Gruezi from Switzerland!!!

Hello friends and family!

As many of you know, the Todd Family Blog (URL notwithstanding) has been a labor of love for Meagan over the past several years. I have made a grand total of one post in the entire lifespan of this forum. Well, it's time to turn a new leaf. I will take over the majority of blog posts for the next six months to document my time in Switzerland and any journeys around Europe. I even brought a camera......and plan to use it.

I arrived in Switzerland almost a week ago and if the first week is any indication this will be a great experience all around. This is a gorgeous place and the people could not be nicer. I arrived at Zurich Airport last Tuesday morning and drove south to the Canton of Zug where I both live and work. My apartment is in the town of Baar and the Roche site where I work is in the town of Rotkreuz. I am roughly halfway between Lucerne and Zurich.....about 30 minutes from either one.

My home in Baar.....I live directly above "Cafe Sunshine". Awesome.

I have a one-bedroom apartment with a balcony and more than enough space including locally unheard of luxuries such as my own washer/dryer and dishwasher. It also included my own Nespresso machine.....a coffee machine much like the Keurig in the U.S. which seems to be quite the trendy status symbol here. George Clooney is Nespresso's spokesperson in Switzerland and several cities in Switzerland have upscale Nespresso boutiques where you can buy machines and coffee capsules. I visited my local Nespresso boutique in Zug this weekend....walked in finding the whole thing quite amusing (giant picture of George Clooney on the wall) but walked out with a couple of packages of coffee capsules, a belly full of free samples of espresso and chocolate and as the newest member of the Nespresso Club. I'm on board.

Here is a view down Baar's main street from the front of my building....

I have not been to the mountains yet but I have immensely enjoyed seeing snow-capped Alps to the south from both home and work. On Sunday, my new co-workers and friends Frank & Nadine Desiere took me to Lucerne. It is an unbelieveably beautiful place.....set on a large lake, surrounded by mountains and full of history and great architecture. It was a gray and rainy day on Sunday so these pictures do not do it justice but there will be more pictures to come from Lucerne.

The Kapellbrucke (Chapel Bridge) was built in the 14th century.....

The water tower is original but the roof had to be reconstructed after a fire in 1993....

Beautiful panels in the eaves of the bridge drawn by Heinrich Wagmann in the 17th century....they show important events from Swiss history and mythology.

Statue with fountain in one of the plazas.....

A swan on Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstattersee in German, meaning "Lake of the Four Forest Cantons") with the beginning of the Alps to the south......

More to come soon!

Brad