Hi guys,

I am new here in Zurich. So far it's one of my least favourite cities I have lived in. Ugliness mixed with prettiness, very difficult to get around and very expensive. Not much here for Brits, in terms of home comfort, less than Abu Dhabi.

Still, it's early days.

At least it looks as though things happen here. There is a concert of some kind in the HB tonight. Does anyone know who it is?

Anyway, I look forward to meeting you all.

Bruce

By the way. Does anyone know if there is any way of getting real English Sunday papers, with all of the inserts, in Zurich? We used to get them in Luxembourg, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, but Zurich looks a bit short in that department.

Oh hi Bruce,

I'd love to help, but I'm too bored, miserable and depleted just from being here in this awful place. When will it ever end?

Yawn ...

Hi Bruce and welcome along. We are putting together an Escape Committee - wannna join? You can forget the English Sunday papers, or English any thing else - for you Brucy zee var is over...

Hi Bruce. I see you haven't arrived directly from the UK, so I guess your glasses aren't quite as rose-tinted as they are for most.

But seriously, timing is everything. Why not take a little look around (both the forum, and the country) before feeling the need to hit the "reply" button?

Adjusting to Switzerland isn't always easy, so why make it harder for yourself by alienating people who might just be helping you out in the next few months, i.e. the people on this forum?

Wow Brucie you sound like a really open and up for anything person. Give me a shout if you want to know when the next wrist slitting ex-pat orgy is on, you can be my guest of honour
Oldhand

The second year's better than the first. Remember that!

Happy but Bruce?

You can get English papers at kiosks at main stations (certainly Zurich) after about 11am. If the inserts are not present, please accept my apologies.

If that's not up-to-scratch, I recommend hanging around at the airport late every Sunday and accosting everyone coming off UK flights for their papers.

If you want "home comfort", I can recommend "home"?

ok, it might be only me, but I think some of the remarks are a bit on rough side..

Obviously it helps a lot to be on the positive side when you are new to a country .. but if your choice of coming to CH was based on professional grounds rather than a life style choice, and if your previous experience is based on big buzzing cities with lots going on, Switzerland is tough to digest in the begining..

I think some of us are here too long to remember the initial days, where we were craving for Sunday shopping, decent newspapers, TV channels from home etc etc.. I remember my first weeks that I had to survive on vending machine food on Sundays till I have been told about shopping in HB and little corner shops owned by Albanians etc..

well Bruce, it takes a bit of time to get used to till you know your way around .... You will also realise , unlike the first impression you got, it is actually quite a beatifull city when you know where to look at. I am keying in these words overloking the Zurich lake through the trees turning golden/brown; with houses of Horgen shore on the background,and during all my travels, havent seen a lot of sites more prettier this ...eventually you will see ZH hosts great restaurants, pulls lot of live gigs, a terrific city if you are into sports etc etc.. and these words coming from a girl who was making escape plans every weekend during her first year here...

I see that my usual frank and open style has made me friends already.
You will note that I didn't say I didn't like the place, just that I could see a few negative points.

Seriously, I figured that the best way to get responses was to provoke them. I have been an expat for 20 years, and have lived in some real shitholes, but one learns to love them. Zurich is different for me as I started work here two months ago and had to commute back to Luxembourg at weekends, I stayed in Oerlikon mid-week, finished work at 8:00 and saw V.little of Zurich. My wife moved here 10 days ago and we have seen more of it since then, but I still don't know where to go to find the good stuff. I mean apart from shopping.

I have to admit that, until yesterday I hadn't been south of Zurich. It is truly lovely in many areas, and a real pleasure. I might move out there if I can optimise the commute. The North side seems a lost opportunity to keep Switzerland beautiful. It seems to me such a shame that, while there are so many beautiful things here they are interspersed with commercial buildings apparently made of lego. Many beautiful cities have a building standards committee or something, but I guess that Zurich doesn't.

So what is it that makes Zurich the second best place to live in Europe (nay, the world)? I cannot see it, it seems OK, but nothing special. However, I guess that the charms of Paris, Luxembourg, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi and Iran are all more immediately accessible.

BTW, thanks, stamp, for a thoughtful post, and thanks to the rest of you also. I guess your strength of feeling tells me something.

I sincerely apologise if I upset anyone. I was trying to be honest and also express my surprise at the difference between the opinions of poeple who live and love here and my own experiences.

And, yes, my last three postings were Abu Dhabi, Paris and Luxembourg. All of them a tough act to follow.

Thanks for the pointer.

so it's not difficult to get around - you just haven't gotten around to it?

If you've just done work-home-work-4-hours-to-Luxembourg then you've not started seeing it yet......the run to Luxembourg doesn't expose you to the best of the country.

If you're online today, you're mad - look south at those rocky things sticking up, you can surely see them from Zurich today...and Go! It's absolutely wonderful out today...!

Yeah. I went to Zug and back via Birwil & Lenzburg today. Pretty cool.

My problems with getting around consist in spending 45 minutes getting 5 Kms. Apart from London, that must be one of the worst commutes in the world. I guess I should buy a bike.

I don't know what you're commuting but I can do one end of lake Zurich to the other in 40 minutes

Driving? Walking? Hopping on one leg?

Commuting here is easy and painless with plenty of options...
I do airport to South West Zurich city in 40 minutes...

I'm also confused.
Perhaps try typing more slowly for me...

I was staying with a colleague in Pfungen I work in Glattbrugg. It takes 45 mins to an hour and a quarter to get from one station to the other, but the distance by road is about 5Kms. I couldn't drive as there is no parking in Glattbrugg.

Now I'm in the City, 3 mins from HB and I can get to work in 25 mins, it's still appallingly slow compared to what I'm used to, but doable.

You can get a second-hand bike cheap. Or if it's below you, you can get a nice expensive new bike. Sadly the second-hand bike auctions are finished, it seems for this year.

Try plugging your route into www.vbz.ch - it might give you a quicker route. You could always drive but it would take longer with the city traffic.

I promise you that you'll find something tolerable here one day

Working at the 3 letter acronym large bank?

You really have high expectations if you think 25 mins is too long...

If that's true, Bruce should have a parking space - all BSDs do, for instance my missus has a nice spot for her company car

First of all Bruce, welcome. I have lived in the Zurich area for two and a half years and have loved every minute of it. We live in Staefa in a 300 year old house with a view of the lake and the mountains. Today we took a drive to Sattelegg and Waegitalersee and it was spectacular. A refreshing hike in the mountains and a beer at the restaurant at the end of the trail. The Swiss really do things in a very civilized manner. If you are adventurous, there are hundreds of well maintained trails for walking and any number of fantastic drives. If you are interested (and have a car to get around) let me know and I'll give you some of our favorites.

Also take a look at www.myswitzerland.com for upcoming festivals and events. The country may take some getting used to for you, but there are perks...low crime, clean air and water, fresh food, excellent public transportation, high standard of living, easily accessible nature, chocolate and cheese! The natives are helpful and competent--though not necessarily warm. And, I can tell you from first hand experience, that the health care system is world class.

There is an English pub in the Niederdorf--- The Oliver Twist. They show English sports. And there is a very active English theatre group in town. Enjoy your stay here and I hope you eventually come to love it as much as we do. Cheers!