Inside my flat...

Finding a flat in Zurich is near to impossible... I've been here six months, am in my second short-term flat, and will be moving again in the new year (fingers crossed to something wonderful and more permanent). Despite things feeling transient I've tried to make this place a bit like home and have found that it's the smallest things that make the biggest difference.

[Blue and white striped sheets. Fresh flowers. Coffee and a breakfast nook. Champagne corks. Cheap pictures in nice frames. Books. The ugliest but comfiest orange couch with my favourite magazines brought back from London. Underneath my spare rail in our extra room.]

p.s. happy birthday to my love, who turns 27 today.

on being scammed.

Experience thus far points towards Swiss people having a high charm-factor score. The passport control officer even offered up visa advice while warmly welcoming us into the country... as opposed to the British who, I swear, assume you're a terrorist smuggling drugs up your bum regardless of how sweet you might be. Ran into a dodgy situation yesterday afternoon though when a 'letting agency' tried to score 500 SEK in cash off of us in exchange for... well, we're still trying to figure out what we were meant to get from the agreement. Catastrophe avoided though. We bolted out of that place and headed for the hills, where we had lattes, rode a tram, and gazed at the skyline (snow covered Alps included). Zurich is more beautiful and enticing than imagined it would be... now, if only we could find a place to live.