So this post is kind of late in coming, but that should not diminish it’s importance! For two weekends in a row I was given the great pleasure of hosting not only Claire (yes, twice in one fortnight :) but also my parents!
The weekend of Dec 5th and 6th was Claire and Seth time. We pretty much just hung out together and did romantic things such as go to the pool, and drink beer with friends. Daniel, who has featured on this blog before, has become a regular drinking buddy and generally comes out with us to find a watering hole. At our new favorite place – a bar with a 4 page beer menu – Daniel acts as translator of the various drink descriptions. This is a great thing, but we have learned that having a translation is not really a guarantee of ordering success…
The week after Claire left my parents arrived. I managed to find a really nice B&B in the old town of Winterthur called Bagels, just above a coffee house of the same name. The people there were really friendly and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for accommodation in Winterthur (link – opens new window). Funny thing though is that they don’t really eat bagels in Switzerland and we heard more than once someone asking what a “bag-el” is… In German, the English pronunciation would be obtained from Bägel, which we thought might be a good change of name for the coffee shop.
The first few days of their visit were Seth and mom time. My dad had work in Düsseldorf and flew there Tuesday, returning Thursday. I worked most of the time, but got to spend evenings with my mom, practicing German (generally embarrassing both of us), watching German TV, eating and drinking. We spent some time in the Christmas markets, but those are for the most part seen one, seen ’em all.
Not much changed in that routine when my dad returned. We went out, ate food, and walked around the old town of Winterthur. On the Friday I took my parents into my work and showed them around. They got to see the production facility and also meet my colleagues. Unbeknownst to us, the Research Dept Christmas party was the night before and my normally social work group was acting elusive…I later found out that they were pretty much all hung over!
Claire arrived on Friday night and on Saturday we spent the day in Zürich. I really like Zürich and with the help of my parents I found another reason why: Kunsthaus (link): the city art gallery. As a lover of modern art I felt like a kid in a candy store. We went in, had a bit to eat and then scattered to cover as much ground as possible. Claire and I stuck together, but we didn’t see my parents again for about 2 hours while we walked around gaping at the collection. Magritte, Picasso, Kandinsky, Rothko, awesome.
Alas, all good things come to an end and on Saturday night I had to say goodbye to my parents. They flew out on Sunday morning, but I look forward to seeing them when they return for their 10 day bike trip in June (it’s blogged, now it’s official!). The next day Claire went home and I returned to my normal routine, but somehow better…
Claire, Bob and Seth in Zürich
Politzei keeping those Amnesty international hooligans in order in Zürich
German Santa and his totally sinister buddy. In Switzerland he has two sidekicks, both whom carry clubs to f*ck up bad kids! (I’m not kidding)
Winterthur house of stars.
Claire and Seth after a visit from Mr. Blobby (Gilchrist family version of Santa)!
Claire and Seth in Zürich.
Sadly, as the official family photographer, there are no photos of my mom in Switzerland, so I’m putting in the following Photo-shopped (actually GIMPed link) image to give you the idea. Claire and I were really happy to haver her around.
Seth, Sally and Claire in the Swiss equivalent of FAO Schwartz.
Not funny!