Skiing in Engelberg

I think it is safe to say that the skiing offered by Switzerland will be well utilised by us during our time out here. For our first trip (and my annual birthday ski) we took the train over to Engelberg which is a relatively small resort but a high one. It's claim to fame is the rotair cable car which actually rotates as it climbs - so you get a 360 view of the glacier and beyond. We had beautiful sunny weather over the weekend and on Monday we awoke to a picture postcard scene after 6" of snow fell overnight.

Roman Ruins & A Wedding Anniversary

March 6th was a busy day - it was our 3rd Wedding Anniversary and it was a lovely morning so after visiting the local supermarkets (Migros and COOP) I went on a little walk around the various Roman Ruins (here's the ampitheatre) which makes this a quite remarkable archealogical area, not just in Switzerland but across the whole of Europe.

I travelled into Basel to pick up my monthly ticket and meet Claire for dinner. We had a wonderful evening at a "swiss" restaurant, the Brauerei, which happens to be very close to Claire's workplace. Before that though we went to Bar Rouge - a bar at the top of the highest building in Basel - where you get a great view across the city.

First Day in Basel (2)

During the day I did manage to sort out a dial-up internet connection and arranged to view various apartments the following week. However, one minor blemish as I seemed to select the wrong "travelcard" at Kaiseaugst station and, of course, this was the day that the railway police decided to check my ticket. Thankfully, they were very decent about the whole affair (especially as I mentioned that a local had told me to get the particular ticket) and I didn't get the standard 80CHF fine but be WARNED. It hastened my decision to buy a monthly ticket the next day - this was cheaper even tough I'm actually only in Basel during March for 7 or 8 days! Anyway here's our local station...

First Day in Basel

Whilst Claire went to work I met our local contact, Brigitte, whose job it is to help us settle in and try and point us in the right direction for most things. Unfortunately due to the festival last week (Fasnacht) the paperwork for our resident's permits has been a little slow and so we couldn't get it finished this week. That's what getting up at 4am and starting drinking will do for you.

Here's a picture of our lounge - pretty modern styling and loads of light which makes it feel very comfortable.

My First Trip!

Having seen Arsenal on the Saturday I had to get up at some ungodly hour on Sunday morning to catch the early Easyjet flight to Basel. The hour was bad enough but this first trip meant taking two pairs of skis, more clothes for Claireand a small rucksack for me. The flight was perfect with good flying conditions and I arrived on a sunny morning in Switzerland. Claire greeted me at the airport before setting off on the bus to Basel. Public transport in Basel (and probably across all of Switzerland) is excellent, easy to use and cheap and enables travel around the area comfortable. On arrival at the apartment (see picture) it certainly seemed an pleasant place to stay.

Claire Departs :-(

Today Claire left our shores to prepare for her new job next week and settle in to a new apartment at the weekend. There will be many people who think that I should be going at the same time BUT there is an Arsenal game at the weekend you know. Claire arrived okay and has been pleasantly surprised by the location and size of our apartment - with a babbling brook, balcony and sunshine.