Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow...

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Zürich: Where Luxury Meets The Anti-Art Scene

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On Saturday I decided to take a trip to Zürich.

Usually, people link the city with rich bankers, expensive restaurants and Porsche Carrera 4s. I admit, there's a lot of that in Zürich - first hand experience. No - I didn't drive a Porsche to work, nor did I have the money to spend my evenings in luxurious bars and restaurants. I used to live on a 10 minutes bike-ride from the office, and on my way to work, almost got knocked down by a Porsche-driving-banker a couple of times. My office was surrounded by good and expensive bars, cafes and restaurants, and so, once in a while, I enjoyed a tiny classy espresso at James Joyce. 

But that's only the obvious part of Zürich. Behind that, there is something different, but you have to be willing to search for it - it's not that easy to find.

DUDA BAR

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During the First World War, a new cultural movement was born in Zürich - Dadaism. Its followers believed that reason and logic were what led the burgeois capitalist society into war and created an anti-art trend that used chaos and irrationality to express their protest against traditional culture and aesthetics. 

Right in the heart of the city, you can find Duda Bar - a dynamic, contemporary cultural center where you can have what probably is one of the cheapest beers in town! To find it, you have to ask for Cabaret Voltaire, and go through the museum's gift-shop to get to the bar (you won't find any advertising of it on the streets!).

Spiegelgasse 1, Zürich

Tuesday - Saturday 12:00 - 00:00

Sunday 12:30 - 18:30

NIETTURM

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In a different part of town, you can find the Nietturm. This bar is located in the top of two floors of a glass tower above the Schiffbau and offers incredible views over Zürich West. You access it by an elevator (which sometimes has a doorman - and sometimes... not). It's a nice place to chill in the evening having a drink with some friends while listening to some music.

The building itself (Schiffbau) is interesting as well - it's an old industrial hall where ships were built, back in the XIX century. Now it's another cultural center, containing Zürich's main theater stage, an exclusive restaurant (Les Halles - in the picture below, behind the glass wall) and one of the best Jazz bars in the city (Moods). Something that caught my attention was, that you can easily sit on these couches while having your home brought drinks while chatting - why should we go to a bar anyway?

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Schiffbaustrasse 4, Zürich

Tuesday - Thursday 17:00 - 01:00

Friday - Saturday 17:00 - 02:00

Sunday - Monday closed

I must say that for the non-luxurious party people, there still doesn't seem to be that much of an option, given that places like Duda Bar close early. My impression is that, unless you are willing to spend money on an entry fee without a drink included, it's difficult to find something. The above a two opposites, and I like them both. But if I had to choose - I think I would just grab a drink from home and have it down in Schiffbau's lobby - you get to see and meet people while having a drink that you could actually afford, and you don't get kicked out until 4am (or was it later?).

Which option would you choose?

Friday's Five - #2 Edition

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50 Amazingly Achievable Things to Do before you Die, Fevered Mutterings. I had been thinking for a couple of weeks to create one of these 101 in 1001, but seriously? I don't think I could keep up with them. I plan to spend my next... 2-3 years working, so all those "dive with a shark" or "visit Machu Picchu" are unfortunately out of my league. But that doesn't mean you can't have goals, right?


The Day US Customs found a Bullet in my Pocket, Wandering Earl. I thought I had a bad day at customs the when I was caught in London Airport with a swiss knife, but that's nothing compared to Earl's adventure - Luck was definitely not on his side that day! Before going back to the US, he had been traveling around Afghanistan and Pakistan (among others) and was caught by customs with a shiny bullet, a burqa and a box of Osama bin Laden Kufa Balls (candy). Wrong time, wrong place. 


Now staring as Paris: Brooklyn, M. Dashing. I've never had the chance to go to Brooklyn, but these pictures definitely make me wanna go right now. Amy writes mostly about Brooklyn, and has many other beautiful pictures of New York City's most populous borough.


Alternative Friday Night: Transport Back to the 1940s, Get off the beaten path. I really like the idea of time traveling - while it's not scientifically possible yet, this party is a good alternative! A reason to buy vintage clothes, wear red lipstick, and style your hair glossy and wavy... I'm so looking forward to this 1940s party on New Year's Eve in London!

How to Sleep in an Airport: 101, Sleeping in Airports. Had I known this site before, I would have saved so many unnecessary hostels and hotels. A list of tips and tricks for sleeping on airports, such as sticking notes on your self and surrounding seats with a "wake me at 5am"- that's a good one, and I can assure it works! The site also rates the best (and worst!) airports to sleep at!

To Bise or Not To Bise?

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You might ask yourself what these bises are and why I'm so concerned about them, anyways. In France, as well as in the Suisse Romande to fair la bise is a synonym for cheek-kissing, a mainly European custom that gets very complicated when someone french is involved. 

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To fair la bise generally involves touching cheeks while kissing the air with an audible smack of the lips. That's the easy part. Now the real question is: 

Who to kiss and who not to kiss? And then again, how many of these bises shall you give? 

There are no written rules - which will lead to many awkward situations. While in Paris people give 2 bises, in some suburbs it's 4 and in other areas in France 3 (the same as in Switzerland). This can already lead to a lot of confusion - if a swiss and a parisian meet: how much kissing would there be involved? I've often landed in this kind of situation - the last time last week at a meeting with a parisian banker I had been talking on the phone with for months, but had never met before personally. Since I felt as if I knew him forever, I leaned up to faire la bise, and noticed how he was confused about the situation, but followed my spontaneity to avoid by total embarrassment. 

Commonly, women can kiss each other in almost any circumstance (it get's tricky if you greet elderly people for the first time or if it's a business meeting - oops!). Men, otherwise, only will kiss other men if they are related or are two best friends who haven't seen each other in centuries. An exception to this is New Year's Eve - where everybody seems to get loose (probably a consequence of the all the vin rouge). 

As a general guideline, I would say - wait until you are approached instead of jumping into it, like I did - and still do... got to change that one. 

Have you ever been in one of these awkward situations? How do you know when and whom to kiss?

Loops and Spins (A Day on Ice!)

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Yesterday I went ice skating for the first time. I had been wishing for it for so long - and now that winter is slowly approaching, I thought it would be a great chance to give it a try and start to feel the winter spirit. I know, officially, it's still a month to go, but in Switzerland it's expected to snow this wednesday! 

Anyway, I never tried it before, given my naturally untalented feet - which up to now, have made me turn off most of the activities and sports in which my feet have a main role, such as  skiing/snowboarding and dancing. I'm not overstating my clumsiness - today, in fact, I stepped on my own foot when stepping into a bakery! However, after my successful night dancing salsa in Havana - I decided to give my two left feet another chance.

The first time I stepped onto the ice, I was still telling myself to get off while I still could, and avoid being involved in a serious injury. But starting off with a teacher (or in our case - 2 very talented figure skaters (Robert Dierking, USA and Anna Sophia Bernauer, Luxembourg) was probably the best choice. They started by teaching us how to fall best and how to get up, as well as how to stop (which I still haven't mastered yet), and then slowly kept on with the basics. I was clearly happy enough to be gliding without holding myself onto anything - and even managed to do "lemons" !! I only fell once: I was gaining some speed and then saw the wall approaching quite quickly and attempted to turn to avoid the typical movie-alike collapse and, well, turned a bit too quick (I was glad that I was surrounded by other beginners at that time!). 


What I've learned so far is:
          -   Wear gloves - even better: wear ski gloves in case you fall on the ice!
          -   There's a higher possibility of falling if you look down than if you look straight 
          -   Learn how to stop before learning how to speed
          -   Don't fall on your butt (but if someone else does, have your camera ready!)

It was great fun - and I might have found a new hobby! This one being useful in Switzerland - as I think I'm going to be having ice rinks until sometime in march (or april?). And besides, ever since I first read about the Lac de Joux in the Jura Moutains (Switzerland), I've been counting the days for it to freeze so I can try it out. Obviously, I still have to practice a bit more in a closed rink - I don't want to fall on the ice, break it and well, turn into an ice cube!

View Larger Map

Even though it's a quite large lake (in fact, the largest of the Jura region), it's depth is maximum 32m, which makes it easier to freeze. When temperatures have dropped enough and snow has been falling on less than 1000m hight, the Lac de Joux is transformed into a big ice skating rink. I haven't been yet - mental note -, but it looks like the perfect place to escape from the loud and crowded ski resorts, right? I've read that they even have little wooden stands next to the lake, selling vin chaud (hot wine) and take away raclettes! 

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Last year I would have been praying for no snow - but this year, a tiny winy part of me is wishing for it as soon as possible, to get the most out of this lake!

Have you gone ice skating?  Ever tried skating on a natural lake?

Friday's Five - #1 Edition

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While I was googling for inspiration during last weekend (yeah, I know - where did my imagination go?), I came across some great posts; some of them news, others personal experiences, and some others incredibly inspiring pictures. So, starting from today, and hopefully continuing each friday, I will be posting my top 5 favorite expat / travel posts!

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Leongs Legend, Gourmet Chic.  There are two things that have been obsessing me in the last month - on one side, the delicious macarons (I have a Laduree shop on my way to the gym - isn't life unfair?) and on the other, the Xai Long Bao soup dumplings. I first tried them in a side restaurant in Lausanne, called Chez Xu - it was true love. Thanks Gourmet Chic for the Londoner version of Chez Xu, it's on my list of To Do's for the next time I'll be in the city. 


The future of plane Seats: Analyzed, The Lonely Planet. Airlines are constantly studying new ways of making first class even more luxurious and fitting more people into economy - it's a trend (and I personally won't be profiting a lot of this one...). My favorite? The see-through plane Airbus engineers are currently studying - Can you imagine flying while watching the stars above and the city lights below? *Sigh*


My Dirty Little Travel Secret, C'est Christine. The internet is full of blogs about All Around the World trips (which sound amazing!), but often miss on small pleasures of being in a foreign country - like learning the language, befriend with locals and learn how to cook some national dishes. You will get to see the city / country in a different way.  


Spotted Dick and 20 other british foods with stupid names, The Jetpacker. I laughed out loud at this one - have you ever heard about a "Fitless Cock"? I hope never to be encountered with anything like that! Next to this one, "Love in Disguise" even sounds good - until you know what it actually is...!!


El Tigre, That's G. Last night I came across with this post - it brought me back so many good memories of Madrid! Not only do I miss the city itself, but also the time of being a student, bars were dirty and cheap, food was greasy and alcohol came in liters (or even better, "meters"!). 

Welcome to London!

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Is this the way you get greeted at London Heathrow? I should go more often...!!

La Habana Vieja, Cuba

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Now that I'm back to my usual life in Switzerland since little more than a week, there are things that I start longing for what was a day back in Cuba:

Being surrounded by colorful buildings and cheerful people. No matter where I looked at, everything seemed simply beautiful to me. I remember asking locals what made me look like a foreigner - they pointed at my clothes. Sure I did - I wore grey, black, white and the simplest jewelry I could find. Compared to my work colleagues, who dressed to work with nice colorful outfits, always perfectly matched with heels, necklaces, bracelets and earrings, I looked like a robot.

Near the Capitolio, on my way to Floridita.

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Finding spots in town to simply sit and relax, or maybe even read a book (or smoke a cigar, heh). Havana is full of benches that give you the opportunity to enjoy the environment (from the shadow, that's essential).

Plaza Vieja - renovated part of the city center

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Almost no cars. Can you imagine it? I mean, ok, it's really not good when taken from a work/travel/urgency perspective. Cars are a privilege in Cuba - I was told that around 80% of the locals do not own a car. You might think that, in compensation, they have a very good public transport - well no. Public transport is really unreliable (which, again, explains the existence of Cuban Time). However, the peacefulness I experienced in the heart of the city - with kids playing on the streets and neighbors randomly chatting with each other on a doorway - would be gone if you add to Cuba the amount of cars driving, for example, in Delhi.

Somewhere in Havana (when I got lost after the bus leaving me on the end station)

Somewhere in Havana (when I got lost searching for a cafe)

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Having such a beautiful sunset every.single.evening. This point doesn't need to be explained, right?

The view from my hotel room

Don't miss my posts on the 10 things you should know about Cuba here.

Happy Birthday, Easyjet!

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I'm not a big fan of Easyjet - a hundred people storming into the airplane at the same time to get a seat, stressed out, pulling all their stuff into one single piece to avoid checking in their hand luggage, no designated seat numbers and, then, the seats so near to each other you can easily whisper into the ear of the buddy you've got in front of you without even moving an inch. Nah, it's not comfort. That's for sure.

But, you know what? Screw it! Sometimes the destination is worth the "suffering". I use the inverted commas around the word suffering, because you'll never know what is real suffering until you travel with Ryanair - the guys who want to charge their customers for going to the toilet and are now planning to run flights where passengers stand during the journey at a cost of only 5 pounds per ticket, oui, les mêmes. But that's another story.

The fact is, today Easyjet has great offers that are worth the uncomfortable flight - all flights have up to 30% off for every ticket you purchase between the 1st of January and the 26th of March. I could not resist the prices (I'm like a girl shoe shopping in sales!) - and just bought a ticket to London in February, and one to Edinburgh in March! Check it out, there are just a few hours left!!

I've been Upgraded to Silver!

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All the (long) flights during the last 7 months are starting to show some results: Since yesterday, I'm officially an Iberia Plus Silver member - yay! What does this mean?

• Business class check-in. This is a big step towards to the frequent flyer limbo - from now on, I don't have to hurry and worry anymore (at least not as much as I did before). No more wasting time waiting to check-in, no more sitting on the floor hoping that the packed queue moves on - au revoir economy check-in!
• Greater luggage allowance. If I was already excited about the check-in, what about having the possibility to carry an additional 23 kg bag with me without paying any extras? Do you know what this means - more bottles of Rum from Cuba next time. Yeah.
• Airport waiting lists. I've been lucky enough to never be on a waiting list, although I've been pretty close a few times - the last one being this year in London, when I took the last seat available and everyone behind me started cursing the company for over-selling their capacity. They were right - but I was better of with my mouth shut and my ticket in my pocket, heh.
• Assistance insurance outside Spain. I'm still not sure what this means, but it does sound useful.

Can't wait to start using it!

10 Things You Must Know about Cuba (Part II)

6. They've just got the moves. No matter what they might tell you, ALL cubans can dance cuban salsa (also called "casino")- they were born with this gift. If you get the chance to go to a local cuban party, you'll probably get to see the "Rueda de Casino", which is a particular type of round dancing developed in Havana in the late 50s. Pairs of dancers create a circle, in which each dance moved is called out by one person and many of these moves involve the swapping of partners. I had the occassion to watch it last friday at a birthday party (in which, by the way, I was the only non-cuban non-salsa dancer), and believe me, it's simply impressive.

7. The Soviet Union is still beating. In 1960, Cuba signed a trade agreement (sugar/oil) with the Soviet Union - which provided the island with many russian cars (you'll recognize them by their rectangular shape), as well as TVs and photo cameras. When driving through Havana, you can also recognize some Stalinist architecture (although the majority of the buildings are art deco and colonial).

8. Cigars are not only for men. At least that's what I tell myself since I bought a pack of Trinidad Colonial for a try - I've always loved the femme fatale look. I remember cigars being a fashion for women in the 90s, well, it's time to get that fashion back ladies! Anyway, I read cuban cigars can't be sold in the US. There are rumors of Kennedy requesting his own press secretary to get thousands of his favorite cigars to stock them up in the White House right before he signed the embargo.

9. There's something called "Cuban Time". Most of the time I had an appointment - this one would start at some other time than established. I've been called for a meeting 1 hour before a 2-weeks-in-advance set time, but this was an exception - mostly things move on much slower than expected. When I was told "dinner at 8" at could be sure that I would not be anywhere before 9. This is a particular time system you have to get used to

10. Like wine to France, it's rum to Cuba. Cuba distills different types of rum. First, you can find the white rums, which are primarily used as mixers - that is, particularly for Mojitos and Daiquiris (the drink many people associate with Hemingway). Golden (or Amber) rums will have spent several years aging in oak casts and have a stronger taste, which makes them less suitable for cocktails but ideal for Cuba Libres or on the rocks. And last, the dark rums. These have a characteristic sweet caramel-dominated taste due to its long aging and are mostly recommended to drink neat or on the rocks.

Also Read: 10 Things You Must Know about Cuba (Part I)

Reasons Why I want to Avoid a Plane this Weekend

Let me look back at the last 24 hours.

Yesterday, a passenger plane crashed near the town of Guasimal (central Cuba), flying from Santiago de Cuba to Havana (a 1 hour and 50 min flight). The aircraft was carrying 61 passenger and 7 crew members, of which 28 were foreigners and 40 cubans - with no survivors. The crash took place as Tropical Storm Tomas strengthened over the Caribbean Sea.

Also, Another Qantas plane has made an emergency landing after reporting an engine problem shortly after take-off.

Today, a private charter plane with 21 people on board crashed after taking off from Karachi's airport, leaving no survivors neither. The cause of crash was a technical fault - the engine stopped working. This, only 4 months after the terrible incident that happened in the country on July 28th, when an Airbus crashed into hills of Islamabad after coming in to land after a flight from Karachi, killing 152 people on board.

In the last hour, The Tropical Storm has regained hurricane strength level 1 (Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale). Tomas is passing very close to western Haiti and will be over far eastern Cuba (particularly, Guantanamo) by this afternoon.

Hmm.. ok, this is not exactly an ideal situation.

I'm never scared of flying. I like it - it's exciting and adventurous. However, on days like today (and tomorrow) - I can assure that I would trade off any flight to just stay at home watching TV and drinking some hot chocolate.

*Sigh*

Havana Nights - The Cuban Way

I had been looking forward to the weekend during the whole first week I had spent here - specially since I had been invited to a party on friday night! Not only was I excited about getting to know some more people, but I wanted to learn about the REAL Havana Nights! That is - no places like Floridita (probably a must for tourists, but given the prices, its prohibitive for Cubans!).
The night started with a traditional cuban dinner. If you ever wonder what's cuban food like, well - it's a strange combination between south american, caribbean and spanish food, but with less ingredients. Cubans manage to cook a big meal with the basic foodstuff they can get - rice, malanga (a potato-like vegetable), bananas and beans. Believe me, with this kind of menu - you don't come to Cuba to hold on to a diet. I gave up last friday, when I was kindly offered a local food tasting that included malanga frita, mariquitas, yuca frita, moros y cristianos, bistec de cerdo, pudin de pan, fufu de platano, empanada de guayaba, casquitos de guayaba, and who knows what else I've been stuffing into my poor stomach that I had been acclimating to french portions for so long.

Anyway, after this unforgivable meal, I headed to a private party, me being the only non-cuban - yey! This might be surprising - but I had eaten so much, I couldn't even handle a drink. No mojito, no cuba libre. I was even struggling with the water. The only thing I wanted to do is move to stop feeling so clumpsy - a co-worker dragged me to her nephew, and told him to teach me how to dance.

Ergh, ok. No drink? No chit chat before starting to dance? - I think it was the first time, in YEARS! And I must admit, it was real fun. I felt a bit awkward, since everybody was checking out how I was learning the moves (if dare to call whatever I was initially doing "moves"). I remember the times when I was 15 or 16 and started going out on fridays and saturdays to dance. I used to have one whisky-cola and just danced for hours. I didn't care if the bar was empty or crowded. I didn't care who was watching, who might be criticizing my clothes, if I was sweaty or if my make-up was still in the right place (now I know the reason for me being single back then). Last friday, I felt the same way - I was free of thoughts, free of worries. I put all my attention on learning some of the cuban salsa moves and forgot about time, heat and well, at some point I even forgot I was at someone's birthday party (someone I didn't know), and that my appearance was pretty much one of the highlights of the night. In a party of naturally-gifted salsa dancers, I was the Ugly Duckling - but again, who cares?

I held up pretty well - I attempted dancing for hours! My teacher has been asking for me. My co-worker says, he offered to keep teaching me during the rest of the week (for free) - yay! I will take it as a compliment - maybe I'm not such a bad salsa dancer after all!