I'm going cuckoo!

A trip to the Black Forest would not be complete without setting foot at least once in one of the many cuckoo clocks shops in the area (literally everywhere!!).

There must be widespread fear of industrial espionage in the cuckoo clock industry as I got sent off from the shop above in Titisee for taking a photo of the clocks on display...

NOT impressed with your attitude!

You would have to try very hard in the lower Black Forest area to not stumble across one of these clocks. You don't even have to step into a shop, even houses dress up as cuckoo clocks!

While in Triberg, we checked out the shop attached to the world's largest cuckoo clock in Schonachbach. That's a controversy in itself as 2 different places within less than 3 kilometers were claiming the title, and a quick look on Wikipedia informs me that these giant cuckoo clocks are popping out all over the place. 

The size of a house, it isn't a bad looking cuckoo clock but the cuckoo itself is proportionally underwhelming. We waited for the hour to strike for 3 minutes, prepared to be amazed and could not believe how little thought was put into this. Here's a (boring) video of the world's most boring cuckoo in action.

The shop itself at the back of the clock is very nice though and people were a lot friendlier. I could take pictures of the different clocks and ended up buying some little hand-carved and painted nutcrackers to put on our Christmas tree. Alongside the more traditional clocks...

...were some very funky and modern-looking ones!

There were clocks to cater for all sorts of tastes and living room sizes, including this enormous one:

We did manage (after much hesitation on my part) to go home without a cuckoo clock as it's one thing finding them picturesque in a shop,and another thing having them on your living room wall between 2 IKEA bookcases. Very pretty things though...

My favourite shop in Brugg :-)

Some of you have been asking about the shop where I've spent quite a bit of my "pocket money" since moving to Brugg in November. You may remember the rocking chair

the little table

the lamps

the cake stands

and other bits and bobs I haven't blogged about ;-)

Anyhow, for those of you in Zürich, a trip to Brugg is a must to have a browse in Lori's shop. For all the others, a look at her website will make you want to come to Brugg!

http://www.shabby-treasures.ch/Website/Vintage_Boutique.html

How much would you love to have a house that looks like hers??

http://www.shabby-treasures.ch/Website/Shabby_Chic.html



Although it is quite clear from these pictures that she does not have a full-time boarder like this one below that sheds hair like Hansel & Gretel lay a trail of white pebbles and that insists on sleeping on every bit of furniture we own (including the dinning room table...I still have not figured out 1) how he gets onto it and 2) why???)

Disgressing... Anyway, now that I am off work for the last 4 weeks of my pregnancy (yes, Baby Suisse is supposed to hatch mid-August!!) I have had more time to do some crafting and catch up with blogging. One project which had been on my to do list for weeks was a peg bag and I can't believe I have been postponing it for some long when it only took me 5 minutes to make!

If only every project was that easy...

Bargain find

I was a bit sad to find out that the only Brocki (2nd hand shop) in our town was closing down. Not that it was great or special, but it was the only we had in Brugg whereas in Meilen we were spoilt for choice and quality of the items on offer. Anyhow, I popped in one last time during their closing down sale and snapped up an (incomplete) set of matching plates and serving dishes for a mere 20 CHF. It was made by the famous Swiss porcelain manufacter Langenthal and turned out to be a lot cheaper than buying an extra dining set in IKEA...Bargain!!

An early present from myself to myself

Why wait for someone else to give you presents?? I say, do it yourself! I had seen this necklace by a fellow blogger Zsazsazsu from Belgium back in the summer but I decided to wait until my first pay check to buy it from her. Having been unemployed for 6 months and living off one salary, I couldn't really justify giving myself presents. Typical really, by the time I found a new job the lovely necklace had been sold and I told Zsazsazsu I was really disappointed. She was kind enough to send me a message the other day to let me know she had made another necklace using African jade beads in case I wanted to pop over to her Etsy shop and have a look at it. How nice??

Skip a week, and I received this in the post yesterday...

If you like unique designs and jewels with a twist, I can only recommend checking out her shop online here!! I am already thinking about which piece I should invest in next ;-)

Another Swiss christmas market, another disappointment

Not defeated by our first experience of a Swiss Christmas market in Zürich main train station, we set off on Sunday to Basel to check out one of the biggest Christmas market in la Suisse. Not wanting to put a downer on the whole Christmas market spirit, but I must admit that once again we were disappointed by our day trip...

Granted, (some of) the stalls there had a more Christmassy feel and theme to them, a few of them even sold decorations, but we still found that many stalls sold the exact same products, there wasn't a great deal of variety on offer and the prices were often a rip-off. You really had the feeling that this market was geared towards tourists (and there seems to be plenty around) and people just charged over the odds because of that. We once again came home empty-handed with only a few pictures to share with you.

We had never been to Basel before though and found the old city to be very nice so we'd like to go back next year to explore it a bit more. And we shall not give up our quest for a magical Christmas market in la Suisse!

A disappointing start to Christmas shopping

It was with a great deal of exciting that we set off to the Zürich Christmas market on Sunday. Excited because we were about to experience the privilege of  being able to go somewhere on a Sunday and find shops open; and excited because our last experience of Christmas markets four years ago was a very pleasant one. In 2007, Mr T and I spent a long weekend in Alsace (Eastern France) to stay with my sister and visit some of the local Christmas markets in Mulhouse and Strasbourg. I remember pretty city centres...

...quaint little stalls...

... and above all lots of Christmas decorations for sale!

Although I did buy some Christmas decorations at the time, I was hoping to be able to add to my collection this year now that we were in the centre of the Christmas Market world.

The Zürich Christmas market isn't the biggest of its kind in Switzerland but with 160 stalls, it is still a decent market. Maybe because it had only been opened for a few days, but I felt that the market lacked the special Christmas/winter atmosphere I was looking for (this may also be because the market is located in the middle of the train station...).

Too few stalls were selling actual Christmas craft or things you would want to buy people for Christmas...

A lot of the stalls were selling everyday items, some of it plastic tat. I was thinking I would be able to do my Christmas shopping there...it was not to be. :-(

The main attraction remains the gigantic Christmas tree covered in 5000 glittering Swarovski crystal ornaments..you have to remember that this is Zürich after all! Very bling bling!

Swaroski jewels at the bottom of the tree

So, I will not bother going back to this Christmas market but shall patiently await for the other Zürich Christmas market in the old town to open to check it out... I may also be tempted to travel to Basel to see what's going on there... watch this space!

I heart shopping

Sometimes fate gives you a sign…

An amazing “Shabby treasures” shop opened in Brugg less than 5 minutes walk from our house the same week we moved in! This was a sign that we were meant to be there (in the shop buying things less than one hour into its opening day!). The friendly owner sells antique furniture that she has bought in flea markets and revamped as well as modern accessories with an antique feel. The first time we went in, we spotted these lamps which we thought would be perfect on our bedside tables. The shades are obviously new but the feet are from old lamps which have been given some TLC. The lamps lift up an otherwise rather Ikea-looking bedroom.

The second week in Brugg, temptation was too strong and we walked into the shop again on our way to the supermarket. Mr T spotted this rocking chair in a corner of the shop and absolutely loved it…fast forward a bit after a lot of Mr T’s persuasive talk, and we’re back in picking up the rocking chair (and matching pretty cushions) to bring it home. It will eventually go in the spare bedroom once it has been furnished (with some more of Ikea’s finest) but is in ours for the time being.

Not one to travel empty-handed, I picked up one small table to use for our telephone. Not the best photo of it, I realise now with all those wires but it is a very pretty table with delicate legs!

You do realise now that I heart my new local shop and that I have been “investing” my wages wisely…

PS: I did not go on our third weekend in Brugg to give other customers a chance (…ah ah, just waiting for my next pay check!)

A busy weekend

Grüezi mitenand!

Although we have well and truly started September here in Meilen (D-10 until I start my new job!!), it still feels like summer. The sun is shinning, the lake is warm and a delight to swim in, and we attended 2 lovely events in Meilen last night and this afternoon.

We kicked off the weekend with a walk around the "autumn" market/fair last night.The fair was much bigger than the last one we attended there (and in which I almost got arrested posing for a photo on a police motorbike). There were dozens of stalls selling various products from home-made jams/preserves...

... to Swiss farm meat and dairy...

... with quite a few craft stalls like this one selling those funky bird sculptures!

I did not come home empty-handed (to Mr T's dispair!) and bought a pretty wreath and candle to make a centerpiece with this winter.

It still feels too early to think about winter and Christmas but I am rather excited because we are going to be moving soon into a bigger (and closer to Bern) casa Made in Suisse and my mind is racing with ideas on how to decorate the place etc... so I had to buy this wreath for the new place! The move is planned for early November when we will become resident of a little town called Brugg. We will miss our fantastic lake view and Meilen but Brugg seems like a nice place and we will be living in the old town, next to the medieval tower, with great views of the river. The commute to Bern will be a lot more manageable from Brugg too as it takes 4 hours a day to commute between Meilen and Bern.

Anyhow, regressing... Apart from the market stalls at the fair, there were games for kids such as abseiling down this house!

And of course, there were plenty of food stalls to choose from, although we settled on our old favourite. The local fisherman sells battered fresh fish from the lake and it is delicious!

The second event of the week end related to these, that we have growing all over the place in Meilen:

We are very lucky to be surrounded by vineyards where we live in Meilen and it has been very nice to witness the changes taking place in the vineyards over the seasons. Today, 15 wine producers from the region gathered in Meilen for a wine tasting event and, the wino that I am, was quite giddy with the prospect of having people pouring wine into my glass for free. I have a soft spot for one of Meilen's wine producer which I have already told you about back in May : Herman Schwarzenbach,  whose family has been cultivating grapes in Meilen for five generations now.

Back in May, I sampled a few of his red wines and decided today to sample a few of his whites! Herman produces beautiful wines. My favourite today was the Räuschling, made from a variety of grapes only found today around Lake Zürich.

The day ended with a swim in the lake to sober up cool down

Hope you are all enjoying a summery weekend where you are :-)