Wednesday, April 4, 2007

You know you're in Switzerland when...

Yesterday afternoon, my friend came home to a kitchen ankle-deep in water. Apparently the hot water pipe under the sink had busted, and it was still gushing water. The plumber said it was going to be four hours before he could get there, the building super refused to turn off the water, and the downstairs neighbours all came upstairs to complain. Meanwhile, my friend and her landlady were working frantically to control the water's spread.

Five hours, all the towels and sheets and countless buckets later, the plumber showed up. He took a moment to survey the mess, then exclaimed, "Why didn't you call the fire department?!"

Only in Switzerland.

I was planning to go to the UN yesterday to take pictures, but it rained. But I will be patient and go later on this week. After all, they do say, "Tout vient à point à qui sait attendre." Or, as Longfellow put it, "All things come round to him who will but wait." This little saying is spraypainted on a wall close to my house:



I love that cat! I should probably adopt his attitude more often...

2 comments:

Dixie said...

I thought it was so weird to learn that in Germany people call the fire department to come pump out their basements when they flood from rising river waters after a big rain. Doesn't that seem strange to you?

Princess Cat's Pajamas said...

I guess it makes sense... after all, we do call them "pompiers" (literally, people who pump). I just never put two and two together before!