Hello from Switzerland- part 2: The move

Munich day 1-
So Jan 7th came fast... It was 8 am and time for the movers to arrive. I had coffee and cookies set out and was ready....


When they arrived they didn't speak English (My German is very bad) and we were told they would speak English.

Fire had to go clean out his desk from the Munich office so I was to be alone supervising the Movers...

I was upset at first but quickly was calm and relaxed as these three guys were the nicest you could meet...

They clowned around like the three stooges and helped me laugh saying "Kien Panik." (Don't panic)

and there really wasn't a language barrier, sign language my bad German and one could understand but not speak English a bit and soon we were laughing while packing the stuff...

I can't say enough good things about these three.... Though the one guy caused so much stress from this company the movers made sure I was relaxed and not stressed....

So the video the morning of the move:

By the time Fire got home they had packed a lot

Videos of the packing:











Munich day 2-

2nd day Fire and I got up to greet the men as we packed the last remaining stuff...

(the night before) I had Shelob ready to go with me (My Tarantula) and the Fish were transfered to a smaller aquarium...

We piled up the trash to the side (unwanted furniture and old stuff that would not be moving with us)

by mid-afternoon my place was empty... Now for the apartment in Munich our contract said we could officially move and not pay rent for 3 months after we gave notice... So we officially would have until the end of Feb to give them the keys and make sure the apartment was clean from old furniture, painted, nails from the wall removed and so on...

However, they wanted to renovate it and told us we didn't have to paint also coming back to clean after the move was causing stress so we agreed that the painter (who also cleaned and took unwanted furniture away) would do it and the cost would be remove from our downpayment...

Now 9 years ago when we moved in, this apartment was dirty, it had a 20 year old stove that didn't work, a bathroom from the 50ties that looked dirty no matter how much you clean, the walls were dirty and not painted, the floor in the bathroom and kitchen were old and would not clean ... Right after we moved in the heaters went down and we had to pay half to fix it though it had broke because it was old and they only replaced a part not the whole damn thing

The windows were not insulated so they were drafty and our heating cost were high (always) not to mention that because of that and living right next to a tram I had Dust Bunnies the size of Bears if I didn't Vacuum every day...

After 9 years of living there the only thing I and Fire did to the place was put lots of nails in the walls for my pictures, which with some putty and paint you would never had known... otherwise it was as it was 9 years when we moved in....
Even still, since they would have to clean up from the move (us tracking mud in and out etc... and remove the nails from the walls) I told Fire if they wanted to keep the Downpayment we should let them have it because it would only be fair. (though we would still have to pay for Feb even though we weren't there)

So the man came with the painter to get the keys as the movers were moving the last thing out and to evaluate the apartment... They new that it wouldn't be clean because we had movers there and I didn't have time to scrub and clean under a refrigerator that has been sitting there in this spot ... I did manage to vacuum up the dust bunnies....


He was upset because in 9 years we never painted the walls. When he said "You didn't take care of the apartment"

I went off!!!

He says the apartment wasn't clean...

(coffee spilled on the counter from us having coffee during the move, mud tracked in and out etc... you know common mess caused by moving )


They knew this!!! It was agreed on the phone they would clean it and take it out of our downpayment!!!!

He said you didn't paint it ever.... Then the rest of his complaints were about things that were like that when we move

What the hell did he want us to do renovate it ourselves without cost to them

Then I found out that they just took over the place a few years ago from the original owner...
Who buys a place without even looking at it first???

They have never come to check the apartment, the only time we saw anyone for the apartment was once a year when they send someone to change the heater gauges to say what we owe for heating...


The Bastard shrunk when I went off ... I lived in that Hell hole that by alrights would by US standard have been a slum house and made it cozy and made my self sick trying to clean something that wouldn't be clean ...

Long short.... They kept the downpayment in it's entirety to pay for the clean up and trash removal (remember this is old cloths and furniture)
and we were marked down as officially moved and wouldn't have to pay for Feb

The apartment I am in now is different, Munich Apart- a one page contract with the exception of no pets, and we have to pay rent for 3 months after notice didn't have any disclosed agreement---

This one has a 9 page on what they have to do and what we have to do and we have 14 days to report anything that is not working or messed up

They did a check list so when we move they have a list and pictures of what wasn't new in the apartment etc...

So after the headache we gave them the keys and waved a glad farewell to the old apartment... I cried (it was a hell hole and I hated it but it was 9 years of my life)

Munich to Benglen (Zürich)-
We then in a rented car began our travel with 10 fish and one tarantula to Benglen Switzerland

As we were driving a rain bow appeared, it was strange... not curved but it went straight down from the heavens over the mountains in the direction of our new home...

My camera videos and pictures sadly don't do this rainbow justice...

My first blog was called: Through the Storms to the Horizon

This picture summarized how I have always seen my life, as one long journey... It was almost as if someone was saying here lies happier and better times...

Here is the videos and the pictures not only of the rainbow but of us driving to our new home

Austria border:


Swiss Border:



Fire and I slept for the first night in our new apartment Jan 8th in sleeping bags on the floor.
The next mourning we waited for the movers to arrive with our things
Benglen: day 1-

Instead of climbing stairs they took a different approach:

All in one day they moved me in, assembled my furniture (bed, Desks dressers and wardrobe, china cabinet) while I unpacked my first boxes.... Which if you guessed on the Poll was my Kitchen you were right...

More to come....

Novy's move was done by:

(more videos later)

--- meme---

I found this meme from : gautami tripathy
I had to do it:

Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?

Any Shakespeare, because with Dyslexia he is hard to read...

If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?

Winnie the Pooh and friends for hunny and tea

(Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can't die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for awhile, eventually you realise it's past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?

Oh Well I would never read a boring book because I would never want to die

Come on, we've all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you've read, when in fact you've been nowhere near it?

Hm.... here we are at Shakespeare again

As an addition to the last question, has there been a book that you really thought you had read, only to realize when you read a review about it/go to 'reread' it that you haven't? Which book?

I have never had this happen

You've been appointed Book adviser to a VIP (who's not a big reader). What's the first book you'd recommend and why? (if you feel like you'd have to know the person, go ahead of personalize the VIP)

Well it would depend but I often choose a book according to a person... but also what (s)he hasn't read that I have. I once suggested Tom Sawyer and Huck finn to a German who had never read it but was visiting the Mississippi

A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?

Around the world in 80 days and 20 thou legs under the sea (originally in French)

A mischievous fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?

The Hobbit and Winnie the Pooh

Maybe also Charlotte's web

I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What's one bookish thing you 'discovered' from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)?

Well gautami tripathy has made so many nice suggestions that I hope to get my hands on

That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she's granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leatherbound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favorite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free.

Oh it is in my dream house (I actually used Sims 2 to build it some years ago)

Anyway... 2 story house but the library would take up both the floors, the book shelves would tower over you up two stories... Old fashion ladders that slide around, a spiral stair case that goes to a small reading area

A fire place and chairs beside it

Leather books old books new books

Classics modern

My dad was a book collector and he loved books I love the smell of old books

As for tagging I wasn't tag so I won't tag anyone...

Hello From Switzerland - part 1

HI


I am back online.... Yesterday they hooked up my phone and today I have internet...
A lot has happened and I want to tell you everything... I will... but first a summary...

They move went over great.. The fish made it, Shelob my tarantula made it, Fire and I made it...

In two weeks I have unpacked everything (fire has 12 boxes still to unpack.... men :§)

We had a few problems some we have tended to... We had planned to get little Wulfgar Sunday Feb 3 but because they won't let him travel for 21 to 30 days after his rabies shot we have to get him this Sunday....

I am happy I was just hoping to have one more week to get things ready for him...

My brother Polar is having his first baby and we had a false alarm last night... I got my phone just as his wife... Mrs Polar was going into labor but the brakes was put on at the last moment...

I do have videos to share of the move in progress and pictures... I will share them as I can


until then.... Shake those HI-NIs

Which room did Novy unpack first?

Vote on this poll

Happy New Year!!!

A stress free move my butt... Getting someone else to move us has been more stressful than I have ever had when moving myself...

A lot has happened and I really dont have time but here is a quick update....

We went to our new apartment and got the keys the 19th of Dec.

We spent the whole day in our new apartment (empty with the creepy echo) and neighborhood....

It was great so great I didn't want to leave...

Here is a video of my new apartment....






Please excuse the way I look I have the flu and was very sick and taking some stuff but look very pale

As for my hair, it was pinned up and it fell down so I just put it in a pony tail but it was a bad hair day due to my coat...



There was more (the cellar and washroom) but it was too dark and you couldn't see anything because the light bulb was blown...

We do not have an attic space we have 2 cellars both about 12 m² , one is for the washroom and the other is a wine like cellar and storage area...
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On Dec 21st we went to SW of France to the sea and beach for 1 week with Fire's family...
We had a nice Xmas... Thanks to his Mom and Dad who paid for our trip... (They are the best )

They rented a apartment right around the corner from the boardwalk of the beach and right next to the Casino..


I lost 10 € lol....

It was beautiful... The Beaches there are different than the ones I grew up with in Florida...

Some videos of my trip....













I have more pictures but probably won't get around to uploading them here...
Here is a few

Xmas tree, Santa came and our xmas dinner

(Fire's family actually does it all on Xmas eve not Xmas day)

I thought this was dessert but it's towels

The kids made a ginger bread house

patterns in the sand




In the morn before Lunch (low tide)



the area is famous for its oysters and we got to see Oyster villages and farms

not to mention to eat some really good oysters (lunch)

Saw a lighthouse while our food settled


(I have a great video)




Same beach at sunset (hide tide)

French art

me

I got great gifts
2 scarfs one was hand made by Fire's mom (it was great!!!) and sadly I caught it in my piece of crap coat and it tore so she has to fix it...

Fire's mom is a sweetie...

There is so much other things but like I said I don't have much time

To much happening... When we arrived home today we had some problems with the Moving company ...

I went with them because they were friendly but the gentleman we met is just their face man, not the one moving us!!!!

Okay so we get off the train at 9 am after having a really great xmas, call about our fish because they still didn't email or call us about it...

Only to find out that they wanted to change our date to move (to earlier which really would stress an already stressful situation) so they could move my stuff and a strangers stuff together (both going to Switzerland and both are families who work for Fire's company)

I went OFF!!! Fire's job said we could choose and their quote was higher than the other company but we chose them because
1- they could move our fish
2- The gentle man sat and had a drink with us and walked us through some things about the move
3- he answered my husband's question's via email and the other company man ignored my husband's questions

Now they wanted to move 2 of us in the same truck with the same quote!?!?!?!

A- My stuff may be crap but its my crap and I am uncomfortable with strangers messing about with it already. This was why the 2nd reason... The other guy was all business.. He came in he evaluated the apartment and our stuff for the move and then left... He had no time for conversation or tea... The man with this company was more sociable... So I thought having them do it would be better but this is very unprofessional...

B- the quote was to move us alone!!!

As a result our move date got pushed back until the 7th.... Well how does that song go...

You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you might find
You get what you need

and to be honest Fire and I need a little time, to get things ready...
The 7th gives us breathing room though it hurts our timetable for the the things that should be done in Zürich

For 1: we have 14 days to report anything not right about the apartment after we move in... The contract date says we are officially moved in Jan 1st
2: we have to register with Switzerland as living there and our nice helper is on vacation the 10th for 2 weeks
3. Fire returns to work on the 14th So anything that has to be done before he goes back has to be done before that date...


What about the fish? The sub contractor never contacted us so we have to wait until they are opened after the whole News Year thing and see if they can move our fish...

Shelob my tarantula is ready to go... I have set her up for travel and cleaned her terrarium for packing.



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So enjoy the videos and if you speak french visit this blog: She is a friend of my families and like family :) Tell her Novy sent you over to shake your HI-Ni and say hello :=)

well see everyone Next year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
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MOVING DATE HAS BEEN DELAYED TO THE THE 7TH!!!
!