Die Erste Dru Tage

Thursday, July 17

Our latest adventure started off on a funny note as we forgot a suitcase at our flat while we were almost at the DFW airport. No worries, we just turned around and retrieved our forgotten luggage. Brandy was very forgiving. When we arrived at DFW we were told our flight was delayed and that we may not make our connecting flight from Newark. We would have to be rerouted through Paris (which is our least favorite airport in Europe). I was up for the adventure but Raphi wasn't. His 24 hour flight to Pappa New Guinea had put him off travelling for a bit. We ended up running or I mean sprinting through Newark airport and arrived at our gate successfully. I had a side stitch to show for it and didn't smell the freshest once we found our seats on the plane.

We were greeted in Zurich seven hours later, with thick fog and rain drops against the airplane window. This is a sight I am all too familiar with when flying into Zurich. I once heard groans and moans from passengers on a recent flight back from Naples, Italy. Stay positive, I told myself as I buttoned up my jean jacket and tied my scarf around my neck. This is what I was prepared for. We collected our luggage and were greeted by Raphi's older brother Sammy who whisked us up to Raphi's parents house. Sammy became a father for the first time last month and I was excited to see my new niece, Darija. She was as beautiful as her pictures and was spending the day with Raphi's mom since her mom was studying for the bar exam next month.
Raphi and I then jetted downtown or to the city ( a mere five minutes from their house) to our favorite restaurant, where we ordered our once Saturday morning ritual of an egg sandwich with a croissant and fresh squeezed orange juice. After emptying our wallet on our small aperitif we headed back home. Wow, we forget how expensive food is here.

I then succommed to the jet lag and fell asleep for the rest of the afternoon and evening....

Saturday, July 19

We woke up fairly early and Raphi, his mom and I headed off to the local supermarket. There are only two brands of supermarkets in Switzerland, Migros and Coop. But they are both on the level of Central Market in quality and price. Saturday mornings are always busy and when we arrived I could barely push the cart through the people. Everyone is of course dressed finely for an early Saturday morning. I gathered some apples and apricots together and then forgot that all the produce has numbers and you have to weigh everything yourself and put a sticker on it, if not you could hold up the line at the cashier. A definite no- no in this precise country:)
Raphi and I ran down isles grabbing all the foods we so dearly missed and craved during the year. When we got home we cooked a large hot meal and baked an apricot pie since Raphi's sisters's boyfriend was coming over too. He is also a cop and loves to eat. After a delicious lunch we lounged around and watched some Tour de France since both Raphi and Markus are avid bikers. The rest of the family decided to play a swiss card game called Yassa of which I am not a fan, so Raphi's mom and I took Darija on a little walk up to the small mountain that is behind our house. It has views of the whole city and very refreshing.

Sunday, July 20

I woke up this morning to church bells and crisp, fresh swiss bread that Raphi's mom (Rosmarie)had made the night before. Raphi went to go pick up this younger brother from the airport from his holiday in Dallas and California. We all ate breakfast together and then we headed off to our swiss church. It's a very large church in the center of the city. I saw a couple people and mustered up some more swiss german for them. A hot lunch again awaited us outside in the garden. The weather had changed again as it always does here, and now it was quite warm. Raphi and I then headed down the the lake which is the heart of the city. Whenever it is nice weather, the city is packed with people taking a walk or passigiata in Italian:) (for Vicki) The sky was an amazing blue and the lake shone and sparkled. It was literally a picture book or picture perfect day. We sat down by the water and enjoyed the day. July is the official month for summer holidays so the city wasn't as packed as it usually is. We came home to a fire in the outside grill and grilled some meat for dinner. A typical swiss BBQ consists of cervelat ( a small bratwurst), fleish kase and chicken. Always a green salad and lots of veggies. We stayed out talking till the fire was low and it was time for bed.