In March, we also found out that one of our "Traumwohnungs" (we had viewed 2 "dream apartments") would be, miraculously, leased to us!! We picked up our keys to the new place on March 20th, but didn't really start moving in until early April because we were missing some key pieces of furniture (namely, a bed). We also needed a little prodding to move from our friends who had visited from London. They had recently been through a similar transition and told us that as soon as we got out of the temporary apartment and into the new place, we could actually start living our lives in our new city. Such sage advice :) The evening after they left town, Sean and I reserved a Mobility (a car-sharing company, similar to ZipCar/FlexCar in LA) minivan, went to IKEA (which here they pronounce EE-Kay-A, and if you say I-Key-A, they have no idea what you're talking about) and bought a mattress. Of course, unbeknownst to us at the time of reservation, the European minivan is about half the size of the American version, thus with all our determination, we taco-rolled our new mattress into the trunk of the van, and then carried it up the 3 flights of stairs to our new place. That following weekend we moved all the rest of our stuff in, including the kitties, and haven't looked back. We really love our new place, and its slowly beginning to feel like home. We're quite central in the city, and we can be in the city center or up in some walking/biking trails in 10 minutes or so. And I can be in the lab in about 8 minutes on a tram, which is just amazing! (No photos of our apartment, you've got to come see it for yourself!)
In April we also got to experience one of the more interesting holidays celebrated in Zürich--Sechseläuten. It was held on April 20th this year, and in short, it's a celebration of the beginning of Spring. The name Sechseläuten, or Sechs-Uhr-Läuten, means "six o’clock ringing." Traditionally the church bells ring to signify the end of the work day, thus when Spring arrives, and the days are getting longer, the bells ring one hour later, at 6 o'clock. The celebration begins with a parade where members of the 13 traditional working guilds of Zürich dress up in historic costumes and march, or ride on horse-back, through the city. While there is some controversy surrounding the holiday, because it's often regarded a party for the Bourgeois that doesn't really celebrate the efforts of the current working class, it was quite cool to see all the people in these beautiful costumes, just gleaming with pride for their heritage. Following the parade, the culmination of the holiday is the burning of the Böögg, which begins when the bells ring at 6. The Böögg is a large snowman (not really made of snow) that is set up in front of the Opera House in the city center. Thousands of people surround the Böögg for the burning. According to tradition, the amount of time it takes for the snowman's head to blow up determines the forecast for the approaching summer--the shorter the time, the nicer the summer. The shortest time recorded was in 2003, when Zürich had the coldest/wettest summer in many many year. Needless to say, this is a very scientific and precise method. Still, this year the Böögg exploded in just under 12 minutes, which apparently is predictive of a mild summer. It s been so good so far! Here a few pictures of our first Sechseläuten...
One of the many horse-drawn 'floats' in the parade
We're still not sure why, but its tradition for the women in the crowd to run out into the parade and offer flowers to the men of the guilds.
The entire day we were in awe of all these beautiful baskets of flowers
Even the little ones get involved (note her Böögg-on-a-stick)
The Blacksmith Guild
The Dog-walking Guild???
Almost every Guild had their own marching band, too!
The Böögg in front of the Opera House in Bellvue
The lighting of the Böögg
This is where it gets exciting...
And a brief movie of the final explosion!
(Please excuse my amateur photography skills...)
