eindhoven

last week i baked some chocolate muffins and they were very tasty. it is also very cold here now. i ate some roasted chestnuts from the roasted chestnut stand in the train station.

last thursday i took a plane to dusseldorf and some of my relatives (my dad's cousin and her kids who now also have kids) came and picked me up for the hour drive to eindhoven in holland. it was a great time, i ate so much food. went to go see these giant seawalls in zeeland on the north sea which was like an hour and a half drive away, went on a boat, ate a lot of mussels. these dams were built in the 60's-70's and they are massive. without dams, 65% of the netherlands would be underwater. pretty cool. it is really flat there. holland is famous for windmills, but the only windmills i saw were giant wind turbines. and i saw a lot of them. it was also really windy.

came back to the house, ate hot pot for dinner, just ate so much food. shrimp and beef and some crab too and it was just good. stayed up and chatted for awhile and now i know a lot of stories about my dad.

woke up the next day and went to go see one of the kids' football matches, it was pretty cool just to kinda walk around and act like a local. the kid was very good, scored two goals. also after every game they make them take penalty kicks, so that when it comes down to penalties in the world cup or something they will have a lifetime of experience. pretty serious.

after the game i went just for a drive around eindhoven, got some of the stuff pointed out to me, places that my dad used to work and go to school and live and stuff like that. very cool. then went to eat dim sum in this restaurant in the middle of the city. it was also pretty good food. then just walked around town for a bit, some pretty cool art and stuff just around the city. then went to phillips stadium, where PSV plays their matches, there was a game that night but tickets were sold out...next time though.

i got the kids to take me around the neighbourhood and show me their school and parks and stuff, they took me to the bibliotheek. it was fun, kids are cute. also pretty cool seeing a bunch of asian kids running around speaking dutch. went out to the most ridiculous restaurant for dinner, all you can eat pretty much everything that exists. so much fish and seafood, i must have eated 100 shrimps. like sashimi, pickled herring, shrimp, carpaccio, and choose your own grill, so steaks and lamb chops and fish and more shrimp and fish and just. have not eaten that much good food in a long time.

they also took me to a store and i bought some food supplies, like noodles and lemongrass and stuff like that. i went home and just had so much stuff in my backpack. the best were stroopwafels and this dutch black licorice called droop.

i had to get up at like 6 on sunday to drive back to dusseldorf to catch the plane back to zurich, it was such a good weekend though, i'm gonna go back soon.

i came back on sunday morning and pretty much immediately went hiking by kandersteg, it was very cool, green fields, red and yellow trees, and white snowy mountains. a little chilly, but nice fall weather and colours. it was looking really terrible when we walked out the door but i'm glad i went hiking, it was a good short 3 hour one. took a bunch of good pictures too i think.

thanksgiving and europapark

chilled out last week for the most part, went to watch district 9 in perhaps the smallest theater in history, it was a good movie though. went on a tour of a nuclear power plant on saturday morning, it's about 30 minutes away from here, close to germany. very cool to go and stand inside the cooling tower, it's like a big steam room. lots of info that i'm sure i should have remembered from the past 2 years of studying stuff like that. definitely neat to see and something that i would not be able to see at home.

we had thanksgiving dinner on saturday night, got together and ate so much food, chicken, sweet potatoes, pie, just lots of really good food. and some good wine too, nothing better than friends and food and good times really.

had to wake up early on sunday morning, to take the train to freiburg for europapark. apparently the biggest amusement park in germany/europe? in any case it was pretty cool. roller coasters are awesome. after bungee jumping, all of a sudden theme park rides are pretty chill, it's a really cool feeling. of course some carnie food like mini donuts, but i think the ones at the stampede are still pretty good. slept a lot on the 3 hour train ride there and back though, all that food for thanksgiving really took it out of me haha.

flatmates were out for the weekend in istanbul, it was pretty nice to have the place to myself for awhile though. the leaves are falling off the trees, i crunched a bunch of them on my walk to work today.

oktoberfest

went for all you can eat sushi last wednesday in waldshut in germany, ate far too much and couldn't really breathe. after not having sushi in months i realize now that it could very well be my favorite food, very tasty. and some other asian foods besides sushi too which was also good i have to admit.


oktoberfest is in munich and we took the train there on thursday night, it's like a 5 hour train ride from zurich. drank some beer on the train there in preparation. got there and found our campsite, which i liked a lot actually, there's nothing better than camping period, even if it's not really that legit and it's kinda like camping in your backyard. just something about sleeping outside under the stars.


w0ke up early, head down to the oktoberfest fair grounds by a short tram ride. eat a big pretzel. manage to get seats in the hofbrau tent, proceed to drink 3 liters of very good tasting beer in about half an hour. the atmosphere in the tents is just incredible, people singing, drinking, cheers-ing, in general having a great time. and also the food, the food smells/tastes so delicious. the fair itself is also very cool, pretty much like stampede except for more drinking and different (tastier) food. went on some rides after the beer tent, after eating half chickens. bought a sweet hat. went on the ferris wheel, in a fun house, some spinny ride that was probably not a great idea, and bumper cars. the bumper cars were difficult to drive. kind of slept in a park i think. ate some more random food like popcorn and a sausage. walked into another beer tent which was very rowdy, but unfortunately could not get a seat. by the way you need to be sitting at a table in order to buy beer. went back to the campsite and somehow managed to meet up with everyone else that we separated from after the beer tent at a convenience store on the way. just chilled out and ate some delicious pork roast dinner at the campsite. played some settlers of catan which i won. i like that game. felt great, just chilled out, laid on the grass outside for awhile, i would say that 70% of the group weren't doing that well and were passed out in their tents.


head out to the grounds again on saturday morning. pretty much repeated what happened the previous morning, but this time the tent wasn't the greatest. food in there was still delicious though. went on some more rides after that, roller coaster, giant swings. ate half a roasted duck. left the grounds, wander through some trains to get to this giant park. a standing wave on the river through it had people surfing on it. took a nap in the grass by a small waterfall. the city of munich is very pretty, i really liked the buildings. walked around the center of town for awhile, past the royal palace, some churches, and ended up in some bar/restaurant. it was pretty much like the german equivalent of an irish pub. ate some sausages and sauerkraut for dinner, it was soooo good. and a few more liters of beer obviously, it was really, really good weissbier too, definitely one of my favorites of all time. too bad they don't export augustiner from munich. just means i'll have to go back. some delicious apple strudel for dessert too. wander back to the campsite, singing very loudly on the tram ride back. played this game called telephone pictionary which was very fun.

woke up and packed up, caught a free walking tour. ended up eating and drinking more, in the hofbrauhaus, this big beer hall. caught the train back home.

lyon

took at train to lyon on friday night after work, it was about 5 hours. it was helped along by some wine and cheese and bread on the train, it was awesome. the best train ride ever. there was a metro strike so we had to take a cab to the hostel which was more like a hotel really. some more wine and just wandered, hung out by the river.

got up slowly, wandered into town, really cool old town in lyon. had some coffee, i bought a leather bag, wandered some more. found this restaurant for lunch, probably one of the most leisurely lunches ever, great food and wine, just chillin in front there. found this pretty cool cathedral, and then walked up a hill to another one on top of the hill. there was a roman amphitheatre close by, hung out there, laid in the grass. went back to the hotel, drank more wine and ate more cheese, then went out for dinner, it was soooo good. a stuffed duck breast with mushrooms, and just goood food and goood wine. and good dessert. after dinner we partied on a boat on the rhone river. it was the first time i have partied on a boat.

another lazy morning on sunday, got some coffee, ate another long delicious lunch, wandered around some more. took the metro to the train station, turns out part of it is closed, tried to power walk to the station, miss the train by like 30 seconds. for the two hour wait till the next one, just slept in a park, it was great.

most relaxing weekend ever!

ran a half marathon

ran a bunch last week, and then carbo loaded for the run on saturday. really, the carbo loading is just more fun than it actually helps i'm sure on friday i ate two loaves of bread. also had some delicious morroccan food last thursday too. slept in both days on the weekend, it was great. ate more pasta, ran the half marathon, felt great, went out to party in zurich that night till 5 am, no big deal. most ridiculous hydration drinks on the run, with milkserum in it - essentially uncarbonated rivella, so ridiculous...also people with the pre and/or post run cigarettes, it doesn't make any sense at all. and also the beer garden on the other side of the finish line. only in switzerland could that happen.

rachel's birthday last weekend, so went out for lunch the next day. played and dominated some settlers of catan, ate some cake. watched spirited away, may or may not have had two bottles of wine.

played badminton again on monday, ran home, legs feel good, just chillin, watching some flight of the conchords. went shopping in germany, ate a very cheap kebab. doing work at work for once. ate some more of this awesome spanisch broedli pastry, it has nut paste and carrot in it. most baked goods with nut paste in them are delicious. also chocolate filled croissants. i feel like so far my health and fitness level has not suffered from the food and drink which is only a bad thing because it encourages just more poor life choices. reading some books too.

going to lyon this weekend, allegedly the gastronomic capital of the world, i am terribly excited. and also oktoberfest the weekend after, which i am also terribly excited for. ahhhh

started drinking straight up warm water instead of coffee now, this is good progress - props to my dad for that idea, the guy that perpetually has a cup of warm water hanging around.

belgium

flying swiss air is awesome. so comfy, food and wine and beer and chocolate up for grabs on the flight. brussels airport is ridiculous, from the gate to the train track took like 20 minutes of walking up and down through the entire place it seemed. train to brussels north station, kinda got lost in the sketchy part of town, found the hostel, with ineffective ladders to the top bunks. went to eat mussels in brussels. with fries, and beer. awesome mussels, just a big bowl of them. walked around and found a street with many kebab shops. and then i ate a kebab. saw some guy sprint down the sidewalk in full running gear. kinda did a convenience store pub crawl to try a bunch of belgian beer. some good stuff - the standard beer, jupiler, is quite good. kriek is a cherry flavored one, which is actually really delicious and almost shouldn't be allowed cause it is. leffe is pretty strong, 8.4%, an interesting one, definitely couldn't drink a lot of it though. stumbled onto some sort of party in a church square for a bit. ate some frites. wandered around trying to find waffles. chris and i picked up the scent and found some. it was not the first time that has happened. somehow it was quite late already, but i guess we did only get there at 8 or so. back to the hostel to sleep.

woke up to catch breakfast and to the train station, taking the train to ghent. 3o minute train ride or so, and we're there. hit up a botanical garden with big lily pads and carnivorous plants. a contemporary art museum, then a fine art museum. there was an awesome sculpture in the contemporary one. and now i think my favorite paintings are impressionist landscapes, very very cool. walked through a park to find allegedly the greatest place for fries in ghent - and potentially in belgium - and potentially the world. in any case, these fries were awesome, and the sauces just made them better. pretty much, can't go wrong with dipping deep fried potatoes in anything invoving mayo. pat and celia proceeded to eat deep fried burgers as well. also so cheap, 2 euro for a massive box of fries. and beer was cheap too.

wandered toward the city center, went through some vintage stores, a bit of cool stuff but didn't pick anything up. the graffiti in the city was just awesome too. also a really beautiful city, lots of old buildings. it seemed like around every corner there would be another awesome thing to see. really suggest going to ghent, friendly people, lots of stuff to see. got a chocolate pastry and essentially just inhaled it. found this cafe for a really good cappucino and a real belgian waffle, which was so good. saw a parade of geese with a one man band. found some market thing in a cool square, was tempted to eat a burger. bought a bunch of chocolate from a grocery store, and more beer. went to a candy store for some belgian candies. chilled out by a canal to have more cherry beer, and also of course a stella and a hoegaarden, in belgium after all. found an old castle, took a bunch of pictures in the nice lighting when the sun was going down a bit. ate dinner, some italian restaurant that was actually really good, some spinach lasagna, gotta get veggies in there somewhere. and a trappist beer too, called westmalle - these beers have a cool story behind them too. and it was pretty tasty. walked around and by this time it was night, and kinda chilly actually, didn't bring a sweater which was a bit of an oversight. in the city center along the canal, there were people packed in cause there was a stage set up. so somehow we got essentially front row seats to see the brussels philharmonic play a free show. it was so awesome. and some guy shredding a guitar on a balcony on top of a building. and cool lights shining on all the buildings along the canal. and fireworks. had to power walk back to the train station to catch the last train back to brussels. the train was very late, definitely not swiss standards.

tried to get up to take sunrise photos, that didn't work at all. so ended up sleeping in. got breakfast at some cafe, another good coffee, and a piece of cheesecake for breakfast. yes, that happened. then got more fries. and another trappist beer, chimay - which was also delicious. there was another orchestra playing in the main square, with some old army jeeps and stuff there too. really cool. bought more chocolate. wandered through some street market thing. went to the royal palace, walked through it - maybe not as impressive as the one in madrid but cool nonetheless. there is a room that has these jewel beetle casings on the walls, it is really awesome. and there was a random science center in the palace too. walked back to the city center, got some more chocolate, more fries, more beer. and then a deep fried burger. and then there were some really good buskers. this old guy just singing his heart out and playing some good guitar. probably one of the best buskers i've ever seen actually. to the train station, airport, and then home. they also sell beer out of vending machines. i now have a pile of chocolate in my room.

will be running a lot this week to get ready for the race on saturday. and also to recover from the two days of food eating.

salad, zermatt, and fantoche

last week there was a Big Salad party, where we all brought large bowls of salad to eat. there we are, 15 young people, eating salad in a park. it was great.

on the weekend, i went on an iaeste trip to zermatt, the village where the matterhorn is. zermatt is the swiss version of canmore, exactly. it was weird, i got off the train and everyone is wearing hiking boots and there was a north face and peak performance store, seriously, exactly canmore. took a few ski lifts up to this glacier on a mountain, where people do some summer skiing. it just made me think of how fun it's gonna be this winter. got a good view of the matterhorn, it was just a little bit chilly - like +5 - still t-shirt weather, all good, probably what it is in calgary right now. it was like 3500 m and some people were struggling with that and with the "cold". hiked down back to the hostel, ate some good dinner, went out and tore up a dance floor, went back and slept. woke up, good breakfast, train to some other gondolas, scrambled 200m up a peak, pretty sketchy but pretty fun. hiked along a glacier, the glacier was pretty big, easy hike, a couple decent photos. walked through a tunnel through a mountain, ate some ice cream, took the cable car down, train home. the train was 40 minutes late, just an absolute catastrophe for the swiss train system really.

went for a couple great runs earlier this week, feeling pretty good for this half now, excited about the pasta party the night before too. it honestly is one of the greatest highs, i love the adrenaline and the feeling after a good workout. there's this animation film festival in baden this week, so we went to see the swiss premiere of "up" which i thought was pretty good, not my favorite pixar movie, but still good. then last night was a short film competition which i thought was really cool too.

also i don't even think i like pastries, but for some reason they are so good. chocolate filled croissants will be the end of me. also chocolate too. but i am still maintaining a fairly health position until now. it has been 4 months already!

going to belgium for a short trip this weekend, it will be an attempt to eat as much as possible. chocolate, frites with mayo, belgian beer.