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
Sound advice… 2007-05-22 04:57:58 I knew it would help,
My post a few days ago about my “sporting moment” was well timed.
What I had failed to mention at the time, to avoid jinxing anything, was that an Irishman, Padraig Harrington, was leading the Irish Open at Adare Manor. He went on to win the competition and in doing so [...] Read more:Sound
, hellip
Home alone… 2007-05-19 14:39:35 I’ve got the place to myself this long weekend,
We have another four day weekend (due to ascension Thursday) and Eva has headed to London to meet friends, drink plenty of tea, do lots of shopping and generally unwind. I’ve gotten down to sorting the place out. I got straight into eating up a few left [...] Read more:hellip
, alone
Sporting moments… 2007-05-18 10:36:28 I’m a sports fan,
Watching it or taking part, I’m always up for a game of something. I don’t consider myself competitive but I enjoy the social aspect of it and the exercise you get with running round for a while. I also don’t have the drive to excel at any particular sport in general. I [...] Read more:hellip
, Sporting
As slick as a snakeoil salesman… 2007-05-15 05:23:46 I love these sayings.
Similes I believe they’re called. It all stems from my time in college. I had two friends in class called Jimmy “The Pav” and Ben “Bata Fada” (long stories behind each nickname!). Both men had legendary sayings that could be used at any occasion without warning. We always threatened to write them [...] Read more:hellip
A country in mourning… 2007-05-11 03:20:44 Its all over.
The dream was never to be and its time to face facts. Falling short at the last hurdle is never an easy way to go out. But second place is only the first loser, there’s no margin for error. Switzerland woke up this morning grieving, yearning for what might have been. But alas, [...] Read more:hellip
Can it be true… 2007-05-10 05:24:36 I’m always a little skeptical.
But then I read this today:
Mini tornado hits Northern Ireland
So, okay, there were some strong winds and some damage. But a tornado in Northern Ireland? Then I remembered reading this last week:
Warmest April on record
Okay, but how long have records been kept? This could just be an anomaly (difficult to [...] Read more:hellip
It never works… 2007-05-09 07:29:33 I’m alive,
I actually survived quite well which I was suprised about. The Barcelona trip broke down like this:
Arrive at 2.30pm on Friday
Meet and greet the lads, in the pub by four
Tapas at 9pm (memory slightly hazy)
Got to bed at 6am (not sure how I got there exactly)
Wake up the next morning at 9.30am (strong [...] Read more:hellip
Off for the weekend! 2007-05-03 05:37:12 Can you guess where I’m going for Dave’s stag do? Answers on a postcard to the usual address!
Quick update on the bike. It’s still locked and the key is still lost. However I’ve had some very helpful suggestions from my lab mates. Liquid nitrogen, to freeze it and shatter the mechanism, hacksaw to cut [...]
Ich bin ein muppet… 2007-05-01 07:00:36 I’ve started my Deutsch Intensiv II class just recently. This time round the intensity has certainly gone up a notch. Our new teacher has ignored the text book and has been engaging us in conversation the whole time. You really have to be on your toes and keep up to speed with her.
But its feeling [...] Read more:hellip
Election rigging… 2007-04-29 03:46:09 I need your help,
To sway a very important decision. There’s a lot of talk in the media about elections at the moment. The Irish government are set to be decided soon in election. There are plenty of column inches dedicated to when Tony Blair is moving on and Gordon Brown can move next door.
But one [...] Read more:hellip
, Election
A little something for the weekend… 2007-05-25 07:19:46 Blue Man Group Doing The Who
I have another long weekend (the third this month, I love this country!) so I thought I’d leave you with something
I came across the other day. I’m a big fan of The Who and Baba O’Reilly, even though its from their later stuff, is one of my favourites.
The Blue [...] Read more:little
, hellip
, little something
Is that an iPod in your pocket… 2007-05-24 04:02:19 Or are you just happy to see me?
Being a Mac fan I obviously have a lot of time for the iPod
. I have owned two iPods over the last few years and find them indispensible on train or plane journeys, the trip into work and even sometimes in work when I’m at the bench transfering [...] Read more:hellip
No big kaboom… 2007-05-23 05:49:50 I work on the fifth floor of our building and my desk looks out across the north of the city. I can see Germany straight ahead and if I stretch round I can see France over to the left! Very cool, but something else has been drawing my attention over the last few weeks.
Directly below [...] Read more:hellip
Pushing forward the frontiers… 2007-05-29 07:37:24 Science is a funny business,
Since I’ve been involved in science I’ve always joked with my friends about being at the cutting edge of technology, thinking outside the box, pushing the limits of human understanding, saving the world one small tube at a time..yadadadadddaa. The usual rubbish. This was generally met with groans of despair, wild [...] Read more:Pushing
, hellip
The beautiful game… 2007-06-01 06:21:37 Two important things happen this weekend.
My parents are visiting and so I’m looking forward to a touristy weekend with plenty of food, drink and general merriment.
Ireland play Argentina in rugby on Saturday.
More about the parents next week, I’ll be posting photos and will let you know what we got up to. Onto more important things.
Ireland [...] Read more:hellip
Avast ya landlubbin’ bilge rats… 2007-05-29 14:11:14 No offense or anything,
But last night we went to see Pirates of the Caribbean III. Hereby referred to as POTC as I can’t be bothered spelling Carribbean the whole time. I’m still in the pirate state of mind and have been letting out a few “Arrh’s” today. Anyway, we headed off to see Johnny Depp [...] Read more:hellip
Not so cocky now, eh… 2007-06-04 09:29:35 So Argentina walked all over Ireland (16 - 0) at the weekend and my trip to Paris is looking a little shakier than before. My prediction of a confidence boosting win before the World Cup went out the window due in no small part to Jeremy Staunton missing three easy kicks. I get the feeling [...] Read more:cocky
, hellip
Why would you want to? 2007-06-07 06:04:18 One of my colleagues in Sheffield was a soccer referee on the weekends.
He was working his way up through the system, hoping to make the grade and start officiating at league soccer games and then make it to the big time. From what he said it was a great little earner that the tax man seemed to miss each year and so was worth the trips to football fields far and wide in all sorts of weather.
But from his stories I could never see the attraction of the job/hobby no matter how rewarding it was money wise. We all know how referees are stuck in the middle, no matter how well they do by their own standards, 50% of the crowd will want their head on a stick by the end of the game. My former colleague used to tell me about parents of twelve year olds who were playing a Sunday game in the local park, shouting all sort of obscenities at him for calling a foul or offside. I have never understood how someone would want to voluntarily put himself in this position but they do exist. No amount of mon
Center of everything… 2007-06-06 03:09:10 Switzerland and Basel in particular has a lot going for it. Besides the 42-ish ways of melting cheese and eating it, the hundreds of hand made chocolate varieties, the superb train network and the Alps, it’s geographical location is ideal.
Being right in the center of Europe with great trains and an airport, Basel offers tourists like me the perfect opportunity to have a look round. Basel is a European hub for Easyjet and so the range of destinations from this (small) airport is quite impressive. Being in the center of Europe means everywhere is within reach. Here are the routes currently offered by Easyjet:
This weekend we’re going to avail of the route to Prague to celebrate our fifth anniversary. Initially it was a secret trip planned by Eva and I badgered her for a few days as to where we were going. She held firm and all I knew was that it required Friday afternoon off work. In the end however, due to pressure at work and having no time to arrange accomodation she br Read more:Center
, hellip
Bonding at work, or working at bonding? 2007-06-05 11:23:52 Last week we had a departmental outing.
I’m a big fan of these events. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating team-building exercises every two weeks where you have to fashion a log raft out of four empty wine bottles, a strip of tin foil and six sticks of wrigleys chewing gum while tied to your blindfolded work mates. I think these things can be taken too far.
Every now and again though its good to spend some time, out of work, with your colleagues. So last Wednesday our chief technician organised a trip to a nearby town (Liestal) and a walk to the Sissacher Flue. What’s a flue I hear you scream? Well, that’s a good question because, with not being a native speaker I was stumped for a while as well. It turned out my German speaking colleagues were no wiser. I got explanations as to how a flue is a waterfall, a type of rock and a meadow. It turns out to be a big cliff. That’s the German lesson for today:
Flue = cliff
And the flue gives you a great v Read more:working
Into the unknown 2007-06-08 03:41:43 And so, its with great sadness that I have to leave the blog idle for another weekend ( cough cough rubbish cough). We have a plane to catch to sunny Prague this afternoon. The weather forecast is predicting over 30°C for the weekend so I’m packing the sun cream. Nothing burns quicker than an Irishman in anything above 18°C!
Generally we prepare well for these types of trips. It usually involves getting the relevant Lonely Planet guidebook, doing a little research online and getting advice from friends and family. This time however, we’re winging it. Which adds to the excitement I think. And, when you’re off to a new city, especially just for the weekend, you’re never going to see everything, so I think we’ll just wander around and see what happens.
But fear not, I’ll be back on Sunday evening and will post a few of the pictures for you all to see. In the meantime, here’s a little something to keep you entertained over the weekend! Joe Cocker
Swiss runnings. 2007-06-13 06:56:39 So,
I haven’t managed to get the photos from Prague uploaded yet. Life and work have been getting in the way. I also went running last night for the first time in a few weeks. Needless to say I had to take a breather when I got home and was in no mood to start organising digital pics.
My return to running was inspired by this post from Colm on the In Fact Ah blog (home of the legendary Biscuit Tin Series). The funny thing is, with the weather so nice at the moment, I find running quite enjoyable. It does however take motivation and a willingness to remove oneself from the couch. Two things I haven’t got much of at the moment. One thing that helps is when there is a gadget or technology involved. Then there’s a reason to go out there and run yourself into the ground.
And so the website Colm mentions in his post, MapMyRun was my reason for going out and its well worth a look. It essentially allows you to draw your route on Google maps and then calculates the distance, h Read more:Swiss
Would you like pork with your pork? 2007-06-11 08:20:19 After our trip to Prague, here are the top five reasons I can see for visiting that amazing city:
You like copious amounts of pork in all shapes and forms i.e. fillets, trotters, chops, necks and/or knees that have been roasted, stewed, fried, minced, skewered, marinated and often all on the same plate.
You like beer, often served with the afore mentioned pork. The beers were my personal highlight of the trip. Did I mention the beer was really cheap?
You like numerous styles of architecture. Cubism, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Baroque, Neo Classic and modern are all represented. (Just for the record, I don’t know what any of those mean, but they were in the guide book!)
You like classical music, opera, art museums and other cultural delights. I had my first taste of opera, attending a medley of Mozarts best bits. I survived largely unscathed but did fall asleep for one or two “songs”. Well, we’d been walking around all day.
You like following people who hold up umbr
Prague Part One - Where are the curtains? 2007-06-17 07:14:24 So,
With a relaxing weekend rapidly coming to a close, I thought it was time to crack out the photos from our trip to Prague
last weekend and let you see what we got up to. Then I realised we’d taken 330 digital photos and a roll and a half of film photos! Slightly trigger happy with the old camera! So to save you the bother, I’m going to cut it down drastically and show you the highlights. I’ll post the rest of the photos somewhere else and if you have the strength of will, you can look through them.
To ease you in gently I’ll start with our accommodation. This had to be seen to be believed! We had planned to do Prague on a shoestring as we’ve a few more trips planned and the finances will be stretched. So we booked a penzion (hostel) close to the city centre and from the photos on the web, one that looked comfortable and well kitted out. Turns out the photos didn’t really tell the whole story!
The hostel was located directly beneath a motorway fly-
My, that’s a big elf… 2007-06-16 07:03:16 So,
Rant over, here’s a few photos from the Messe Platz, the large square, around which Art Basel is based. I couldn’t take pictures inside in case the three planks were damaged by the camera flash or something like that.
You’ll never guess who/what this is. I thought it was an elf with a big ice-cream. However, the piece was entitled “Santa Claus with a Butt Plug!” Enough said.
This however was pretty cool. It’s a cement mixer on the back of a lorry made out of wrought iron. Not sure what its meant to achieve but being a fan of airfix models, this was very impressive!
Another installation. This time a battered bus that was entitled “The melon house” I think. There was always a queue waiting to get inside and we decided it wasn’t worth the wait!
Read more:hellip
Can anyone spare three planks? 2007-06-15 04:39:04 (The Prague post has been put on hold again. I’ll get round to it this weekend!)
Last night we went to Art Basel. Let me give you a little of the blurb before I sink my teeth into it:
Art 38 Basel takes place from June 13 – 17, 2007.
The international art show features about 300 leading art galleries from 30 countries on all continents. Art Basel is the world’s premier modern and contemporary art fair. 20th- and 21st-century art works by over 2′000 artists will be on display. 55′000 art collectors, art dealers, artists, curators and art lovers attend the annual meeting place of the art community.
We’d heard lots about this and so went to see for ourselves. The first hall was filled with what I would describe as “installations”. These were generally interesting and involved rooms of things and lighting and projectors and whatever you’re having yourself. One guy had filled an old BMW 3 series with water and then climbed in through
Opening a can of whooopass… 2007-06-20 13:54:46 Never mess with a man who knows and understands how to use reverse DNS!!
Support the Mulley 1
All for one and one for none, or all or whatever that saying is. Normal service will resume tomorrow!
Read more:hellip
Me man…me cook with fire…meeeeaat 2007-06-20 08:06:40 It’s the season,
Time to give the elongated tongs a quick scrub, dig out the half a bag of charcoal from the back of the shed, get the pork chops marinating and then spend frigging ages trying to get the damn BBQ to light.
I jest. But last night we had our first BBQ of the season and it was a thoroughly enjoyable affair all round. A colleague of mine invited us round to her garden/allotment for a get together with the work mates and we had a bit of food, a few beers and soaked up the sun. I was playing squash and so arrived a little later than everyone else which meant I missed out on the actual cooking of the meat. Which is just as well.
There’s a long history of BBQing in my family. We have family photos of me in a “chefs apron” and hat thats five sizes too big for me with tongs and a silly grin on my face. My Mum loves to get the neighbours round, we put a load of meat on the BBQ and general merriment is had by all. So, I’ve had a while (~18 years) to p Read more:hellip
Big spenders… 2007-06-19 04:14:50 The one thing I noticed about Prague, apart from the beautiful buildings, the great food, the even better beer, the friendly people, the hundreds of guided tours, the music concerts, the museums&hellip
;apart from all that, the price of everything raised an eyebrow. It was cheap compared to here in Basel. In some of the touristy/stag bar areas there were beers advertised for 22 Czech Koruna (~ €1, $1.2)! Thats not a lot!
When I moved to Switzerland I was warned by everyone, including people who’d never been to Switzerland that it was expensive here. Switzerland has always had this stereotype of a high standard of living and expensive products. And it’s true but I’m not sure its any worse than Dublin or London or Paris. The advantage of living in Basel is that you can nip across the borders to get cheaper prices on things. Germany is the place to go for cheap meat, France for cheap wine etc. So, you can still live frugally in Switzerland, just don’t go out eatin
We don’t go over it, we go through it… 2007-06-18 03:38:45 So,
Prague “part deux” is in the making and I’ve had enough of the art and all that cultural stuff. Back to big fast machines, explosions and cutting edge engineering. And of course, the Swiss are masters of all these things. Last week I read about a new tunnel that’s just been completed down south.
The Loetschberg tunnel is 34 kilometres long under the Alps and is the longest tunnel on land in the world. It supposedly cost about 4.3 billion Swiss Francs (3.5bn Euros) and has been designed to cut the travel time between Germany and Italy. Due to Switzerlands geographical location it is the main crossroads for cargo and ultimately they plan to shift most of the cargo to rail transport. This will prevent congestion on the roads especially through and over the Alps.
But this tunnel is only a tidger compared to the one they’re building to the east. The Gotthard Base tunnel is due to be completed in 2015 and will be 57 km long, making it the longest anywhere in Read more:hellip
Recommend Site To A Friend
