In August I had to move, away from my beautiful apartment on the top floor of a church. Now I live in one of Zurich’s most… interesting areas, Kreis 4, also known among locals as “Chreis Chaib” (approx. “Circle Naughty”). Every day I walk along the (in)famous Langstrasse on my way to work, past sex shops, bars, drug dealers, drunks, but also past people just like me, living in their lives here – families, single professionals, people from every corner of the world.

So, because I’ve neglected this blog shamefully, let me try something: Every day that I’m around I’ll post an observation I make as I go about my life. It can be one sentence or a paragraph, but I’ll attempt to do it most days, at least on work days. And let’s dig right in:

One thing I love about this part of town is that it’s a proper “quarter”. People walk, people cycle, people sit in front of cafés or just on a bench somewhere, just living. Kids on their way home from school, passing the sex shops without a second glance; a guy in a business suit cycling past the tired-looking woman in high heels and a low-cut shirt at 8 in the morning; giggling girls shooting glances at a gang of boys as they wait for the bus; a guy trying to bum a cigarette because the kiosk is still closed; old men (also some young ones, women too) drinking beer from cans at every hour of the day; the woman cleaning the sidewalk in front of the café she works in every morning. And in between, there’s me. Living.

Postscript: I finally bought the lovely Ingrid Michaelson‘s new album, “Everybody” – and oh, it’s worth every penny. Her music is just PRETTY, in the best possible way. I do hope she’ll add a Swiss date to her upcoming tour!