feel to it that I remember.  I could even see my hotel from the window.  It also continued that the men sat together and the women sat together....very odd!  I did also score a painting done by my grandfather and a ship in a bottle built by my uncle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That evening was a pretty dodgy Chinese meal in the centre of Maastricht complete with dodgy red wine.  Well, you can't win them all!!

 

My final full day was a trip down memory lane.  Ma and Pa took me out to where we used to live before we moved to Australia.  The actuall flats we lived in have been demolished but I did get to see the little hill where we used to ride our sled and the school I went to.  We then went to the top of Maastricht for a coffee.  There is a fort up there but it looked decidedly closed for repairs.

 

It was time for another meal and the whole of Ma's cousin's family came along.  It was an excellent meal.  Somehow Ma ordered a fish the size of a whale and managed to eat the whole thing - what a trooper.  I even ended up with a sparkler in my dessert as I had admired one at another table.  I know, I am a precosious little child but the sparkler was way cool!

 

 

 

 Before and After...

 

That was it!  Tuesday was a travelling day and S was arriving a few hours before I got back into Zurich.  It was great to go back to Holland and see everyone aqfter so long.  I cannot leave it as long this time.