Business Trip to Geneva

I've just finished my first business trip in my life! Wow, it was such a unforgettable experience! The purpose of this trip was to become familiar with hotels and tours which we often sell to clients. Our schedule was very tight but with my cool colleague who is a good friend of mine, we managed everything perfectly! We took train departing Zurich at 6:30am and as soon as arriving Geneva, dashed to the hotel where we meet the first client. Guess what was the first comment of us after the meeting? "he was cute guy!!!!!!". Oh no, but we've really done good business discussion and left him a good impression. So, now started our hotel cruise! We visited 10 hotels in one day!
Here comes typical hotel with Swiss atmosphere. Reminds me a house from Heidi's village:)
I like wooden room. Even though the outlook of building is not so interesting, inside is full wooden made and create warm environment. Here below is one of my favorites. What interesting is that all the good hotels in Switzerland always has outstanding entrance with many flags swinging in the air!
Outlook is not so impressive but lobby was decorated as typical European gorgeous design.

There are some hotels which we really disspointed. Even though it's a 4 star hotel, interior is so dark, bed is like a camping bed and hallway smells like a hell! Oh yes, it's always good to see the property. Now we know which one to sell. After finishing full appointment, me and my colleague went out for so-called "city inspection" (actually just having fun!) Geneva is very different from Zurich. Both cities are quite huge in Switzerland but Geneva is more cosmopolitan in positive and negative way. I personally like Zurich better. Maybe I felt more "Lost in translation" in this city.
C.V.P. is a abbreviation of s'il vous plait (please).
World famous big fountain..
Old town with many photos.. Maybe people are more open in Geneva since French spirit is mixed. We felt attention from men wherever we go, from car on the street,, everywhere! Our business trip continue to the excursion of Chamonix next day!

Visit of Big 3

This weekend we invited three big VIPs. Big in appearance and big in personality. Good friends of my husband visitied us for cocktails and had first look of our apartment. They are such a cool friends, making joke all the time but same time wearing very stylish and very much attractive lookings. I could easily imagine how they enjoying life after work at drinking bar and on the boat with beer during the weekends. Although they are stylishly dressed, one of them instantly intersted in our vacuum cleaner. He was keep checking it, pulling and pishing the hose, carrying up the maschine and being so curious. At the end, he somehow open the dust box and the kitchen was full of dust;) Then, here comes my super cleaning boy, proudly plug in the vacuum and showed the guests how the maschine works. He cleared up everything completely and three men were curiously paying attention. It was such a funny picture!! Then we sat on the terrace with beer and enjoyed beautiful summer evening. The snacks I prepared seem to be satisfying to them. I thought I cooked too many but it was almost all finish! (Detail of the food is written "All about food" link. They are trustworthy friends for my husbands and also strong supporter for me living in Zurich. My ideal is that one of them marry to my Japanese girl friend and drag her as well to here Zurich! I hope it happens in near future!!

Böögg

Today was local holiday in Zürich. All the offices and shops in Zürich closed at noon and city was just like weekend or full with more energy than normal weekend. So many foods and drinks bar are standing along the street and smell sausages and cheese in everywhere! It's the festival actually to say "good bye" to long winter in Zürich (not this year thought) by burning big snow man built in center of the city. In early afternoon, the festival started by big horn of parade. Local men dressed like a knight strolled the street followed by pretty girls dressed as Heidi. Then comes group of people carrying cow bells (must be heavy!) "ding ding ding" and then group of people with drums "dong dong dong". Then comes camels, dancers,, there was even a group of bakeries throwing fresh breads to people. (I couldn't get one!) City's view looks normal but when you see carefully, all the churches has flag on the top and that's the sign of festival! Parade roam around the city and continue until the field where the snowman waits. Here, there are tons of people which never seen in Zürich before. I wonder where are these people all come from in such a small city. People are eager to see finale of the festival. I thought it is a whole big snowman itself, but actually it's a huge mountain of straw and pretty snowman is standing on the top. With the sign of big horn, fire is lighted on the mountain. People in here said, faster the snowman burns, better the summer will be. I was quite didn't understand how the snowman will be burned. Straw of the mountain was burnt quite fast and I thought that was the end. But actually, snowman on the top must be burnt completely until nothing! 5 or 6 minutes with a sounds of banger, fire has lighted to snowman. White snowman turned completely burned and become black. My smile has disappeared. It's not yet finished. Fire went further until destroying the snowman everything. People shout and scream with joy "go! go!". Finally, with a huge sound of firecracker, "Bang! Bang! Bang!" followed by the voice "Yes! Yes! Yes!" the snowman was gone and nothing has left. I was told "that was head". The snowman was not a two balls of snow. It has head, eyes nose and mouse with separate arms and legs. Is it only me who think about ancient ages when people are burn and die at the stake? Is because I'm the kind of person who can't crash easter chocolate bunny? I think it's just a difference of culture. Probably more Japanese people agree or at least understand what I mean. Same festival cannot be taken place in Japan, being said too shocking for children or whatever. Anyway, I straight went home but if I join the people who make barbecue with the fire afterward, I would totally forgot this small culture shock and fully enjoy early summer night.

Zurzach, Visiting Grandma

Super sunny Saturday! We drove down to Zurzach, where famous for bathing. When I visiting Zurzach last time, it was freezing winter and I don't remember anything about city. Now, it's middile of spring (almost summer) the town itself smells like flower bouquet! Flower on the ground, flower up on the tree, everywhere colored, pink, red and yellow! I fully enjoyed pleasant ride until grandma's place. Grand ma is 91 years old and such a charming person. She speaks high German and quite curious in many things. She has style and this day, she was wearing pink shirts. We had such a gorgeous lunch at the restaurant in hotel (grandma is well known customer here) and had further nice conversation afterward back in home. I asked her how she got married to her husband and when she moved to Switzerland. She showed me old photo of hers and there, exactly! Grandma was sooooo pretty girl, fashionable and has beautiful slim legs! I knew she was a popular one! Not only pretty but also very kind and thoughtful. 91 years old woman, translate German to English for me, whenever I have a difficulty to understand. I was so touched by how she cares about me. I already look forward to visit her once again and have more sweet conversation. Visiting Zurzach is something worth specially on sunny day. It`s a boarder of Germany and Switzerland, split by Rhein. A short walk along the Rhein is something you cannot miss. It's quite amazing that the land over the river is different country.

Still Winterwonderland

People are all enjoying sun on the street in here Zurich. Zurich had such an unusual winter, snowed only 2 or 3 times and here come already summer, even skipping spring! So, we decided to go back to winterwonderland once again which is accesable from Zurich just by day trip! Get on a train from Zurich to Arth-Goldau and change to cool cog-wheel train. First the train was empty but soon it was full with tourists or other Swiss people who are also looking for lost winter. Slowly slowly, train climb up the mountain and city underneath goes smaller and smaller. Actually, the train is the oldest cog-wheel train in Europe which takes you to the top of mountain. It was like a miracle for the people those age, since the mountain was something to climb up on the horse!
Up on the hill was spetacular panaroma view of Alps!!

Our home our stuffs

New life has started since January. Me, typical Tokyo girl left exciting time at there and moved over to Zurich, just for more peaceful life. My loving home are full of Japanese and swiss items and some are very sweet. Raindeer shit jerry beans from his axx, which was a present from one of my best friends. Such a cool friend I had! Super robot panda is the first present I gave to my husband:)

First Easter

Easter was never familiar to me. Sometime I see flow of bunny and eggs in supermarket but never knew it's meaning. Here in Switzerland, it's not the flow of bunnies. It's a invasion of bunny bringing tons of eggs!! Some show has huge statue of rabbit standing in front of the entrance! So, I finally decided to learn a little bit more a about Easter, what to do about these rabbits. Actually, in ancient age, egg has a meaning of regeneration. People even brought eggs to their grave. Rabbit was a holy animal. Thats why people combined these two theory to this important day for Christian. Not enough, but somehow understood the reason of this special holiday.

I instantly fell in love with this guy ;)
But fell in love with my husband once again who secretly bought cute easter cakes!