Switzerland – Page 2 – Globitrotter

Learning Swiss German

For those who did not know, Swiss German is very different from German. I did not understand anything the first time I came here. The good thing (for us foreigners) is that Swiss German is only a spoken language which means they all know German as well. In school they learn German because that is the written language also used in the German part of Switzerland. So if you don’t understand what they are on about you simply ask them to speak German and you are fine. During the years I have known Andy I have picked up some Swiss German and by now I usually understand the topic of the conversation but not the details. Thankfully many words are similar to German so when you learn how the Swiss pronounce things you can figure out what it means. They say it takes about three months for a German to fully understand Swiss German but believe me if German is your third language it is a bit harder.

Now when I am living here, it is time to learn more though… Since it is only spoken it becomes more difficult for me. Usually I learn languages through texts, I find it easier to remember words and expressions if I can see them written. Now I have to ask Andy to write down things for me which leads to the next problem. When they write Swiss German, like they do in emails and on Facebook etc, they write like it is spoken. There are no rules! This sounds lovely for someone who ever had to learn German but now you have to be aware that the words can be written in many different ways depending on who is writing them. The problem here is that every village has their own dialect (including different words!) and it becomes very difficult to learn to understand all of them completely.

I will mainly be learning the Lucerne version and hopefully I will then be able to understand most of what I hear. Also first I will be concentrating on understanding what they say, speaking will have to come later. I don’t want to confuse my German due to the fact that I will have to use my German for working. I need to keep focus on speaking and writing that properly and not mixing it up with the local dialect (which already has been proven difficult). The grammar is of course also completely different so let’s leave that for later…

Differences

Moving to a new country means learning a new language and culture. You might think Switzerland should not be too different from Sweden, even a lot of people think they are one and the same country… Both are in Europe and have a high standard of living. Seen from the outside they are similar but when you spend some time here you notice the differences. Some things are easy to see, like that the shops are not open on Sundays except for the ones in the train station. Luckily we live just around the corner from the central station so I can at least find groceries any time if I need something. But I can forget my favorite Sunday shopping tours in the city after a lazy brunch. Switzerland is also a lot more conservative than Sweden which you notice clearly on the family politics. Here it is still common for the woman to stay at home after having children which is rarely heard of in Sweden. Even though it is difficult to get used to other ways it is hard to say what is better and worse. Both countries have their ups and downs.

I notice new things all the time here and as soon as I find a job I expect to find more differences. Looking forward to that.

In the mean time I am trying to pick up some more Swiss German… for anyone who did not know: it is not like German at all!

Home – Lucerne

The other day I walked around my new home town with my camera and thought I will show you some of the pictures of this beautiful place.

At the waterfront close to our home. The mountain Rigi in the background.

The other side of town

At the quay where most of the tour boats departs.

There are a few bars along the water with great views.

Hikers waiting for the ferry.

The crossing next to the train station. The water tower in the background.

The Kapellbrücke with mountain Pilatus in the background.

In the Old town looking over to the “new” town.

Beautiful facade.

Shopping street in Old town.

Lucerne Fountain on Kapellplatz.

KKL, the cultural center next to the train station. The university is close by and during the day lots of people sit along the water front and eat lunches or drinks beer in some of the outdoor cafés.

Lunch hour at the lake.

Panorama of the Kapellbrücke

Slight change of plan

Some things you can not really plan for, they just happen. A few weeks into our stay in mainland Australia we had to reschedule our flights and fly back to Switzerland due to family reasons. We came from autumn in Australia to spring in Switzerland but got used to the change quite quickly. We were happy to be back in a semi normal life again. As we came back the plan was still to spend summer in Sweden and then probably settle down in Switzerland in the autumn but still keeping all options open.

Just for fun we looked around for apartments in Lucerne and as it happens we found the perfect place. A nice apartment featuring a huge terrace with views of the mountains just next to the train station. Well, we could not resist… So, 1 June we will be permanent residents of Lucerne, Switzerland! This means we have to start working rather sooner than later, unfortunately. But before we get the apartment I will go to Stockholm and enjoy the city for a few weeks.

Well, I did not think that an apartment would decide where we end up but I guess something has to decide. 🙂

Last chance

Winter is definately around the corner. In Sweden we have already seen the first snow. This week we had a snow storm and although it is a few days ago there are still traces of it on the ground. Lucky me then who could go down to Switzerland last weekend and enjoy some warmer weather.

Since the weather was nice we took the opportunity to go on maybe the last hike of the season. Since it is cold and snowy on high altitude we chose Bürgenstock this day. This mountain is only about 1100 meters but beautifully situated at the lake Vierwaldstätter See and famous for its views. This particular mountain does not have a gondola but actually a lift that can take you up the last few hundred meters. This day however it was already closed for the season, not even the café was open. So we did not get our standard beer on the top of the mountain but had to be content with what we had brought along.

On the way we had some serious Sound of Music moments. Like here when we crossed a meadow with this spectacular view.

As we came around the mountain we got this great view of the lake and Lucerne. This side of the mountain is very steep and the footpath is not intended for people that have issues with heights. At some places they have even made tunnels through the rocks. Very nice hike that can be made a little longer if you choose to leave the car close to Stansstad and take the way over Bürgenbergwald.

Bern

Last Friday I went to meet my friend Isabelle in Bern. The sun was shining and it was around 15 degrees Celsius. Bern is a pretty town with a lot of atmosphere. We went for a walk to see if the bears were out and they were, the mother with her two cubs were playing around. For you who don’t know, a bear is the symbol of Bern and there are a few of them living by the river in the central part of town.

Before I headed back to Zug I, by mistake, went up on the roof of the central station. It turns out the view from up there is great. It was a particularly clear day and the mountains were visible at the horizon. And there is a café up there as well. Good to know next time I am in town…