A Miss in Swiss

First and foremost, I wish you all a belated Happy New Year!

 

In Japan, the Year of the Dragon is over and we’re now welcoming the Year of the Snake. All of the traditional New Year’s cards, called Nengajo, have lots of cute little snake motifs and designs on them. My favorite design was a pair of snakes holding hammers in their tails and pounding mocha together- a traditional new year activity.

 

Of course, Christmas and New Year meant winter break, and winter break always means that I go on a long trip. This year, I was feeling a bit “Asia’d Out” so I packed my bags and headed to Switzerland in hopes of a good time and meeting up with some friends.

 

Zurich

I haven’t been to Europe since my high school graduation trip of 2006 and I’ve matured a lot as a traveler since that whirlwind packaged adventure. This time around, I leisured in the fact that I could wake up whenever I wanted, eat wherever I wanted, and see whatever I wanted.

Something I had forgotten about, however, was money. Switzerland was by far the most expensive place I have been to. I had way more sticker shock in Zurich than I did in Australia. The Swiss do have a pretty awesome standard of living, which is reflective in the prices of daily items, but it’s still not a place for a backpacker on a budget.

The Astrological Clock, Bern

That said, the country is beautiful and people are friendly. I don’t speak German, I can’t even pretend to speak German, but most people there are comfortable fluidly switching into English. I also can’t ski, so you’re probably asking what on earth I did there for 2 weeks. Basically, I walked. A lot. I explored the cities of Zurich, Basel, Bern and Interlaken on foot. Zurich is sprawling but charming. Basel has a hippy, artsy vibe to it. Bern is stunning with its sandstone buildings, winding river and Alps in the background. Interlaken was breathtaking, nestled at the foot of the Bernese Alps and between 2 glassy, clear lakes. 

Lake Thun, Interlaken

 

Chocolate was nibbled, cheese fondue was gorged on, and sausage was savored. Money was spent and money was saved by eating breakfast and dinners in at the hostels I stayed at.

 

Christmas morning was spent meandering around the quiet streets of Basel before my friend M and I sat in on a church service in the main cathedral. I was hoping to at least be familiar with the hymns but even those were different. The only thing I recognized was the Lord’s Prayer near the end of the service as the whole congregation stood up.

 

New Year’s Eve was spent in Interlaken with a bunch of new Australian friends, dancing the night away at a club that was conveniently located in the basement of our hostel. We’d even found a cheap bottle of champagne to celebrate (no small feat since the Swiss like to close up shop several days before and after holidays, and on Sundays regardless of religious holiday).

Staubbach Falls, Lautterbrunnen

Sadly, I was unable to meet up with either one of my friends in Switzerland, but in the end I still had a wonderful time. Don’t let Switzerland’s (true) reputation for being expensive stop you from ever visiting the country-it is absolutely worth it!