Matt's Corner - Week One

Here I am 2312 Zurich time stuffed to the gills after a BBQ that consisted of various meats and the only veggie as corn; what a real BBQ should be like. Well, to think back on the whirl wind week - flying for 24 hours (with the time change) is not recommended. And the best way to get over the time change is to stay up really late and then sleep for 13 hrs like we did. It puts you on a time zone somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic. So not fully adjusted to the time zone, the next best thing to do is get in the rental car and drive 6 hrs through the countryside with a gps that you really don't fully know how to work but has a pleasing british accent and tells you that the turn is in 200 yards. Yeah everying talks distances in yards, so I think - okay the turn is two football fields away. Then I really don't know how fast I am going because it is in kph, but again that pleasing voice says BEWARE, BEWARE anytime you go over the speed limit. Also trying to get gas in another country is challenging, the signs are in german, so i was hoping that I put the right gas in the car and that one of the cards would work because I did not have enough cash. The price of gas is €1.659 per litre, about $75 for 3/4 of a tank. Driving in paris - don't do it - it is a cross between go kart racing and mario kart. Hammer the gas, stomp on the brakes, watch out for the people, watch out for the signals, hand on the horn just in case the guy in front of you is a little slow or about to hit you. I thought that the bicyclists and pedestrians in davis were the worst, Paris has it hands down. People jumping out from behind cars, scooters everywhere flying down the middle lanes in between cars at stop lights. The smart cars are everywhere as well and they act like they own the road, must have small car syndrome. Walking was much more enjoyable in Paris. The sights were amazing and the food was even better. The tower de Eiffel was neat. The camera that I bought right before the trip got a good work out while we were here, so far I think I have taken over 1000 pictures, mostly at the louvre. So many things to see and take pictures of. The tower at night was a sight - too bad that everyone else wants to be there at sunset too. Waching the protests were fun, everyone has problems, but it makes it a little better when they are shouting in a language that you cannot understand; easier to tune out. Leaving paris in rush hour traffic is another fun time, avoid if possible. Now that we are actually on the right time, Zurich is a little better, even though it was voted the second most boring city in the world behind Brussels. Lots of banks to see. The mountains around Zurich are picturesque and I got a lot of the views on camera. We saw castles, forign poeple, the sixth smallest counrty in the world, and two chocolate factories. We finally got a day to rest and recover, now we are gearing up for the next leg, Italy - if you want a quick heads up on Italy, go watch the Italian man goes to Malta on you tube or Family Guy's Peter goes to the Itailain Deli in the mustache episode.