Owner: The Swiss Job URL:http://theswissjob.wordpress.com Join Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 03:33:17 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: The Swiss Job details an Irishmans futile attempts to settle into Swiss life. Having moved to Basel for a new job, the blog compares the Irish to the Swiss and everything in between. Site statistics:Click here
Hi ho Silver… 2007-07-25 07:17:00 My Dad is a great fan of the Western genre of films. He grew up watching the adventures of the Lone Ranger, with his horse Silver
and trusty sidekick Tonto righting wrongs in the Wild West. I, on the other hand, had the heady mix of Airwolf, Knightrider and The A-Team to grow up to. But, despite the constant complaints when Dad would switch over to John Wayne swaggering through a lawless gold rush town, I always had a soft spot for the Westerns too.
However, I think Silver would be doing cartwheels in his grave if he knew what I got up to on the weekend. We tried horse for the first time since we got here. Despite having a horse butcher across the road from us, for one reason or another we hadn’t got round to getting some. So last weekend we took the plunge and went for two “faux fillet” steaks.
Cooked up with a bit of balsamic and some veg it was pretty tasty (expect a write up on the Golden Shrimp some time soon!). I would say a cross between the fibrous nature of Read more:hellip
Tintin, what’s next? 2007-07-24 04:47:04 This gets me annoyed.
In my opinion political correctness has gone too far and the example made recently of Tintin is, to me, quite unbelieveable. Here’s a childrens book that has been a classic since it was first published back in the 1930’s. But now, because of political correctness, two major book chains have moved Tintin to the adult section because of racist themes in the stories. The books have now been labelled by the publisher as follows:
“bourgeois, paternalistic stereotypes of the period - an interpretation some readers may find offensive”
I’m trying to figure out what that means? And why do people feel the need to interfere with the fantastic adventure stories of the young Tintin. I agree that some of the storylines may be seen as controversial now, but will a six year old understand this? I feel sorry for children who may miss out on this because parents are afraid to buy the books or children don’t come across them in book stores. What h
Nail-biting…golf? 2007-07-23 11:07:17 Many people don’t believe me when I say golf is exciting and at times, nail biting
. I think the final round at the Open championship in Carnoustie yesterday was golf at it’s absolute best. It had it all, the power struggles, the to-ing and fro-ing at the top of the leaderboard, the heartache, the disbelief, the majestic shot making and unpredictabiliy of the weather, the skill and steely nerves, the stunning Scottish backdrop, the missing flags, the bunker raking, the four hole play off, the crafty strategies, the dubious club selections, the caddy’s notebooks, the winding burn, double bogeys and the invaluable eagles, the the the..
It’ll take a while to get over it. Well done to Padraig, I was with him every time he stuck it in the stream. I feel sorry for Garcia. He deserves a major very soon.
Read more:hellip
Will I ever learn? 2007-07-23 04:47:25 You, and my other reader (hi Mum!) may remember a post I wrote a few months back about my first experience with the running club here in Basel. My colleague told me in no uncertain terms to follow the group being lead by a guy named Toby. Toby was pointed out to me and we set off. Twenty minutes in I realised Toby was no longer in our group, I was now part of the fast group and the next hour and 15 minutes of my life were hell.
Since then I’ve stuck to Toby like a bad rash every time I’ve been running. He takes the middle group and we generally run for forty minutes at a good pace and I’ve been happily getting along. Last Tuesday after our run he said, that if I was up for a challenge, I should come along on Sunday mornings for “a long jog”. I asked for more details and he said it would be for an hour, an hour and fifteen minutes at the same pace we run on Tuesdays.
“Grand” says I, not being one to turn down a challenge. So I turned up on Sunda Read more:learn
And now the news… 2007-07-27 05:28:23 Actual headlines from the news over the last few days here in Switzerland.
Sun takes chill out of Swiss summer
34.2°C in the Rhone valley supposedly. We had to put up with only 33°C.
In Zurich no one can hear you scream
Mr. HR Giger is Swiss and was responsible for visual effects on the film Alien. He’s showing off some of his stuff in Zurich.
Tax paradise leads Swiss company boom
Obwalden canton (province) cuts tax rate to 6.6%, new companies go up by 230% compared to last year! Result!
Thomy the tube adds sizzle to Swiss sausages
Thomy, the company that makes everything (well mustard and mayo anyway) here in aluminium tubes turns 75 years old.
Swiss “Mickey Mouse” turns 75
Globi, the blue parrot with the big heart, Switzerlands most famous cartoon character is also 75. Did everything in Switzerland start 75 years ago?
Pilot killed attempting to emulate Lindbergh
Hobby pilot took off from Basel airport with 1700 litres of kerosene on board to fly 8000km to Americ Read more:hellip
If ever we needed Blogorrah, it’s now… 2007-07-26 09:45:41 Look what was on the front page of the Irish Rugby website:
My head is about to explode with the possibilities for one-liners. Lovely girls, rugby ball, shocked expressions, mystery celebrity who could be Ronan O’Gara&hellip
;
For the love of God, get the Blogorrah boys back. Otherwise stick your one liner efforts in the comments.
Review of Bar Rouge 2007-07-26 08:13:17
Bar Rouge,
Messe Tower,
Basel,
Switzerland
Second review now and I feel like we’re getting into the reviewing groove. I’m now taking note of things I’d never have paid any attention to before. It’s important to be thorough! This time we’re casting a critical eye over Bar Rouge on top of the Messe Turm (tower). We were there last Friday for an after work drink.
The tower is 33 floors high I think (the tallest building in Switzerland) and Bar Rouge is on the 31st. The building, including a hotel is part of a large conference centre complex over in Klein-Basel. It dominates the skyline all round Basel so it’s easy to find! On with the review:
Date and time: 20/07/07 around 6.30 - 7.30pm
Location and ease of access: You can’t miss it, it’s the big glass tower! The area is amajor junction for trams and buses. Only slight complaint is there is only one lift up and down to the 31st floor. Might have to wait! 9/10
Beer selection and
Happy (belated) National Swiss Day! 2007-08-02 03:38:46 I’ve been busy being Swiss
. The first of August each year is Swiss National
Day. The equivalent of St. Patricks day for us. It’s the time of year, over 700 years ago that Switzerland became an independent state. No one is sure of the exact date.
It’s a chance for the Swiss to let their hair down and celebrate all that is Swiss. And, I have to report, the Swiss know how to throw a party! I’ve now experienced the Fasnacht festival, the Christmas markets and the Autumn fair here and I’ve been impressed. I think Swiss National Day comes in a close second to the Fasnacht festival.
On Tuesday evening a fireworks display was planned for over the Rhein. So we headed down after work and there were food stalls and carnivals all along the river banks. We got some food and drink, sat by the river and watched the warm up acts. They had dinghy races down the river, sky divers dropping into the river and hundreds of balloons with flares being let off into the night sky Read more:Happy
Little red and green balls… 2007-07-31 04:13:04 Our first tomato harvest was this morning. It was quite an amazing transformation over the last few days. The tomatoes ripened by the hour. One evening they’re green, the next morning they’re orange, the following day they’re red!
So we picked some green tomatoes for “green tomato chutney.” You can expect a full write up on The Golden Shrimp soon. The red ones have gone into making lunch today, with some basil, mozzarella and balsamic vinegar. Ahh, it’s not easy!
Read more:hellip
A quick update… 2007-07-30 15:00:24 It’s been a busy few days. We’ve had a great weekend and the recovery period is going well. Eva’s parents arrived on Thursday evening and so I arranged to go for a game of tennis with her Dad. He used to play a lot, I was still suffering from my run and a lack of tennis for ten years. Okay, enough of the excuses, he was much better even taking his back surgery and 30 extra years into the equation. I have to start practising again.
They left on Saturday to head on towards France which gave us the opportunity to attend a post wedding party of two friends here in Basel. They just threw up a table, a BBQ and beer keg on the public walkway along by the Rhein. I thought to myself, it’ll be only a few minutes before we’re reported/arrested/deported or all of the above. But we were there (and all over the place) until three on Sunday morning. Much beer and merriment was had by all. Hence the quiet couch-bound day on Sunday.
This week is interesting as the first of Read more:hellip
The Great Outdoors 2007-08-03 08:47:38
Not much time today as I’m hoping to sneak off early and get on a train to Lucern/Luzern for the weekend. The Golden Shrimp and myself have decided to sample the Swiss outdoors and we’re off camping.
Before I met The GS I had a horrible impression of camping. The only time I’d been camping before that was with the Scouts. And since my Dad was one of the leaders we generally ended up camping in a field behind our house. So I’d wake in the morning, look across the field and I could see my bedroom window.
Of course, it wasn’t the proximity to my comfortable bed and centrally heated house that got to me. It was the eejits I was sharing a tent with. We all got settled into the green canvas tents and were told explicitly to avoid rubbing the inside walls of the tent. They’d been waxed to keep the rain out. You may as well have paid them per square foot of rubbing. By the time the Monaghan monsoon kicked in later that evening we’d have done just as w Read more:Great
, Outdoors
Review of The Cargo Bar 2007-08-06 08:25:45 The Cargo Bar,
St. Johanns Rheinweg,
Basel,
Switzerland
Now we’re cooking on diesel as they say. Third review and I haven’t had a hangover yet. Maybe we’re not “reviewing” hard enough. We’ll step it up for the next bar. Last week we had a look and a drink at the Cargo Bar down on the banks of the Rhein.
This place is quite close to where I work and I’ve been a few times, this was Matthews first. It’s a small but energetic place with chairs and tables out by the river. Here’s the science bit:
Date and time: 25/07/07 around 6.45 - 8.30pm
Location and ease of access: Tucked away on the river bank which is great. But it’s on the shaded side so it can be a bit chilly. It is also almost directly beneath the Jonhanniterbrucke which isn’t ideal. 7/10
Beer selection and prices: Three beers on tap, Feldschlossen, Schneider Weiss and Eptinger. Four or five more bottled varieties. Plenty of cocktails but they don&r
It’s all gone “Pete Tong”… 2007-08-09 06:13:41 &hellip
;pear-shaped, arse over end, tits up…call it what you want.
I have to admit to have been relieved, yet a little smug over the atrocious weather Ireland and the UK have been suffering over the last few months. The summer here has been nothing too spectacular but it’s been a hell of a lot drier and warmer than up north.
Take last weekend for example. We went camping beside the Vierwaldstattersee, the big lake by Lucerne. It was all arranged at the last minute, we jumped on the train Friday evening and had two gloriuos days there. 30°C both days, we spent Saturday hiking nearby and on Sunday we ventured into the lake for a swim and then went to see the sights around the city. The sun was splitting the rocks and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I convinced myself summer had arrived. I had to apply factor 25 suncream, or &ldquo
;the cottage cream&rdquo
; as I call it, to prevent my Irish complexion burning to a crisp or converting into one giant freckle.
Since then Read more:Pete Tong
Can’t post… 2007-08-08 04:40:48 &hellip
;as I’m too busy drooling…
Normal service will resume shortly, as long as I don’t electrocute myself over the keyboard.
Mixed feelings… 2007-08-11 12:12:42 Just watched Ireland’s first warm up game for the impending World Cup and it’s difficult to sum up how I felt about it. The important result was&hellip
;the result, obviously and Scotland deservedly won by 31 points to 21.
Ireland were completely outplayed in the first half, Scotland’s pack were immense. But for about twenty minutes in the second half Ireland got the upper-hand and scored two good tries. I thought they were going to nick it then. But alas it was not to be and Scotland scored with seven minutes to go to kill off any comeback. Overall I think it’s just what both teams needed. A toughly contested game, a few tries and relatively few injuries.
Shane Horgan twisted his knee in the warm up before the game and Chris Cusiter left in the final minutes with a twisted ankle. At the moment there’s no news on either player, I hope both of them come through. One player I was glad to see coming back to form was Geordan Murphy.
I was at the game four years Read more:Mixed
Fancy an iTune? 2007-08-10 06:56:37 Just a quick one today because I’m too busy looking forward to the weekend. Oh and I’m working. Anyway, Apple have just released a way to put an iTunes widget on your blog/webpage.
It’s called My iTunes and you’ll need an iTunes store account to avail of the widgetty goodness. They come in a range of sizes, shapes, colours and content. They’re also HTML, so Wordpress can handle them as well!
I’m off to have a proper look. Have a good weekend!
Read more:Fancy
Getting my schmooze on… 2007-08-16 03:35:36 Its with great pleasure and pride that I accept the award of “Schmoozer”, however I have to step up my schmoozing efforts to justify Bertie’s generous nod. Therefore I’m going to draw inspiration from my namesake and the Grand-daddy of all schmoozers&hellip
;Mr Swiss Toni Esquire. I call him Toni.
Here’s some classic Toni:
Making coffee - Making a cup of coffee is like making love to a beautiful woman. It’s got to be hot. You’ve got to take your time. You’ve got to stir gently and firmly. You’ve got to grind your beans until they squeak. And then you put in the milk.
Laying a carpet - Laying a carpet is very much like making love to a beautiful woman. You check the dimensions, lay her out on the floor, pin her down, walk all over her. If you’re adventurous, like me, you might like to try an underlay.
Being in a car crash - Going to the brink of death and back, in a nine car pile-up on a dual carriage-way, is very much like mak
I could kiss Michael O’Leary… 2007-08-15 10:39:24 More good news today. Ryanair will start flying direct from Basel to Dublin on the 30th of October. It’s the first direct route between here and there. I know O’Leary
’s tighter than a camels butt in a sandstorm but there’s a direct flight now so big hugs and kisses all round!
Read more:hellip
, Michael
Gagging for a vote… 2007-08-15 05:29:58 We went for dinner with fellow expat/friends at the weekend and in the course of the conversation we got onto politics, equality and such matters. I generally avoid these topics like a very bad case of the plague but I was amazed at the facts, some of which I knew and others that amazed me (Note to self; stop using “amazed”)
Firstly I’ll give you the sciencey bit. In Switzerland they exercise “Direct Democracy” which essentially means that the populace can challenge any law. If you can get 50,000 signatures in 100 days backing your campaign a referendum has to be called. Switzerland is the only country in the world to employ this system. It keeps everyone on their toes. A few years back one campaign against genetically engineered organisms gained a big following. If it had gone through the country would have been crippled as the pharmaceutical industry would have had to shut down.
There are four main parties, one left, one right and two leaning to the cent Read more:hellip
Instant results! 2007-08-14 14:25:07 I should have joined up to this Feedburner thing a long time ago. Still haven’t got my head round it but lo and behold The Swiss Job showed up on the front page of Wordpress! Have a look:
Under the Technology section of all places! Obviously with a title like “Pimp my feed…” they couldn’t resist!! Thanks for the mention and the spike in viewers!
Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking I’d like to start by thanking my agent, God almighty, the smurfs etc…
Read more:results
Pimp my feed… 2007-08-14 02:57:09 I’m almost 200 posts into this blog and I still haven’t a clue what I’m doing. I’ve been reading a lot about this Feedburner thing and I have to say I’m confused. But as everyone else seems to be doing it I suppose it can’t do any harm.
So last night I pimped my feed. I signed up for Feedburner and since its just been bought by Google I get all the pro tools for free. Bonus! But I still haven’t a clue. So I’ve ticked a load of boxes, filled in what information I know and I’m hoping for the best.
I’ve put a little button sort of half way down the right hand side for you to click to subscribe. Please change your browsers/readers/fridge magnets and whatever else you use over to this new feed! Here’s the address just in case:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/theswissjob
That should do it!!
Read more:hellip
Moody Monaghan Monday… 2007-08-13 04:04:13
Hould on a wee minute, says I, der up two points, do ya folla? Monaghan are leading de game and der’s only five minutes left to go haigh! Jaysus, we could have ‘er yet! Kerry are all over da’ show and it’s der for the taking. Com-on da boyz! Lads from school an’ all up playing in the big smoke and here’s me in Switzerland haigh. It’s fierce ogeous all da same.
Wait, stall the digger, ah shite, the eejits from down South are after scoring tree points. Our lads have just couped! We could do with a McEnaney free right by now, d’ya mind it?
Dat’s it, it’s all over, they’ve scooped it from under us. All our lads needed was a locka points in the last few minutes and we’d be up agin the Dub’s in the semis. To be fair they were a wee bit clatty at the end. So feckin’ close yet so far. They’ll forgit all about it after a few tonight, they’ll be as full as a shuck, d’ya get me? That’s a Read more:hellip
, Moody
, Monday
Where’s Dundee exactly? 2007-08-20 07:00:31 We’ve/I’ve been busy entertaining this weekend. I love it when people come to visit. Especially when you live away from home, it brings a little bit of the familiar back into your life. We had a friend from Dundee over for the weekend and so did the usual tour of the city and saw the sights and sounds of Basel. On top of that we got to visit the nearby Vitra museum, more of which later this week.
I spent a few months at the beginning of my PhD and just after I’d finished it up in Dundee and I miss the place. When I started telling people where I was off to, they were always positive about it and then would ask where Dundee is exactly? To be honest, I didn’t know until I went for my interview! It’s not one of the cities I’d ever have thought I’d end up in but they often seem to be the best ones. Sheffield and Basel could be included in that group as well. Slightly off the beaten track but still great places in their own right.
After my degree I
Cheeky devil… 2007-08-17 03:06:28 This is good&hellip
;
Ireland beat Bayonne, (South of France club team) 42 points to 6 last night to continue their preparations for the Rugby World Cup. Among the positives were a hat-trick of tries for Denis Hickie (who’s announced he’s to retire after the World Cup), two for Paul O’Connell and no tries conceded.
This, however, is bad…
The team did suffer injuries, Denis Leamy and Paddy Wallace “picked up knocks” as they say in rugby speak but are said to be fine. The big news was about Brian O’Driscoll (see above), our captain, all round God with a rugby ball and the lychpin of the teams midfield. He was punched in the second half which resulted in a “fractured sinus and deep laceration under his right eye”. Who knew you could fracture a sinus?? He’s going to miss the next warm up game against Italy and the first game of the world cup against Namibia. It could have been a whole lot worse.
Overall a positive and worthwhi Read more:Cheeky
Rugby nut… 2007-08-23 04:20:29 Being a rugby fan, I could only jump at the opportunity from Gerry over at Unlaoised to contribute to a new blog, The Fear of God, he’s set up to cover the impending Rugby
World Cup.
I’ve just posted my first article:
Stretching the legs&hellip
;
Go and have a look, stick it in your reader and keep up to date on all the Irish rugby news before, during and after we win the world cup. Come on the lads!
Bill Murray - Legend 2007-08-22 09:45:36 This just in folks, hot of the presses (well the little brother sent it to me). Bill Murray
was stopped in Stockholm early on Sunday driving while under the influence of alcohol. But in brilliant Bill Murray
style he was driving A GOLF CART at the time! He then refused to be breathalysed and so they took a blood sample and let him go! What an absolute legend! Who remembers Caddyshack?
Bill Murray: (preparing to dynamite the gopher tunnel) In the immortal words of Jean Paul Sartre, ‘Au revoir, gopher’.
Read more:Legend
Pull up an auld chair… 2007-08-22 03:06:13 Now for a bit of culture on the The Swiss Job. God knows, it could do with a bit. A friend from Dundee came over at the weekend and she’s a creative/arty/interior designer/architecture appreciative kind of girl. So deciding what to do for the weekend in Basel was easy, we headed for the museums. Well, after a day of wandering round Basel and seeing the sights and sounds.
On Sunday we jumped on the train and three minutes later we were at a town called Weil Am Rhein. After a twenty minute walk we got to the Vitra museum. This is the cultured bit! Vitra started as a furniture manufacturer specialising in glass cabinets for shops back in the 30-40’s. On a business trip to New York in the 50’s, the boss of Vitra came across the work of a husband and wife design team called Charles and Ray Eames. He secured the rights to produce their work in Europe and the Vitra of today was born.
If you’ve never heard of them you’ll have definitely seen one of their chairs. T Read more:hellip
Gods and taxes… 2007-08-21 04:44:09 I’m being hit with taxes left, right and center. And it’s Him upstairs that’s putting the boot in, forgive my German. I’ve been getting literature through the door for the last while from the local church. I’ve never asked for it nor read it for that matter. But it’s been on my list of things to do, cancel the church pamphlet.
I mentioned this the other evening while we were out with friends who then said I could be in line for church tax! I suddenly thought of my history teacher in school telling us about tithes and taxes for the church and when the poor and destitute were “encouraged to pay.” I’m not poor or destitute but I don’t think I should have to pay taxes to the church.
This is when I should bring you up to date on my religious status. I’m a Roman Catholic and have been since the day I was born (ever heard the Monty Python song “Every sperm is sacred?!“). I was involved in the church all during schoo Read more:hellip
Comfortably numb…? 2007-08-27 04:40:28 Not likely, at least not in the Rhein. Of course, being the rugged out-doorsy type I am I didn’t mind the frigid water. My fellow swimmers (Swiss Coffee and the Golden Shrimp) however moaned and dipped toes and wondered about the temperature. Meanwhile I was half way down the river!
Let me explain. During the summer, Rhein swimming is a very popular sport here in Basel. You get a water proof bag, get changed on the bank, stick all your stuff in the bag (which also acts as a buoyancy aid), jump into the river with the bag, float down through the city and get out at the other end. Otherwise, theoretically, you could end up in Hollnd. That is if you survive the numerous locks, hydro electric dams, shipping lanes, pollution and temperature. Anyway, the possibilities for getting in and out are numerous along both banks of the river.
It’s an amazing way to see the city and the strong current in the Rhein propels you along with minimal effort on your part. You can just sit back an Read more:hellip
Review of Chill Am Rhy 2007-08-26 07:56:57 Chill
Am Rhy
Next up, we decided to head down to a seasonal bar in Basel along by the river. Perched on the bank directly under the Munster, Chill Am Rhy is a unique place. Only open for a two months during the summer, it stretches along the river and has a relaxed, lounge-y, cosmopolitan feel to the lace. It comes alive at night with gas torches, mood lighting and good music. Well worth a trip, but we managed to get there on the last weekend. Badly timed review, I know, but we’ll have to wait until next year to revise it! Here were our thoughts on the place
Date and time: 24/08/07 around 6.30 - 8.30pm
Location and ease of access: Only one way to walk in, down fourth flights of stairs by the Munster onto the river bank. Otherwise for the dramatic entrance, take the little ferry boat across the river and it drops right at the bar! 8/10 (simply because you can arrive by boat!)
Beer selection and prices: Surprisingly good selection of draught and bottled beer for a t
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