The Heart of Switzerland

In mid-March we ventured to Interlaken for the weekend, which is probably as close as you can get to the heart of Switzerland. It's home to the biggest mountains in the Alps, crazy adventure sports, waterfalls, cliffs and scenery like no where else. Of course, if you're a fan of the Bachelor then you're already familar with Interlaken :)

Although there were no adventure sports for us this go around (supposedly they're not recommended for pregnant women), and the weather was not the most ideal, it's difficult to go to Interlaken and not enjoy it. We spent time hiking through several of the small mountain villages that are perched on ledges with tremendous views of the valleys belows and daunting Alpine peaks above. We saw half frozen over waterfalls and skiers taking advantage of sloppy sky runs. This was my third trip to Interlaken, but it's without a doubt that going to this magical place will never become boring as there is always somewhere new to explore. I look forward to many more trips here that include visiting the top of Jungfrau (otherwise known as the Top of Europe - see my previous post), skiing one of a kind slopes, going to the Piz Gloria at the top of Mt. Schiltorn (famous for providing the setting for a James Bond movie - don't ask me which one), and maybe even running the Jungfrau marathon in 2013 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungfrau_Marathon - call me crazy)!

Here are a few of our photos...

View from our hotel over the town of Interlaken.

View looking back on the Lauterbrunnen Valley.

View from the village of Murren overlooking some of the largest Alpine peaks.

Our first visitor!

Our first visitor was almost two months ago! How time flies - well I figured it was time to recap before our second visitors come this week!

My friend Carolyne from grad school was able to make a quick trip out and we tried to pack in as much as possible into the four days she was here. Lucky for us the timing was perfect to take in some Swiss festivities. Aside from showing off the highlights of Zurich (which really just takes a day), we were able to hit St. Moritz, Luzern, and Interlaken.

St. Moritz is about a 3 hour train ride from Zurich and is in the heart of the Alps. If it sounds familiar to you it's probably because it has been host to the winter Olympics twice and is now more often known for being one of the ritziest ski communities in the Alps. Supposedly if you can afford to go there for a New Year's Eve celebration you're bound to run into a few celebrities. Anyways, we went there to watch White Turf - which is a horse racing competition held for three Sundays in February every year. Yet, it's not just any horse racing track they compete on, it's a track built on a frozen and snowed over lake. And if horse racing on a frozen lake wasn't interesting enough they do different styles of races - some like normal with the jockey riding on the horse, another where the jockeys ride behind the horses in chariots, and even one where the jockeys are being pulled behind the horses on skis!

It was definitely interesting to say the least. Next time we go we will need to figure out how to become a rich Russian horse owner so we can wear our full length fur coats and have a warm fully catered tent to go to in between races!

Second stop during Carolyne's time was Luzern, which is about an hour outside of Zurich. Luzern is a quintessential Swiss town, the true "Heidi Country," sitting on a nice lake with mountains just outside of the city and to top it off Europe's longest covered wooden bridge. Anyways, we went there specifically to take part in Fasnacht - Switzerland's version of Mardi Gras. Well perhaps I should rephrase and say we did not so much "take part" as we just watched the festivities. For the most part Fasnacht involves several large parades (some as early as 5 am) and then music and parties in the street. Perhaps the best part is that not only do the people in the parade get dressed up but the majority of the spectators get dressed up as well, and rumor has it that they work on their costumes for much of the year leading up to the event and it certainly shows!

Finally, we hit Interlaken, about two hours away from Zurich. Interlaken is probably one of the best known places in Switzerland. A starting point for many different ski routes and outdoor activities in some of the highest Alps in Europe. Not to mention many quaint little villages carved into the sides of the mountains. We had an absolutely beautiful day and Carolyne was fortunate enough to be able to venture to the "Top of Europe" the Jungfrau mountain. I'll save that trip for my post-pregnancy days, but even from part of the way to the top I was able to capture some beautiful photos. I was also amazed at how warm it can get when you are 7 or 8 thousand feet high - some people go up there just to sun bathe! Maybe I should have done that instead of having lunch, where I had the luxury of a bird pooping on me, but luckily it missed my lunch and only hit me!

Needless to say we had a great time while Carolyne visited and we hope that down the road we can have just as good of time when all of you come visit!

Better in the U.S. or in Switzerland?

So after living here exactly four months I have accumulated quite a few opinions as to what is better in the U.S. versus what is better in Switzerland. Although my list might lean in favor of the U.S. in terms of size, I might say the quality of things on the list in Switzerland is better... take a look for yourself and then come visit and decide for yourself!

Switzerland

• Outdoor Lifestyle: It simply cannot be beat - mountains, lakes, rivers, and adventure sports abound in this country of the Alps. Not to mention I think I can say that the weather is more reliable. I'm not saying that the weather is always better, but I can guarantee you that the temperature will not range 40 degrees in one 24 hour time span.
• Public Transportation: One word, amazing! It runs on time to just about everywhere you could want across the country. If it is late (which is very rare), there is usually a notification to tell you when it will arrive. The down side - you better learn how to be on time to your stop because the tram or bus won't wait for you!
• Proximity to the rest of Europe: Switzerland is pretty much smack dab in the middle of the continent, which gives it amazing access to every other country. Although Switzerland doesn't have the history of some other countries, you can reach another country that does in any direction within just a few hours. It is the perfect jumping point for exploring so many diverse cultures, histories, and traditions - something the U.S. simply cannot compete with.
• Food: I'm not about to claim that Switzerland has the best food, because I don't think that they do. Especially in Zurich where there is a heavy German influence of meat and potato based foods. However, what I will say is that when the Swiss choose to focus on a certain food they certainly do it well. Here are my favorites:

Cheese - seriously was there any doubt? They have more varieties and ways to prepare it than I ever thought possible. However, they could work on adding a good cheddar cheese to the line-up.

Chocolate - once again, a no-brainer. Good thing I'm pregnant and have a good excuse to eat it.

Bread - many different possibilities here, but butter bread and pretzel bread top my list.

Rosti - you probably haven't heard of this before, but let's just say hashbrowns were never something I would eat regularly before, but the Swiss have found the secret to making this form of potatoes taste better than ever!

United States

• Deodorant: It really is a simple concept - people in the U.S. understand how to wear it and they also sell good brands. I know I'm in for a royal treat come summer and the temperatures get a little warmer, but I've already gotten more than a whiff (or rather lack of it) at the gym.
• Super Target: Or just a regular Target, Walmart, grocery store - you name it. Simply a place that you can buy several things at the same time. Not to mention the ability to drive a car there and buy as much as you want in one trip.
• Trash & Recycling: Trash really isn't too bad in our apartment, but at some apartments you're not allowed to take the trash to the dumpster until the pick-up day, talk about smelly! However, I could do without the $3 garbage bags I have to buy. Also, I miss the good ole American recycling process where I could just put all recyclable materials in one bin and push it to the end of my driveway once a week. Instead I sort it meticulously (which isn't a big deal), and then take glass and plastics to two different drop-off points in my neighborhood, or I wait for the designated paper pick-up day (every other week) or cardboard pick-up (once a month). And let me just say when you're moving into a new place waiting a month to recycle your cardboard it can certainly pile up!
• Gym Attire & Opening Times: In the U.S. for the most part you can wear what you want at the gym. I like this concept - wear what you are comfortable in. At my gym in Switzerland there are two main regulations (although luckily I've noticed they're not as enforced as they could be, just strongly recommended). First, no tank tops and second, wearing pants or shorts that are knee-length. Really? I never even made an attempt at following the shorts rule. And as I've noticed as the temperatures rise (and there is no a/c in most buildings here), I think I will abandon the tank top rule. Oh how I miss wearing what I wanted at 24 hour fitness, and not receiving a dirty look if I went to the gym in my workout attire, not to mention going at any time of the day I wanted. Only two days of the week here does the gym open before 9 am. Oh and finally, why do the Swiss have rules on what you can wear to workout in if before and after they are just going to walk around naked in the locker room for as long as they feel like anyways?
• Owning a house: This one probably isn't fair because I could own a house here, but I'd have to be a millionaire first. So in that respect I'll say that owning a house in the U.S. is better. I miss a good walk-in closet (enough of these wardrobes). And I miss not having "quiet hours," so that I might be allowed to do laundry, run the dishwasher, or my flush my toilet and shower whenever I pleased without being worried that I would "in trouble" with my neighbors.
• Speaking English:What can I say I like being able to understand what people are saying to me? And don't get me wrong I'm learning German, but the problem here is that there are countless numbers of Swiss German dialects and it's more than just having a southern drawl, words and phrases are completely different. And it is just about guaranteed that for every different city or town you go to the language will be slightly different. It's no wonder the Swiss are quiet people - they can't understand one another!
• The Dollar Store: Funny thing is I never really shopped there. However, I miss knowing there is somewhere I could go to shop where prices would be dirt cheap - this simply doesn't exist in Switzerland. In case you missed it, the newest rankings came out a couple months ago and Zurich topped the list of most expensive cities to live in the world!