Cash in an Envelope

That's how they paid my stipend! I suppose I'll never have to visit an ATM now...

So I finally found some internet, though it's a little mysterious. I noticed a place that I walk by everyday had "connect" in the window and lots of people on laptops. I figured that I could come, order a beer, and use the internet along with everyone else. The mysterious thing is - no one tried to sell me anything! I'd been sitting here for awhile and no waiter or waitress - and then as I started writing this I noticed that people are walking back from someplace with drinks...So I finally figured it out and went to order "Ein bier, bitte" which I must have pronounced decently because I got a beer! And for much less than yesterday's dumb Starbucks purchase, much closer to my apartment, and unlimited internet. I have a feeling I might become a regular here...

I started at the Paul Sacher yesterday, which is an incredible place. It might as well be dripping with money (in envelopes). Views of the Rhine from every window, gorgeous interior - it's pretty incredible. And everyone has been really nice so far. Oh, and the research is good too, so far. I'm in archive heaven.

So now what everyone's waiting for...the pictures!

When I was out the other day (Monday?) I went out on one of the bridges a bit, so here you can see the big cathedral that's right next to where I'm working/studying/whatever. You can probably see the building itself, but it's hard to say which one it is.

Here's some pictures of the cathedral close-up:

So, um, what's up with the star of David? Anyone? Is that a standard feature of cathedrals that I never noticed before?

The building straight ahead is the Paul Sacher, though they share it with other people. Notice all the crazy construction in front of it! The whole square in front of the place, which seems like it would otherwise be nice, is in a ridiculous state of being torn up. On the upside, yesterday the construction workers were playing some weird game during their lunch break in the middle of it. It seemed vaguely like horseshoes.

Here's some pictures just from walking around the old town the other day:

And in that building (or one that looked just like it, I don't remember):

How old are these buildings, you ask? About this old:

I think the oldest I've seen so far is 1300, but I'll keep looking. I have a feeling the "Condomeria" is a bit more recent.

Happy Easter!

Here's the Rathaus, or town hall. It stands facing a large plaza that gets filled with vendors every morning, like a farmer's market:

These are for my dad:

Super Happy Lucky Cats!

And bikes!

There are bikes everywhere! Though it's so hilly that pretty often you see people walking their bikes up (and down) the enormous hills. Patrick claims that he could ride up these hills that all the weak Swiss people can't manage, so that will be good fodder for a future video blog post!