Laure and Quarup

For Q's birthday he wanted to go to Italy. Actually, he wanted to celebrate his birthday on an Italian Tuscan farm. Being so close to Italy, how could we pass up the opportunity?

Visiting the country side required us to rent a car and take our first European road trip. We picked up our rental car a few days before we were expected at the Italian farm and took our time driving to and from Tuscany, visiting a few other sights along the way with no strict itinerary. Since we don't typically travel in Europe by car, we decided to take advantage of our freedom and visit someplace impossible to reach by train. We chose to spend two nights in the Italian Dolomites on the way to Tuscany.

European Road Trip

Watch out Switzerland! Wait, what is the speed limit here?

 
We had hoped to reach our hotel in the Dolomites for dinner but the weather really slowed us down. It rained cats and dogs, accompanied by blinding lightning. Being on unfamiliar windy narrow roads, in an economy car and a little rusty with manual transition, it took me especially long to arrive.

The next morning we were blessed with partly cloudy skies. We set out for a small hike suggested by the local tourism office. It ended at the top of a gondola, which we had to pay full price for just to take down. This came as quite a shock when we were asked to pay full price once we arrived at the bottom. We later learned from our hotel owner that we had turned back just at the beginning of a really great hike. What a shame. Definitely do your own research on hikes in the area. The woman at the tourist information office really let us down.

Setting out from the town center.

Gorgeous views along the way.

Hey, sexy lady! Oh, wait....never mind.

After our small hike, we took advantage of the nice weather and went for a drive. This area is known for its scenic drive passing jagged stone peaks and mountain Italian towns scattered throughout its lush landscape. Our slow paced Italian afternoon allowed Q some time to get reacquainted with manual driving, thus giving me an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful mountains scenery from the passenger seat.

Buckle up! Q is driving a manual transmission.

Great views at every turn.

Highly recommended afternoon drive.

We couldn't help but get out of the car every once in a while to explore a quaint town on foot... and grab a gelato. Somehow we managed to save enough room in our stomachs to have a satisfying dinner back at our hotel.

Balcony Gardens and great view just about everywhere.

I love Italian gelato.

Tourist-overrun small town.

The following morning we packed our bags and headed south for Tuscany. The storm clouds started to reappear as we departed the town of Selva di Val Gardena. And although we had much better visibility than when we first drove into the mountains, we were terrified driving out of the mountains. Maybe it was the slim curvy roads, the fast on coming crazy Italian drivers, or the cliff drops off the side of the road but I don't think we'll be driving back here in the winter to ski.

This road is for two way traffic? At least it's not a semi this time.

It has been 6.5 months since we have moved to Zürich, so I think it is time to write about our first impressions.

We followed the advice of our friend David to move here before summer was over. The reason is that everyone is friendlier and in a better mood during the warmer months.

Locals sunbathe and barbecue at the park next to the lake. You can even drink in public without hiding your booze.

It is popular to stroll or bike along the shore.

Sailing too.

Anyone can borrow free bikes from the city by putting down a 20 CHF deposit.

The old town is quite quaint in typical European style: cobbled stones streets and small shops. The main difference is that Zürich prices are enough to break the bank.

The Limmat river divides the old town.

The weather stays warm enough day and night to eat and drink outside during the summer. This is a welcome change coming from San Francisco and has convinced us to look for a rental apartment with a balcony.

Breakfast at one of the many restaurants with outdoor seating.

Muesli quickly became my favorite Swiss breakfast dish.

It is common to sit down for an Aperol Spritz or another aperitif with your friends between work and dinner. Similar to Happy Hour in the States.

Outdoor dining at night. I can get used to that.

It blows my mind how clean the water is in the lake and rivers passing right through the middle of the most populated city in the country. The water here was never polluted and it is normal to see kids and adults alike stopping for a swim on their way to school or work. Some do it during their lunch break. On the weekends, everyone is in the water!

The Limmat has a boardwalk and is a popular spot for sunbathing and swimming.

Yup, those are swans.

I couldn't resist.

Yes, those guys are riding a raft right next to office buildings.

There is some variance in the vibe from neighborhood to neighborhood. For example, the area near Im Viadukt has a blend of industrial and artsy feel but it is less walkable than other areas.


Zürich is famous for having over 1200 water fountains -- almost all of which provide potable water. Some people make it their mission to visit and drink from every possible one. A formidable challenge.

Always carry a water bottle during the summer. It would be silly to buy bottled water here.

This particular fountain is decorated by the owner of the flower shop behind it.

My first purchase in Switzerland was a replacement for an item that was taken away from me at the airport by TSA. I guess I came to the right place.

Compared to our last move (three blocks down the hill), this move was a monster. It took months to prepare for, weeks to pack and technically we're not even finished since our stuff is still in transit! Right now my favorite pots, pans, and other belongings are on a cargo ship somewhere in the Atlantic - and hopefully not at the bottom of the Atlantic.

Before even taping together the first cardboard moving box, we needed to figure out how much of our stuff we wanted to take. This would determine what kind of moving services we needed. Some expats get rid of just about everything they own (or put it in a storage unit in the US) and bring only what they can fit into a few suitcases on the airplane. Others whose move is generally paid for by their employer will pack their entire home along with a car in a full metal shipping container. Since we are picking up the bill, we settled for something in the middle. We decided to leave behind the majority of our furniture, some of our decor, and any thing we hadn't used recently.

Cargo ship bound for the Port of Oakland... and just might head back out to sea with our stuff.

We chose to move through Moving Star, who does domestic and international moving. For customers with smaller sized moves, they offer shared metal shipping containers. Our belongs are stored in a separate wood crate and/or palette within the metal container. We decided to save some money and pack everything ourselves. We were requested by the moving company to leave all of our boxes open until our moving date, where someone will be inventorying what's in each box.

Let's see how well they do.

Packing our apartment was time consuming and mentally exhausting. We questioned each item: would it survive the voyage, would it be cheaper to replace or ship, would we easily be able to convert the power, would we need it in the next two or three months. Overall we spent three weeks packing, starting with just the evening and eventually turning into all day extravaganzas of bubble wrap.

Inventorying every item that's moving with us to Europe.

It's feeling less and less like home.

Almost done!

We were able to find a new home for many of the items that stayed behind. Furniture went to friends and family, housewares went to families transitioning out of homeless shelters, craft supplies items went to a donation based crafting store, office supplies went to local schools and some items went to Goodwill. It took a bit of extra time and effort to sort out where our used items could go but it was worth the effort to help out our community and loved ones. In the end, mainly pillows and a couple other items went in the trash. This website really helped keep lots out of the landfill.

Donated books to an organization that resells them as a fundraiser for the San Francisco public library.

On moving day, three men showed up right on time with a moving truck and our empty 200 cubic foot wood crate inside. One person took a rough inventory of what's inside each box and immediately after the two other men taped up each box and loaded them into the wood crate. A few boxes didn't fit within the crate and were wrapped on a separate palette.

Q considering taking the long way to Europe.

Looks like there wasn't room for Q and some of our belongings in the crate.

Before moving from San Francisco, Laure and I did a list of things that we knew that we would not be able to accomplish after moving to Switzerland.

Here are some highlights.

Seward Street Slides

Here is a truly San Francisco off-the-beaten-path corky activity that you won't find in your guidebook. Seward Mini Park created some fun slides made out of concrete open for the public. It surprisingly gets pretty steep at some parts. We highly recommend it if you're in the Castro district.

Laure down the Seward Street Slides

Bicycling Across Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito

This is one is cheesy but totally worth it. Actually, it is one of our top recommendations to anyone visiting San Francisco. We just had to do it one last time before we left.

Eat Food

Before leaving the San Francisco bay area, we had to visit a lot of restaurants we wouldn't have in Switzerland. Some of them were ethnic restaurants, others were places we had been wanting to try for a while, and some of them were places that we had always loved going and had known the staff for a few years.

Our buddy Lawrence in front of our go-to coffee shop Capriccio.

Petite Deli has North Beach's best sandwiches and also the sweetest owner, Young.

We finally tried the famous Brown Sugar's Chicken and Waffle. So delicious.

One last visit the the Ferry Building's Farmer's Market. It may be pricey but it has some of San Francisco's best produce.

Okay, this one is not strictly food related, but Laure LOVES bulk grocery shopping at Rainbow Groceries Coop.

Zachary's Spinach and Mushroom pizza is what converted me into a Chicago Pizza eater.

The carcass of Sotto Mare's "Best Damn Cioppino".

One last dinner at our favorite Italian spot Sodini's. When they learned we were leaving, the staff completely took care of us and kept our wine glasses full all night.

Swing Dance With Friends

Over the years we became engulfed in the Bay Area's friendly swing dancing community. Before leaving, we went to swing workshops and danced with as many of our friends as possible.

The Stomptroopers before our 920 Special performance.

StoryCorps Interview

For years, Laure and I have listened to the amazing stories of ordinary people broadcasted on the radio by StoryCorps on NPR. These stories are recorded in professional audio booths. After, the contributors get a copy of their interview on a CD and another copy is stored at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. Future generations are able to listen to the stories of their great-great-great-grandparents that lived in a completely different time.

I interviewed my mother in San Francisco and asked her many questions regarding her multi-cultural life, personal values, and even some funny stories. In the process of preparing for the interview, she researched about her past, which brought back fond memories of her childhood.

The 16th Avenue Steps

My mother and I at the 16th Avenue Steps.

Climbing and Snowboarding Mount Shasta

One of my ultimate goals in snowboarding was to climb and ride down Mount Shasta, which some consider to be the best place for backcountry skiing and snowboarding in the continental United States.

Well, the snow was unfortunately pretty low this season, but the views were incredible.

Going down Trinity Chutes in Mount Shasta.

Camping at Point Reyes

Point Reyes is a popular spot one hour north of San Francisco for camping and hiking. Elaine, Llew, and Gabbie joined us in a two-night trip that turned out to be a great way for me and Laure to escape the mental stress of preparing to move.

Beach Bonfire With Friends

Beach bonfires are typical in Northern California because of the cold nights and because Northern Californians like to do hippy stuff. Besides, since Switzerland is a landlocked country, we knew we wouldn't get another opportunity any time soon.

This turned out to be a great way to see a lot of our friends, especially since people could come and go as they wanted. We were also able to cook some delicious sausages and drink some *ahem* completely alcohol-free refreshments.


We'll miss San Francisco and all you guys!

Itty bitty bedroom

Living room

Eat-in kitchen

Kitchen to roof deck

San Francisco Bay view with the Golden Gate and Alcatraz to enjoy from the roof deck