Discovering Switzerland in America

Time (a Swiss preoccupation, how appropriate) has taught the The Frau that small slices of Switzerland are readily available for her consumption not far from her American home. 

Take this refrigerator at Esther's European Imports in New Glarus, Wisconsin. It's not often a selection of drinks in an American store excites The Frau, but that is because most American shelves are not stocked with Rivella, Elmer Citro, Pepita, and Sinalco. Merci vielmal for this cornucopia of Swissness, Esther from Thun. She has run this shop for many years.


Next, take this shelf. It looks like something found in Switzerland, but nope, this is a shelf at Alp and Dell in Monroe, Wisconsin. It's the largest Emmi cheese dairy outside of Switzerland (they even have a supply of Swiss brown cows and proper Emmi equipment here). Esther's husband, Tony, runs this place and will take your order in Swiss German if you prefer. And guess what, American friends, his shop delivers. So forget that pizza delivery, it's time for a little Raclette this winter.





Then...The Frau was recently wandering the streets of San Francisco, when she found Switzerland at Pier 17. It's an expanding hub of Swiss diplomatic presence in America and it comes with a proper Swiss clock so you're not late to discover it. Expect nothing less.













Finally, The Frau can't help it–she always gets a little nostalgic when she sees this plane, whatever American airport it happens to be waiting in. But she feels very lucky to have gotten to spend almost a month in Switzerland this year and even more time experiencing the American side of Switzerland. And there's a lot of Switzerland still waiting to be discovered in the United States. 

A Bit of Swiss. In Indiana.

The Frau went to Indiana for vacation last week. (Yes, Yodelers, you heard The Frau right. Indiana. The part not far from Gary. Yes.)

The sunset from the beach in Dune Acres with the
Chicago skyline in the background

Now, after running around places like the Alps, Italy, China, and Spain over the last decade, The Frau never thought she’d go to Indiana for a vacation, but Indiana, specifically the lake-hugging area between Dune Acres and Beverly Shores, has a lot to offer–including, who knew, a little Swissness.

Therefore, if you must know, The Frau recommends going to Indiana for those looking for a little Switzerland in the Midwest. (And also for those who love climbing dunes and enjoying sunsets on the beach.)

Wooded path to Mount Baldy

First of all, this area in Indiana’s northwest corner boasts a lot of biking and hiking paths. In the Indiana Dunes State Park, there are over 16 miles of trails and there are 50 miles more if you count the trails in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, which surrounds the state park. There are paths through marshes, bogs, along the lake, in the dunes, in the woods, and through the prairies. It’s wonderful.

The Three Dune Challenge in
Indiana Dunes State Park

Dune path to the lake

Then, there are pedestrian and bike crossings that go over busy streets like U.S. 12 and U.S. 20 so you don’t have to wait for traffic or fear for your life as you cross the street. (The Frau wishes the Chicago area would take as much care of its pedestrians and bikers as the area between Gary and Michigan City does.)

If you rent a beach house in Dune Acres, a lakeside resort village, then you will also enjoy practically car-less streets, Swiss-style hills, lake access, and a quietly well-located wooded area that allows you to get to the State Park, many hiking and biking trails, as well as to Chesterton via bike instead of car.

European Market in Chesterton

Chesterton, a small village in the area, hosts a European Market every Saturday. How European the market is is debatable, but The Frau did find this gem: A Bit of Swiss.

Bit of Swiss

At first, The Frau was annoyed because A Bit of Swiss wasn’t really very Swiss. It had homemade breads and Danishes that were very yummy looking, but not very Swiss looking. But then, after she ate a raspberry Danish, she got less annoyed. Because can you blame A Bit of Swiss for not being Swiss? It’s owned by an American named Tim. The reality is, it’s an American bakery with a few French baking traditions thrown in for fun. Which is great. Just not Swiss.

This begs the question: Can an American ever be Swiss? The longer The Frau has been back in the U.S., the less Swiss she is becoming. And while she’ll always carry a bit of Swiss in her heart, like the Bit of Swiss bakery, in the end, good or bad, she’ll always be more American than anything else.

Why is Switzerland so expensive?

Zurich is one of the most expensive cities in the world.

The Frau has always wondered why Switzerland is so expensive. So she decided to officially find out.

The good news? 

Yes, it is more expensive (lots more expensive!), but if you're working there, you'll save lots of money anyway. 

Read more in The Frau's latest piece for WSJ Expat: Why Switzerland Causes Price Shock and What You Can Do About It.

The U.S. is very American. Unlike The Frau.

The Frau’s first Fourth of July on American soil in about a decade began with hot dog buns and Nutella, a surprisingly good combination.

Another good combination? Being in the U.S. when celebrating an American holiday. Because despite her attempts over the last decade to celebrate the Fourth by wearing her “America” t-shirt and having a Happy Meal at a Swiss McDonald’s, it’s not always the happiest thing to celebrate an American holiday when the country you are living in is having a workday.

Nevertheless, The Frau will never be 100% American ever again. She realized this several times on the Fourth of July.

Attempted 4th of July Party at The Frau's old
office in Zurich, Switzerland

The first time was when she was waiting in line with Toddler M to ride the red and blue blow up slide in Hinsdale. There was a guard in front of the slide, and he only let two kids on it at a time. Which meant the line was really, really long. The situation felt overcautious and American, and it brought The Frau back to Switzerland, when, during SlowUp events, there was a similar blow up slide and kids of all ages were on it, pushing and shoving their way up it. The Frau wishes there was a happy cultural medium, but when it comes to blow up slides, the level of cautiousness appears to be all or nothing.

The second time The Frau realized she was a little different now was at Centennial Beach in Naperville. She walked into the changing room and it was crowded with women and kids just standing there. She was confused as to why they were all standing around. Then she realized they were in line—for the five changing rooms with doors. Well. The Frau, having been trained European style, had no shame and just changed into her bathing suit right in front of them all, stuck her stuff in a locker, and went out to enjoy the beach instead of her privacy.

Anyhow, if The Frau was a little different this year, the American fireworks were the same. They were big and wonderful. And spending the entire weekend celebrating with various friends and family was too.

You Know You're in Switzerland When…

an ass is beautiful.

everything is just a bit more expensive.

plain m&m's are a new phenomenon.

How do you know you're in Switzerland?

Drive Crazy in Switzerland

For a country with such high fines for driving under the influence or speeding (one million franc speeding fine, anyone?), The Frau finds crazydrive.ch quite the hilarious name for a Swiss driving school. Especially since the school proudly drives around Baden with the "CrazyDrive" name on their car. Another reason to hire an English copywriter in Switzerland and another reason not to have a car.

3 Ways You Know You're in Switzerland

You know you're in Switzerland when...


You're landing at the country's largest airport and this is what you see...

Road delays are due more to cows than construction...

And you are always reminded that you better be punctual. Even on a bike ride.

How do you know you're in Switzerland?

Biking in Switzerland

Switzerland has a 9,000-kilometer cycle network. Nevertheless, almost every Sunday during the summer, the country shuts down at least 30 kilometers of roads for cycling events known as Slow Up.

The Frau loves Slow Up events. Last week, Baby M experienced her first Slow Up on the back of Mister Frau’s bike in a Römer Jockey bike seat purchased for CHF 20 from the Yahoo Expat Group.

Switzerland always knows what time it is–
even on a bike route in the middle of nowhere.

Together, The Frau's family biked 39 km during the Brugg Slow Up. (Baby M even enjoyed it, if you don’t count the last five kilometers, when she screamed her head off.)

Anyway, along the route was the usual free Rivella (nice if you like Rivellla...), free granola bars, raclette tent, and entertaining atmosphere. Swiss biking outfits consisted of everything from people wearing jeans and dress shoes to guys wearing red snowflake sweaters despite the 75-degree weather. There were dogs in bike carriers, men in wheelchairs, and expats like The Frau feeling good about themselves because they actually passed real Swiss people on hills.

But the best thing on the Slow Up trail had to be this clock. Because this is a country obsessed with time. So you'll want make the most of it–even on a bike!

Why the Swiss are skinny

The Frau once got an email from someone in England wondering if she could explain why the Swiss were so skinny.

The Frau gets a lot of strange emails.

Still, The Frau thought about it. Pondered it. Too many mountains? Too many cigarettes? But she never came to a real conclusion.

Until she made her first box of non-imported brownies and realized something:

One box does not fit all, fellow yodelers.

An American box of brownies would fill a normal-sized baking pan.

A Swiss box of brownies (see photo) won’t come close. That's why they include their own paper pan inside the package.

So now The Frau can explain why the Swiss are so skinny. Or rather, she’ll let her Swiss brownie package, which is supposed to serve 16, speak for itself.

En guete, mitenand.