Design

It seems that not only are things better organised, maintained better, less bureaucratic, cleaner and friendlier here, but there also seems to be an organised and holistic approach to design and planning. Roads for example: the tarmac is well laid, the drains and manhole covers fit and don't get clogged, there are no potholes, signs are generally clear and well placed (no overkill) as are crossings. New houses and apartments fit seamlessly between old ones, and even modern style buildings do not seem out of place. Even the graffiti (see photo) seems of a higher class.

One thing I really like is the adherence to shutters. Every window in town seems to have a shutter in front of it. This is something I have seen in Paris, but only now I'm living in a flat with shutters can I see the benefits and question why there is no tradition of shutters in the UK (apart from to prevent shops getting JJB'ed). They prevent a considerable loss of heat through the windows, negate the need for curtains, add security and look a bit like eyelids on some houses. What's not to like? Is it the obsession with 'double glazing' and fancy curtains that has prevented a shutter industry in the UK?

Jobless Whatshisname

In trying to translate a document from Immigration the word for residence failed, leaving me with 'Jobless whatshisname' as the subject of this letter.

Other events of interest in the past week are the purchasing of bin bags, a more momentous occasion than you might expect because here in Switzerland you have to buy state bin bags in order to be able to put out your rubbish, and in order to keep taxes down these are charged at a premium (in our Canton about 2CHF each) and must be asked for at the counter - they cannot be left on the shelves as apparently they keep getting nicked! So things you don't have to ask for over the counter in Switzerland: guns, hardcore pornography and euthanasia. Things you do: bin bags.
Incidentally the denial of genocide and other crimes against humanity is an imprisonable offense while viewing child pornography on the Internet is not a criminal offense in Switzerland. Not sure what would happen if you tried shooting at a bin bag full of child porn while shouting that the Iraq war never happened and pumping your elderly relatives full of morphine.

Shopping part 2: More genius differences between UK and Swiss supermarkets.
Do you remember Kwik-Save? Not only did they spell Quick with a K but they used to have a bench a little way away from the checkout where you could sort and pack you shopping at leisure, they even provided cardboard boxes to put it in. I always loved that idea, much better than the harry and rush to thrust your tins on top of your tomatoes in bags that split as soon as you lift them. Well Migros have an even better idea. Not only do they not provide plastic bags even if you ask (they only sell heavy duty reusable ones ) but they still have the checkout divider bar - you know in Sainsbury's they used to have these before the conveyor belts so that 2 people could pack their shopping simultaneously- not only that but there is a large table about 20ft long behind the checkouts where you can not only sort and pack your shopping, but there is a plastics recycling bin so you can dispose of all your extraneous packaging so you don't need to take it all home only to have to take it to the recycling bin later. Genius. Where did we go so wrong in the UK?

Volksbad

Public swimming baths. Something of a local issue in my old hometown of Bridgwater in Somerset. I grew up with a huge outdoor lido with three pools and a high diving platform. Ok it was built in 1960 as a replacement for the Victorian baths but it was awesome. The council sold the land to Safeway in 1990 and bulldozed the site to build a shopping centre, replacing the lido with a single 'theme' type pool in an open glass house type building. It had slides and rapids but no soul, and was known for the paedophiles drilling holes in toilet doors. This has also recently been pulled down to make way for a Tesco's. No replacement has been built, and those who wish to swim must travel 10 miles to the nearest pool. Was there any need to build supermarkets on these sites? No. Plenty of out of town areas for that. It could be argued that the Council simply wanted some income from the land and jobs from the stores rather than a pool that drains resources. What they miss (and missed when the original baths were pulled down) is that these recreation facilities are what makes a community. It gives kids something to do that does not involve breaking into JJB sports. The buildings themselves are heritage sites that give communities a sense of identity. When they are replaced by Tesco's and Morisson's what do you have left? A choice of similar prices and products and nothing to do.
The Swiss seem to understand this basic principle, that it is better to hold onto your heritage and encourage community spirit and recreation (rather than consumption) and their Victorian Volksbad is in fine fettle. Proof that such places can be renovated and restored and kept operational. Such a great little place, with real atmosphere and echos of the past all around - see the Gothic statue in the centre of the picture. Here such places persist while in the UK they are consigned to history, bulldozed by the unstoppable progress of the supermarket. More on this later...

Guns

Guns are a big deal in Switzerland. More per head of population than the States. Wikipedia tells me: 'The total number of firearms in private homes is estimated minimally at 1.2 million to 3 million.' In a country with a population of around 8 million. Why is this? It seems that it is because the Swiss Army is a national militia, trained against threats to the nation's sovereignty. Most Swiss men undergo military training and remain reservists into their thirties. After their service they have the option of keeping their semi-automatic rifles. It seems that after turning eighteen, among other things you can also buy a gun. Neat. What is remarkable is that because of the extensive training, the quality of life and education in Switzerland gun crime is extremely low, 'Police statistics for the year 2006 records 34 killings or attempted killings involving firearms, compared to 69 cases involving bladed weapons and 16 cases of unarmed assault.' The poorly taken photo of a gun shop here sells an array of weapons, ammunition, hunting equipment and paint-balling supplies and is just a few hundred yards from my front door. Weird how I feel really safe here, but sense I will not in the States.

Lounge Street

Been doing a little exploring. It seems that St Gallen is set in a kind of bowl, with steep inclines on each side. The University is on the side of one of these and it is a half-hour walk to get up to it. Heading the other way, past the huge cathedral that dominates the centre of the city (the bells of which dominate the sounds of the city too) there is a street that has been dyed red, with benches shaped to resemble sofas. It also has large grey blobs suspended between buildings around thirty feet up. I don't know what these are supposed to represent, presumably the current location of the grey ordinariness of the street. The overall effect is pretty surreal and I like it.

Library

Food is priced differently, but only a few percent more than the UK; some things more some things less. The real difference is quality. No matter what we have bought so far, even the Migros budget brand stuff, it has been good to the point of being significantly better than the equivalent product in the UK. An example is kidney beans: check out how much water and air there is in UK tins. The can I opened here today was crammed full of beans with little water, and the beans themselves were bigger than any I have seen in the UK. Weird (though pretty dull I know).
Chocolate is great and cheap too.

Above is the St Gallen University Library. I visited it today and was surprised and impressed by the differences between it and Bristol University Arts and Social Sciences Library. Not only does it have the Louvre-like glass pyramid, but it has a system in operation where users must leave their bags in a cloakroom, with anything they wish to take into the library being placed in a clear plastic bag - much like liquids on planes. This I would think significantly reduces loss of stock - a particular problem with RFID systems. It looks like they have been running a high-spec RFID system for some time as their catalogue uses several of the tricks it is capable of, such as an online map showing you exactly where the book is, even locating it on the shelf! You can also self-check out many items in one go making life easier for everyone - no more long queues. Their Information desk/ Loan desks are in a separate glass annex making it easier to control both access and noise levels from this area. In fact the only sound audible in the stock areas was the rustling of my jacket. Against expectations there were several books that are useful to my thesis here, although it appears that all items have a two-week loan status.

Orientation

Average temperature so far has been 7 Centigrade, so getting used to that with a lack of layers due to my over zealous replacing of clothes with books means I may be struggling when it gets really cold. Now online thanks to Mr Bourgazi downstairs, a really nice guy. University campus the cleanest I have ever seen, the beautiful, unmarked, clean concrete lines had the skater in me slobbering: no room for skateboard in luggage...grr...

Beautiful architecture, clean streets, little noise, everything works. Only problem is the prices. Paid around 9CHF for a small pot of houmous (about£6.50!). We'll be OK if we keep it simple though. For those interested in high street differences instead of Tesco or Sainsbury's there is the infinitely superior Migros (still a cooperative) and its Kwik-Save like subsidiary Denner (good for cheap veg). At the high end is Manor - like a 'cool' and 'hip' version of Marks and Spencer, that stocks brands and other things you actually want, in most cases at (comparatively) affordable prices. This is where we bought A's neato Hello Kitty hat.

Friday 14th was sunny - see the view from our apartment. The park you can just see had a brand new unlocked bike left in it for two days. It also has a frog prince water fountain, a climbing wall, a rope bridge and two play huts. What can you do...

In der Schweiz

Arrival was inauspicious. Carting large suitcases (mostly full of my books) from plane to train to landlord's sister's car to third floor flat was not exactly fun we managed it. Switzerland exactly as I remember: clean, fresh and smooth running. Made the same mistake as last time of taking residence in the first class carriage with second class tickets, resulting in us having to negotiate carting A, our cases and all our stuff through three first class carriages and the buffet car. We also had a run in with a slightly insistent Chinese guy who did not want F anywhere near his case. Landlord's sister met us as St Gallen station (though we did not find her straightaway) and whisked us off to the apartment 2 or 3 minutes away. Apparently there is a festival of some kind going on, and the old town has many expensive shops. This fact I do not doubt.

It was getting dark by the time we got settled and managed to drink tea and eat our last houmous wraps. Very pleased with apartment: clean, warm and spacious. Time to crash.