We're off to Engelberg to ski

Having completed a little surfing around I have found an ideal w/e ski resort for my birthday. We're off for 2/3 days skiing in Engelberg , which has a glacier and is high at 3000m. So, hopefully, we will get snow despite the poor snow record in the Alps this winter so far. Have also found a hotel and it is only 2.5 hrs from Basel by train - tough eh?

An Exciting Trip is Planned

I've already organised two trips by Easyjet but in order to get a couple of bigger items out to Basel I've booked a ferry crossing for late March so that I can drive over to Switzerland. This will give me the opportunity to take out some bikes (for me mainly) and plants (for Claire). Had initially planned to go by Eurotunnel but the cheapest option was nearly £150 for the dates I had in mind. Then I discovered Norfolk Line who could get from Dover to Dunkerque and back for a mere £50. Time isn't an issue so an extra hour travelling on a boat doesn't really bother me.

What to expect in Basel

We've got some information on what will happen in the first few days out in Switzerland. Initially the main items to sort out seem to be (in no particular order); arranging a residency permit and sorting out a bank account (there is something strange about having a Swiss Bank Account - stirring up all sorts of exotic / dodgy images). It doesn't look like we need too much paperwork for these thankfully. We can then move on to the fun things like the 101 obligatory insurances that we need in the country.

Kaiseraugst - a local view

Claire's swiss colleague has given us these snippets on Kaiseraugst:

• Our apartment is in a corner just below the Roman theatre area (see Augusta Rurica )and not far away from forest and Rhein river (good for hikes, nature and “Swimming” in the summer….)
• “Landstrasse” is not in the old village center which means that there is quite a bit of traffic (in Swiss terms anyway)
• It’s only a 5 min walk from the Kaiseraugst S-Train station (with Bus Stop also). It is very easy to go to Basel by public transportation (Train or Bus): There is one train (called “S-Bahn” line 1) every half an hour (12 minutes to Basel Main station) and at the main station you have the connection with the Tram.
• Train tickets are probably a monthly season ticket to start with (64CHF for a monthly ticket which allows use of all public transportation in the greater Basel area “for free”; this inclused Buses, Trams, trains…).
  

Kaiseraugst - early discoveries

So I've discovered where Kaiseraugst is on the map (about here). The small village lies to the East of the city of Basel and according to the Swiss Railway Website ( www.sbb.ch ) it is a mere 10 minutes to Basel centre. Claire knows someone who lives in the old part of Kaiseraugst so will be able to find out more in the next couple of weeks. One thing you can see very quickly is that we are on the Rhine and so right on the border with Germany - the location of Basel (& Switzerland in general) is so central that we can be in many other countries very easily.

Second trip booked

Have booked a second flight out now - arranged around my birthday so we can go skiing as well. Haven't decided where we're going yet but we have plenty of choice!

We have a home!

So Claire has just emailed me to say we know where we're going now. A rather spacious apartment has been provided for us in a small town called Kaiseraugst, just outside Basel apparently. I can safely say I know sweet FA about our new home but will endeavour to discover more over the next few days. The description of the apartment has helped me to get used to the manner in which apartments are described as well as the quite expensive nature of living in Switzerland. Or apartment is 4.5 zimmer or 4.5 rooms but these rooms exclude kitchen/bathroom/wc and the 0.5 seems to refer to lounge/dining room combined - but I'm not sure on this. I do now know it has three bedrooms - excellent for early visitors! Cost is over 2500CHF per month (£1000+) and seems the norm from looking at websites covering rental in Switzerland.