Miscellaneous Happenings

I have had many things to write about but no time. Hopefully I haven't created an addiction with anyone that has gone unsatisfied.  Where to start...

Two weekends ago I had dinner with a wonderful Swiss couple, one of which is a colleague of mine at work. They live in the mountains above Vevey. Their home and view are absolutely fantastic!! There is a waterfall not far away that is covered by the trees, but can still be heard.  I spent 30 minutes outside just admiring the view (will add photos later).  I even got a nice tour of their wine collection which is impressive.  We had tartare de boeuf and several bottles of red wine.  I know some might be thinking, "How in the world could you eat that!?".  But, don't knock it until you have tried it.  We even discussed how Swiss women are different than American women.  It was very enlightening.  Things here seem to move a little (lot) slower.  It appears as though men have to be patient.  This means one thing to me...  I better learn to be patient or I'm in a world of trouble!!!  Bottom line - the women are different in some ways (not a bad thing and maybe for the best in some ways) and the same in at least one.  Men cannot understand any of them!!  : ))))  This may be a universal challenge that knows no borders.  : ))))  Hopefully this does not get me in trouble as I am kidding for the most part (Anna??)...

John McCain named Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, as his VP running mate.  What does this mean?  At first glance, one would think this might provide an opening for Democrats to attack her experience.  But, the reality is that this women has made more executive decisions in the past 3 months than Barack Obama has made in a lifetime.  Time will only tell how all this plays out but the Democrats should be careful about challenging her level of experience.

I am a bit of a techno geek so I will update the world on several new offerings.  I am trying out the beta version of a new IM client called Digsby.  I have tried Trillion, Meebo, etc, etc.  So far, Digsby is looking very good.  Even though it is still in beta and not open for general release, it is surprisingly stable and they are pushing updates out almost daily.  It basically brings all chat and social networking into a common platform.  It's a great concept that will only get better.  Hopefully they will support Skype chat soon.  Check it out!!  Google also just launched its new browser called Chrome.  I just downloaded it 30 minutes ago so I cannot say much except that it is pretty clean and has some interesting features...

I saved the best story for last.  Last Friday, my friend and I started at the Montreux Palace where we had a couple of drinks.  After that, we had dinner and wine at an Italian restaurant.  Next, we took a taxi up to Bloney for an 80's birthday party.  We weren't dressed for the occasion but that was fine as we really didn't notice at the time.  We had a few more drinks at the party, danced a little, and just had a great time.  But, the great time was just beginning.  We attempted to walk back to I'm not sure where to catch a taxi back to Montreux.  I won't give exact details as I am sworn to secrecy (nothing bad), but let's just say we spent a little time recovering near the roadway.  Several hours later, we managed to get a taxi and head back to civilization.  The details are left out to protect the innocent, myself included.  Let me just say that S is a cool girl and it was a fun night all around!!

Sunday Afternoon Hike

I left my apartment this afternoon and went for a hike above my town. Vinyards were all around as I made my way through several towns, including Grandvaux. Let's just say it's much easier on the way down than on the way up. The pictures don't do justice to the view that I had from above Cully!!!

Tesla Fever

I started reading about production of the Tesla several years ago. It is lithium battery powered car that will leave many gasoline powered cars in the rear view mirror. It accelerates with constant power across the power curve. It will travel 300 and something miles on a single charge. It is 100% carbon fiber which means it is very light. I have no idea what this means if you get into an accident?


I considered ordering one before I decided to move to Switzerland. Even after coming here, I wrote Tesla to see if they could ship one here. They didn't respond to my message which I think is pretty crappy on their part. But, even if I could get it here, where would I charge it? Where would I take it for service?

So - I'm left driving a slower gasoline powered car, paying about $8 gallon for petrol, and feeling jealous of people who have one of these babies!!

Swiss Wino

I never considered the effect that living in the middle of wine vineyards can have on ones drinking habits and choice of alcohol. I moved here leaning towards beer but have always enjoyed a nice glass (bottle) of red wine. Now I'm afraid I could turn into a wino.

In some of the restaurants, they recommend Italian and French wine ahead of Swiss wine. But, in all fairness, it's difficult to discern a difference in taste and the price of Swiss wine is lower.

I have already met one Cully wine producer and had a private tour of their facility. During lunch today, as I was working from home, I visited and toured another - Cave De La Cour. Click their name to visit their site. They have some nice information about Cully there as well...

It's only a 1 minute walk from my apartment. They are very friendly people. I asked 100 questions and they answered all of them. We (the owners joined in) also tested some 2005 Pinot Noir, as well as 2007 Merlot that hasn't even made it to the bottle yet. : ) Both were tres bonne!!! I learned that is takes about 5 bundles of grapes to make one bottle of Pinot Noir. The cork costs about .60 cents. The bottle is about .55 cents. Since I'm a business minded person, I was, of course, trying to figure out their business model. I like what I was seeing...

Producing the wine involves growing, taking care of, and picking the grapes. That part of the operation didn't interest me much. The actual production process seems to be a mix of creativity and science. For a stronger oak taste, they use a newer oak barrel. For less of an oak taste, the barrel is a little older. The process for red wine seems to be the same no matter the type of grape. All interesting stuff. Knowing the people who make the wine makes drinking it even more interesting... I left with 3 bottles of both the 2004 and 2005 Pinot Noir. The 2005 is the good stuff!!

This was a nice break from work but I cannot suggest wine tasting for lunch if you have serious work to get done in the afternoon. Au revoir!

Missing Madame Batista

It has been a difficult two weeks and it can only get .... worse!! You see, my wonderful housekeeper, Madame Batista, is away on vacances.

I have been required to wash my own clothes, clean the dishes, and pick things up (a little) behind myself. It's amazing how spoiled a person can become when someone handles all these items for them. Since dry cleaning is so expensive here, Madame Batista even irons my shirts for work. This means I will have a full month of semi wrinkled shirts at work. Will people at work understand and accept my explanation?

Making matters worse, it's not just the cleaning that I'm missing. She also brings me fresh vegetables from her garden. Oh my!!!

I am halfway through this punishment of sorts. Please please come back soon Madame Batista!!

Swiss National Day

Swiss National Day is today so happy Swiss Day to my new friends in my temporary home. See link for history.

History of Swiss National Day

I spent some time at the Cully Festival which was nice.

Here's my street decorated with Swiss Flags.


I like boats.


Did I say I like boats?


Well I really do... : )


Some of my fellow villagers from Cully.


Happy Swiss Day!!!

Life's Good

When I received the job offer to work in Switzerland, they didn't have to twist my arm for me to accept it. It's such a beautiful place here. Words cannot describe the beauty and photos cannot tell the entire story.

Today, I walked down to the waterside which is only a couple of minutes from my apartment. Below is what I saw.


What you cannot see too well are the Alps on the other side of Lac Laman (Lake Geneva). It was a bit cloudy but still picturesque.

After having some healthy ice cream : ))), I returned to my apartment and relaxed on the terrace with some red wine from the region, and some Skype chatting with friends back in the USA.


Not that is cannot be challenging, but life is good!!!