October 30, 2011

Who's that messy intern?


I have no idea how to convey an image of professionalism in the workplace.

I wear loud coloured clothes and site cross-legged and barefoot at my desk.

I use the fancy coffee machine so often that I'm just waiting for the day that someone has to have a talk with me about it.

By now, everyone who regularly walks by my cubicle probably sees that I do minimum amounts of work and maximum amounts cooking blog browsing.

Moreover, I keep my desk in a constant state of disarray which is common among engineers but definitely uncommon around the Swiss. Besides looking like a slob, I also probably give off the impression that I'm some sort of hoarder because I have a small stockpile of treats that I keep in my bottom filing cabinet drawer - just in time for the Winter frost!

October 28, 2011

Trip 9: Ireland and Northern Ireland

Trip date: October 21 - 24, 2011

The Republic of Ireland is a sovereign state whereas Northern Ireland is a part of the UK. Both "Ireland"s are very green, very jaywalking savvy and filled with a surplus of pubs.

All in Attendance: Pat, Tom, Gordon, Mike, Cesar, Tyler, Mario, Philip and Kristen

On Friday night we fly from the Zürich Flughafen to Dublin, Ireland with Aer Lingus. Flying from Zürich is easily the most painless way to start a weekend trip and it certainly is a nice break from traveling to and from Milan. We stayed at Mount Eccles Court for 12 euros a night. It was a really nice place with comfy beds, breakfast and free internet.

After checking in we talked to the Temple Bar area for some food and some drinks at a pub. I spent the night chit chatting with some French travelers before returning to the hostel at 3. A sad note about Ireland nightlife is that places all close between 2-3 o'clock. The flip side of this is that everyone is completely inebriated by 11 so there's no hesitation to dive in nose deep into partying as soon as it gets dark. Stumbling girls on the cobblestone paths in 5 inch heels are extremely commonplace. As are drunken fist fights. In fact, fights are encouraged and egged on by the passersby. Oh Ireland.




The next morning we got up, ate too many free hard boiled eggs courtesy of our hostel and then set out wandering. We took a free New Europe tour which was filled with charming tidbits of information on Dublin and Ireland’s fight for independence. The tour finished at a pub called O'Neills where I got a delicious beef stew with mashed potatoes. I've become a huge fan of having a big lump of mashed potatoes in my thick soup since the borscht I ate in Krakow.

After a bit more wandering through the lovely Dublin streets, we returned back to the hostel to get ready for the pub crawl we signed up with from the New Europe tour. The pub crawl took us to 4 pubs and then to The Kitchen, which is a nightclub owned by Bono.

The night morning we woke up early to pick up our Budget rental cars from the airport. The group split into two; Pat, Tom, Mario and Tyler went South to go see the Cliffs of Moher whilst Cesar, Philip, Gordon and myself went North towards Northern Ireland to see the Giant's Causeways.




Now I should mention that Cesar has never really driven stick and that Ireland drives on the crazy-side of the road. He has also been sleep deprived by staying out late 2 nights in a row. With that being said, he was our most qualified driver by far and somehow I became the navigator (where I did en excellent job until Belfast). Also, many Ireland highways where the speed is 100km/h or 60 miles/h are as narrow as bike paths. They weave and make tight corners and there's no shoulder. Every car you successfully pass going the other direction an Irish miracle. Honestly, I don't know how the streets arn't littered with clipped mirrors. Also, for some reason, Northern Ireland uses the imperial "miles" system while the rest of the island uses kilometers. Good thing we had engineers in the car eager to quickly calculate conversions since our odometer had no mile gauge.

Oh and then there's the hazard of traffic circles. More so, it's the hazard of yielding before entering the traffic circle when you're not use to slowing down on a standard car.

There were probably 3 instances where I was certain we would crash but as karma would provide it - we made it everywhere safe and sound sans scratch.

Places we went include:



The Giant's Causeways was on my bucketlist so I was super eager to have gone. The coast along Northern Ireland is stunning. Ireland also really lives up to the "green" reputation. The grass is unreal there. We had planned to also go on the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge but we didn't because we were sopping wet from the rain and it cost a few pounds just to walk across.

We made our way to Belfast where we stayed at the Linen House Hostel for 7 GBP a night. I should note that Belfast roads are very poorly labeled and inner-city driving on the crazy side of the road leads to driving around in several circles again and again and again. Thank God Cesar is a calm driver because lesser people would've probably murder me in my seat since I was doing a God awful job at navigating. We did luck out since were the only people in our 8 room dorm. On Sunday night, the eve of my birthday, most businesses were closed. So we opted for some long and cozy conversation in the unsurprisingly open McDonalds where I rang in my 21st year of life popping chicken nuggets into my tummy.

On Monday, my birthday, we did a quick round of Belfast and got some good old fashion diner breakfast which included some delicious potato bread. I bought a new dress at a lovely vintage store and we set back out towards Dublin. We made a stop in the town of Drogheda, near Dublin for some lunch at our final pub.


Somewhere along the trip, we realized that we had improperly managed our time and that our check in time was coming up close and we hadn't even return the car yet. So we scrambled and scrambled and after flailing around like a mental patient at the airport and bossing my way to the front of the security line - Gordon and I managed to meet up with the group from the Cliffs of Moher. Somehow Cesar and Philip didn't manage to make the check in time and had to catch a flight the next day.

Highlights:
  • It's been so long since I've been able to sing loudly and poorly in a car
  • Gluten allergy? No problem. Bulmer's is super popular and available.
  • This is my first trip to a European country where I can speak the language

Things I learned:
  • Trust the Chilean to drive
  • Irish history is full of instances where they get screwed over
  • Jaywalking is a standard in Ireland
  • In Ireland, It's okay to be sloppy drunk in public at 10pm
  • Pubs in Ireland actually look like Canadian "Irish pubs"

Things to do when I come back:
  • Go to the Cliffs of Moher
  • Learn to drive stick and be the roadtrip driver

October 24, 2011

Mein Geburtstag

In Switzerland, you are suppose to bring homemade baked good to the office for your birthday.

Also, from the lingual wires that cross between German and English, the general exclamation from your colleagues when they discover your birthday will be something along the lines of:

"It's your birthday? Congratulations !!"

"Congratulations" sure makes you feel more accomplished than "happy birthday"

October 17, 2011

Trip 8: Sofia, Bulgaria


Trip date: October 14-16, 2011

Sofia (София) is the capital city in Bulgaria, a post-communist country. Street side used book stands here are as plentiful as hot dog stand in New York. Another parallel to the big apple is the high availability of taxi cabs which, unlike New York and everywhere else I’ve been, are super reasonable and cheap.

All in attendance: Gordon and Kristen


A favourite game is the skyscanner game. Where you click about on skyscanner until something impossibly cheap comes up. I played this game this past August and lo and behold, a 42 euro round-trip flight to Sofia, Bulgaria out of Milan.

I have major ennui of taking my trips out of Milan. The past few trips (Krakow, Venice and Sofia) have required me to intermittently stop and stay overnight in Milan. I haven’t even seen the city but I have had full use of their trains, buses and airplanes. On Thursday night, Gordon and I took the 19:09 train from Zurich to Milan. This time it was only a half hour late arriving – a new record !

We stayed at Ambrosiana Hotel for 24.50 euros/night which had a small room but the most comfortable Milan bed yet. I will offer up a reward for anyone who can recommend me an under 20 euro accommodation near Milan train station. The next morning we woke up leisurely and took a direct bus from Milano Centrale train station to Bergamo (Orio al Serio) airport. A big thumbs down to Wizz Air because our 12:35 flight to Sofia was delayed until 14:00.

Arriving late in Sofia, we took the 84 bus (1 euro) from the airport to Sofia university. We walked to our hostel, which wasn’t too far away. Nightingale Hostel (6 euros/night) is incredible value. It’s located right next to a large outdoor book market. The owner, Mikhail, gave us great Sofia information, confirmed the route we planned to take to the Rila Monetary, gave us a great restaurant recommendation and even gave us some free shots to celebrate our arrival in Bulgaria.


By the time we put sheets on our bed, it was dinner time. We went to the recommended Bulgarian restaurant and ate some delicious pork and coleslaw dish. Again, we got more free shots and even a free dessert of what I discern as a cactus fruit jelly of sorts. We also had a trio of Bulgarian musicians who serenaded me right at the table. There was a flute player, a drummer and an accordion player. The accordion has now migrated to a high place on the list of instruments I would like to learn to play. All this for only 20 BGN each which included a 20% tip!!

After dinner, it’s time for a guideless walking tour of Bulgaria. In case you didn’t know, Bulgarian is written using the Cyrillic alphabet. Street signs written in the Cyrillic alphabet partnered with a map using English street names makes navigating all the more challenging.



The most notable building is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. According to one of the employees at our hostel, the Americans tried to bomb Sofia in WWII and targeted this cathedral but ended up bombing one of their own bases through a miscalculation. Therefore the cathedral is said to have some otherworldly energies keeping it safe.

The next day we took the tram/bus to Rila Monastery. The whole trip took about 3 hours to get there and back but it was well worth it. It was only 22 BGN (11 euros) for the round trip through public transportation. I met a French student on the bus who was living in Turkey and he gave me some good traveling advice for my planned trip there. The monastery is located in the Bulgarian mountainside and it’s beautiful – especially in the fall. It was a bit chilly but nothing a pair of Canadians couldn’t handle.

Inside the building is incredible and adorned with so many gold statues. The paintings on the outside are really bright and colourful, unlike anything I've seen before. The colours are so playful and so different from that Italian renaissance style that I've seen so often now.



That night we walked around the streets of Bulgaria again. After a failed attempt to find one of the restaurants recommended in Lonely Planet, we ended up choosing a place we could get Bulgarian BBQ. After a big after dinner walk we ended up at our favorite snack spot– the Soupeteria. The Soupeteria is a 24 hour soup café right next to our hostel. We ended up there on Friday night as well. On Saturday night we ate some late-night soup again and drank delicious cider before making our way back to the hostel for a bit of lounging in the common room before bed.

We woke up on Sunday, trudge through the wet sloshy snow and made our way to the airport to take the plane back to Milan. We made a quick stop in Bellinzona, Switzerland where we looked at the castles while we waited for our gleis7 to take effect.

All in all, we spoiled ourselves on this trip. We took out 150 leva for our weekend trip but we probably could've done everything for half this budget.

Thing I learned:
In Bulgaria…
… the food is incredibly cheap and delicious
… there is an abundance of bookstores
… there is an absence of streetlights
… pedestrians do not have the right of way
… shaking and nodding your head have opposite meanings

Things I will do if I go back:
  • Go to Vitosha Mountain to do some hiking
  • Take one of the numerous free walking tours that for one reason or another, Gordon and I kept missing

October 12, 2011

Trip 7: Venice, Italy

Trip date: October 8 - October 9, 2011

According to wiki, Venice or Venezia is connected by 409 bridges and thus has at least 409 photo opportunities. It also feels like it has 40900 masks shops, 40900 restaurants and 40900 daily tourists.

All in attendance:
Tobias, Mohammad, Alex and Kristen

Taking the 3+ hour train trip to Milan after work is starting to get a bit monotonous. I did this last week for Poland, I did it for Venice and I will do it for my next trip to Bulgaria as well. Regardless, the Milan train station is still a beautiful sight and the strange Milan smell and sketch have become symbols I associate with a good trip.

After an overnight stay in Milan in a standard overpriced accommodation (Hotel Paganini, 20 euros per night), we took the cheap RE train to Venice (17 euros, one way), arriving shortly before 11.

Wowowowowowowowow. Italy, you are always slightly overprice but always exceptionally beautiful. I can’t get enough of your quaint buildings and streets. Your cathedrals and churches receive full marks for intricate detail and overwhelming beauty. You also score insanely high for tourist density.

We contemplating going to the opera and symphony (each about 20 euros a ticket) but quite frankly, Venice is fun just to walk around. The charming little bridges overlooking the canals do not get old (or at least they didn’t for me on our weekend trip). The streets are a maze but the whole archipelago isn’t very big so it’s not hard to get where you need to go. Some streets are so narrow that two people can hardly pass each other.

It seems like for every tourist in Venice, there is a souvenir stand or shop. Common popular souvenirs sold in Venice aside from the standard postcard/mug/magnet/ashtray are colourful Venetian masks, which range from 2.50 euros to 100+ euros. Even so, each stand or shop carries a few masks that are very different from any of the ones sold elsewhere so it’s always fun to look and to shop around.


If you visit Piazza San Marco/St. Mark’s Square, prepare for a near overdose of beauty and of crowds (unless you are so unfortunate to visit when it’s flooded). We wanted to go up to the balcony of St. Mark’s church but arrived too late in the day. The interior was also very beautiful with grand ceiling, statues and beautiful paintings. There was also a string instrument quartet that played in the plaza at night.

We got a Venice Connected 24 hour pass (18 euros) so we could take a Vaporetto waterbus around since our hostel (Ostello di Venezia, 25 euros a night which is cheap for Venice) wasn’t reachable by walking. Seeing Venice on the waterbuses is very beautiful and I would definitely recommend it unless you want to fork over 80 euros for a gondola ride. They never really checked our tickets – they probably rarely do but that’s just my guess. Regardless, I hate getting hassled by transit authority in any country.

The food? Nothing to write home and parade about. There are as many restaurants in Venice as mask shops so I think it would’ve been worth looking into good restaurants before arriving but our meals were still tasty.

At night we found this strange outdoor plaza where everyone looked 16 and we could get 2 euro drinks. After a few fruity-whats-its, a kind person directed us to a club and after weaving and zigzagging through the streets Tobias actually found the place (to my great surprise). Music was subpar but very loud which balances out to how most nightclubs in Calgary are. Entrance was 10 euros but that included a drink. In most places in Europe, they don’t measure mix drinks with shots so my free-hand poured amaretto sour was pretty much a triple.

We took the night-water bus back to our hostel for 3am. We ate their free breakfast the next morning and then made our way to the train station which was on the opposite side of Venice from our hostel. We missed the first train connection but managed to figure out a route from Venice to Verona and then Verona to Milan thanks to our friends at the Trenitalia booth.

From Milan we took the train to Monza, Monza to Chiasso (Switzerland) and then Chiasso to home. (12 hours travel time).

Things I learned

  • Venice has nearly no trees and no grass – which I didn’t notice until we were leaving
  • Venice smells a bit - I heard it's sometimes really bad in the summer
  • Italian trains are very forgiving to reroute
  • A "traffic jam" of pedestrians is even more frustrating than a car one
  • I don’t need to hear English to recognize a boisterous group of Americans
Something notable:
Between all 4 of us, we could speak in English, French, German, Arabic, Vietnamese, Afrikaans and a few words in Xhosa

October 05, 2011

Trip 6: Kraków, Poland

Trip date: September 29 – October 2

Krakow was once the royal capital of Poland and it is currently Poland’s second largest city. During WWII, it became the capital of Nazi Germany’s General Government. On another light hearted note, it has the highest concentration of good-looking people per capita that I have ever seen. Make sure you learn your Prosze and Dziekuje because many people don’t speak English.

All in attendance: Pat, Kathryn and Kristen

We left Baden on Thursday night and gleis7 most of the way to Milan. We stayed at Hotel Arno for 22 euros per person. The room was passable. The highlight, I suppose, was the fact that the washroom has been taken out of the room and so the floor suddenly turned into tile and there was a sink and a bidet but no toilet/shower.


Leaving at the crack of dawn, we took the bus from Milano Centrale station to Milan Bergamo (Orio al Serio) airport (9.90 euros per person / 20 euros for 3 people). Flying with Aer Lingus is great because they play soothing opera music while you board and play a trumpet fanfare when you touch down. (Perhaps they play Nearer, My God, to Thee if you're crashing). We landed shortly after noon and then took a bus (number 304) to the Wieliczka Salt Mines. On a tour you learned a lot about mining and see a lot of statues carved from the rock salt. If you’re a nerd like me and find mining a sliver more interesting than statues then I would definitely recommend this tour. If you’re just looking for beautiful statues, I would guess a museum would probably be better suited.

Krakow is a place where you can get the most delicious foods for a 5 swiss-franc equivalent price. For dinner we went to a cute restaurant recommended by our hostel (Hostel Atlantis, 5.82 euros/night but worth ten folds more) and I ate pierogies and bright pink borscht. Curiously, pierogies is a Polish word that has seamlessly integrated into Canadian English vocabulary but that’s not a universal case – all English menus referred to pierogies as “dumplings” which I find really fun since people who speak UK English are in much closer proximity to Poland than Canadians.

Now for the heavy stuff, on Saturday we went to take a tour at Auschwitz/Auschwitz Birkenau Concentration camp. Even with all the resources, textbooks and movies made about the actions of Nazi Germany, nothing really properly prepares you to how horrifying it actually is to be there. I think it’s extremely important for people to visit this place to shoulder some of the burden of how cruel people can be to each other. The juxtaposition of visiting the camp on a bright sunny day actually makes the tour more heart wrenching since it puts you so far away from their suffering. I believe that empathizing is something people do in an effort to comfort and support people who are suffering because it lets the other person feel less alone. It feels very hopeless to be in the same location as all the victim but separated by impassable time. The struggle here is also that the conditions are so awful from anything I’ve ever known that I can't even begin to understand how terrible it actually was.



It was hard to see all their confiscated possessions. It was hard to see their photographs on the wall because it put faces and characteristics to these people. It’s hard to see the standing-cells and the shooting wall. It’s hard to learn about what happened to so many people.

I can’t even describe what I saw and learned with the proper words to instil the emotions I felt. I lost it a bit when we went into the gas chambers but I expect most people would. I think it’s extremely important that people visit places like this.

-----------------------------
Needless to say, you don’t just bounce back from a tour like that. We took the public transit to the camps and bought tours upon arrival and saved 50 PLN this way instead of taking an organized tour. We took it relatively easy the rest of Saturday, wandered around Krakow’s old town and city centre. The building were very beautiful and as were the people.

Krakow (and I am assuming, the rest of Poland) has a high concentration of really good-looking people. We’re easily taking 80% of people in the vicinity at any given time. So if you visit Poland, make sure you step it up because otherwise you just feel a tad scummier than usual.

It is also a city full of love and smooshy romance. There’s a surplus of cutesy-woosty couples everywhere in Krakow. I am a big fan of this type of things so I was swooning during the whole walk.




On Sunday we found a lover’s bridge (yay!) and took a quick visit to Oscar Schindler’s factory before leaving. After we took the train to the Krakow airport for 10 PLN and then flew from Krakow back to Milan. We then took the train from Milan all the way home

Things I learned
  • A Polish dollar is called a zloty
  • Krakow has a liquor store on every block
  • Poland is the birth place of the bagel - this is clear by the number of bagel stands everywhere
  • Krakow is 80% out-of-your-league good looking 
  • Organized tours can be 4x as expensive as taking public transportation
  • If Polish borrows an English word into their vocabulary, all the typically do is add a "y" at the end
    eg. komputery

Things to do when I come back
  • Go to a cute bar/club in Old Town
  • Eat more pierogies and borscht
    OM NOM NOM NOM

Preemptive Mourning

I think my camera might be on it's last few breaths of life given the blurriness of my Krakow photos.

This is especially distressing if you're a stereotypical Asian tourist like me;
losing a camera is just a step down from losing a limb

Exaggeration?

Only slightly.