Am I on a Reality TV Show

First... Thank You Miss Brittnee! The tip about the Language Tools available through Google has been very helpful... even helped me figure out how to bake the "gipfle" dough I bough yesterday.

And that brings me to recount a series of events that I would rather just forget. You see... I have no clue what the hell is going on around me, and I just have to chuckle and shake my head. Yesterday was my first serious trip(s) to the Migros grocery store. Let me set the stage...

1) No car, no bag-lady cart

2) No baggers at the check-out stand

3) No Comprendo!!! Everything is written in German, French, and Italian.

OK... so I spent the morning looking for permenant housing and realized at about noon that I was starving because there was no food in the house save a Kashi granola bar. I composed a list of what I absolutely needed, got the new bank card and headed to the tram stop. There I bought my tram ticket and headed to MarktPlatz to get some cash and a SchokkiBrotli. Uh, Oh! I forgot the shopping bags!

Back on the tram to the apartment to get the bags then back to MarktPlatz to the Migros. If I go to this one, it is close enough that my cold stuff stays cold and I don't have to change trams. Then I realize that this is a small store... how small? um... 1500 square feet?

I grab what I can find.. *No cheddar? OK Manchego it is*Milk will be a whole seperate story*Thank god they put pictures on the Yogurt containers* and head to the check-out. I only got 100 CHF out of the bank, but I should be safe, right? Ya! Guet... Total is only 70... Let me refer you back to point number 2 above. I should have gone the larger store. There was only one lane open and I felt like I was in the middle of one of those check-card commercials where the whole place comes to a screaching halt while I loaded all of my food into bags. Lesson learned... the small Migros is kind of like the 7 items or less check-out lane in the U.S.

Once I finally had everything in the bags (2 large totes, a Target bag, a hot/cold thermal tote) I went out to get on the tram. Can you say heavy? OK this is where a car would have been good. I missed my stop and had to walk an extra 50 yards to the aparment past one of the old city gates pictured above. When I got back to the apartment, I was hot and tired and my feet hurt, but I still needed to get some things that the small store didn't have.

Back on the tram to the large MMM Migros on Reingasse. This store is huge! Think Super Target in downtown New York City. Escalators and elevators, restaurants, clothes, appliances. 2nd floor has household goods and I needed Dishwasher Tabs and Laundry Detergent. Doesn't sound difficult until (refer to #3) I need to get fabric softener. 15 minutes of staring at the bottles and finally I broke down and asked a young lady if she speaks english (of course she speaks english, duh!). She helped me. Thank God!!!

Oh, plastic wrap and some little zipper baggies for the food. My hands were sort-of full, but I thought I would be OK until I got to the gorcery area in the basement. Apparently a very helpful, loud Swiss man who doesn't speak english thought I needed a hand basket. Lets go back to #3. I'm pretty sure he was telling everyone in the store what an idiot I am while I unloaded my arms into the basket. A humble "Merci" and I was on my way to the basement.

Lime... hot pepper... instant coffee (another 15 minute #3 moment)... OK back to the check out. Oh crap... I was supposed to weigh my produce downstairs. And again the American holds-up the line. Another lesson learned. Huh... it was obvious my remaining 20 CHF wasn't going to cut it. I held up the new bank card and ask "werk?" "Ya" replies the cashier. *sigh*

Back on the tram to our aparment...

I made home-made salsa and Fajitas for dinner. They were sooooo good. I'm looking forward to left-overs. I don't know that I have ever worked so hard mentally and physically. No wonder I was ready for bed at 9:30 last night!