Fondue Chinoise

My Denmark & Germany Trip

2005-07-14T01:23:00.000+02:00

It has been more than a week after I have come back from my Denmark & Germany trip. I am sorry that I don't have time to blog about my travel experience since I am now busy planning for my next trips!

This is my first time to travel extensively with train in Europe. With the InterRail pass, it was free for me to travel within Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Denmark, with exception of express (requires a supplement) and night train (requires compulsory booking). With a InterRail pass, you are supposed to write down the details of each trip before you start, e.g. date, time, number of the train. But according to my experience, only 30% of time they would check my log. There was only one time that I was asked to show my passport... Well I think the conductor only wanted to know my nationality..

Next Stop : Heidelberg

2005-06-17T16:20:00.000+02:00

I will start my backpack trip next monday. My next stop is Heidelberg, Germany. Even though I have booked most of my accommodations for the next 2 and a half week. I haven't done so for Heidelberg. Hope I can find a cheap one when I arrive!

Here is my route :
Luzern -> Heidelberg -> Trier -> Koeln -> Kassel -> Berlin -> Celle -> Copenhagen -> Aarhus -> Skagen -> Odense -> Munich -> Luzern

Manta bar, Zurich

2005-06-12T00:24:00.000+02:00

What do you think the best sandwich should be? Juicy? Crispy? The stuffing should be 300% of the bread? Cold or Hot? Where have you had the best sandwich?

My dream sandwich should be fresh, warm, filling, healthy and you don't have to wash your hands afterwards. I don't really like cold sandwiches, except the Rocket/Parmesan Sandwich from BrezelKönig. The strong taste of Rocket goes well with Parmesan, plus the fresh bread. The main point is it is handy, BrezelKönig is in every corner in Luzern.

I hate those sliced loaf bread, especially the white one. Having said that, I have to confess that I used to have Luncheon Meat/Egg Sandwich (餐蛋治) a lot before.Well, I just like the Luncheon Meat and fried eggs...

Last Thursday, I decided to have a short trip to Zürich. Just planed to walk around, see the lovely bears and check out the Coffee and Wine offering in Jelmoli. Even though I missed the S&M bear, I did find something out of my expectation, Manta Bar. It was during the lunch time and I found people queueing up in this small coffee shop on Bahnhofstrasse. I used to think that it was just another coffee bar and the crowd of people there had discouraged me from entering it. Two hours later when I walked back to the shop, I could still see people, but less, and some tables were available outside the shop. So I decided to give it a shot in order to cure my hunger.

There were over 10 different kinds of sandwiches, all prepared earlier and warpped in plastic wrap. I told myself, okay, at least better than a bratwurst. So I went ahead and ordered a big roasted beef, eggplant and tartarsauce sandwich (Gross Pide mit Roastbeef, pan. Auberginen, Tartarsauce) and a Cola, decided to delay my intake of Caffeine until I were in Spruengli. I was asked if I wanted it warm, of course! Then I was given a number tag. Oh Scheisse! They would call my number in German.... Then I found the lady there removed the plastic wrap of my sandwich, opened it and put it into the oven. A couple of minutes later, my sandwich was ready.

I tried one bite, the bread was crispy and warm. (I don't know what Pide bread is, Turkish?) With the tartar sauce, it didn't taste as dry as I thought. The roast beef was okay, I didn't expect too much anyway. But after the 2nd bite, I was totally convinced that it was the best sandwich I ever had. It was the Auberginen (or eggplant, we use to call). They were deepfried before putting in the sandwich, but normally they would become soft and oilly after getting cold, but after in the oven for a couple of minutes, the crispyness came back! Together with the tartar sauce, it was a perfect match! The big sandwich was just CHF12.5. I tried to behave myself and ate slowly because once I sat down, there were 3 other people sharing the table with me....
So next time, when you are in Zuerich or Winterthur, try it out!

Eating in Berlin Part 1

2005-05-24T00:07:00.000+02:00

My first Brunch since I came to Europe last year.
It just costed 7.99 Euro in Cafe Alex at Sony Center. I wish I could find similar place in luzern too! It is the tyical 'American' style brunch buffet. Not exactly special but it was nice for someone who had waken up at 4am to catch the train and the flight.

Dinner was at a place called Mao Thai. Yes, it is a Thai restuarant. I think it is one of the best Thai restuarants in Berlin. It was a full house when we arrived at nine something, but luckily we got our table while we were having our first Singha beer. We had 3 appetizers : Fish Cake, Mango Salat and one other dish that I forgot the name. Main dishes included a fish, curry chicken and squid. I would say the appetizers were much better than the main dishes. We spent less than 100 Euro, not cheap, but certainly much cheaper than in Thai Garden, Luzern.

Currywurst is the so-called Berliner dish. I didn't want to have it, but that place is the only food shop that you can find around the Judish Musuem. Deep fried sausage with curry powder and ketchup, plus a load of fries and a can of pop for 4 Euro, what can you expect.

After visiting the Holocaust Monument Museum, it was already time for lunch. I decided to head to Friedrichstrasse for lunch before seeingthe Deutsches Historisches Museum. In stead of having a quick lunch of currywurst, I followed a sign to a vietnamese restuarant. I miss Que Hong and Ben Thanh in London too much, so decided to head for a Pho. It is a nicely decorated restuarant with lots of asian stuff. I don't care, most nice pho places are run down anyway.
I ordered the beef noodle and a vietnamese coffee, I wanted a iced one, but they didn't provide. I don't understand, they just need to dip the coffee into a glass of ice. The first time it came, the coffee actually didn't dip out from the filter, so they exchanged one for me. The coffee was just as diluted as the normal coffee, not to say they didn't put enough condensed milk. It took a while before the pho came. I was even more depressed. It just came with some chilli and small slice of lime, where was the leaves and bean spouts? The beef was just some well done sliced beef. To me, it is more like a chinese beef rice noodle soup, not a pho. All for 15 Euro.

While I was still frustrated with the lunch, we headed to somewhere near Gendarmenmarkt for dinner. Finally, we settled in a steak house nearby. Even though my friend M has insisted many time that he hates Fastfood, I think Maredo is kind of fastfood too! Nonetheless, food was not too bad.

My last meal during this trip in Berlin was the lunch at Kadewe. I read from a guide book that its foodcourt is marvellous. After spending almost 20 minutes walking around the big food court, I ordered a butterfisch and a beer at one of the restuarant for around 15 Euro. They have all kind of seafoods, fishes and even lobsters. The fish was great, with a mussel sauce and came with salad and bread. Next time I should try the oyster bar and the grill. I ended my lunch with a coffee at Dallmayr.

Basel --> Berlin by Easyjet

2005-05-23T23:56:00.000+02:00

We have discussed Easyjet many times in school and my trip to Berlin is my first time to take EasyJet. Experience? nothing really special except that they really turned around in 25 minutes. Crew memebrs are young and they have their own sausage and egg breakfast, while we have to pay our own even for a pop. During my trip in Berlin, I have visited and spent some time in their Easy Internet Cafe as well. I think I should try their EasyHotel in London and EasyCruise soon.

Seeing in Berlin

2005-05-19T16:51:00.000+02:00

Day 1 :

Strassenumzug (Street Parade) of Der Karneval der Kulturen
Holocaust Monument
Unter den Linden
Pariser Platz

Day 2:

Gendarmenmarkt
Berliner Dom
Jüdische Museum Berlin
Blue Man Group at Theater am Potsdamer Platz

Day 3:
Check Point Charlie
Holocaust Monument Museum
Deutsches Historisches Museum
Pergamonmuseum
Alte Nationalgalerie
Neue Wache

Day 4:
Altes Museum
Albert Einstein Museum
Kadewe

Inspiration

2005-05-14T20:25:00.000+02:00

Yes, it has been a long time since I blogged last time. Life has been busy even the snowboarding season has come to an end, you know here in die Schweiz.....
I won't post this blog without the inspiration from Sitdownman, he knows how much I miss the nice food that I couldn't find here. Nonetheless, I think I am going to blog about restuarants that I have visited. Berlin, here I come!

Motor Show 2005 Geneva

2005-03-08T18:01:00.000+01:00

Salon Auto 2005 Geneva

The Auto Show 2005 is held between 3rd to 13th March in Geneva.
It might be a bit too far away from Luzern, but with the special promotion from SBB , it seems not a bad idea to spend a weekend there. The ticket is just CHF45 (with train and entry), it is even cheaper than a day pass.
I have spent almost a total of 6.5 hours on the train for both ways. On my way back, the train stucked at somewhere for 30 minutes. I didn't know why because I couldn't understand the announcment. There were too many people probably because the weather condition was so bad that people can't go skiing on last Sunday. It was hard to take a photo without at least 5 people in the background. The only exception was the area of Tata. One might not be surprised to know that Swiss or other visitors have less interest in an Indian manufacturer when other european cars are around. It would be nice to see Malaysia's Proton too!
They shouldn't put Maserati and Ferrari together. That area was completely packed. Peugeot also attracted lots of people with their 1007. Not to mention that there is a lucky draw of one 1007 if you fill in the form......

Finally, CH did the right thing to stimulate the economy!

2005-03-03T15:05:00.000+01:00

In order to simulate economy of Hong Kong, Tung CH has decided to step down. It is expected the following sectors would be benefit to his step-down :
1. Restuarants & Pubs
2. Party Supplies
3. Incense
4. Chicken

But at the same time, this would adversely affect the following businesses:
1. Retailers of Loudspeakers
2. Paper-tied (紙紮)
3. Distilled Water in Summer (especially on 1st July)

新年(後)快 (落)

2005-03-02T22:52:00.000+01:00

可能太開心, 大家都有啲語無倫次

霍英東 : 特首七年來任勞任怨
何鴻燊 : 安排是絕招，只要想深一層，會發覺這個安排對香港有幫助
范徐麗泰 : 呢個傳聞冇事實根據
何俊仁 : 董建華現時毋須辭職，因為目前經濟已復蘇
曾憲梓 : 如果董建華站立半小時演講，腰和腳都會痛

Struggle with Telcos

2005-03-01T14:14:00.000+01:00

I don't know why I always have problems with the telecom service providers.... Not only in Switzerland, but also in Canada before.
Yesterday my Internet was down for over 3 hours in the afternoon. I wish I have a normal phone line so that I could use dialup, but too bad, I use VOIP as well. So if my Internet is down, I am actually cut off from the outside. And today? Internet is okay, but the "VOIP" LED is off on my Cable modem. Hope I can get back my 'voice' later today. It took me 2 months to get my cable modem even though I was promised that I could get it within 2 weeks. I was so frustrated that everytime I called and asked for status, I was told that I could get it in a couple of days.... We struggled for a few weeks until I found out the email address of the COO..... Things settled pretty soon then..

In Canada, my experience was as unpleasant as here. But it was better there because I can read English and have found out the website of the regulatory body. I believe that if you launch a complain to the body, it would forward it to the very senior people and the telco would like to solve it asap. I had been using a pre-paid mobile phone for over a year and suddenly my service got cut. No one told me why.. When I called up the Customer service, they didn't tell me why. Just asked me to leave them a contact number and someone would called me back. But my mobile number was my only contact there..... and they could only call me during the office hour...... After weeks, yes weeks, I figured out that they believed that someone had stolen my phone and use a fake credit card to pay for the bill. Then I knew why. Weeks before the incident, they double charged my credit card for a payment. I called up the CS and they told me that just go ahead to cancel the transaction with my bank. I did and you know what has happened. I sent email to CRTC and complaint that they cut off my service without reason. And my service was resumed pretty soon and got an apology. Too bad that I didn't ask for any compensation.....

Deutsch oder Schweizerdeutsch?

2005-02-26T23:31:00.000+01:00

Peter has just arrived in Switzerland for a short term job assignment in an international Swiss company. As a non-German spearker, he finds difficulties in both personal and office life.

One day, he attended a meeting :
Colleague B : Which language should we use for this meeting?
Colleague C : I am fine with either one.

Peter was so happy that finally he could participate in the meeting ....

Colleague C : So Deutsch oder Schweizerdeutsch ?

Peter : .... !#@$#%@%

Could someone stop them?

2005-02-26T01:04:00.000+01:00

While US has implemented strict control and procedures on keeping certain people from entering the country, it seems that they really don't care much about who is leaving the country....
Read these two stories : Gordon & Frank Kollintzas

eBay Xchange-Point in Luzern

2005-02-17T17:31:00.000+01:00

Late last year, I found an eBay sign post wrapped in bubble paper standing in the Luzern Main Station (Luzern Bahnhof). I used to think that it is just some advertisements from eBay but it stood there for weeks.
Now, I finally figure out that it is called Xchange-Point. It is a place for sellers and buyers to meet. I haven't seen this in other countries. Are they only in Switzerland? There are seven here in Switzerland : Bern, Basel, Geneva, Lausanne, Luzern, Winterthur and Zürich.
Well of course, switzerland is small enough for buyers and sellers to meet face to face for the exchange. I am sure you don't want to drive 5 hours to sell something to a stranger if you are in USA.

Mr Sit-Down

2005-02-17T14:34:00.000+01:00

Just found out that my friend Mr Sit-Down has a blog. It is out of my expectation. I used to think that he is a boring Accountant.....

Check this out : http://sitdownman.blogspot.com/

Things I miss

2005-02-15T15:45:00.000+01:00

1. Amazon
I miss ordering books from Amazon or Chapters. Not only the books are cheap, but also the postage. I still remember that they often have this $39 order with free shipping promotion. One can go to the brick and mortar Chapters store, read and see what are good, then go home and order them on the Internet, which is much cheaper. But here? Well, there is limited supply of English book in local store. Even worse, they are damn expensive.

The Tallest Building in Switzerland

2005-02-14T16:43:00.000+01:00

You might be surprised to know that the tallest building of Switzerland is in Basel, not in Geneva or Zürich. If you are coming from Asia or other metropolitans in North America, you will probably be more suprised when you have learnt the height of this building....
The Messetrum Basel is the highest building in Switzerland. It is 105M high and has 31 storeys. But according to Emprois, Zürich is going to build a taller Maag Tower, which is 126M high. For your reference, the world's tallest building now is the Taipei Financial Center (506M).

Fasnacht!

2005-02-02T11:16:00.000+01:00

Fasnacht is going to begin this week, in many areas within Switzerland. According to the local people, Fasnacht is the celebration of the end of winter. People would dress in their costumes partying, drinking and walking around in the town. Some of them make their own costumes, or you can buy them in supermarkets or department stores.

SBB's E-ticket

2005-02-02T01:09:00.000+01:00

Even though Switzerland's SBB has launched its Internet ticket sales online for some time, yesterday was my first time to use it. It is so convience that you just need to spend a few minutes to create your account and another few minutes to purchase the ticket. Of course, you need a printer to print it out and you need to pay by your credit card.