Day 1 – depart for Zurich
It’s that time of year. Time to explore a new place. This trip is seeing me go “high tech”. Well for me, anyways. I most have made the switch to an e-ticket / check-in (Mostly… I still print out the tickets just in case. Especially as there are two legs to the trek. I’m old-school like that). I also am using an e-sim card, I swear only half understanding what the hell I’m doing. lol. I think I have everything set up and am hoping I don’t end up with thousands of dollars I’m charges… If it works it will be significantly cheaper and more effective than my previous old school approach (I’ve always been too nervous to use the physical SIM cards because I would be the guy who would lose the original…). The thing that has always drawn me to Switzerland has been the striking scenery and quaint villages that I’ve seen from all you all’s posts. Naturally the weather forecasts are calling for rain. 
Day 2 – Zurich
So my initial thoughts on La Suisse while descending from the clouds is that it is so cute, quaint, and clean (!!). Even the train tracks outside are clean. I have never before in my life seen that. One sees a hilly landscape of green trees and multicolored plots of farmland with cute little villages nestled between. The train system is uber-complicated yet there is a logic to it if you take the time to figure it out. And I like how the half fare card I got applies both to regional and local and my understanding is that it even applies to boats, and will offer an occasional discount to certain mountain trains. Speaking of which I did see upcoming mountain destinations in the distance today despite it being cloudy so hopefully there’s still a chance to catch them. As far as assistance goes the Swiss are the most orderly and professional that I’ve encountered although in my very brief experience not prone to joking around. The guy at the airport train station who helped me (after I took a ticket and waited to be called), was very calm and thorough. He could have been a counselor. At the end when I said “danke”, he just looked at me seriously, as if he wasn’t sure how to respond. He was just doing his job, after all. My Airbnb is in an adorable neighborhood and after a short 2-hour rest (I was totally nodding off on the train after being up for what felt like 100 hours), I headed out to explore. There was a big festival going on. I’ll confess, I’ve reached the age where I can be honest that I just don’t really like festivals as a rule. Too many people, too loud, too much chaos. And I rarely have amazing moments or realizations or even fun while attending them. Unless, I can just focus on what I want to and deal with the rest and get out. So I did that. I focused on the old town and buildings and tolerated the masses and much louder than needed to be music that was all over being directed by an army of assorted DJs. I was glad to be away from it in the end. I could feel my inner peace return the further I was distanced from it. Speaking of tolerating, I am 0-3 this week when it comes to flights without screaming demon children. And all of them have been within two rows of me if not right by my side. Couldn’t tell if the kid on the long flight last night was laughing, screaming, having panic attacks, going into conniption fits or plunging into insanity. But whatever it was, it was this non-stop, continuous whiny noise that would stop for maybe like two minutes – just long enough for you to think it had settled down – before starting up again, punctuated by occasional loud screams and exclamations just for fun. Almost eight continuous hours of that. I think I must have dozed a couple times though because it didn’t seem that long, as weird as that is to say. I was observing a very handsome European gentleman within my eyesight who was smartly dressed with round glasses, reading his Dutch language intellectual magazine with an air of elegance and sophistication that American men are not capable of mustering. He had the perfect mix of salt and pepper with a nicely fitting plaid button down. I was smitten. I can’t get over how they get so many attractive men to work here in positions like processing passports for customs. I mean these guys could be full-on models. Maybe they’re trying to distract us so that we might more easily become flustered and reveal our secret plans?
Day 3 – Transfer to Lauterbrunnen
Had a day that didn’t go as I thought it would, which is what happens when traveling. Behind all the perfect pictures and well placed selfies is a planning process that when going to a country you’re unfamiliar with involves a lot of guesswork, however estimated it might be from past travel related experiences. It started off well enough. Woke up before I had planned, responded to a few things, checked my train itinerary. I was even able to sneak in an extra 30 minutes of sleep. I headed off for the train wearing jeans. Probably not the smartest choice as it’s much warmer here than I had thought it would be. But I never am quite sure of the customs after being in warmer places like Mexico City and Madrid where most people wear long pants regardless of how warm or hot it is. Switzerland surprisingly seems way more casual. I got to the train stop early enough to have plenty time to catch the train before the one I had intended. I couldn’t understand yesterday how that would work with only one track but I have since realized that that is because the train goes out and then returns. I was at the main station early enough to be calm and assist a group of English individuals as well a couple from Akron, OH who were celebrating their 26th wedding anniversary with their first ever trip to Europe. A glance at the guy’s large suitcase could have told that to me alone. I used to do that, too. Eased their worries and clarified things for them. Didn’t end up in a full-on seat like I would have liked because I realized I was standing by the wrong train car class. So I had to scramble to find a place at all given the last minute nature. I ended up in this weird group seating compartment. As we stopped at other stops and some people got in two others sat in front of the window I had been using and started filming. Hmmf. That’s something I’ve noticed about people here. They really advocate for themselves. Minnesota passiveness would just lead to getting walked on I’m learning. I used to defer to people I was walking toward but no longer. It’s a game of chicken now. I also went to a restaurant and there was one outside table open and another opening. The server went to me first but I deferred to a couple who had arrived first and they got a spot. Then some woman casually waltzed in and grabbed the table I was waiting to be assigned to. The waitress then apologized and said that there were no more spots outside. I declined and found another place. But if I wanted the table I should have just grabbed it. F*ck that MN “Nice” BS. I need to start doing more advocating for myself and my desires I realized upon reflection. So back to my arrival at Lauterbrunnen. I get here and send a note to the host. I knew full well that I had reserved a place in a chalet that was a 20-minute walk from town. I did that because it was significantly cheaper than other options and I thought it might be interesting. I arrived and was corresponding with the host via Airbnb. I can’t seem to get the phone # to work for this e-sim thing as it’s an Austrian number. It’s been nice to access data but I’m thinking I will likely switch to t-mobile per others’ suggestions because it just seems like a hassle to me and I don’t do well with hassle. I’m asking where I need to be picked up and learn that the host is actually working way up on the top of the mountain it seems and won’t come down til tomorrow night. He mentioned something about his nephew helping but his quad bike needs repairs. Which meant I needed to climb these tall-ass trails – with my backpack and carry-on. I was really annoyed with dark clouds swirling around my head. I finally decided the jeans had to go and I literally changed into shorts on a side street! The moped rider who came up right afterwards barely missed a show. I had to stop multiple times and check on directions and rest on a bench and at one point I walked too far and had to move over for a guy driving a tractor with a bunch of hay. He stopped and asked me something I didn’t understand. I normally pride myself on knowing the language(s) of the place I’m visiting but I don’t know a lick of German, beyond about five words, including “yes” and “no”. At first I thought he was offering for me to get in with the bails of hay but in hindsight I think he was asking me if I was lost. I told him I didn’t understand. In English. I felt like a typical American that I would normally roll my eyes at. I was able to finally find the right trail and the host’s cousin helped me for the last stretch and thank goodness because it was a doozy. If I haven’t lost 10-15 pounds in the next few days it’s because I’ve been massively pigging out. I hung out and chatted with the nephew – Francisko. I think he’s kind of cute in a way and he sets off my gaydar, but then so do most Europeans who aren’t like Gerard Depardieu. I enjoyed the chat. He lives there with his uncle. Works as an assisted living assistant overnight, and enjoys techno music. He was talking about some techno music festival and I said that that sounded so German. I went back down and explored Lauterbrunnen. I thought of maybe trying to jump on the train and try other locales but honestly, I was a little tired and wanted dinner and a beer instead. It’s really important to listen to your body that way, I’ve found. And as I’m wrapping up dinner now, thinking of that large uphill climb, I’m glad I decided that. It would have been too much. I’m hoping to get up very early the next few days and go out exploring. I guess the host wants to make fondue the last night so I need to get everything in that I can!
Day 4 – Lauterbrunnen – Day 1
Today was the complete opposite of yesterday. Things went well in spite of myself. Please universe, more of this! Details: I got up super early (for me). I was up before 6:30 and out the door just after 7:00. Funny how much easier that is to do on vacation. As opposed to for a normal work day… I made it to the train station but their ticket office was not open (not sure if they even have one!!) so I tried to order a ticket online but it sent a verification code to my normal phone number, which I am not using to avoid roaming charges. The more I think about it, the t-mobile route is the way to go. I tried using this alternate Austrian number I’ve been assigned for the e-sim card but it’s just led to more confusion. Anyhow, I was frantically scrambling to get a ticket as the train I really wanted to take was leaving at 8:00 and it was about 13 minutes before that. I tried to have a code sent to my email – a Herculean task after you’ve already mistakenly chosen text as an option. Does no one else ever make a mistake and need to completely start over? Oh course, my damn email wouldn’t update. Ugh. I was really wanting to go to Jungfraujoch and then descend down to Grindelwald on the other side of the valley from where I’m staying. I went to buy a ticket using the machine but there was no option I saw for applying the discount from my Half Fare card that I have purchased. At this point I just needed something to get on the train so I bought it. While going up, up, and up, the conductor for the first segment verified my ticket by punching a hole into it. When I got to the second, the female conductor seemed perplexed. I explained everything to her – something I would need to repeat four or five times as the day progressed. She signed my ticket and added a note in German that I think said something like please honor as a return trip ticket as my half fare hadn’t been applied. I was glad to receive the discount! Normally it seems like any mistake like that would just mean a loss for the person who did it. So rare for anyone to go out of their way to fix. On my way back I once again informed of the whole story and was told I’d need to return to the same place I had departed from. That didn’t make sense for me so I asked the train conductor at the mid-point train station and he said I could totally do what I had originally planned. It’s all about finding the right person many times. Then when I got to Grindelwald, I went to the ticket office and got my ticket for returning tonight as well as heading to my next destination in a few days. So much easier when you can talk to someone in person who can guide you. I’m really shocked at how well others speak English here. I almost forget I’m in a foreign country at times. I’ve largely been able to accomplish what I’ve wanted in this area, with two days to spare. I set aside this time in the event that the weather didn’t cooperate for checking out the mountain vistas. So I’ll possibly check out the quaint towns around the Interlaken lakes. Or maybe have more of a “take it easy” day on my last day here as it’s supposed to likely rain. Also, looking at some of my selfie photos, I’ve come to the conclusion that I think people look their best in their 40s. My hair used to look good in every shot. And now it seems more a rarety.
Day 5 – Lauterbrunnen Part 2
The host had a little fondue dinner last night with me, his nephew, another relative and her friend. A lot of fun. Man, that’s a lot of work to keep moving that cheese. Interestingly, although skeptical at first, I ended up liking the strawberries and bananas dipped in cheese the best, just like the host said I would. Theoretically it’s like kettle corn with the sweet and salty mix. I would have said candy corn and peanuts but I know I would have immediately lost most of you. It was interesting talking about languages, their experiences in the US, and their stories. I leaned that the young woman’s parents had lived in Bosnia originally. And the host and nephew are originally from Germany. The host is an engineer who works on the cable cars and high elevation trains. Oh and my gaydar suspicions were confirmed about the nephew. I now am wondering about the host. The nephew said he lived down in the town of Lauterbrunnen and said he prefers it up on the hill. He said people were too nosy there. It made me wonder how it’s different being in a regular small town versus one that has enough visitors passing through to double its size on any given day. Does one still have the same sorts of interactions with the constants? It’s always so interesting meeting these people and learning about them. I also am understanding better about the hiking trails, one of which goes right through the property. I might check one out if the weather cooperates. I got to witness a storm last night, thankfully after I had already returned. It was much like a Midwestern storm only with mostly sideways lightning. It was interesting to not be able to see the mountains for a bit. The air definitely feels cooler and there are neat clouds passing by in front of the mountain across the valley. I can see where it would be very relaxing to live up here, provided you had a 4×4 vehicle to get up that last stretch of the “road” that is unpaved, uneven, and very steep. I’m always quite a bit sweaty by the time I reach the top. But I weirdly like it. Feels very rustic and it’s fun to look back on the little breathing breaks I take and look to see how far up I’ve walked. Also the walk into town is extremely pleasant. That would be a nice little morning routine, especially if you had a dog or something. I guess they have lived here for three years and none of them seem to have any intention of moving elsewhere at the moment. Yesterday rather than going up I went down to Interlaken to check out the lakes and the towns of Thun and Interlaken, which were interesting and quaint. I took a boat ride across Thun Lake, which was nice although I was definitely ready to get off at the end. I had thought of going swimming but it didn’t work out with my timetable. I think I might have more of a chance for that in my next destination. On the boat there were these Asian women who were getting on my nerves doing endless photo shoots of cutesie poses in front of the scenery. One holding her hat while giving a coquettish smile. Another acting like she was steering the ship, while having the time of her life, bending her leg up behind her. I’ve noticed that almost no one takes pictures of the actual scenery. It’s funny to me. Even when I do, I still put the phone down and take it in. I sat on the grassy hillside at First for a good half an hour in awe of and studying the landscape. I could spend weeks honestly taking it all in. And it changes every day with clouds, weather, sounds, different times of the day, different things that reveal themselves to you that you may have been too overwhelmed to notice initially, etc. In my experience that’s the same even in my regular day to day life. When I’m off work and can explore on a day when I am usually working, I notice different things then. Or hanging out with a friend in a circumstance that is unusual from the normal sorts of situations. Just takes a little bit of awareness to notice. I did find two craft beer locations in Interlaken but they were sadly closed. Which is fine. Sometimes it’s good for me to be fully separated my usual comforts. And it was because they were closed that I researched this great viewpoint via a funicular way above the town and had the time to check it out before returning. I felt like I didn’t really do what seemed to justify the time I was away yesterday but perhaps my ideas of how much I should be accomplishing are more the issue. Maybe it’s time to take it a little more slowly. Like the nephew said last night, it /is/ my vacation. I don’t have to be doing so much and can relax as well. I so wish I were a European though with six weeks of vacation every year. I have the PTO but I don’t think the demands of the job would allow for that, unfortunately. Europeans in my opinion have this life thing figured out when it comes to work-life balance. Anyhow, today is more of a relaxing day as I’ve accomplished a lot of what I’ve wanted to. I’ve been so grateful that the weather has been mostly nice, albeit a bit hot.
Day 7 – Lauterbrunnen to Lugano
Greetings from Italian-speaking Switzerland! Such a strange experience to be in this country but to have drastically switched languages from German as they seem like they couldn’t be any more different! I wonder where the exact boundary is where the preponderance shifts. Despite the drastic linguistic shifts, the country works well as a whole. Interesting when I contrast that with the “you’re in America, speak English” (even though most of the Americas don’t) crowd. My last day in Lauterbrunnen brought the rains that the forecasts had been predicting. But I kind of loved it. The much cooler temps, watching the clouds descend and retreat in the valley, listening to the sounds and noticing how the waterfalls increased, etc. Also, an unexpected benefit, it inspired me to stay back up in the Airbnb chalet, which allowed me to get to know my new friends a little more. And what a delight. I had planned on hiking up to the next town on the hill but I actually felt more enriched chatting and joking with them. And a new guest who was coming in from China. The host brought me and my bags down to the station on his way to work and the other guy, who I am now thinking is actually the host’s /partner/ and not his nephew (Airbnb intrigue!!) and the guy’s cousin came along and we had pastries and continued our fun banter until I had to leave. I really did feel like I was leaving friends at that point and we all hugged. I linked up with the one I had chatted with the most on Instagram. I travel alone and there are some great benefits to it and I mostly like it. There are some moments when I think it would be fun to have some company. Although not as a couple, apparently. I’ve never seen so many squabbling couples in my life! You’re on a vacation that’s supposed to be fun! Last night I witnessed an English speaking couple with American accents and couldn’t figure out who was breaking it off with whom but it appeared they’d be returning as singles. “Maybe you can do that with a future girlfriend” the woman spit out at one point. The guy apologized but said that he could only do whatever it was she was wanting him to do when it “felt right”. The train rides have been so smooth and scenic! The Swiss have everything down to an art. It’s so easy. I have an app that shows all the train options for a day to get from one place to another and even lists the platforms and times and if there is a delay. It has been 100% accurate! I arrived yesterday in Lugano and it is really cool and beautiful here. Huge round, green hills (mountains? When does one become the other?) covered in trees with the gorgeous Lake Lugano in between. So scenic and with a definite Mediterranean flair. It reminds me of a European version of a Latin vibe if that makes any sense. Not as wild and chaotic and “circles and swirlies” but much more so than the typical Northern European orderly “Excel spreadsheet” feel. When I got here the clouds immediately raced in and covered the sky. I was bummed because the water is strikingly gorgeous when it is sunny. The host was unconcerned. “It changes all the time,” he said in a flat, banal tone. And sure enough, it did in a couple hours. He also shared a tip to take a bus to this viewpoint I wanted to see rather than the funicular. It took some figuring out (why are systems to pay for public transport always so different in different cities??) but I did and it was way cheaper to do it that way. And fun to try out another mode of public transport. I appreciate that they now have the electric announcement of stops that shows upcoming stops. You used to just have to be in the know. They’ve also done a great job of integrating their bus/train/boat ticket systems. It’s really flawless and you can buy something that includes many of the options on the same ticket. The US could stand to learn from Europe how to implement. One observation I’ve had – people actually use their balconies here. I see a ton of people on them having dinner, chatting with friends, reading a book, etc. I can’t tell you how many times back in the US that I’ll look at a building with balconies and there is not a soul on any of them. Or I’ll go through some neighborhood with nice yards and it’s like a ghost town, as if the yards were more for display than hanging out in. I don’t get that but then again I think a lot of things people do (or don’t do) in the US are weird. Out to explore again. I also saw a good place for swimming so I think I might actually break out my trunks, weather permitting!
Day 8 – Lugano continued
Swiss bugs dig me. My legs are completely mauled. Not sure what it is as I haven’t noticed being bitten but I was itching and scratching something fierce earlier today until I glanced at my leg and was concerned about this huge discolored area. I’ve been conscientious to leave it alone and it looks better now, thank goodness. Today was a day of grey, low-lying clouds spraying occasional mist. I was weirdly fine with it. What can you do, right? Of course I would have preferred nice sun revealing gorgeous green and blue colors, especially as I was going to the top of the mount on the other end of town. When I was first researching places to go, I looked at Lugano because it seemed like an intriguing name and the location was interesting but it wasn’t until I looked at the Google Images (love those) that I decided I definitely wanted to go. And many of the images were taken from atop Monte San Salvatore. So I casually (/very/ casually) made my way over, stopping at some take-out place (with tables outside) to get a little beet and quinoa salad and stopping at a cafe for a little cappuccino and reading under a canopy while it drizzled, followed by aimless meandering through the maze of colorful, ornamental buildings. I discovered a lovely, tree-lined promenade en route to the other side that it’d be a crime not to sit in if you lived here. The funicular ride was cool with great views. The cloudy day added its own mystique and made for something special that was not what I had been anticipating or even desiring but made the experience interesting in its own way that I came to appreciate. Plus it was significantly cooler and more comfortable for walking and climbing. I wasn’t aware that the viewpoints would involve some hiking and I hadn’t brought the right shoes. I checked out the ones connected by a paved path but I wanted to see some of the others and the path was listed as “challenging” with its red and white striped sign. I glanced at it and it didn’t seem /too/ bad and so I thought I’d check it out and turn around if needed. What I experienced was a lot of loose rock and uneven surfaces and minor descending/climbing on more natural surfaces. But nothing too crazy. I was able to see all I wanted to – and that was just with regular tennis shoes! I noticed that literally immediately after I descended back down from the mount, the clouds began to clear [shaking fist at the sky…] but you can never really know if that clearing in the distance will fully manifest in 10 minutes or if it will never manifest. It’s metaphor for life, I suppose. And sure enough, only after a couple more hours did the sky clear more significantly. I meandered back, sat on a bench on the promenade to not commit the aforementioned crime and swung by to get some ice cream. Have you ever had passion fruit ice cream?? Oh my god… I mixed it with dark chocolate ice cream and it weirdly worked. Both nights I’ve been here there have been numerous bands and DJs interspersed through downtown. They really like to socialize and party, I guess! I stopped to listen to one, thinking I’d check out a song or two and ended up listening to the whole set. Nola Kin. Reminded me a little of Echo Farm in a way if you’ve ever heard of them. She spoke English with an accent I couldn’t detect. I looked her up and she’s from Zurich, which was funny to me because she said it was the first time they had ever performed in this region. I made my way back to an Irish bar I stopped at last night and had another shot of Laphroig scotch and opted to just have dinner there, which was a shrimp burger – basically a bunch of shrimps in what seemed like a Thai sauce with lettuce and tomato on a bun with fries. It’s not what I was anticipating. It was a little odd but tasted good. Then came back early to my Airbnb and proceeded to pass out. lol. Then woke up and decided to get everything ready for my departure tomorrow to the next place.
Day 9 – Zermatt
I’m back in German speaking territory and back up in the mountains! Staying in the little resort town of Zermatt. Seems higher up, more woodsy, and more lively in some ways than Lauterbrunnen. And more expensive! Yikes. I wandered around town last night knowing the restaurants would be expensive but couldn’t bring myself to pay the prices displayed on the menus. So I ended up at a pizza place. It was still pricey (although not as much so as many of the restaurants I checked out) but at least I was really full after dinner. I had only had a protein bar and a small breaded pretzel all day so I was starved! I went to the coop this evening and bought some items to avoid that. This also allowed me to eat a little healthier. I found that I was actually craving healthy options. Although I still might grab a beer and/or ice cream in town. Also bought some pre-made sandwiches for lunch during today’s and tomorrow’s hikes. And I got an apple/berry fruit juice, which is delicious as well as a Leffe brown ale seeing as I can’t find them anywhere here. That was pretty much on par for what I’d pay for a single bottle at Zipp’s back in Minneapolis. The place is quaint and distinct and has a river from the melting glaciers raging through it. I hiked up to the river gorge just outside of town yesterday and found it to be a much longer hike than I was expecting. I don’t know if I just had a different interpretation or understanding of what I read (which I often do) or what but I was trekking up a hill and into a community and through a property (!! – there were signs pointing that way). I almost turned around a few times until the path finally made sense (it had been going up, up, and up) and descended toward the river. I crossed a bridge and saw the gorge below. Damn, nature is powerful. One would be ripped to shreds if one were to fall in. The path took me through a beautiful woodsy trail and finally, after I figured I must have missed something, there was a staircase going down. And the official place to see the gorge was closed.
Day 11 – Matterhorn adventure
Feeling a little low energy so decided to have a more relaxing day today. I’m having a little custard and fruit croissant and a cappuccino with a view of the Matterhorn and not a cloud in the sky, which makes me laugh because this was predicted to be the stormiest day. Mountain weather is its own thing. From here I am realizing that I can see the Schwarzee cable car station that I stopped at yesterday. It is the closest you can get to the Matterhorn without actually hiking up to it. The trail for that was listed with a blue sign, which means forget it unless you are an experienced hiker, probably with equipment. There is supposed to be a lake over there where you can see the Matterhorn reflected. I couldn’t for the life of me find it but that’s ok. The hike I did was interesting and beautiful, nonetheless. It kept going down, down, down and in my head a small voice was whispering, “you’re going to have to come back up this way, you know…” I technically could have hiked back into town but my ticket included going way up near the top of the mountains and I hadn’t done that yet. I wanted to do a side trek to see this damn lake that I never found while the Matterhorn was still cloud free. lol. I was following along this website of these people who had rated various hikes. I have found that their sense of timing is similar to those online recipe instructions. If they say it takes 45 minutes to make the dish, it usually takes me 2 hours.
Day 13 – Leaving Switzerland
My intention yesterday was to just take it easy. Have a little croissant and cappuccino and casually stroll over to the Train/funicular thing to get up to Sunnegga, walk around a bit, hike a little, take some pictures, maybe rest on a bench and take it in, then take the train back down and head over to the gorge, check that out, have a beer, return to my Airbnb and cook the pizza I picked up at the coop and call it a day. But then I got to Sunnegga and the scenery cast its spell upon me and I was once again smitten. There is a little trail that goes around a small lake. When still, you can see the Matterhorn reflected. But not on this day. And thank goodness because it was as hot as Hades. I had unwittingly put on my hiking pants in the station down in Zermatt because the hallway to the train was freezing. Maybe because the other end of the underground tracks is way up in the mountains? The pants came off immediately. There was a little fun park there and kids were playing on various contraptions. For once, I actually didn’t mind the presence of the kids doing their thing. Looked like fun. I was bummed that I hadn’t thought to bring my swimsuit. That is until I took my boots and socks off and stepped into the water. Yikes! Definitely glacier fed. Although it did feel good and spiritually fulfilling in some way. I had bought a return ticket and had explored pretty much all there was to see there. But I wasn’t ready to head back. I had thought there would be more of a hike to this lake. I started to wonder if I might just hike down. I found a sign that the trek was just a little over two hours. But I had bought a return trip ticket. I decided I didn’t care and committed to hiking. Really I was only out about $5 by foregoing the return trip. And I’m so glad I did. It felt right. Honestly, that’s when I took my smiling picture (a rarety for me) the day before. Felt great. Sometimes you just need to dispense with the original plan, even if you’ve vaguely committed to or invested in it or worse, obligated. Nothing worse than that. Your gut will guide you. The hike was really interesting. I saw unusual plants, numerous views of the Matterhorn, mountains, and striking scenery. You pass through small communities and smartly placed restaurants where people were having a tea or a beer. You see old structures and the changing landscape as you descend back into the trees and it becomes more woodsy. And there is the usual cast of characters you see, don’t see, and then see again. At one point I was taking pictures at every turn. I had started to recognize certain names on the signs and realized that if I split off in a different direction, it would lead me in the general direction of the gorge I was wanting to see, which was on the other side of town from the train station I had visited earlier to start the journey. So I took it. I again struggled to figure out how to get to the gorge. All the online explanations said it was so easy! I started off doing the reverse of a few nights ago but then at some point I must have veered and things weren’t looking right. I was climbing very steep inclines on terrain littered with rocks and tree roots. I got up to a road all huffing and puffing and looking like something the cat dragged in. People were walking on the road – I was at least relieved to see others – but the path was going back down. I discovered another trail and followed it hoping for the best. All this was happening while dark clouds were amassing above and it started to thunder. I half thought of abandoning but I had seen the weather change after short periods so I stuck it out. At one point, I saw a sign for the gorge and I was back on the trail I had followed the other night. Naturally it started to rain as I approached. I spoke with some guy with what I was guessing to be a Scottish accent or maybe Scottish-adjacent. He had just gone through and was going to return the way I had the other night, which is a bit of an adventure. I asked if it was still open and it was. I was getting wet from the rain but thought, oh well, it’s just water. So I went down and it was super amazing. One of my favorite things I saw. The river is so violent and it has cut the gorge way deep into the earth. I loved the weird, rocky walls that almost don’t even seem real. You can feel the thunderous energy pulsing through. It’s hard to believe that this is always flowing, even at 3am, although I’m guessing it is likely not as strong a force in the winter. But in the spring, I can’t imagine! When I exited, I finally discovered the way I should have gone – the way others have found so easy. And when I looked at the carved wooden sign that I also saw the other night, I laughed. If I would have paid closer attention to the sign, I would have realized the pointy tip that made it into an arrow!! I had seen a sign but it was all in German and I thought it was instructing not to walk that way. I later in that first hike used my Google translate photo feature (which is really awesome by the way – it translates all kinds of fonts and print as well as words carved in wood) and the sign was just warning not to lean on the ropes that occasionally aligned the path. Oh… Stopped at a place for a beer, despite the fact that my feet and back were killing me. I’ve been carrying my backpack all around with me with snacks and water and a book (I don’t know why I think I’m going to get a chance or want to read something. That’s only happened once). I found a coveted seat on the outside facing the main pedestrian street. I ended up chatting it up with some guy named Sean who had just arrived. He’s from Colorado I told him I had a brother with that name and he informed me that he had a brother named Scott. Isn’t that funny? Things like that are fun, I think. We joked about the people using walking sticks on the paved street. What’s that about? Does one really need “practice” with those? How hard can it be? I was climbing a steep hill with rocks near the Matterhorn the other day sans walking sticks and I was faring way better than this woman who was using them. I think they were /hindering/ her, even. I get it if you have balance issues but you can’t tell me that that many people struggle with that. Sean jetted after a short while. The place was playing the best mix of songs I knew. You would have thought you were more likely in a bar in Minneapolis than Zermatt. I heard great songs from Boston and the Steve Miller Band interspersed with alternative songs. I kept thinking I’d leave when there was a song playing I didn’t care for but I kept digging each one. Finally when they started playing a song by the Pixies, I through in the towel and ordered another beer. One thing I’ve been meaning to mention is how amazing the infrastructure here. I have ridden on cog trains, that weird funicular train that looked like a train but had the interior of a funicular, which allowed people to bring their numerous dirt bikes and dogs. I also rode small cable cars, ones for maybe a dozen and ones that had so many people on them that I feared we would plunge to our deaths. How can those cars not only handle so much weight but lift up to baffling heights? There were also little taxi mini trucks, which I couldn’t bring myself to take being that the town was so small. Oh there was a small, space-aged looking container out of the Jetsons that shot people up from the lake to the Sunnegga station. They’ve really invested a lot to facilitate an outdoor experience. I was glad to have experienced Zermatt. I wasn’t sure what I thought of the place initially with it being a resort as opposed to a real town but it grew on me. Maintenant je suis en train (littéralement!) d’aller en France!
Day 14 – mon retour en France!
Encore en France! I forgot how much I love this country. I really feel at home in a way here that I didn’t really in Switzerland. The contrast was a bit stark. I went from a country where train announcements were delivered in three and sometimes four languages to only in French and spoken so fast that no one who hasn’t lived here their whole lives could possibly understand. It reminded me of when I first arrived in France where I would proceed to live for a year after college. I was on a train from Paris up north to the small town where I would be staying. I had been up all night, was tired, was not only physically but emotionally drained as I had never traveled so far away for such a long period. It was all I could do to keep my eyes open but I had to listen to make sure I didn’t pass by the train stop so each time we reached another station I would bolt awake and frantically look out the window for the sign with the station name while trying in vain to recognize literally anything that was being said over the speakers. The host is great. A young Moroccan gentleman. I was nervous as I haven’t really used my French in forever. But I’m realizing that I still have a lot of it down. The host of course wants to practice his English (this happened to me when I lived here, too) so we’re doing a bit of a mélange. It was a long travel day yesterday, mostly because of the cog train from Zermatt to Visp. I sat down on the train. From Visp to Basel in front of a German speaking couple. They were making out and the guy kept chatting up the woman and she seemed a combination of annoyed and mortified that he kept making the moves on her publicly. It was admittedly a little cringe. I don’t have a problem with an occasional display but this guy was really going for it. I will say that it is such a relief to be in a place where I can understand what people are saying again. And I love the language. Just listening I’ve heard expressions that I had totally forgotten about. Strasbourg is a really interesting and beautiful city. Very distinct but with that French flair. I love how there’s chaos here but not too much. It’s the right mixture of organized and chaotic and a little weird all at once. The public transport is amazing. There is a tram system that seems to go everywhere, which is fascinating given that the metro is only about 500,000 people. There are so many restaurants – all with outdoor patios – and I would say at least half of the city center consists of pedestrian streets. It’s a very convenient place for a traveler. I swear the French have this “quality of life” thing figured out in a way that the US never will. I also dig the quirkiness and weirdness and international vibe of the place. That was something that felt a little lacking to me about Switzerland. All those travelers from all those countries and I found the country to be a bit culturally insular, despite all the languages on the loud speakers and the pains they take to make directions easy to understand. And I suppose we are visiting /their/ country. I’m guessing that the area where I’m staying in Strasbourg might be an African enclave. I’m eating at an interesting West African restaurant tonight. It’s very loud! The people in here are very expressive. The owner and/or server is from Cameroon. I’m looking forward to the dish. Last night I went to this great Syrian restaurant. Both were playing authentic music. Nothing worse than going to a foreign restaurant that is playing the latest pop hits. How I’ve missed all the differences and trying new things. I loved all the scenery and hiking in Switzerland but this part of my travels had been lacking. I’m a city boy who loves the country. While wandering around I stumbled onto a small book fair as it was closing down which, like a moth to a street lamp, led me to a three-story bookstore. Unfortunately it was closing in 20 minutes. Then I discovered three other book stores on the same street. Guess where I’ll be tomorrow… That’s like the absolute last thing I need but the books are in French by francophone authors from around the world! I have to at least look… I really need to find a French husband with a library card.
Day 15 – Hanging with my French friends
Had a great time hanging out with my friend Gaetan and his partner Sylvain tonight. I met Gaetan in a French/American group on Facebook years and years ago. Then met him in person when he lived in Montpellier in the south of France seven years ago. Then, in 2019 he happened to be in Philadelphia when I was there. It was the last night of his vacation and I was literally just arriving in town to hang out with a friend of mine so we were able to meet up once again. And then while on this trip, I got the biggest surprise when he sent me a note informing me that he lives near Strasbourg now!! It was so fun hanging out with both of them, having dinner and a beer and walking around talking mostly in French about this, that, and the other. It was great practice for me that I badly needed! And it was so great to see them. I look forward to running into them again who knows where next time! Tomorrow I head back to Switzerland, which I’m a tad bit bummed about as I’ve really dug Strasbourg. It’s now one of my favorite places in France!
Day 16 – Back to Zurich from Strasbourg
On a train back to Switzerland for the final leg of my trip. I found myself thinking in French last night and this morning after spending a fun evening with mes amis français. It amuses me how the mind can flip like that. The whole experience reminded me that I need to get back to using my French more at home as I find it fun and enjoyable. In fact, I’m realizing all sorts of interests and desires that I’ve either not explored or let fall. Need to shake things up a little, methinks. These trips often serve as a bit of an awakening for me. I get to feeling stuck at times and after exploring a new place – for a while at least – I feel open to all sorts of opportunities that I become blind to in the daily grind. Loved Strasbourg, though. It was nice to have other good beers and not just lagers, which are very delicious when it’s hot out and you’re parched. As surprising as it sounds though, I have yet to find a place that has a wider selection of good beers to sample than the Twin Cities with its dozens of tap rooms. I went to all the bookstores yesterday a bit terrified that I’d come back with a tonnage and have to figure out how to pack this heavy addition to my already stuffed bags. Thankfully I wasn’t in as much a book buying mood as I was the previous day and I only ended up with three. It’s almost overwhelming to have that many choices but I have to confess to not knowing many French authors beyond the ones I had to read for my university classes – Camus, Sartre, Modiano, Perec, Queneau, Proust (bien sur!), and many others most of whose works I enjoyed in some way. Even ancient authors like Du bellay I found hilarious with their funny cynicism and mocking jabs at those in power. So I do my usual reading of the description, the first paragraph, and some random selection in the middle (and the cover art, of course…). I kept coming back to one and finally broke down and got it. A little blurb stuck out to me about one’s cat absorbing one’s sadness and other such feelings through one of its lives and then when a cat passes, it’s because it ran out of its spare ones and absorbed all it could. I didn’t express it as eloquently and I may have missed a bit of the essence but the thought kept lingering in my head as I found it weirdly profound. Maybe it’s a kind of connection I currently find lacking. This is what I like about French writing. It gets you thinking. Even the simplest things are suddenly the subject of deep exploration. It rained a little yesterday but not so much that I got soaked. The weather gods have mostly been smiling (or smoking like autocorrect wanted) upon me for which I’ve been grateful. It stays light out really late here. There’s still a fair amount of light in the sky at 10pm. I love that. I always feel more alert and alive when the days are longer.
Day 17 – Luzern / Lucerne
So Luzern / Lucerne (German vs French)… For some reason I had always seen it as Lucerne and so I assumed it was a French speaking place. In fact, when I started planning this trip I had always thought that Switzerland itself was a largely French speaking country or maybe that it was evenly divided. One of the many things I’ve learned is that it us actually a majority German speaking country and really only about 20% of its citizens speak French primarily. And most of the places I wanted to see – most of the really scenic spots – are in the German speaking areas, which is unfortunate because I don’t really speak German at all except for a handful of words including terms to be polite and to ask if people speak English before launching into a question or conversation. And I’ll admit that even as a lover of languages, I’m not really a fan of German and the way it sounds. Alas… So everyone on travel-related sites just raves about Luzern. Many claim it as their favorite place. So I wanted to squeeze it somewhere into the itinerary. With it being only about an hour from Zürich, it fit in perfectly near the end as that is from where I will head back to the US. Many people in their reviews claim you need multiple days to do it justice. So I went and I was reminded how people just like different things. Which is ok. For me one day is enough. Maybe even more than enough. The place is pretty and has a couple nice bridges that span the Reuss River, which is a pretty blue green like so many of the places you see in this country. Anyone who leaves this country to visit elsewhere is going to be sadly disappointed by the color of the rivers and lakes in other places! Or maybe they’ll be as fascinated by the blue color as I am by their blue-green. It almost seems like something you’d see in an amusement park ride! But beyond the areas that surrounded the river, an interesting church in the same area, and a nearby transport museum that was pretty cool, I wasn’t overly wowed by the place. It kind of reminded me about how I felt about the equally lovely Aix-en-Provence in France. I was glad to have gone otherwise I would have always wondered. I almost prefer Zürich or Luzern, actually though, which surprised me. There’s more to see, do, and experience there. I also am intrigued by interesting aspects of a normal day to day and Luzern struck me as somehow less “real”. Now I know it was just a day and there are nearby attractions like Mount Pilatus with a number of activities. So maybe one needs to get out of the town to fully experience the town? I had at one point thought of staying there but I’m actually glad that I didn’t. I have had company for this part of the journey. I’ve met up with an online friend who came down from Berlin for an extended weekend. I always try to incorporate meeting people in person when I can so it was perfect. And he obviously speaks German so that has been helpful. It’s been an interesting exercise hanging out with another for a couple days as opposed to doing the solo thing. It’s mostly been ok but definitely a change hanging with another who has different habits – especially around eating. Luckily we have similar interests and similar energy levels overall. Although I had to be conscientious about setting aside time to write, which I try to do every day or every other day just to see what flows out. Tomorrow is the last full day here. We haven’t decided what we will do. The forecast threatens rain but my experience has shown the accuracy of these forecasts to be a crap shoot. So who knows? We’ve got options ranging from Liechtenstein to Lausanne and Montreux to just hanging out here in town and check out museums. Whatever it ends up being, I feel like i have gotten a pretty good taste of this country. Given the prices here, I’m not sure that I would return but I’ve really enjoyed seeing and experiencing it. I feel like I have a whole new understanding of the place – from the geography to the linguistics to the political structures to how it both fits and remains separate in the greater European context. The little side trek to France was great for reminding me of how much I feel in tune with the rhythm there and how much I enjoy communicating in a language I have some grasp of and can actually communicate in. It causes me to think differently, even, which I love. It was a nice contrast with Switzerland with the exception of that fun bunch I met and hung out with in Lauterbrunnen, one of whom I connected with on Instagram.
Day (and night!) 18 – JFK fiasco
Greetings from the JFK airport, which I am now deeming my least favorite airport ever. I’ve been so fortunate in my travels to always make connections, even if they may have been close calls that inspired me to repeatedly and exasperatedly say “Excuse me!” while squeezing past fellow travelers on the moving sidewalk. It only seems like a law of nature that sooner or later my luck would run out and my time would come due. Well, here it is! The day started with a journey through the mess of a system that is the Zürich airport. Wow. First of all there were so many signs – too many signs. I was so confused and couldn’t tell if I was heading for a ticket counter, “the circle”, a terminal. Imagine 100 signs all presenting very similar but different information with multiple options. My head was swirling. After I finally found the baggage check in, I asked the Delta rep if I would need to go through the very long, slow moving line to get my boarding passes (I like to have paper copies when there are two legs on an international trip). I was informed that yes, I would have to do it, which seems ridiculous to me. But it was “their way” so I did it. Then I repeatedly ran into backlogs at the security checkpoint, and the passport control and then the train to get to the terminal. I’m so glad I got there three hours in advance because I needed it all. Very inefficient process. But it was nothing compared to the abomination that is the JFK airport and the Delta team there. Wow. To be fair, the cause of everything was that there were bad storms that passed through. Our plane from Zurich taxied for a while and then finally landed and it was rough going through the clouds. People broke into applause when the wheels hit the tarmac. But that’s where our good fortune ended. Multiple flights were canceled, leading everyone to scramble. I think everyone was pretty understanding at first. One woman even asked if another gentleman could squeeze in front of us because there was a flight he could make if he checked in immediately. But then everything stalled and the line stopped cold for literally 45 minutes. I’m not even joking. Delta staff were giving conflicting information about where people needed to go to check into reschedules. Then we were told to stand to the left, then to the right, then the staff were arguing. Basically for me and many others there was no chance of leaving until today (Wednesday). Even worse, the earliest arrival in Minneapolis that didn’t involve getting in around 10pm (when I was supposed to arrive the night before) was a flight that first sends me to Atlanta and then to Minneapolis. They told me to check the next day to see if there might be an earlier option. So I walked over to some seating to see what I wanted to do. And the first thing I noticed is that there are like a laughable 10 outlets where you can plug your phone in. Because why would one need to charge a phone in this day and age, especially when multiple flights have been cancelled and other arrangements need to be made? The next thing I noticed was the extreme scarcity of restrooms because why would one want to make it easy for people to – I don’t know – go to the frigging restroom? Also very few chairs so people were sitting on the floor. I ultimately decided I didn’t want to pay for a last minute hotel room (in New York City) and I wasn’t able to pick up Airbnb in the airport for some reason. So I decided to go out and have a couple beers. I’ve been to NYC a few times so I’m vaguely familiar with the place. I ended up just staying til one bar I know closed which is very late. It was nice to chat it up with a few locals. Then I meandered, got a little snack at a street truck vendor, wandered, and ultimately ended up at a coffee place. Slowly made my way via subway back to the airport. I thought I was coming back way early but come to find out they were putting people on buses to go to the terminals rather than the trains. No signage. No guidance. And then they seemed to get annoyed when people would ask questions. Finally made it there but it took very long. Went to check on better flights and was in another super slow moving line. One Delta staff came out and yelled at us because he said we weren’t standing in the right place. I told him the signs weren’t very clear (all of the signs indicated they were for trip adjustments) and then he argued with me by saying, “they’re very clear.” But then just a couple minutes later his colleague yelled at us to get back to where we were initially! Had she not read that “clear signage”? Another agent was so completely condescending like we were the dumbest people to ever go through her “customer service” line. I mean did she really think we were too simple or dumb to see her open contempt? I’ve never seen so many rude staff and the hilarious part was that they were only serving a fraction of the amount of people that their colleagues from the night before were. And then it was time to deal with the airport staff again. Belligerent. Yelling. One guy kept yelling at people in the security line and I so badly wanted say, “honey… that’s not making them move any faster, even if it gives you some feelings of emasculation…” I finally get through that horror show and get to the gate and notice they have outlets in which I can plug my phone. And find out that they are of course turned off. I found an outlet in the floor that worked. Wasn’t sure if I could use it and was half expecting some brutish New York staff member to come over and yell at me for doing it so I was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. And then I get on the plane and am surrounded by “closed blinds” people (I had opened the window in the row and the woman who sat there immediately shut it, leading me to render my first judgment… lol. And of course there is a baby literally in the seat behind me (sigh…). Yesterday had a great mix of watching a movie, talking to the older woman next to me, reading, and listening to Lizzo, whom I’ve never really listened to intently before. My little map tracker wasn’t working, which was probably for the best. I can spend a whole flight watching that. Really looking forward to being back. It’s a good thing I took an extra day off for work. This was supposed to be a nice, relaxing day before returning. Alas… A tale for the memoirs!
Scott Bilodeau's Meandering Babbles 