In message <[email hidden]>, Tony Raven <[email hidden]> writes
Quoted message said:Call me Bob said:At last!
Looks like I've finally got myself a *proper* job again, ie. one that doesn't entail working for
Nazis in return for minimum wage.
Been chasing this one for short while now and although it's not 100% sure yet, the phone call
I've had today makes a start look likely at the beginning of May (*jumps for joy*).
So, probably off to Switzerland for a while then. Anyone been to Zurich? What's the cycling like
there? The tourist web page thingy sounds promising:
"Zürich is top for leisure and pleasure. Gentle hills, peaceful woods, the unpolluted lakes and
rivers, picturesque villages and all just a stone's throw from the Alps."
I'm soooo excited :o)
Congrats. Zurich and Vancouver are rated the #1 cities in the world for quality of life. The
cycling is great, the public transport works extremely well and knows what a bike is. So you can
easily jump on a train for the weekend and whizz off to the Alps. Round Zurich the countryside is
gently rolling, not steep high mountains. The only down side is it is a highly regulated society
with lots of enforced rules of what you can and cannot do when.
My sister and family have lived about 30 miles west of Zurich for getting on for 20 years now and
recently achieved the highly prized citizenship.
Tony
-- raven-family.comraven-family.comOpen ↗
Obviously quality of life is a function of annual precipitation because Zuerich and Vancouver are
two of the wettest places I've ever been. ;-)
I'd love to live in Zuerich. I'd say the countryside is a bit hillier than gently rolling although
this is, of course, a relative thing. Zuerich is conveniently placed for travelling into the
mountains, to Lake Constance, eastern Austria and southern Germany. The southern Black Forest isn't
too far away.
There's a series of cycling maps produced by Kuemmerley + Frey which are very good. I believe they
have red covers. (The ones with yellow covers are walking maps.)
Tony's points are well made although I'd add that Zuerich can be extremely expensive, the Swiss
reputation for organisation and hard work is not unfounded and people we've known have said that
it's difficult to make Swiss friends. Tony's point about regulation is quite right. We once made the
mistake of taking a short cut (in a German registered car) down a lane which was restricted to
residents. We were waved down by a walker who pulled out his part-time policeman's warrant and gave
us a thorough telling off. I recommend you swot up on the rules and keep to them. It'll be easier in
the long run.
The 'Xenophobe's Guide to the Swiss' is a humorous and not inaccurate introduction to the country.
Hope you get the job.
--
Michael MacClancy