Turns out there isn’t really much to photograph around Geneva. Oh well, here is some evidence that I was there…

Boats on the harbour in downtown Geneva

The Geneva skyline

The Geneva Jet d’Eau fountain

A statue in the park

Another week, another set of stamps in my passport. This week was actually reasonably calm. I spent Monday and Tuesday in Paris, then headed off to Zurich for the remainder of the week. It was nice to spend a few nights in my own bed for a change.

Zurich is still in the full swing of Euro 2008, although it isn’t quite so much of a party atmosphere now that Switzerland has been eliminated from the competition. There is still a big party along the Limmatquai, but the seas of red shirts that were apparent last week are no longer present.

They have been replaced by seas of orange shirts, the colour of the Dutch supporters. Only it turns out there is a small problem. SBB, the national Swiss railway, also dresses its track workers in bright orange suits so they don’t get hit by a train as they work on the tracks.

They have had to change them into yellow uniforms in the past week or two. Apparently, the Dutch have a habit of getting drunk, and in a moment of drunken confusion, following the SBB staffers onto the rail lines, thinking that they are going to some sort of party.

Here are a few more pictures of the Euro 2008 celebrations this week…

Statues in the Zurich Bahnhof to celebrate the Euro 2008 competition in Switzerland.

 

Statues in the Zurich Bahnhof to celebrate the Euro 2008 competition in Switzerland.

 

A brass band plays outside my window on Rosengasse

 

Trumpet solo

 

Crowds on the Limmatquai, getting ready to watch the Euro 2008 football matches on the big screens around the town

 

Florent, my colleague, poses for a picture in front of the river

 

The Swedish fans seem to be attracting plenty of attention

 

Views across the Limmat

 

A full moon over Zurich

 

A full moon over Zurich

 

It has taken time, but after months of trying I am finally finding my way around the office. My progress has been helped along by a French colleague who is now working in the London office. He is working on my project, and in addition to his project duties, he has become my unofficial guide to the French firm. Thanks to him I am learning the peculiarities of the expenses system, which restaurant has the best lunch on a given day, and most importantly, where the stationery cupboard is!

After four months, I have finally managed to find the stationery cupboard

In the UK, we used to have large stationery cupboards on each floor, and you could basically go in and help yourself. Anything else could be ordered by your secretary.

There’s none of this self-service business in France. Instead, you have to turn up at a window on the 23rd floor where a little man disappears into the back and produces what you’ve asked for. Trouble is, as a non-French speaker, asking for things is a little tricky. Pointing is a lot easier. Still, I managed to do okay.

The view of Paris from my office window

Summer is here and I’m enjoying having an office with a nice view – even if it isn’t quite as nice as the view from our London office, it’s still nice being up this high.

It has been a very busy month at work – which explains why my blog has come to an absolute standstill. We at a very busy stage of the project, which means that there isn’t much time to focus on putting together entries for the blog – but I am also travelling constantly. Last week was Paris, London, and Zurich. This week is Paris, Zurich, Geneva, and Barcelona.

Luckily, most of the travel is by train, so it isn’t nearly as stressful as if I were constantly having to catch flights all around the world. But there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight, at least not before August. In August, all of Europe goes on holiday at once, so there should be a brief respite before things pick up again in September.

More and more of the travel will be to Barcelona as the project progresses – not a bad place to spend the summer and autumn, as the hotel is right on the beach and the weather will hopefully remain good.

The Swiss office has a big marketing department. We took advantage of some of the props to take a few photographs.

And yes, this is as fun and exciting as tax gets.

One of my team members posing with a marketing bear

The team poses with the bear. You can tell the consultants from the clients — check out who’s wearing jackets!

More team photos

My team thought that it would be funny to replace me with a jackass. I don’t know what they were trying to imply.

View out the office window. You don’t get views like this in downtown London or Paris!

View out the office window. You don’t get views like this in downtown London or Paris!

Stormy skies over Singapore

A dark, stormy, turbulent sky for my last night in Singapore. Given the way the project has gone out here, that’s probably a fitting note on which to end. It pretty well sums up my time out here.

I’m off for one last dinner of chilli crab tonight. My bags are packed, my tickets are confirmed, and 24 hours from now I’ll be on my way back to England, for a little while at last. Home sweet home, at least until December!