Four Great Things About the United States

The Frau has been blabbing about all things good and bad in Switzerland for the past two weeks and it’s about time she thanked a few readers who always contribute to discussions. So here's to you, Made in Suisse and Swiss Side Jewellery (check out their blogs!). (And other readers, don’t worry, a reader appreciation post is coming soon where the Frau will honor many more members of her community).

Celebrating July 4th in Switzerland

But first, it's time to honor of the 4^th of July. Yes, today is American Independence Day. And besides wearing white socks and going directly to McDonald’s in her sweaty clothes right after her workout (oh my!), the Frau would like to present four great things (ok, in honor of those gratis American ketchup packets, she’ll throw in a fifth great thing for free) about the United States that she still misses after living abroad for six years.

Friendly, open people who smile

Fine, the Frau may have only asked a stranger in Chicago for directions and in return gotten Jenni’s life story, but somehow, the openness of Americans is something the Frau lifts her big glass of root beer with ice to every time she goes home. Americans are so friendly, the Frau sometimes even finds herself wanting to call her dental office in Chicago just for a few warm fuzzies on one of those dreary days in Switzerland when an icy Swiss receptionist has made the Frau feel as if she is doing something terribly wrong just for calling to make an appointment.

Casual attitudes

Ok, let the Frau be clear: she is not a supporter of pajamas in public. But she is a supporter of the relaxed, anything-goes American attitude that comes with the clothing. And she is definitely a supporter of not dressing up to go to the grocery store.

Affordable housing

Since her little addition to the family last year, the Frau’s apartment has gotten smaller and smaller. While she loves her view as well as her Swiss neighbor, she does not love that to move into—heaven forbid—a place with three (!) bedrooms in the same general location will cost at least CHF 3500 a month not to mention unforeseen cleaning, moving, and bureaucratic expenses. The Frau does not mean to say that housing is affordable everywhere in the United States. But rather, that most three-bedroom apartments outside of a big city center would not have rents in the $3000-range. Heck, the Frau had a monthly mortgage payment on a cute little four-bedroom cape cod in Richmond for less than half the price of her two bedroom apartment in Baden.

Choices

As an American, the Frau likes choices. And she grew up expecting them. But start looking at anything in Switzerland from apartments to soda (we’ll exclude yogurt—somehow, yogurt gets special treatment in Switzerland) and you’ll soon discover that you really have no choice. You’ll be enjoying that specially priced vintage 2012 Coke or Pepsi (but please don’t offer both in one store, that would be too overwhelming!) in a white-walled, white-tiled kitchen whether you like it or not. The Frau misses having an opportunity to enjoy a strawberry cream soda in an orange-painted kitchen. Fine, that might be overkill. But the point is, she could do it. And the Frau misses that “could.”

Leniency

Maybe this goes into the casual attitude category, but here’s the thing: Never in the Frau’s 20+ years in the United States did she ever worry about things like leaving a little lint in the dryer or a little dirt in the gutter. And she always assumed that if you lived in the same apartment for six years, it would be understood that a few scratches on some stuff or a little grime lurking somewhere under the sink spout would be excused. You did live there, right? Wrong, say the Swiss. That little chip in the tile? Well that will cost you your $9000 deposit right there. Apparently, Swiss German doesn’t have a word for “wear and tear” and Frau misses that nice little American concept. Or maybe she just misses the idea of a little leniency. Because while the Swiss may be so perfect they’re hardly human, the Frau is like most Americans: human with a capital H.

What do you love about the United States?

Swiss Holiday Apartments

The key to an affordable and relaxing Swiss vacation? Book a holiday apartment (oh, just listen to how British the Frau is sounding lately!).

Bonus #1: You will be able to cook yourself and therefore avoid overpriced fried potatoes (the Frau just went to a restaurant in Wengen and somehow managed to spend over $50 for two plates of fried potatoes and $12 for a vintage 2012 1.5 liter of Coca-cola).

Bonus #2: You will never have to wonder: will the place be clean? Trust the Frau. Your Swiss apartment rental will be so shiny it would give even Mr. Clean a headache.

Bonus #3: You will avoid overpriced Swiss hotels that call themselves "budget" but charge CHF 200 a night and don't even throw in a bar of soap.

Below are four Swiss apartments in four great areas of Switzerland. The Frau has stayed in all of them. All are worthy of a stay, for various reasons, not the least that the Frau saved you the trouble of worrying if the place would be alright.

Wengen: Apartment Belvedere

4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, sleeps 9 (10 is pushing it)

Pluses: centrally located off the main drag, but in a quiet location, huge very un-Swiss refrigerator and freezer (stocked with ice!!), child friendly (two cots provided with no additional cost plus washing machine inside the apartment), comfortable beds, tons of English books, movies, games (place is owned by Brits, hence also the ice). We were allowed to stay past the 10 a.m. check-out time.

Minuses: no Internet connection (could be a plus depending on your crowd. Mine had iPod Touches and were constantly trying unsuccessfully to break into other networks), Sony PlayStation 2 (minus if you are a wife with a small baby who needs attention and Dad plays FIFA Soccer all day).

Oberwald: Zur Post

Third Floor Apartment

3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, sleeps 6

Pluses: Directly on cross-country ski trail, right above tourist office, right across the street from grocery store, short walk from the train, very affordable (for Switzerland), really nice owners who will pick you and your million bags up from the train station if you have small baby and there is 20 feet of snow (and maybe even if there isn’t). We were allowed to stay an extra day since we were snowed out of the town at the beginning of our booking date.

Minuses: Some of the beds were old, the apartment hasn’t been remodeled for awhile (but it kind of adds to its charm), the only grocery store in the town is very pricey (think double the prices of food at Coop/Migros).

Orselina (Above Locarno): Casa Mari (See above for photo of the Frau on the balcony)

2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, sleeps 4

Pluses: Gorgeous views from dining room and balcony—a great place to watch the clouds when it rains for seven days straight. T.V. was broken (could be a minus depending if you like Italian programming). Beautiful garden and grilling area with palm trees and great views (see below, up huge hill).

Minuses: Up a huge hill and out of town. Nearest bus stop is still a pretty good uphill hike to apartment (not recommended when six months pregnant and carrying tons of luggage or groceries!). Locarno buses are more Italian than Swiss (i.e. never on time). Small grocery store nearby has terrible hours. No info about the area in the apartment.

Bettmeralp: Alpenglueck 39

Studio, sleeps 2

Pluses: Unobstructed mountain views, very comfortable fold-away bed, great price for two people, Internet included, cozy, when we booked through the tourist office, we got free lift tickets for the week (this was in the summer), great village with a Coop and easy access to Aletsch Glacier.

Minuses: down a fairly steep hill (not so fun with luggage—or blisters from hiking), small (but it's a studio so to be expected).

Anyone else have some great Swiss holiday apartments to recommend? The Frau will be looking for her next Fereinwohnung soon.

Save money on your rent

Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren

There's something your landlord probably isn't going to tell you.

The interest rates have fallen in Switzerland and therefore many renters are entitled to a rent decrease. The catch? Unlike rent increases (which have happened to us once already over the last four years) rent decreases don't typically happen automatically (unless you have a really nice landlord).

Please do not let language issues get in the way of your rightful savings like I have been guilty of doing in the past. Here are the basics about what you need to do:

1) Check your lease to see what the national reference rate that your current rent is based from (Hypothekarzinssatz). Our lease, from 2006, shows a rate of 3%, which was later raised in 2008 to 3.5%, which increased our rent a lovely SFr 150/month. The rate has just been lowered to 2.75%, so we should (fingers crossed) be entitled to a nice rent decrease.

2) To qualify for your decrease, you must send a letter by registered mail to the people you rent from. But don't worry, the letter is already written for you. You just need to download it and fill in the blanks. To download your letter, click here. As I understand it, you must send this letter within 30 days and every person listed on your lease must sign it. You can visit the renter's association website for more information by clicking here, where you'll also find the letter available in a Word document.

Here's to trying to save money in Switzerland! Good luck. And if anyone has information on where to find these letters in French, please let me know so I can add the links to help our friends on the other side of the roesti ditch.

Has anyone had success with rent reduction in Switzerland? Please share.

3 Ways to Survive the Next Family Visit

It’s that time of year again, when friends and family can’t wait to descend on their little expat. The problem is, the further you move from home, the longer your visitors come to stay. 

It’s all great and fun for the first few days, until suddenly, you really have to pee and your father-in-law is on the toilet. Again. 



It happens to the best of us. The big blowout where at about day five of their visit, you just can’t quite stand to have these people you (used to) love in your little European apartment anymore. 

I know because I’ve been there. For almost four years, visitors have come and gone while I’ve laughed, cried, and sometimes even screamed. 


Solution? Go on a trip together where you can have separate bedrooms and bathrooms. Below are a few ideas that will fit with various travel styles but still ensure that everyone can enjoy the time without driving each other crazy.

One: Rent an apartment or chalet in the Swiss Alps.

Renting an apartment costs about 1/3 of the price of a Swiss hotel room (average studio apartment cost is about CHF 60/night). The catch? You have to stay a week. Pas de probleme. Your guests are coming for at least that long, right? Yes. It’s time to get them out of your apartment and into someone elses’. Most tourist offices in Swiss resort towns can help you find an apartment that will meet your needs (i.e. two full bathrooms, etc). Or you can visit myswitzerland.com where there are apartment listings. I just spent a week in an apartment in Bettmeralp, near the Aletsch glacier, and it was wonderful. The apartment was clean and had everything we needed—including a fondue pot.

Two: Go on a Europe Cruise.

Say your family is like mine: a bunch of Americans that have big vacation ideas and even bigger checklists. A Europe Cruise is a great way for them to run around (I mean, see the top sites) while you sit back on board, European-style, with a coffee or glass of wine. Whether you cruise the Danube or the Rhine, go for 15 days or 8, river cruises through Europe can be a relaxing way to spend time with your family. And since you already live in the heart of Europe, they’re easy to get to. One company that offers a good variety of Europe cruises is Viking River Cruises.

Three: Discover your roots.

Many American families have roots in Europe. Heck, they may even call themselves Italians or Swedes even though they are through and through Americans and don’t speak a word of Italian or Swedish. One summer, my family discovered its Italian roots in northern Italy. We found a cemetery, furniture store, and monuments—all filled with our last name. We stayed in a little pension where the owner shared the same last name as one of my father’s cousins. We thought we’d fit right in. But we couldn’t talk to anyone. It was weird. And interesting. And worth it to find out we weren’t exactly as Italian as we thought.

Have you done any of these kinds of trips with your families? Or what do you recommend?