My docking station was waiting for me when I arrived at work today. It came with all the expected parts – docking station, monitor, keyboard, mouse, power supply. So that’s good. It was even a U.S.-spec QWERTY keyboard, though admittedly I like the touch of the European one I had been using a lot better. It’s a lot better than typing on a laptop, though ...
I decided to attempt to get the wireless internet service working again. I called the local ISP helpdesk from work, navigated through the menus in German until I found a real person who luckily spoke some English. Since I wasn’t at home (no phone there), he could only give limited help. He said something about a number on the back of the box. After I got home, I found the MAC address on the box and attempted to figure out where to put it in the machine. I only found 1 place that had a name like “MAC address”, and unfortunately that place hosed up both the wired and wireless connections. Yikes! Eventually, I was able to retrace my steps and get it back to where it was. I think I give up trying to troubleshoot it.
I bought a few things at the grocery store after getting back from work (since the store is open until 8pm on Fridays). I passed a group of teenagers (high school age) coming out of the shopping center with a bunch of liquor bottles, presumably to have some fun this weekend. It was a little disconcerting because they were clearly under the drinking age in the U.S. (yes, I know Europeans have different rules about alcohol than we do). I went out to dinner at this restaurant a block from my apartment which I walk past every day. It’s a small neighborhood place, about 12 tables. When I walked in, there was no hostess/waitress around, so I walked to the back where there was 1 small table without a “Reserved” sign on it. I’d been seeing the “Fondue Quattre Fromages” sign all week, and I decided it was worth trying. The fondue was quite good, and I also had some local Morges white wine with it. I could tell it was a local place, since half the people in the restaurant knew each other, and everyone spoke French except me (there was one couple who switched between English and French). The waitress (and I’m guessing the owner) was a little rude towards me, but I think that’s what I get for being a non-French-speaking tourist. Also the service was really slow, I think I was there 1.5 hours. At least I got to read the local paper while I was there; I learned that Silvio Berlusconi (prime minister of Italy) allegedly had another affair with a young woman, Australia is getting hit by a cyclone, and Zsa Zsa Gabor is in the hospital.
I went for a walk after dinner, and I can tell that the weather is getting warmer since I didn’t wear my hat and I wasn’t freezing cold. It’s supposed to be really nice this weekend. Tomorrow, I’m thinking of getting a 1-day train pass for the area and seeing some of the local towns.
