Backsplash project

Although when I had my granite done I had a 4" backsplash added, I still felt that the space between the countertops and the cabinets needed a bit of something.  So, as we speak, my uncle is tiling the backsplash around the kitchen in white subway tile.  I'm using a mid-tone gray grout.  Can't wait to see the finished product!  Once it's done I'll post the finished photos of the whole kitchen to get the effect of the new backsplash and the new paint color.

Kitchen gets some paint

God forbid I sit around on a trip home. When I bought the house, the walls and trim in the kitchen were the same color.  It was a nice neutral but didn't allow the woodwork to really show as well as it would with some contrast.  So, I chose a really nice light beige with gray/green undertones and painted the wall part of the kitchen while leaving the trim and woodwork below the same cream color.  It came out great! 

I also got this cutie patootie sign to hang on the wall.  When I first saw the house, the owner had a "Restaurant" sign hanging from the old ladder in the kitchen.  I always loved it so found a place thru ebay that does distressed signs on reclaimed wood - and voila!  I have my very own restaurant sign!

More photos to follow soon...

Walking in a Winter Wonderland - Luzern

This morning when I woke up it was snowing. Now, snow in Luzern is not like snow in Boston. I don't own a shovel. I don't have snow boots. Contrary to popular belief, a Swiss town in winter is not nearly as cold as Boston. We don't have a "wind chill factor" and I've never seen more than about 2.5 inches of snow standing on the ground. It never even gets cold enough for it to get icy on our wet streets.

So, given that there was a little dusting of snow on the town I decided to go out for a walk with my camera to give you a glimpse into my pretty town in winter.

Literally chestnuts are roasting on an open fire all over the town.  The building above is one giant advent calendar and all the bridges are strewn with garland.

December in Luzern

Winter in Europe is usually gray and drizzly. Happily, we've had a few dazzlingly blue sky days so far.

This is the quay directly in front

of our office. I never get tired of this beautiful view.

Here are some fun things to experience at Christmastime in Luzern.

Team Christmas lunch! We had a fabulous lunch at the Old Swiss House complete with giant Wiener Schnitzl made at our table. They are fried in a lump of butter the size of your head (not joking).

At our lunch we continued a new tradition with our 3rd annual Yankee Swap. While getting everyone to understand the concept of stealing other people's gifts took some time, the team is now fully fluent in the strategies. Including gag gifts like a fake mustache (or unibrow) and East German treats called Katzenzungen (Cat's tongues):

Christmas Market

It's very typical in Europe to have pretty Christmas Markets. In parts of Luzern's beautiful Old Town local artisans set up stalls selling their handcrafted goods for Christmas.

An old fashioned lifestyle

During our fairly routine Sunday gathering, one of my friends here in Luzern commented that we get together more often than we did with friends in our own countries (we're all ex pax). It's quite common here to go to a friend's house on a Sunday afternoon or weeknight to make a fire, play cards, crotchet (well, ok maybe only we do that), or watch a movie. We often get together for an impromptu lunch or drink or just meet up for coffee. One of us will text the other "coffee this afternoon?" and the answer is usually "yes!". To me, it's probably what life was like in small towns in the US back in the 1950s - or so I imagine. And it's lovely.

There are more elements of my life here that are very much similar to times gone by. Here are some of the highlights, some of which show up in a slightly different format on my Pros and Cons list on an earlier post.

Workdays
My house is less than a 10 minute walk from work. All of my shopping needs, social needs, etc. are within a 15 minute walk from my house. So, I don't have a car. My walk to work connects me to my community better than a drive-by would. I stop in the bakery on the corner to get a roll for breakfast, or Starbucks on the river. Fairly often my "commute" features a beautiful view of the sun coming up and the sky lightening over snow capped peaks. On more than one occasion I've had to pull out my camera or cell phone to take a picture of the view. Not something I would notice zipping by in a car necessarily.

On most weeknights, stores close at 6:30pm. This includes grocery stores so you need to plan your food shopping for sure. On Thursdays they do have extended shopping hours till about 9pm.

Weekends
On the weekends, stores are open only on Saturday. Even on Saturday they close at 4pm. Nothing but restaurants, cafes and the train station is open on Sunday. Some people complain about the lack of convenience that comes from working around these limited hours. I say, convenience can also be called "life clutter". I had no idea how much of my time was spent running to Walgreens, Home Depot, Target, etc. just because they are "easy" to get to and always open. When everything is closed you are forced to interact and live a real life. Go for a walk or a hike. Meet up with friends. Laze around in a cafe with a book. My fellow Americans, when was the last time you lazed in a cafe with a book? I hope it was recently but fear you won't be able to even remember.

Local shops
Here the idea of the small local specialty store still exists. There are bakeries on every corner here. There is a candy shop. There are shops that sell only pretzel-based sandwiches. There are no stores with the word "Super" in them. When all the stores you need are within a 10 minute walking radius, it doesn't add to your shopping time. And I'll use the word lovely again here.

Interaction
People here walk around, say hello and generally interact. We have a farmer's market that takes up most of the riverwalk twice a week. You'll see regular customers chatting it up with the farm stand staff and people greeting each other while passing. The guy at the coffee shop remembers my order even if I don't go every day.

Outdoor living
The Swiss are very outdoorsy and it rubs off on those of us who moved here. While I haven't taken up downhill skiing, snowboarding or snowshoeing I have tried cross-country skiing and have done my share of hiking. You'd be amazed how many people just walk around with their family, friends or significant other on a weekend day. On a nice day in Luzern there are hundreds of people out for a stroll around town or by the lake.

Of course, there are negative hold overs to the 1950s here - everyone smokes like a chimney and they have pretty archaic ideas about the role of women but all in all, I'm very grateful to have experienced this kind of lifestyle and hope I remember to carry it back a bit more whenever the time comes to leave.