Since my last entry, the weather has been much milder. The sun is shining more regularly, allowing me to be more awake and happy (although the chocolate-covered espresso beans really aren't hurting), and it has been warm enough to be cold without a coat and overheated with one. I have made some really nice friends. A couple of Saturdays ago, Eva (the tall Austrian girl to the left in the picture below), Sibylle (the shorter German girl) and I went on a grand tram tour of Zurich. We visited a large shopping mall that I hadn't known about earlier.
Unfortunately, Eva was tired from partying all night long with her co-workers, so we went to a Starbucks to chill. I got a Java chip frappaccino and a tomato mozzarella basil pesto sandwich. It was delicious. Amazingly delicious. And expensive. Amazingly expensive. After parting from Eva, Sibylle and I went shopping in the main station. We, of course, went right back into the chocolate shop I mentioned earlier (Merkur). This time a man was making a cute chocolate duck, and gave us samples of orgasmically dark chocolate.
The following day, the three of us went ice skating. It was the last day that the outdoor skating rink was open (apparently it's the largest outdoor one in Europe, although it really wasn't very enormous). Ice skating is really REALLY difficult! Of course, it was exacerbated by the fact that Eva and I accidentally switched ice skates. I wear a size 38 and she wears 42 (European), so this was enough to really hurt my feet. When we took a pause, we noticed that my skates were larger than hers and switched back. I was kind of pathetic--with Sybille grabbing one of my hands and Eva grabbing the other, I was able to make slow circles around the perimeter of the rink. I finally decided to stop being much of a hindrance, and after a short pause to rest my aching feet, I skated back and forth while holding on to the far wall. It got to be more and more fun the more carefree I was, but my posture still wasn't correct. I want to try again in the future. (Pictures pending--they were taken on Sibylle's camera.)
Last Tuesday, we had a fondue party in the apartment. Six of the girls attended. We melted cheese in a pot on the stove and then transferred it to this bowl on top of a little flame. And I folded the napkins into little boats (how cute am I).
We had little pickled cucumbers, pickled onions, salad, pineapple, and cut up bread into small pieces. Each girl dipped pieces of bread (or pineapple) into the cheese and ate. To be honest, I wasn't very fond of the cheese--it's really really sharp and my pallet can't take it yet. But it was a really fun time and the pineapple was delicious. Pictured here are Isa, Bille, Heike, Eva, and Eleonora, from left to right.
Also (this blog entry never ends...) Eva and I went to the movies last Saturday. We say "Marley & Me" in German. The movie theatre experience is pretty similar, except there's a short intersession in the middle of the film. It was a cute movie and I understood a good portion of it! I am happy to report that my German is actually improving enough that I am no longer totally afraid to talk to people in the streets and in shops and stuff.
Oh, and Sibylle insists that she's not a vampire, but I think she's really trying to get me off her trail. When I arrive in Boston on Thursday, I need to remember to buy a stake.
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