Our Canadian TV Debut

Our House Hunters International episode titled Family-Sized Apartments in Geneva's Suburbs is scheduled to air Wednesday, October 3 at 1:30pm ET and Thursday, October 4 at 2:30am and 5:30am ET in Canada on HGTV. It aired in the USA in April and in June on HGTV. You can search it by the title if you are in the USA and missed it. There should be some repeats in the months to come. 

 

Here is the blurb about our episode from the website:

 

The chance to live and work in Switzerland has Bernie and Minoo giving up their beloved forever home in blustery Calgary. But they've never lived in an apartment before and trying to clone the spaciousness they took for granted in one of the world's most expensive cities to live in could leave this Canadian family feeling a little home sick. It's a lesson in downsizing, with relocation expert Sabine Baerlocher, when House Hunters heads to Geneva, Switzerland.

 

 

http://www.hgtv.ca/househuntersinternational/episode/?epId=291725

 

House Hunters- Part Two, Geneva area

In mid-January, we filmed the second part of House Hunters International. This time we had a much larger crew and dedicated three entire days to filming. Our crew came in from the UK and again we had a blast of frigid temperatures-- we can't seem to get away from the cold! We had a director, sound guy, and camera guy who were experienced and had obviously worked together before. They were also teamed up with a "runner" from Geneva who would act as chauffeur for the crew, deal with contracts and scheduling issues, and much to our appreciation watch over the kids when they weren't required for a scene. We were also joined at times by a Geneva-based relocation expert, Sabine, whose role was much like a Realtor you would see in other episodes of HHI showing us the houses and going over our needs/wants for a home in Switzerland.

 

Many people have asked us if the show is scripted in any way, and the answer is no. Unfortunately, all the goofy comments are entirely our own! Sometimes, the director would ask us leading questions about the property i.e. "What do you think about the colour of the bathroom?" or "Do you think the kids would like this house?" It actually would have been nice to have a script especially when we would shoot a scene several times to get a different camera shot. We had to try to repeat our comments verbatim, but most of the time we had forgotten our initial statement. It was a bit frustrating but we understood that different camera shots make for a better looking end product. For instance, if Bernie, Sabine, and I would be discussing the kitchen size, he would first film all three of us talking together in a wide shot. Then we would repeat the conversation again, but this time the zoom would be on Sabine telling us about the fridge sizes in Europe. Then we would repeat it again, with the camera zoomed in on my reaction to the fridge sizes in Europe. So now you know why it took three days this time!

 

Without going into too much detail about the process of the show-- we've got to leave some room for the magic of tv-- I'll tell you our basic schedule. We visited three homes in the Geneva area. They would first shoot us walking up to place and getting our first impression. Sabine would tell us the price etc. then we'd shoot the indoor scenes room by room. The kids were quite disappointed that they couldn't be in these scenes. Ethan especially was hoping to give his comments on each place! The kids would hide out in a bedroom with a crew member and then move from room to room as we would get closer. They didn't mind too much as they got to play a lot of Angry Birds on people's phones. We'd then each take a turn doing a Q &A with the director about the home we just saw. Most of these interviews were outside.

                             Bernie snapped a photo of me during my one-on-one interview.

 

We also spent some time at Sabine's office (Active Relocation) in Geneva going over the basics about what we were looking for in a home. This time the kids got to hang out in the coffee room with Sabine's dog. Before you feel too sorry for them, they also got to have a ton of fun shooting the "lifestyle" stuff with us. The highlight was going to the Stettler chocolate shop to sample some regional chocolate called pavé. It's a delicious melt-in-your-mouth square that is supposed to replicate the shape of the cobblestone roads in old Geneva. Now, if you rememeber me saying so earlier, we often had to shoot a scene several times from several different angles... so you can imagine that we ate a lot of chocolate that day! We were also filmed ordering and eating lunch at a local restaurant, playing at a park, and going on a horse and buggy ride. So yes, there were many fun moments for us to enjoy as a family.

 

                                                         Chocolate ice cream after lunch

                              Trevor chose red berry sorbet... he ate enough chocolate at the shop!

 

                                                        Getting ready to film the ride

 

                 Ethan and Trevor going for a another ride after we were done with the scene.

 

We also headed to the Geneva lakefront boardwalk to shoot "the decision" scene. As we were trying for best natural lighting, it was shot very early Sunday morning and it was FREEZING COLD! Luckily, Ethan and Trevor got to skip this one and spent that time at a friend's house. If you are familiar with the show, you know that the couple breaks down the three properties, eliminates one, and then finally reveals their choice. Bernie and I are so glad we discussed the pros and cons of each place thoroughly the night before so at least the shoot wasn't terribly long. We hope they end up using the first take because we are sure our noses and cheeks were bright red from the icy wind by the last take. So now that all the shooting is finished, we are at the mercy of the editors to hopefully put together a great show that you will all enjoy!





Home Sweet Home

After a week's delay with our air shipment, we finally left the hotel in Divonne to stay permanently at our home in Bogis-Bossey. It was a rude awakening to say the least. We had no furniture at all; no beds, no sofa, no table and chairs, and of course no TV. Some of these items would be coming in a few months, but most of December and January found us shopping away for furniture and electronics. Thank goodness for IKEA! and as I mentioned for those lovely folks who lent us some furniture in the interim.

Hooray! for the borrowed table and chairs

TV was at the top of the shopping list for the boys.

We didn't have cable but at least they could watch a few movies on the big screen.

Finally, in the new year, our cargo shipment arrived. We were so shocked that they had emptied the sea container into two separate trucks.  And even more so when we realized our car had not arrived.

It would be stuck in customs for about another month, but that's another story.

 At least we had our couch and dining set back! Now for the arduous task of unpacking.

 "Bon courage!" as they say here.

We celebrated with some very Canadian treats-- chocolate chip cookies.

So yummy!



Ethan has really taken on Swiss culture and now prefers chocolate macarons!

These are from the bakery, I haven't attempted to make French pastries yet. Still on the hunt for a replacement for my beloved KitchenAid mixer...



Jet Lagged in Divonne-les-bains, France

So we officially arrived in Switzerland at the end of November 2011, but actually we stayed in France for a couple of weeks while waiting for the key to our Swiss home and for our air shipment of supplies to arrive. Just to be clear, France is about 5 mins away from our current home in Bogis-Bossey, Switzerland so it made perfect sense to stay at an apartment hotel in France rather that in Geneva. Map of French/Swiss border

The kids got a kick out of saying "Now we are in France! Now we are in Switzerland!" each time we crossed the border.You wouldn't really know you'd left the country except for the border control kiosk (which you simply drive thru) and the fact that the currency changed.  Oh, and that in France,  some stores are open on Sunday. Notice the line up at the local Divonne bakery; it goes out the door.

While the kids and I recovered slowly from the terrible jet-lag, Bernie didn't have that luxury. He started work at the WTO almost immediately, but was happy to go to the office to meet people and learn about his new role. During the day, the kids and I would sleep until at least 11am and then set off exploring the area. One day, we walked the perimeter of Lac Divonne (about 3 km). I couldn't believe they had the energy for it!

Beautiful Lac Divonne with the Jura mountains in the background

Tribute to Canada

Our hotel (La Villa du Lac) was very close to the lake

Actually, the jet lag worked to our advantage as the pool wasn't open to children until after 7pm. Ethan and Trevor were not impressed by this policy to say the least. Divonne-les-bains is famous as a spa town with natural mineral springs in the area. We have come to understand that any French town with "les-bains" attached means that they also have mineral springs or hot springs in the area i.e. Evian-les-bains, Yverdon-les-bains.

Pool time, finally!

Divonne is also famous for its open-air Sunday market. Note: grocery and retail stores are closed on Sundays in Switzerland so you can see how a farmer's market with fresh produce, cheeses, and meat would be ultra popular. 

Bernie was determined to explore the market even in the rain

The candy stall where you pay by weight, so 7 euros later,

the boys (Bernie included) got one candy each

My cone of roasted chestnuts- my favourite winter treat

And you can see the rotisserie chicken truck in the background, it also had a line up!

As it turned out, our air shipment was delayed so we stayed at the hotel longer than planned. It was a small space, but comfortable. Bernie and I got the bedroom while the boys shared the sofa bed in the living room. It had a small kitchen/dining area as well. Overall, a great stay in Divonne!

Our apartment was on the 2nd floor, or

 le premier étage in French (meaning first floor) - a bit confusing

 

Passing the time playing Hokm (Persian card game)

Supper time at the hotel- taco night

Once we got the keys to our unfurnished home, we surely missed this dining table! Actually, we missed many of the comforts of the hotel- especially beds! A big thank you to Bernie's co-worker for lending us an extra camping mattress and to some Bahá'í friends nearby for a table and chairs. The "picnic" meals on the floor quickly lost their appeal.

I see Switzerland, I see France

Here are some pictures from the plane as we started our descent into Geneva Airport (GVA). It was such a treat to get such great views of the Alps and of Lake Geneva.

Remember, we were coming in from Germany (Deutschland) and as Switzerland so closely borders France we are not sure whether some of the mountains and villages we could see were actually French or Swiss. It was all très exciting regardless!

Map of Switzerland-- shaded area is the Lake Geneva Region

Our first glimpse of Lake Geneva and the Alps

The mighty Mont Blanc (?) It is huge and white so it must be, right?

So excited not to see any snow on the ground in November!

Note: in Switzerland, Lake Geneva is actually called Lac Léman -go figure!

Ethan had the best views

And here we are coming in for a landing-- cute villages, right?

Now I am wondering if we should take a home on a lovely acreage or go for lakefront property. I suppose I should ask Bernie about the budget.....

Up, Up, and Away

After a brief weekend of farewells (and a bit more packing) in Edmonton, the time had come to say goodbye to Canada. The prospect of flying First Class (Business Class) seemed to soften the blow somehow. It gave us all something to look forward to and distracted us from the fact that we were leaving all that was familiar behind. Again, the WTO really came through with a great itinerary and of course first/business class seats for the entire family. We set off on November 28, 2011 and flew Edmonton-Calgary-Frankfurt-Geneva. It took about 12 hours including the connections but it seemed to fly by (ha ha).

The kids were  really excited about the individual sleeper pods that we would each get on the plane, but Minoo was most excited about checking out all the Airport Lounges. Here is Ethan at the Maple Leaf Lounge in Edmonton.

Cookies and club soda.

Funny story: as we were helping ourselves to the soup and salad bar in the Calgary Airport Lounge, we ran into our Calgary next-door-neighbour who was travelling for business. We had a good laugh! Of course there were many more cookies for the kids and a nice coffee selection for us.

At last, it was time to board the plane and check out our cool seats:

According to Air Canada regulations, each child must have a parent sitting directly behind him. So one side was Trevor and Minoo and the other was Ethan and Bernie.

Bernie enjoying all that leg room. The seat fully reclined into a bed and was quite comfortable even for Bernie's 6 ft tall frame.

We had individual TVs with noise-reducing headphones, comfy blankets and large pillows. They even gave us a menu describing the gourmet meals to come. All drinks were in glassware and we were given proper china, linens, and flatware. Our only regret is that we hadn't requested children's meals for the boys. They weren't so keen on the fancy selections. Good thing they ate so much in the lounges!

Coffee and chocolate pecan pie?  Yes, please!

Trevor watching TV with chair fully reclined.

Ethan doing the same.

It was a pretty peaceful and easy flight; definitely the way to go overseas! It was hard to wake the boys once we arrived in Frankfurt-- they were having such a good sleep. But the promise of tasty treats at the Airport Lounge seemed to do the trick.

What do they serve in Frankfurt Lufthansa Lounge? Delicious soft pretzels and wieners of course. And since it was close to Christmas, there were lots of marzipan and chocolate treats too. Only one flight left and we would begin our new life in Switzerland.





The Big Move

We finally have the Internet up and running in the house and some photos uploaded on the computer (thanks, Bernie) so I will try to get caught up on posting.

It feels like ages ago (end of November), but here are some photos showing the process of moving from Canada to Switzerland. The WTO was extremely generous with their relocation allowance; we are so grateful to them for all their help and advice with the move. Basically, we had a large shipping container to fill with furniture, clothes, toys, kitchenware, and other essentials which would be sent by sea. Bernie's VW Jetta would be shipped in the same container. They estimated it would take up to 2 months to arrive so we were also allowed a small air shipment that would arrive within a couple of weeks. We had movers/packers coming so our main job was to sort which items would go CARGO, AIR, or SUITCASES. Then of course there were the trash, recycle, sell, store, and give away piles.

It was a big relief to have the movers arrive and see some progress with all those piles!

 Cargo items.

Everything in the kitchen but the kitchen sink (ha ha) and no small appliances of course

 as the voltage wasn't compatible. 120 V in Canada vs. 240 V in Europe

Air shipment items.

This was the toughest for me to get organized for the movers. We were planning to stay in an apartment/hotel until the air shipment arrived and we got the keys to our new home. We needed enough clothes and towels and kitchenware and pots and pans to get through a month or so in an empty home. Plus all of Bernie's work clothes and lots of winter gear in case we wanted to go to the mountains for some tobogganing or skiing over the winter break. Then there was the box of craft supplies and the box of books and boxes of toys to keep the kids busy....

Trevor with the guys from the moving company. They nicknamed him "Bubble Boy" as he loved to pop the bubble wrap.

Day 2 of packing started with the very early morning arrival of the shipping container.

There goes the Jetta.

And that's it for the container.

After they left with the air shipment items on a separate truck, Bernie and I were now in overdrive to get our suitcases packed and deal with all the leftover/unwanted items. Ethan and Trevor got to spend their last day in Calgary with their buddies playing and watching TV while we got the house emptied and ready for the cleaning crew. We are so lucky to have amazing friends in Calgary who came to help with the our final day which consisted of packing up a small u-haul of things to take to storage and a dump run. Thank you again!

As for our house, we decided to rent it out with a Management  Company for the 2 years that we will be away. They secured a family to move in by December 1, which was a big relief. We hope they love that house and neighbourhood as much as we have.