Buying a New Car - Part II

On Saturday March 6^th, Christelle, Bernard and I headed to Geneva for the car show. Luckily, Bernard had forced us to wake up very early to get to the exhibition before the doors opened, as there were already a large number of people waiting to get in. Once inside, we headed straight for the Ford display (making a point of ignoring the Peugeot stand), and proceeded to look at the Ford Focus.

Unfortunately, they did not have the estate version on display, so we had to content ourselves with the hatchback version. I thought the car was really nice, and was definitely a contender for the job.

From there, we next headed to the Mazda stand, with Chris practically running towards it like an excited child in a toyshop. There, on a spinning display stand, was the Mazda6, the object of Chris’ affections. I have to admit, it was a darn good looking car, with the design of the LED lights at the rear and the Bi-Xenon headlights at the front increasing the car’s appeal.

Buying a New Car - Part I

For most people, the process of buying a new car is a pleasant experience, at least until the bill arrives through the letter box. It is an opportunity to take the time to find cars that suit you, both aesthetically and economically (and ecologically, if being green is your thing), and involves garage visits and test drives before choosing the perfect match. For me, however, it was a bit more complicated than that.

The Big Move

Saturday 3rd October was a momentous day in my life - and not just because I woke up at 5am. This was the day I left England behind me and headed for my new life in Switzerland.

Having packed everything in my car on Friday night ("packed" is definitely the right word to use, it was full to bursting), I woke to the sound of my alarm and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, before getting ready for what would prove to be a very long day. I had precious little sleep the night before, caused by a mixture of anxiety, apprehension, and the giant Mixed Grill I devoured at the Corey's Mill Beefeater just a couple of hours prior to climbing into bed.

After I had showered and dressed I grabbed myself a cup of coffee (which was greatly appreciated), I decided to double check my room to make sure there was nothing I had left behind. It was a good job I did, as I ended up loading a lot more into the car, including a ton of clothes and my PlayStation (how would I survive without that?).

Car cleaning, a farewell and a haircut

It's been a busy week since my last post - as you can imagine I've found lots of things to sort out before I can leave the country safe in the knowledge that various financial institutions and government heavies won't be chasing my trail across Europe.

My last weekend in England was relaxing (but nonetheless enjoyable) as my mum and I finished off the jigsaw I mentioned in my last post - which was nowhere near as hard as I thought it would be - went for a bit of shopping in Stevenage, a town I won't be particularly sad to leave behind, watched "GAMER" at the cinema with my dad (I'd give it 3/5), and enjoyed a hearty meal at the fantastic Indian restaurant in Knebworth high street, the Raja Tandoori.

I tried to convince the staff there to open a restaurant in Lausanne as they would make a lot of money out of hungry Swiss people, although my alterior motive was the fact that I will miss English-style Indian food when I move to Switzerland.



Preparing for Moving Day

Chris and I on our
wedding day

Well, here it is - the inaugral article for my brand new blog. The start of what I hope will be a long and enjoyable foray into the world of Internet journalism (albeit at an exceedingly basic and unpaid level).

Where do I begin?



If you have read the description of my blog or the text in the title header above, then you'll know that I am about to embark on the biggest challenge of my life by moving to live with my new wife, Christelle, in Lausanne, Switzerland. As an Englishman who only speaks a little French (enough to hold up a conversation), it is quite a daunting prospect - and one that is both scary and exciting at the same time.