kareina: (Default)
kareina ([personal profile] kareina) wrote2010-03-21 10:31 pm

Zürich!

Today's uni-related progress report: I took a train to Zürich for the course on Successful Scientific Writing. We also obtained tentative permission for [livejournal.com profile] clovis_t to join the course if the number of students present would otherwise be an odd number (which is what the pre-registered list shows). This is because we are meant to do some of the assignments in pairs, so it would be easier to accomplish that part if there are an even number of students.

Today's adventure-related progress report: I took a train to Zürich. Spent much of the trip happily looking out of the windows. It is amazing how, no matter how happy I am or how well life has been going for me, being in the mountains, even briefly, makes me happier. I so love topography! Seeing snow still on the ground in the higher valleys contributed to my overall sense of joy, too.

First impressions of Zürich: The drivers here actually stop when pedestrians wish to cross the road. Many of the buildings date to a time (mid to late 1800's) when the style and presentation of a building mattered. Unlike the older buildings in Milan, the ones here have been so well maintained that they still look brand-new, other than that detail about having more style and grace in one single finely-carved stone embellishment than a modern building has in its entire volume.

We had planned to join our fellow students this evening at a restaurant for dinner, but the pub didn't have a breathing section. The waiter says that in May the law will change, and from then on it will be forbidden to smoke in restaurants in Zürich, but that is longer than I can hold my breath, so we bid our classmates good evening and just enjoyed wandering around the city center, looking in shop windows (and grabbing [livejournal.com profile] clovis_t a bratwurst and chips from a take away place--I'd long since had enough food for the day myself).

It is now 22:29, I've done my yoga, brushed my teeth. Time to curl up in bed with my 1000 words of geologic literature and then get some sleep so as to be alert for school in the morning...

[identity profile] corva.livejournal.com 2010-03-22 03:07 am (UTC)(link)
pictures? I would so love to explore with you someday!

[identity profile] kareina.livejournal.com 2010-03-22 05:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[livejournal.com profile] clovis_t took some photos out the train window. I was too busy looking to reach for a camera. I promise to point it out to you when he gets the photos on line.

I think exploring with you would be ever so much fun!

[identity profile] madryn-1960.livejournal.com 2010-03-24 01:16 am (UTC)(link)
Very interested indeed to read about the upcoming legislation re smoking. We mentioned to Hans's family (who's village is closer to Berne than Zurich) that smoking legislation is strong in Tassie, and they were horrified. His sister shouted angrily that you can't BAN it! (She's a non-smoker) She was adamant that courtesy would be a better strategy. I pointed out (through Hans's translation) that the reason legislation was necessary was that "courtesy" didn't work. I said this to her across a table piled high with dead and stinking butts. It didn't seem to occur to any of them that there was something wrong with this picture! LOL! I will pass your news on to Hans, who will be intrigued.