Hi from Zurich. My flight here was just fine. I was happy to make it on the plane, and even happier to be in business class. That's never happened before. It really is nicer. I slept about 3 hours or so. There was some turbulence, but nothing too rough. I sort of think of turbulence as speed bumps in the air so I don’t get freaked out. This works for me in spite of the knowledge that there is no solid matter under the plane. As we were approaching Zurich, I thought that Switzerland might not be that different from the southern part of the US. There seemed to be a church on every corner. But things look a lot closer together when you’re above them. I wonder if birds have trouble judging distances.

Once I was on the ground, I was happy to discover that my checked bag had also arrived. I tracked down the bus to get me to my hotel and I was off! The bus driver was a man from Tunisia who has been here 8 years. He kept saying “OK! We go now!” Whether we did or not. It turns out that he doesn’t love Zurich, but doesn’t plan to leave anytime soon. We got stuck in morning traffic, and he was running late for his pick-ups. So, once he dropped off the other passengers, he asked if it would be ok if he made two stops to pick people up before he dropped me at my hotel. It was 9 a.m., I knew my room wouldn’t be ready so I said, “why not?!” Sure, it could be an evil plot to kidnap me, but I thought the odds were good that I would be safe. It turned out to be the right decision. I got to see a lot of the city, and he pointed out things I might find interesting—the university, old churches and museums. He received a phone call asking why he was late to pick up his passengers. He yelled into the phone a lot…..the only word I understood was “scheisse.” Anyway, once off the phone he apologized and said that it was “bad talk.” I pointed out that I didn’t really understand it (though I managed to get the gist from his inflection, tone and hand gestures), and we continued on our way. (“OK! We go now!) He told me that he loved Americans….apparently he thinks us a very kind, upstanding, cultured people. Except for Bush. I wondered how long it would take before someone said something about the President. Turns out it was about 15 minutes.

I arrived at the Hotel Basilea, and was pleased to see that many of my needs can be met within the block. For instance, Boutique Erotica and Speical Moments, a store specializing in “love aids” are just across the street. There is also a café two doors down. Oh, and a Starbucks. Of course I didn’t.

A room was ready for me, so I was able to check in and put my bags away. Once I washed the airplane gunk off of me, I headed out. For the first hour, I just walked. I rarely had any idea where I was or where I was going. Finally, I found my way to the Museum for Design. I saw an exhibition of photography by Hans Finsler and some of his contemporaries. The main focus was his architectural photography from the 30s, though there were some landscapes as well as photos of objects and materials. The exhibition also briefly dealt with how photography made its way into graphic design and advertising.

From there I navigated the tram system and went to Bahnhoffstrasse, the main shopping strip. I sat at a café and watched people go by. First I had an Einseidler Dunkel Bier (sleepy) then I had a cappuccino (awake!). I almost got mineral water instead of the beer, thinking I should hydrate. However, the beer really gave me the best value. More beer for the same amount of money! I love that. I did ask for some tap water, which came out in something the size of about one and a half shot glasses.

I had a great time reading and people watching. Some observations….the chic Swiss man wears capris. It’s true. They were everywhere. And if they weren’t capris, then the jeans were rolled up to just below the knee. Women are wearing white….pants, skirts, tops—but especially pants and skirts. More than one was also wearing a black thong underneath. Flip flops or kitten heels seem to be the footwear of choice. People. walk or bike or ride their scooters or take public transportation. I haven’t been on a bus yet, but the trams are nice. They’re well marked and clean. And people use them!

Once I had my beer and coffee, I walked around. I went into a few shops…..including H&M. I don’t even have to look for tH&M—it’s like it finds me. There are huge sale banners everywhere. And lots of people shopping. I’m not sure how I’m coming across to people. Well, I’m pretty sure it’s easy to tell that I’m not from here…what with the pointing and tentative speaking. But I noticed that when I would say something in German (to someone who had spoken to me in German), they would respond in French. Maybe my German has a French accent. Once I said “merci” instead of “Danke” just to see what would happen. I figured that if I actually said something in French, a person might realize that it’s not really my first language. Totally backfired. The woman in the shop started speaking French to me. Then looked confused that I didn’t understand. Ok, it’s only broken German from now on. Anyway, I have had to ask someone if they spoke English only once (at the airport). Otherwise, I have, at a very basic level, gotten by with only German. I have navigated a tram, purchased drinks, asked for prices and checked into a hotel. I’ll have to see how dinner goes…….

I have attached some pictures for your enjoyment….They include, a man in capris (to the right of the guy in the hot pink JAMS), a dude getting some girl’s digits, the Museum for Design and pictures of the city. About the guy and girl….I witnessed the Swiss version of “Yo, what your name is?” And it actually worked for him! If you’ve read this much, wow! Thanks. I totally would have stopped by now. Future posts won’t be this long, I’m guessing.