Author Archives: lauren

A splendid Canadienne Buffet

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After a vicious weekend of assembling IKEA furniture and hanging pictures, we were very excited to have Sunday dinner plans at A & A’s place.

In my French lessons, my teacher (who doesn’t speak a word of English to me), has me talk about daily life in Geneva. I talk about the house, Gabe’s job, and things I do during the day.

Last week, I was attempting to tell her in French that “we met some nice people on the bus, and we went over to their house for potluck,” describing our delicious American BBQ at their place.

“Comment dites-vous ‘potluck’ en français?” I asked.

She replied, “ahhh….Canadienne buffet”.

Really? That’s awesome.

The funny part of a Canadienne buffet is taking your items on the public transit. Below, Gabe captured a shot of me toting the caprese salad while waiting for the bus. Apparently, it is not normal to carry a platter of food on the bus in Switzerland. Oh well, I am not a stranger to odd looks from the Swiss.

This Sunday, the theme was Mini Pizzas. A had whipped up an amazing selection of toppings. From everything to homemade sauce, to all the workings of a BBQ chicken pizza, it was incredible. Gabe and I think this is best pizza we have ever had!

In addition to the delicious Italian fare, it was just a very enjoyable evening spent with great people.

Gabe and I are excited that we are finally almost done settling so we can host next time at our new place. I am thinking ours will be a Mexican themed Canadienne Buffet….we’ll see…you’ll have to keep reading for all the updates! Also, share any of your best potluck ideas for us – we’d love to hear some suggestions!

Shopping in France

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Last Sunday, we went to church in Ferney-Voltaire, just over the border in France. We arrived 15 minutes early so went to check out the Carrefour as it was open on Sunday!!

We had never seen digital price tags (above photo) like this. I supposed its so they can change prices (in Euros) quickly with these. I thought about the sustainability aspect, but I am not sure how they are powered.

Also, we saw this :

For those reading this blog regularly, you will laugh as just a week ago, I had a post about how I almost cried over toothpicks This is an entire end cap dedicated to toothpicks, in the mixer aisle.

Funny how life can give you everything you need, if you are just patient!

Gratitude Friday: Mon Mari

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This Friday, I just wanted to dedicate my post on gratitude to mon mari (my husband).

Last night, I was just reflecting on how lucky we were to not be doing the long distance thing anymore. For two and a half years, both of us traveled back and forth from Charlotte and Atlanta. While we love to travel, four hours each way on I-85 is not an ideal experience to have most weekends. During that time, neither of us felt settled in our own cities or with any free time going back and forth.

I remember a dream of mine was just wanting to watch a rental movie with Gabe on a weeknight. It was never really possible on our short weekends as we usually had events or plans with friends.

Just 8 weeks ago, we were doing long distance. And now, I find myself married to my best friend.

And, last night, we watched a rented movie from iTunes, it hit me that all I ever wanted had come true…..getting to live in the same place as the one I love. Each night, I get so excited for him for him to walk through the door.

Beyond that, we get this great adventure as our honeymoon. While the move may have its ups-and-downs, it is an incredible thing to experience a new country together. We share all the tough points, as well as the awe of the fact that we live in this absolutely amazing place. And sometimes, usually as we cross the Mont Blanc bridge in our car, I have to pinch myself and say, “we really live here!” and then we both smile.

A selection of photos taken in a few week period – our wedding, a picnic and our first weekend in Geneva at Caves Ouverts.



So, this week, and every week, I am thankful for mon mari, and all he does to make me the happiest girl in the world.

Communication

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Everyone will be excited to know that our washer and dryer is arriving on Monday (hopefully). I anticipate that laundry will be a bit more pleasant, now that I can control all the little dials, # of minutes, and I have access to my own bathroom (which is where it goes, basically almost in the shower) vs. it being in a scary dungeon that is sometimes locked and sometimes not.

And, the reason I say hopefully is that you can’t really count on anything here until it happens.

For instance, last week we had an appointment for an electrician to put all our light fixtures up in our apartment (in Switzerland, when you rent an apartment, there are just wires hanging from the ceiling – you have to purchase and install all your fixtures yourself). He came last Friday at 2pm, and after 2 hours, at 4pm, he told me in French that he had to leave. It was quitting time. He still had half of them to go. He is supposed to come back today, as if it wasn’t today, he was booked and had vacation, so who knows how long this would take.

I prefer email tremendously to the phone to communicate with people here. It is a bit anti-social, yes, but the benefit is having Google Translate. I just type what I want, pop it in Google Translate, and then copy/paste. Done! I do the same with communication back to me.

So, I requested this with the washer and dryer delivery, and here are the bits of communication that I have to determine if it is coming or not and when. Bless this guys heart for trying English. He knows a ton more than I do. Without Google Translate, I’d be lost!

When the washing machine comes, I am planning to open the champagne we were given by Gabe’s co-workers. We have been waiting for a special occasion, and I cannot think of a better reason to celebrate!

Reason I Wish I Knew French #77

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Today at Globo-gym, we had an unpleasant surprise. Ironically, the class I was taking was named F.I.R.E. and I am not quite sure what those initials stand for in French, since the acronym doesn’t mean anything in that language. However, 20 minutes in, the F.I.R.E. alarm went off.

A french voice came on the loudspeaker and everyone started moving for the doors. Hmm. No clue what they said but I am pretty sure I should follow. We weaved down stairs and were in the basement of the large department store and we eventually found our way outside to find a huge crowd of people, also from other floors in the building.

They ushered us to the lakeside only a block away. Everyone looked down at their feet in dismay. Most of the shoes had never seen the light of day since they have to be brand new and squeaky clean to be worn within the facility.

Yes, that was the first thing that popped in my head too during a fire emergency as well.

A few minutes later, the suited employees came running out of the building with stacks of towels for everyone. Remember, Swiss people (or at least in Geneva) don’t like to be seen in gym clothes in public. Many of the people in the class with them took them and wrapped them around themselves. Not for warmth…it was 70 degrees out….but as the sweaty attire was not appropriate for the posh neighborhood we were in.

My American brain was thinking maybe the instructor should continue class outside – we were wasting precious work out time there!!! I am sure that would have been frowned upon though so I didn’t lead the movement.

You’ll be happy to know that it was a false alarm and we all returned in after 20 minutes.

Glad I hadn’t taken an earlier class and been in the shower – that could have been super unpleasant without being able to understand and follow the lead.

So, this week, I resolve that I will attempt to learn more about emergency words in French so I am better prepared.

Reason I Wish I Knew French #76

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Most every day, I have been going to my gym. I secretly call it Globo-Gym (you know, from Dodgeball) as it is just very “interesting”. Post on the word “interesting” and its different meaning in Europe to come in the following weeks.

Here are just a few reasons why its “interesting” (European meaning):
-Women wear full fledged make-up, hair perfectly done, and jewelry to work out – I am talking gold bangles, etc.
-Other than my husband, i have not seen a guy wear a tee shirt in that place yet – all spandex outfits
-I have seen several women in “couture” gym clothes, which I didn’t know existed!
-I am the only one who ever walks in or out of this gym in my gym clothes. Everyone else who comes in or out is in suits, formal business clothes, or totally put together.
-You aren’t allowed to wear shoes from the street, you must change into special gym shoes
-There are always more trainers than people working out in the gym (at least in the hours that I frequent it, i could only afford the “off-peak” pass)
-People sunbathe topless on the outdoor part of the gym. Really.
-They are obsessed with disco lights. I did a prior post about disco spinning, but since have discovered that during all the classes, the last 10 minutes they turn out the lights and on the disco ball for the finale of class. Why, I ask?
-Oh, and the men who check you in and give you towels are wearing suits.

Anyhow, it is because of these “interesting” things that I don’t feel so bad shelling out an obscene amount of money to have the pleasure of attending this facility during only certain specified hours. It’s worth it in entertainment value alone.

Also, I am learning French better by attending. Since I go to classes most of the time and the instruction is in French, I have learned a few more words. Here is a cheat sheet for those thinking of attending a French gym class anytime soon:

Left “Gauche”
Right “Droite”

Do it again “Encore” or “la meme chose”
Let’s go “Aller”
Poitrine “Chest” as in, we are moving on to that muscle group now. I only actually know this from buying chicken breasts at the store.

Today, the instructor kept saying the word “souffle” . After the tenth time, I started to guess what he was saying. My thought process went something like the below.

See if you can guess the meaning!

a) Souffle….served at the end of the meal, maybe he is telling us we are ending this set?

a) Souffle….a yummy treat. maybe he is saying that we deserve to eat lots of it after this super hard weight-lifting class. Maybe I’ll go see if I can find the ingredients at the Migros….chocolate…check…..

a) Souffle…maybe it is some sort of reverse psychology that if we actually ate souffle last night, we should work harder in this class.

OR

a) Souffle….a derivation of the verb souffler for “to breathe”

and the answer is…….

Wow, I am glad I learned this before my first French yoga class.

Thanks, Google Translate!!!

Fete de la Musique

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This weekend Geneva hosted the 20th annual Fete de la Musique in Old Town – three days of non-stop music, ranging from classical, to jazz, to reggae, to rock. It was only a 5 minute walk from our house, so really close.

We tried to go Saturday, but were rained out after about 45 minutes. We returned home rain drenched but happy as we got delicious “to-go” fair food from the Madagascar tent and sausage tent.

We returned Sunday in the better weather and enjoyed the different artists and venues they had set up in 30 different locations, all over Vielle Ville. Here are a few photos below.

What a great weekend! Those wanting to come visit next Summer, should definitely try to come for the Fete de la Musique.

A rainy regatta

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This weekend was the Bol d’Or Mirabaud on Lake Geneva. It is the largest regatta in Europe, and we had planned to go out, bright and early and picnic to watch the sailboats set off for their journey to the other side of the lake.

Mother Nature had other plans.

As we approached the shore from our 10 minute rain-soaked walk from home, we saw this scene:

At one point, the sun sneaked out a wee bit and we could see a more beautiful kaleidoscope of sails that was originally hidden by the grey sky. There were so many!

The ducks enjoyed watching the faint images of sails on the skyline as well.

Maybe next year we’ll get to enjoy this beautiful scene in the sunshine!

Gratitude Friday: New Life

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This “Gratitude Friday”, I am so excited to be thankful for new life, in many forms.

At the Tuesday Plainpalais market, I picked up 6 different types of potted herbs and was so excited to plant them on our nice window boxes outside the kitchen. It feels good to have living breathing things as a part of our environment. We also enjoy beautiful newly planted flowers of our neighbors as can be seen above.

Setting in is going great. Our things arrived safely from the US and we are busy making it home. We are meeting lots of wonderful people here as well. We are so grateful for everything falling into place for us as we start our new life in Geneva.

And, the most exciting thing to be grateful for this week is that two of my dear friends had their babies! Melissa had her baby, Barclay Mclean, on Monday and Carla had her baby, Amy Rae, yesterday!

Photo of the babies “attending” our wedding, 5-7-11



Everyone is doing well and Gabe and I are so very happy for that news. Although, I’ll admit – it is hard to be so far away during exciting times like this! I love visiting people in the hospital to visit the new little ones. But, since I am a zillion miles away, I’ve posted photos of them in my office so they are close-by so I can think of them often!

What a week filled with gratitude and thanks for these wonderful new things in life.

The day I almost cried over toothpicks

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Those who follow our blog know that usually one in seven days ends up in tears for me. Don’t feel too bad……in comparing notes with new ex-patriate haus-frau peers, this is about par for the course, so I feel like I am doing quite well!

I’ll preface this story with the comment that we really really love our new apartment. Settling in is going great! We promise to post pictures soon. And, one of the best things about our apartment is that it is a 8 minute walk to beautiful Old Town, the high-walled city. Hmm….one might have realized that its quite a hike to get up to to our apartment based on its elevation with a spot where medieval warriors built their town to defend it from attacks. But this had not quite occurred to me until this week, when five-grocery-trips-in-two-days later, I feel like I have quads and hamstrings of steel from carrying all our groceries up these hills from the Co-ops and Migros down on lake level. Plus, I am coming down with a cold so the energy isn’t as strong as it usually is.

Things I learned from this:
-Four bottles of wine is too many. Maybe every trip, grab one. Not four. Hiking uphill with a third of a case of wine is not a good idea.
-Remember your list. In passing the store, I always get the idea that I should just duck in and pick up the groceries. But, with my memory, I always forget to bring the list which results in more trips!
-Just expect to get some things wrong. I happily discovered goat cheese the other day and learned that the goat on the front must mean goat cheese. “Score!”, I thought…. I love goat cheese in salads which I happen to eat most days for lunch. The second time, I bought some more cheese with a goat on the front for my spring salads and realized I got some kind of gooey cheese, similar to brie. Whoops! This also happened today when I trammed 30 minutes out to the one hardware store and meant to get matches to start enjoying our candles and I got some kind of camping sticks??

The wrong cheese and wrong matches purchased earlier in the week….



Back to the story. I am quite excited that the women’s club had their spring luncheon planned for tomorrow. I volunteered to bring my friend Noelle’s caprese bites (a cherry tomato, mozzarella ball, and basil on a toothpick, doused in olive oil & balsamic vinegar with fresh ground pepper) since it was delicious, but easy. Time is limited with the settling-in.

At the second grocery trip yesterday, I remembered to grab the tomatoes. Luckily, we have basil now growing on the porch, so I had that. But I forgot the mozzarella. And forgot it the third and fourth time. However, today, I was out for a meeting, I grabbed it (fifth trip).

Since tomorrow morning was full of back-to-back errands & activities already, I settled in to make dinner and prep my delicious app.

So, I pulled out everything to assemble and realized……no toothpicks. Toothpicks are something I always had on hand so never thought of this.

I started to feel familiar culture shock frustration set in….the sinking feeling….“Why can’t this just be easy?”…..“Curses, why didn’t I pack my $%^^ toothpicks in the shipment??”…… “What is the French word for toothpick anyway?”

But this time, I turned it around. I had a glass of wine (thanks to one of the four bottles I had bought yesterday) and made myself dinner (Gabe is gone all week in Brussels, so solo).

Afterwards, I walked down to the Migros and started to look all over the store. They don’t really have a cocktail / mixer aisle, which is where they would be at home. So, I started walking down every aisle. Then, all of a sudden, the lights started flashing and went off. Darkness. A French voice came on saying something that I imagine was “We are closing….get out now!”. I scrambled around the store rushing to find the coveted toothpicks. People were rushing to the cashiers.

However, much to my delight, I found skewers and considered just putting them on the ends of those. But finally, much did my happy eyes find, but below were the toothpicks! If you are wondering, their name in French is – cure dent en bois!

So, I headed home and successfully made my appetizer, as seen below displayed in lovely new Rubbermaid Glass container.

Whew….disaster averted. Let this be known as the day I almost cried over toothpicks but turned it around. Maybe wine can cure all culture shock?