Twissted Swisster

Blogger FTP Publishing Going Away

2010-03-06T09:03:00.002+01:00

I logged into Blogger today and was notified by an alert that Blogger was getting rid of there FTP publishing support.

I was a little irked by that.

As a former web developer I really liked the FTP support. With FTP that means I can host my blog on my own server, and add some customizations to it that just aren't available through the standard Blogger hosting. Good examples are the recent Baden virtual tours. Those are just not possible with Blogger.

I was reading the posts about the end of life for FTP support and blogger says that only 5% of their users are using FTP to publish to hosting providers outside of google. However, the engineering resources to maintain the FTP support were much more than 5% of their engineering staff. That may be, but I still want my FTP.

I would bet that most of those geeky nerds in the 5% like me will not settle for migrating onto the google hosted platforms. I know I will be looking for other tools that I can use that are more flexible than the existing blogger tools.

For now, I am really looking at wordpress. I have used it before with some pretty good results. I just loathe the process of rebuilding all my templates and getting all my publishing process setup again. I had so many things working well and now I am going to have to do some house cleaning I supposed. I am already creating a mental check list of things I am considering if I go to Wordpress from Blogger.

Rebuild wordpress templates
Rebuild Dreamweaver page templates for 'add on' custom pages
Rebuild VRpano export templates for virtual tours
Migrate Blogger posts to new platform
Possible clean up of some existing posts formating

Good news is I did do some blog post migration testing this morning from Blogger to wordpress. It seems to work pretty well. The one glitch is I did have to go from Blogger, to a wordpress.com hosted blog, to a wordpress independent blog. That cost me about an extra 20 minutes in the migration process but things look okay so far.

May 1st. That is when blogger is going to turn off my beloved FTP, so I better start working on it. I've got 2 months. Be ready for a new look and feel. I think it might be time.

A Good Grilled Cheese Sandwich In Switzerland

2010-03-04T07:44:00.003+01:00

For several years now I have been yearning to find a good cheese in the land of cheese to make an American favorite. A grilled cheese sandwich.

2 pieces of 'American bread', a slice or two of cheese in the middle, all fried with a little butter in a pan. The problem was that most cheeses in the land of cheese just weren't right. They were too hard, too smelly, the wrong flavor, whatever. In short just not right.

After more than 3 years of experimenting I have found something that I like. Tilsiter cheese fits the bill. As with all replicas of American cooking abroad it isn't perfect, but it's close enough. Tilsiter has the right flavor, much milder than most. It also seems to have the right salt content. Similar to the classic Kraft American Singles processed cheese.

The nice thing about tilsiter is it melts nicely as well. Perfect for a grilled cheese sandwich. I've also used it on hamburgers and happy with the results as well.

Do you have a favorite cheese for grill cheese or a cheese burger? Leave a comment.

Thoughts On Swiss Butter Packaging

2010-02-28T19:22:00.004+01:00

I have noticed that our butter in the fridge is always tattered in comparison to what I remember in the U.S. It is as if someone had torn apart the wrapper with, dare I say it, a butter knife.

This would normally not be something I would think of but my wife mentioned that maybe the Swiss packaging is less durable for ecological reasons. The Swiss are after all more concerned about recycling. My beloved foil based butter and margarine wrappers in the U.S. would after all be shunned by the Swiss, even if they are more durable.

For now I will just have to live, knowing full well that every time I butter some toast I will further reduce my butter packaging into something that looks like it was pulled from the garbage by some wandering night animal.

Flaming Street Parade: Liestal

2010-02-23T21:22:00.003+01:00

Crowd Cringes in Pain From The Searing Heat

I need to do a follow up on the early post about the crazy fire parade I went too, because it was just so strange. I haven't had time to go through all of the 5 gigs of photos yet, but as I am going through them I am finding more and more. I like the one above that focuses on one of the mobile 6 foot high (2 M) mobile bon fires on a cart. In the background you can see one of the Firefighters, in protective gear turning his back on the fire because it is so hot.

Just imagine for a second how hot this must be if the firefighter is turning his back in all that protective gear and that sad guy next to him is just standing there in a nylon ski jacket. If you look into the crowd all you see is backs of head, because if you face these carts of fire your face starts to burn. It is just absolutely crazy.

Although it isn't clear in the picture the crowd is probably less than 6 feet from the flames.

Man Resting With Burning Broom

One of the other traditions is something that looks like a huge burning broom. It is essentially a pile of logs strapped to a stick. The guys will lift these flaming torches and carry them over their shoulder like a hobo sack. All the while, burning embers and pieces of wood falling on their heads. Many of the men will cover there heads in wet towels or wet hats. Another popular accessory was a metal colander worn upside down on the head as a helmet.

Man Marching through the Liestal Parade with burning broom.

Did I forget to mention that the entire street is also covered in about an eighth of an inch (.5 cm) of paper confetti? It was just amazing to me that the entire town didn't just burst into flames.

Flaming Street Parade

2010-02-21T22:57:00.003+01:00

This evening we went out to a small town towards Basel to check out something that I would have to consider as one of the most unsafe public spectacles I have ever witnessed.

This Fasnacht (Carnival) parade was a one hour show of men and women dragging various flaming objects through the street.

On the website there are warnings to wear old clothes in case you get burned and no children under 6 or dogs are allowed.

Some of the portable bon fires are so intense that the crowd has to turn their back or risk being burned. I have some amazing photographs and this is just one so there will surely be more to come.

Baden Fasnacht Light Show 2010

2010-02-15T20:28:00.003+01:00

City Clock Tower Light Show

Our city clock tower a stones through away from my balcony has been blazing away like a cheap Las Vegas strip neon sign for the the last couple of nights. This is all to celebrate Fasnacht of course.

I posted a still image of the tower a couple of days ago but it somehow didn't capture the cheap seedy hotel feel that I get when I wake up at 3:00 in the morning to go to the bathroom and am blinded by the flashing lights across the street.

Usually, like clockwork, the spot lights on the clock tower shut off at midnight. This is of course not the case during fasnacht season. I was actually pleasantly surprised both yesterday evening and tonight as aside from the light show there was a strange calm on the streets. Like everyone is resting, waiting in the wings for the big celebration that is coming tomorrow evening.

This video is a time lapse movie shot over 1 hour. In real time the lights change about every 20 seconds.

Fasnacht 2010: Update

2010-02-14T10:01:00.002+01:00

Guggenmusik Group Wandering the Streets

Last night, the Saturday in the middle of fasnacht is usually one of the loudest of the entire 6 day event. I think that is in part because of the 'working' people can stay out until the wee hours of the morning and still have time to recover on Sunday.

This photograph was taken close to our apartment in the center of town. Bands such has this one walk through the streets banging their drums and blowing their horns as loud as then can. Last night I heard 2 new songs I haven't heard covered before. The theme song from the old T.V. program bonanza, and 'Black or White' by Michael Jackson.

The peak of the noise seemed to be around 10:00 pm when the groups were really going and probably still sober enough to make lots of noise. I went to sleep around midnight. I did not get my usually 2:00am wake up call, but I was woken by a group that walked under our balcony around 4:00am and then again an 5:00am. By 5:00am this morning I think everyone had worn themselves out because that was the last of it.

Only two more days and then I will be free from this. Although Tuesday night is usually the loudest evening, I actually will be out of town on business. That is just one small saving grace in all of this.

Baden Fasnacht 2010

2010-02-11T21:21:00.002+01:00

Baden Fasnacht 2010

At 6:00 pm today the cannon sounded and the festivities began. Baden's 2010 fasnacht celebration is underway. Of course I had to take to the streets and visit the stages to witness the monstrosity first hand.

It is the typical setup of several stages around town, lighted, and with gluhwien stands. Each group stops on the stage and plays the required classics. Blasting as loud as they can on their brass instruments and drums. All the while the next band is in the wings dancing and making ready for their next set.

It is 6 nights of obnoxious mayhem. But I'm ready. This will not beat me! I.....will.....survive!

Preparing For Fasnacht

2010-02-10T21:03:00.002+01:00

Lights On the Baden Stadtturm

It is that time of year again, the streamers are hung and the colored lights are in place. Tomorrow starts the fasnacht celebration here in Baden. In past years we have made the effort to leave town. The guggenmusik below our balcony was just too much. This year we are hoping it won't be that bad as most of the activities that used to be below are apartment have since moved around the corner to the Theaterplatz.

Don't get me wrong, it will still be loud, with lots of dressed up people walking through the streets. Soming drinking, some playing loud brass instruments, and some just there to watch.

This year we have a friend coming in for the weekend to visit us from Germany. I'm sure we'll have to go down to the celebration so she can see the craziness. I don't know if she picked a good or a bad weekend to visit. In the end it will be fun no matter what happens.

I know the nights can run long, sometimes until dawn. It should be an very interesting weekend.

Panoramic View From Rigi

2010-02-09T18:24:00.003+01:00

Panoramic View from Rigi

I haven't posted much about photography lately. For the good part of the last month I haven't really felt inspired. That tends to happen once in while. I go though creative spurts, and then periods where work, or travel, or something else just get in the way and I don't feel like doing much with the camera.

If are a follower of the blog it is clear when I am not inspired. But you may have noticed that I am posting more lately. The return to Switzerland after the Christmas holiday and this years ski season have ignited a bit of a creative streak.

I have been experimenting a log with panoramic images lately. While we were at Rigi I managed to capture a really fantastic image of the view from Rigi. The photograph was made from 10 images stitched together to make a final panorama that shows about a 180 degree field of view. Imagine looking over your right shoulder, then turning your head to your left shoulder. That would represent a 180 field of view.

So enjoy the photograph of the view from Rigi and be sure to zoom in, explore, and find the skiers.

Winter Sports: Skigibi

2010-02-07T13:06:00.003+01:00

Example of a homemade Skigibi

On the most exciting aspects of moving to Switzerland for a kid that grew up in the flat lands of the midwestern United States is the prospect of winter sports. In the words of some British friends, 'Proper' skiing as compared to the stuff in Wisconsin and Michigan.

I am by no means very talented in winter sports. I have played a little hockey, and managed to learn to downhill ski. I have even taken up snowshoeing this season. And the sledding here is fantastic! One type of sledding I haven't had a chance to try yet, and I'm not sure I want to is called Skigibi in Swiss German. It is pronounced something like 'SHE-gi-be.'

The concept is to take a single ski, screw a seat to in and ride it down the mountain. Sounds crazy. Over the weekend when we were at Rigi I actually saw two people with Skigibis and I just had to take a picture.

A Swiss friend of mine told me that these things were likely invented in the Berner Oberland. She mentioned that she thought they might have even originated from Adelboden. Every year in Adelboden there is a annual skigibi race and it is puported that last year some guy hit 137 kph (85 mph) on his skigibi.

Would you be brave enought to try your luck? What winter sports are you planning to attempt for the first time?

Snowshoeing at Rigi

2010-02-06T21:01:00.002+01:00

View from Rigi Snowshoe trail

This morning we decided to get up and head to the mountains on the train for an afternoon of snowshoeing. The trip started well with a surprise. The train ride to the top was much less than expected because as of December 13th 2009 you can now use a GA for the Rigi Bahn.

Rigi is one of my favorite views in the summer but we had never been there for the winter season. I was not disappointed by the winter view. The snowshoe trails were marked but a lot of the portions of the trail looked like no one had trekked on them yet. In some places we were cutting the trails ourselves walk from marker pole to makerpole.

After a good 2 and a half hours of hiking we finally fished the number 3 loop and returned to the upper train station at Rigi Kulm. We visited the resturant for a nice big dish of Alpener Maccaroni one of my favorite winter time dishes. After that it was lights out. I feel totally drained this evening. But drained in a good way. I know I will sleep well tonight. For now, I am just fighting to stay up so I don't go to bed to early.

Guten Morgen Sonnenschein

2010-02-03T19:35:00.002+01:00

Any fan fan of German reality TV will undoubtedly be familiar with the song Guten Morgen Sonnenschein. It has become the anthem of early morning cranky wake-ups.

The song is extremely catchy and after some looking on youtube I found the version I was looking for by Nana Mouskouri

Do you have any songs in German or another foreign language that stick with you despite the language barrier? leave a comment.

My New Lieblings TV Show: Bauer Sucht Frau

2010-02-01T19:52:00.003+01:00

I am addicted to Bauer Sucht Frau. Yes for those of you that know German it is 'Farmer Seeks Woman (wife).' The show is two weeks into the 2010 season and it is one of the best reality shows I have seen in a long time.

The premise of the show is quite simple. They find a bunch of mostly middle aged single farmers. Give them a couple of women to pick from, and then let the women stay with the farmers for one week on their farm. All the time they get to feed the pigs, shovel muck, and bond with the farmers.

The video clip above is from a previous season but it gives you a good idea of what the show is about. It is great because all of the dialog is basic conversational high German. It is a great way for me to practice the language.

This season I am really rooting for Farmer Bruno and his Frau Anja. They seem like a fantastic pair. Last weeks episode they pulled Bruno aside for one of those classic one-to-one interviews where the reality star speaks directly to the camera. He goes on to say something like 'She fills the emptiness I have had on this Farm, she cleans the entire house.' I love that line.

I give Bauer Bruno a lot of credit, he knew his farmhouse was a mess, so he rented an RV for Anja during her stay so she wouldn't have to be subject for his old musty ole farmhouse. For those of you watching the series who don't want a spoiler make sure not to do a search for Bruno & Anja, it looks like the final outcome of their relationship is already out there in public.

Show times on station RTL, 16:45 on Sunday evenings.

Virtual Tour: Limmat River Promenade

2010-01-31T19:43:00.002+01:00

We had such a great snow fall over the last weekend that I decided to hike around town to capture a few more winter scenes for the Baden virtual tour page. My with these tours is to give anyone out there considering moving to Switzerland they will have a few pictures of small town live in Baden.

The promenade along the Limmat river here in Baden is one of my favorite place to relax. A stroll along the river after a snow, or in a summer evening after dinner is the perfect way to relax. The promenade is also the perfect path to take between my apartment and the thermal baths which are located next to the promenade on the north end of town.

Check out the new Limmat promenade virtual tour to take a look around.

Snowshoeing: The Day After

2010-01-31T17:59:00.002+01:00

Snowshoe Trail Near Amden/Arvenbuel Switzerland

Yesterday we did a 2 hour snow shoe trek through the alps near Amden Switzerland. The weather looked a little foreboding as we were taking the post bus up to the top of the mountain. The area had just gotten about 8 inches of new snow the previous night, but no worries, the bus had chains on the tires and I am sure the driver was well experienced.

This was the first time I was ever snowshoeing. It is a really great time if you are hiker and want to get out in the snow. The blue trail leaves from Arvenbuel and is a 2 hour loop. As you can imagine the 2 hour loop with me and my camera meant we took a bit longer.

At the end of the trip the group of about 10 of us found a Switzerfamilia feuerstelle to make some fondue. The first 8 to get to the fire pit dug out the fire pit from under about 3 feet of snow and then lite a fire and began about 30 minutes later just in time to enjoy the fondue.

Everyone had carried about bit of the meal on the hike including some wood. I was carrying the 3 package of fondue cheese. So although I was a bit late we could only make 1 batch of cheese at a time in the pot so it worked out well that I was a little delayed.

This morning my legs were killing me. I couldn't believe how exhausted I felt after truding through the snow. Some parts where I stepped off the trail I found myself waist deep in snow. With all the sore muscles today we made a trip to the Thermal Bath in Baden for the afternoon. It was a beautiful day for the baths. Snow was coming down like crazy while we were outside in the 35 deg celcius (95 F) swimming pool. What a way to end a weekend.

I will be looking for more snowshoe trails for sure. Do you know of any in Switzerland? Leave a comment.

Buying Snow Shoes

2010-01-28T20:14:00.002+01:00

Everybody should buy snowshoes. Makes sense right. Okay, so maybe not, but today I got a pair of snowshoes. It felt a wee bit like a total impulse buy but what the heck.

I do actually have a need for snowshoes. Well, maybe not a need but rather a desire. We are planning to go snowshoeing with some friends on the weekend. The idea is to head to the mountains, hike around until we find a nice spot and then make some fondue somewhere. I am not really sure how this is going to work other than I have been told that one person is buying all the stuff and then we are going to split up all the stuff and each carry a bit of the lunch for the hike.

I sure hope I'm not the one that gets stuck carrying the fondue pot. Apparently this is a logistically proven feat. This group of friends did the same weekend trip last year so it should be interesting if nothing else. We'll be hiking through the Amden resort area.

If you are looking into shoe shoes I can tell you in Baden they cost about 35 CHF for a weekend rental. If you want to buy them from the local sports outlet store in Tagipark the prices range from about 100 CHF to 300 CHF. Seems like you can get a good buy at the lower end of the scale.

Hiking in the Woods

2010-01-24T17:34:00.003+01:00

Today we went for a hike through the woods not far from our apartment. We live the area north of the Alps so believe it or not we don't get too much snow here. Most of the snow will fall in the mountains and nothing other than a grey fog makes it as far north as our town. That means a walk through our little piece of Switzerland at this time of the year is usually covered only lightly with traces of snow.

It was much warmer out today that I had anticipated. Once we got moving, I took of my hat and gloves and unzipped my jacket to enjoy the fresh air. Or course part of that could have been the uphill hiking as well.

I did notice that it is staying light a little later now. Even at just before 6:00 in the evening there is still a faint bit of light in the sky. Just enough to see the outlines of the distance hills.

To night we are going to watch a recorded episode of Bauer Sucht Frau, but I'll leave those details for another post

Sledding at Flumserberg

2010-01-22T21:31:00.002+01:00

This week I made a trip to Flumserberg for a little sledding. Maybe 'little' isn't quite the right way to put it. For a guy that grew up in the flat lands of the Midwest of the United States a sled hill that requires a ski lift is definatly not little.

If you have a chance to try sledding at a ski area in Switzerland you'd be foolish not to try it out. It is like nothing else. Taking the lift up to the top, and then the bone rattling ride done some long forgotten mountain road that slowly disappeared as this seasons snow erased it from the face of the mountain is a real thrill.

I just love the exhilerating feeling of riding a davos sled down the steep trail, all the while trying to avoid the big ruts that can send you flying 3 feet into the air. The little dips that can launch a person airborne are great fun for the kids, but for a grown man, they can be a bit painful if you aren't careful.

I managed to squeeze in 3 runs down the mountain to the tannenheim ski lift. The first run was about 30 minutes while I learned the trail. The second two I made in 15 minutes each. I managed to crash only once after I launched myself in the air and landed flat on my backside just before sliding about 20 feet and coming to a stop. Yes it hurt, but oh it was so fun.

I was walking a little funny the next day, and did make a trip to the spa for my sore muscles, but I am feel pretty good today. Maybe I'll even be foolish enough to do it again!

Moving Your Books

2010-01-18T22:21:00.002+01:00

I have been reading a crazy number of books in the last couple of weeks. Something must be wrong with me. It is like moving to Switzerland has encouraged me to want to swallow hundreds of pages of text at a time.

While I do like to read, the last couple of weeks has been nothing like my normal reading pace. That got me to thinking what did I do before about English books, where did I get them and how did I survive?

A lot of people take the obvious route of buying then from big box online stores like Amazon.com or the book depository site out of the U.K. but what if you are local and you like the challenge of the hunt. Here are some options.

1.) Check a library

Some local libraries stock English language books. I was actually surprised at the number of English language books in the Baden public library. It isn't a huge number, but if I was really in need of something to read I am quite certain I could find something.

2.) Find a Brokenstubi

A lot of the second hand stores will have a lonely single box of books written in 'Fremdsprache.' Dig around enough and next to somebodies Abbreviated History of Europe college text that they thought would be useful on their work abroad adventure you might find a novel or two you might want to read. It is a fun hunt if you like that kind of thing.

3.) Find some Friends

I have found a really good way to find books is to find friends that read and swap books with them. In particular I have some colleagues at work that are avid readers. We have started a 'library' at work. Essential if you finish a book and want to share we have a dedicated shelf at work where you can leave it for the next person. We don't track check-ins and check-outs but with a critical mass of contributors we have a pretty sizable collection to select from.

4.) Look for Books While You Travel

When traveling Europe it is not uncommon to wander across an 'English' bookstore in major European cities. While they are rarely on my list of must see sites in Warsaw for example, I would not pass up an opportunity to browse the titles if I spotted a store.

5.) Import them

The most obvious place to get English books is to bring them from an English speaking country. I have started a new trend of buying second hand books in the U.S. Enormous quantities of them. And then testing the baggage limits of international flights. All the airlines say 50 pounds for international flights so if I haven't reached the limit when I am traveling back to Switzerland I got to my pile of books and pile on the weight until I hit the limit.

Happy reading to all of you.

Moving to Switzerland and Finding A Place

2010-01-16T10:51:00.005+01:00

I was talking to a friend this past week who is looking for a new place to stay. The discussion we had took the usual route for those that are looking to move. The back and forth about where he was looking, how big of a place he was looking for, and on and on.

Then came the common final sentence uttered with a depressed tone, "yeah, but there is nothing available."

This is a common theme when looking for housing in some of the bigger markets in Switzerland. The fact that new building is greatly restricted means there are a lot less places to live. People that find a place to live typically stay put as well unless there is a really good reason to move. Case in point, my neighbor has been in the same apartment for over 30 years.

So if you are moving to Switzerland or just looking for a new place let me share some ideas to get you started.

1.) Homegate

Check out the homegate.ch website to look for a place to live. Your best place to start is always the web and this will at least give you an idea of the prices you might expect for your target area.

2.) Talk to Your HR Department

If you are working at a larger international company and people are coming and going all the time talk to your HR department to see if anyone is moving in the near future. If you can find someone that is leaving in a hurry you might find a nice place before it goes on the market.

3.) Find a Relocation Service

Again, your HR department might be able to help. You can also just stop my a local real estate shop and ask one of the office staff for help. If your German isn't up to speed yet try a search for 'immobilien schweiz'

4.) Ask Your Friends

If you are already in the country and looking to move or know people already in Switzerland tell them you are looking. Spread the word, the more people that know you are looking and know what you are looking for the more help you will get.

Do you have any other secrets to finding a place? leave a comment to share with the rest of us.

Looking for A Combi

2010-01-12T22:23:00.002+01:00

I'm not actually looking for a Combi. It's just a word that I really like. I am not sure if it is a German word or a British English word. I can say it is used on German websites.

It is such a great word. I was thinking of a friend of mine who drives a Subaru. Or last time I talked to him he did. It is at least 5 years old now, probably more and I have to believe he might be looking for a new Subi Combi.

So what is it? If you haven't figured it out it is a something will call a station wagon, or wagon for short in U.S. English.

Does anyone know the roots of this word?

New Baden Switzerland Virtual Tour

2010-01-10T23:07:00.004+01:00

On of the most difficult things about the decision to move overseas is trying to understand what you are getting into. If you have not had a chance to visit a city how do you know what it looks like? Yes in the internet age you can find pictures all over the place but even pictures don't really give you a sense of a place.

I remember when I was first reading in the guide books about this far off place called Baden, Switzerland and trying to imagine what it might look like.

For those that are pondering the same question I'd like to give you a chance to take a look around. I have just completed the beginnings of a virtual tour of Baden.

I hope the interactive images will give you a better picture of the town that I call home.

In the future I would like to expand the collection of tour sites. If there is something you'd like to see in Baden let me know. I'll add it to my list and when I have time I'll try to head out to take some pictures. For now I've put a link in the side bar for Baden Virtual Tours so the images will always be within easy reach no matter where you are on the site.

Happy touring....Click here to start your tour..

Interactive 3d Tour of Baden

2010-01-08T23:59:00.004+01:00

Spherical Projection Used to Create a VR

I have been working on a small project for the last 4 days. My wife will surely tell you that I have been doing nothing but hovering over the computer as I was trying to learn a bit about creating interactive panoramic VR images. Well, its Friday night, 12:00 am and I finally got my first one working properly. Excellent! Here is a link to the VR image of Baden's Christmas lights. Click on the link to open the file, then make sure you click and drag on the full screen image to 'look around'.

Back In Switzerland

2010-01-06T23:16:00.003+01:00

The holiday season if officially over and I am back in Switzerland after a two week trip back to the U.S. As always it was nice to be back in the 'homeland'. I enjoyed the food, family, friends, and most importantly the English.

As this we arrived in Switzerland just yesterday I am still fighting the jet lag a bit. It is now almost 11:00 pm in Switzerland and it feels a bit like mid day to me. I won't be surprised if it takes me a bit of time to fall asleep this evening.

That means my morning wake up call at 7:00 will be a little harsh. The alarm going off right in the middle of the night U.S. time is always a bit jarring while I am adjusting back to the European timezone.

For me it is always about 3 days until I am back to normal. That means I should be in great shape to enjoy the upcoming weekend.

A quick inventory of things I brought back this Christmas

Cherrios
2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
Books, lots and lots of books
Dramamine
Tums
thermal underwear
A couple of picture frames for American sized prints
a host of other small odds and ends

If you care to share, what do you usually bring back? Post a comment.