Thursday, week 5...

I can't believe we've been here a month already. Sometimes it actually feels like we've been here much longer. 

Last Sunday we took the train to the airport and then a tram two stops further to go car browsing. Waiting for the tram outside the airport I realised it was exactly 4 weeks ago that we arrived here at this airport. So here's an anniversary picture at Zurich Flughafen!

We had a lovely day just cruising around. We were waiting for the tram to go back to the airport when the one going the opposite direction arrived. We had a quick change of plan, got on it and went in to Zurich. I think it's just one stop on from the airport to Zurich Hauptbahnhof (main station), but it took about 30min with the tram. It was fun though going a different route. And we got off whenever we saw more second hand car garages and then got back on again when we were done browsing.

We had lunch at Burger King at the hauptbahnhof. We both felt like some junk food! Burgers, chips and milkshakes and we were sooo stuffed afterwards!! Not used to it anymore! 

CHF26.40 = R219... Slightly more than we would pay in SA for burgers and chips! But hey, you can't compare it like that. We've also been out for dinner here, for pizzas, and then converted into Rands it's actually the same we've paid at some pizza places in South Africa. They say Switzerland is so expensive, but then South Africa is not cheap either. I think we just got used to the prices there and didn't have anything to compare to. Yes some things, like groceries converted into rand are more expensive but then the salaries make up for it. A teacher here would earn 5 and a half times more than a teacher in SA... mmm... Anybody want to join us here now? ;-) Maybe just wait until I get a job first!

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, after the lunch we took the train back home again. It wasn't great weather for walking around. André had a look at some kick scooters on the airport. They're fun and he walks quite a bit from the train to the office everyday. So we're looking into that.

We've also been looking at some bigger wheels as I've mentioned. André made the mistake of choosing a BMW X3 for our first test drive... I liked it! Let me see if I've got a picture to show you. No.. I didn't take one of the car, I enjoyed the ride so much I forgot. But here's Andé driving it, concentrating on staying on the right side of the road:

Smile for the camera, just keep your eyes on the road!

Ah ok here's a picture of the car, I got from google images. See why I like it? It's beeeg! It was also a black one.

But that was stretching the budget a bit, so we went to look at this one instead. Also very nice.

Now here's another story. Did I tell you how you shouldn't just get on a train if it arrives early? If your train is due to arrive at 8:04 and a train arrives at 8:00 DON'T assume it's the one you're meant to take and just get on! But do you think I listen to that? Nooooo... Quite often a train does arrive early and will wait in the station until it's time to depart. Then you can get on and pray it doesn't leave early, meaning it was NOT your train. But you can check the sign board telling you what train it is and I've never seen that being incorrect. Now at this station after we went to test drive above car there was no such sign. We had to wait about 25 mins. It was cold and late (8pm) and I was thinking of the warm potato soup I made, waiting at home, so when this train arrives 4 mins before the scheduled time I tell André it happens ALL the time. We can get on so long, get out the cold and we'll be home in no time. WELL. We hardly sat down and off goes the train. 

"But it's not suppose to leave until 20:04", says I with the clever ideas. 

(Husband just shrugs.)

"Now what, we're going in the wrong direction! I should have known! Richtung Baden is the direction we came not the way home!"

(Husband is not fussed, he of course has a monthly ticket to go just about anywhere, paid by the company.)

So I go check the map and inform André that we will just have to get off at the next station and go back as I don't have a ticket for the zone we're going into now. I am sooo scared of being caught in the wrong zone with the wrong ticket.

So he follows his bright ideas wife and gets off the train at the next stop. Starts checking on his phone for the next connection (work pays for internet...). Unemployed me goes to check the information boards. Guess what: Next train in exactly one hour!

We ended up taking a bus to another station and got a train home from there. I hate wasting money on train tickets. I had to buy a new ticket, for the bus and train since we were now coming from a completely different direction. After I already had a return ticket if I was only patient enough to wait for the correct train home.

That's how we learn.