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zurich coffee guide

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{editor’s note} Take a break from your busy Thanksgiving preparations and enjoy Martin’s look into Zurich’s coffee scene, beyond Starbucks . . .

My beard is not quite long enough or styled enough to make me a hipster, but if you look at my preferred drinks—craft beer and good coffee—I am inclined in this direction. As a solid, hoppy brew is a rarity in Switzerland, I’ve recently been more interested in searching out the new third-wave coffee offerings in Zurich. Despite growing up in Seattle, I was never a big coffee drinker until I got to Europe. Even now I prefer quality over quantity. My go-to drink at work is tea; and I enjoy the occasional cup of coffee when I need a short break from work. I am by no means an expert, but I know what I like and below are a few of the favorites cups I’ve found amongst Zurich’s growing coffee scene. Read more →

freitag favorites + summer sun

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Freitag favorites is finally back, at least this week. I took a little extra time off from work today and despite getting up early, I enjoyed a quiet breakfast and a chance to catch up lot of my favorite blogs. It is going to be a hot, holiday weekend here in Zürich and I’m looking forward to a little extra time lounging in the shade of our terrace with a new book (and perhaps a rootbeer float). I’ve had a bit more time for reading lately and devoured the last book, Delicious!, which was a deliciously wonderful read. I’m also excited that we are renting a car this weekend to run a few extra errands and hopefully get started on planting on our terrace garden. Read more →

freitag favorites + winter dreams

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Zürich is looking a lot like this lately. I know this is a strange complaint, but I’m missing winter. Every time I check the forecast snow is about a week away and then when we get there the forecast has changed. Except for some cloudy cold days and a bit of rain, all we’ve seen lately is about 15 minutes of falling snow this morning. One day I actually wished we were in the Polar Vortex. So, I’m crossing my fingers for a bit more winter weather this week. Maybe even a bit more like the beautiful snow we saw below while on the Glacier Express near Andermatt after New Years. I’m really dying wake up in a snow globe and head out for an adventure with my new Christmas snowshoes! Read more →

freitag favorites + my christmas countdown

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Finally it’s Friday. This week seemed extra long, but at least a lot was accomplished including the timely mailing of Christmas cards and packages. And, after two weekends visiting various Christmas markets with Martin’s mom (including Zürich, Einsiedeln, and Bern) I’m now stocked up on chocolates and treats for presents and guests. (The photos in this post are both from Einsiedeln.) Hooray for Christmas and visiting family in just 12 days! Read more →

the beauty of fall

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After tomorrow, I will be just one oral exam away from finishing my current German course (B1). This means that I should probably be studying tonight, but instead I am catching up on my favorite blogs, listening to NPR (today’s Morning Edition), and contemplating how nice it will be to re-discover the joy that is regular free evenings. I already have lots of plans about how I will spend my evenings this fall, but one thing I hope to do is blog more and keep up on sharing photos from our latest adventures. So, in lieu of Deutsch lernen, let’s look back at the rest of the highlights from our October, and the best of fall, around Zürich… Read more →

freitag favorites + visiting friends

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It has been awhile since I last shared the things that have caught my eye recently. I really wanted to share most of these last week, but was so ecstatic to have my dear friend Kim arriving for the weekend that I forgot to finish the post.  Instead, we spent the weekend walking around Rigi, soaking in the indoor/outdoor pool at the Mineralbad, and enjoying plenty of time to catch-up on all the news from home. Read more →

summer highlights

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As you can tell from my absence here, we have had an excellent summer that has flown by with hardly an opportunity to properly reflect. We have been so blessed to have spent some weeks with our friends and family exploring new sights and returning to old while back in Seattle and Portland. I loved having my parents (and Aunt Jeanne too!) here for two full weeks with plenty of time to see more of Zürich as well as head to the Engadin and Northern Italy for biking, hiking, and lazing by the pool. Read more →

a slow start to spring

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Once again I am falling behind as a blogger. Work catches up with me and when I get home it is all I can do to throw something together for dinner and spend a few hours with Martin before climbing into bed. Ever since we got back from the US in January my routine has been off. I’ve been too tired to get up as frequently for the gym in the morning and the lack of consistent exercise limits my energy level even more.  It hasn’t helped that the beginning of Spring in Zurich has been so wintry.  Given this, I couldn’t have been more excited to join Martin at a spring training camp in Tuscany for 10 days and recharge my battery. Read more →