Construction Country

I have come to the conclusion that Switzerland is the loudest country I have ever lived in. At this very moment, my roof is being drilled. Whether or not it's actually my roof is not the point, the point is, it sounds like my roof is being drilled and that is not a very pleasant thing to listen to. This drilling started last week, and according to a letter I can sort of read, it appears as though the drilling will keep going until the end of the month.

Of course, they couldn't coordinate the drilling project with the restoration of the clock tower, which just concluded last week after 18 months. Just as I was cheering the fact that this obnoxious project was finally over, I get a letter informing me of another.

Now I don't know, maybe I just had bad luck in choosing an apartment. Because besides being surrounded by non-stop construction projects, I'm surrounded by all night festivals like Carnival and Badenfahrt which force me either to flee the country or feel jet lagged for days.

But the fact is, it seems no matter where you go in Switzerland you see one of two things: a crane or a hole in the ground. And both come with curious Swiss people reading detailed construction project signs as though they were the Magna Carta.

Part of the noise problem stems from the fact that the Swiss have so much money they don't have anything better to do with it than renovate and rebuild things that don't need either renovating or rebuilding. The road in front of my apartment has been dug up and repaved so many times I've lost count. And last year, they replaced all the windows on our building except mine and my neighbor's, so clearly, they were just bored because our windows are just fine as they are.

With the recession hitting Switzerland, you'd think the construction would come to a halt or at least a low roar. But alas, as I sit here listening to yet another day of pounding, all I can think is, please Switzerland, it's time to scale back and cut costs. Or at the very least, spare your residents a free set of earplugs.

Blogging For Business (and Pleasure)

Many expats I know have blogs. Most start out as journals to connect with people back home. But some, like Toma Haines' blog, The Antiques Diva, inspire full-blown businesses. (Haines' tour business, inspired from her blog, now gives up to 48 antique shopping tours a year in various locals like Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin.)

Then there are expat blogs like Swisstory that make money through different kinds of advertising like the Amazon affiliate program.

As one gets established in the blogging world, working as a professional blogger is also a possibility. For example, Jul of This Non-American Life, has blogged for several b5media sites and yours truly has blogged for swissinfo.org, glimpse.org, and affordablecallingcards.net.

To find out more about how some expats are turning their joy of blogging into a (small) business, read my article, Blogging for Business (and Pleasure), in this month's Swiss News.

What the Swiss Laugh At

Is it me, or does it sometimes seem like the Swiss have no sense of humor? I've had a number of experiences that have just left me confused:

1. Once, when ordering tickets at the SBB ticket window, the agent asked me if I had a student ID card so I could get the student discount. I laughed, thanking him for the compliment, but telling him I wasn't a student. Instead of joking back, he got all serious on me, "Oh I'm sorry, ma'am," he said without a smile.

2. Sarcasm. The Swiss just don't get it. Unfortunately, as a copywriter, my preferred headlines were always sarcastic, but my Swiss boss would just stare at them and scratch his head while a South African guy I worked with would laugh and laugh.

There are many other experiences, but the point is, the Swiss do have a sense of humor, and we foreigners just don't see it. Because what do the Swiss laugh at? Us.

According to the Witzerland exhibit at the Landesmuseum, the Swiss laugh mainly at foreigners.


If you don't believe me, here are some examples:

Making Fun of the Russians:


Making Fun of the Polish:


Making fun of dark-skinned foreigners:


To see these "jokes" and more, the Witzerland exhibit at the Landesmuseum in Zurich goes until September 13th. But it's probably only worth spending the CHF 10 if you can read a bit of German. The exhibits aren't translated so you can either read them or you can't. But either way, you might end up confused anyway, like I was by this:


This one, however, made perfect sense, especially if you consider how fast change comes to Switzerland:

The Bürgenstock Felsenweg Hike. So easy, you could do it in flip flops!

To justify buying expensive Salomon hiking boots this weekend, I had to go on a hike. So I read Lonely Planet's Walking in Switzerland book in order to find a hike rated "easy".

No, I'm not a wimp. Only an experienced judge of my ability as it relates to the author's. Based on my last experience with this book, I wasn't going to choose anything rated even "easy-medium". Because the 5 Lakes Hike, rated "easy-medium" by the book, turned out to be so challenging, that I almost didn't make it back to the cable car before it closed at 5.30 p.m.

Now I consider myself in good shape. I jog. I bike. I hike. I climb 500 stairs just to get to the path of one of my favorite jogging paths above Wettington. But all of this doesn't matter; every time I go to the Alps, they kick my butt.

This time was no exception. I chose the Bürgenstock Felsenweg hike, which is an "easy" and scenic hike along the side of a ridge overlooking Lake Lucerne. The first 30 minutes of the hike was easy and flat. But then my husband and I of course had to take a detour to ride the overpriced but facinating Hammetschwand-Lift (a crazy elevator that literally takes you 160 m further up the side of the mountain).
This lift cost 500 million Francs to build in 1905 and only the Swiss would spend that much for the novelty of proving they could do it.

But I digress. Since my husband and I paid a grand total of CHF 18 to ride for two minutes in this Swiss mountain elevator, we decided to hike down to Ennetbürgen from there instead of riding the elevator back down again. Either way, we'd end up in the same place--the Ennetbürgen Post bus stop.

This part of the hike was not easy. The terrain was steep. We walked through mud, wooded paths with lots of rocks and roots, and through steep grassy mountain fields that only resembled a path because of the red and white painted hiking sign and the narrow line of trampled grass. But once again, I was shown up by the Swiss, who found the hike so "easy" that they were doing it wearing flip flops, leather dress shoes, and ballet flats.

I almost felt foolish for wearing my new fancy hiking boots until I finally saw someone else wearing a similar pair. About to point her out to my husband, I looked up and realized this women must have been at least 80 years old. But still. It felt good to see I wasn't the only one who felt the trail warranted something other than what I would wear to the office.

The Top 8 Undiscovered Swiss Towns

To help you avoid the getting caught on hundreds of other vacationers’ souvenir snapshots this summer, here are eight undiscovered Swiss towns (brought to you in a two-part series, click here for Part 2), that all offer something unique—from a spa with the most mineral-rich water in Switzerland to three grand Roman castles you can call your own.

Baden

Baden means, “to bathe”, and this medieval spa town boasts the most mineral-rich water in Switzerland. Complete with bubbling lounge chairs and rows of jets carefully measured for a complete massage, the Baden spa is also lit by candlelight on weekend nights in the winters. So let the rest of the tourists flock to Vals for their wellness escapes. Baden, (the choice of Goethe and Nietzsche) is where exapts (and travelers) looking to avoid the crowds relax today.

Gandria (pictured above)

Palm and olive trees frame this colorful cliff-clinging town on Lake Lugano. Narrow lanes, locals that greet you with “Buon giorno,” and restaurants that cook with the locally produced olive oil, make Gandria an atmospheric boat trip from Lugano —especially if you plan on stocking up on handmade ceramics. But for those that depart without heavy bags, a well marked, (but not too well-traveled) olive tree trail winds back along the lake.

Neuchatel

Mix fine wines, watches, and yellow limestone buildings, and you’ve got the recipe for a town Dumas described as being carved out of butter. Only 12 miles from France, Switzerland’s French-speaking university town comes complete with a Gothic cathedral and a 15th century castle. Walk along the lake, admire the fountains in the old town, or take a hike through the vineyards—anything to work up an excuse to eat at a brasserie.

Seengen

Find the middle of nowhere and make it the center of the universe. That’s pretty much how it feels standing in front of the Hallwyl Castle in Seengen. Complete with a moat and a grassy courtyard, the castle also holds performances of operas and plays. From the castle, it’s only a 15-minute walk to Lake Hallwil, where the day can be completed via a boat ride, a swim, or a stroll past the many vineyards.

Stay tuned next week for Part 2. But in the meantime, what do you think? What are the best undiscovered Swiss spots you’ve found?

Won't You Be My Neighbor (And Tell Me Your First Name?!)

Even though we share a wall, it took me over a year to learn my Swiss neighbor's first name, not to mention get to know her. But the struggle was worth it. Three years later, we're great friends. We go flower picking together. We complain about noise together. We even drink together (like we're going to do tonight). But in Switzerland, making friends is a long process. Maybe some of you have stories about making Swiss friends. If so, I'd love to hear them.

Anyhow, I wanted to share my story about making friends in Switzerland, "A Raging Party Turned by 73-year-old Neighbor Into My Friend" . It's up on glimpse.org and is the featured story.

(photo above by Brian Opyd)

When and Where to see the Lavender in Provence

The lavender in Provence is something that you shouldn't miss if you're living in Europe.

It's not just the sight of endless waves of purple, but also the sound of thousands of bees. And the smell of the perfume that only thousands of lavender plants can fill the air with.

I've gotten a lot of questions recently on when and where to see the lavender in Provence.

Here's a short run down:

When: The lavender blooms in Provence from the end of June until about mid-August when they celebrate with harvest festivals.

Where: The two main lavender areas I recommend are around Sault and the plain of Valensole. I highly recommend staying in a Gite (a family-owned, restored country manor house) to round out your French experience. The owners may not speak English, but all of the ones I have met are still able to communicate with you.

If you're looking for a place to stay right in the middle of the lavender, I highly recommend La Bastide des Bourguets (The photo above was taken from their property). It's a beautifully restored country manor house. It has spotless huge rooms and bathrooms and a fantastic owner who doesn't speak English, but will make sure you understand her anyway. Open your window from one of her rooms, and you'll see and smell the lavender since it's right outside your door. She also rents out little free-standing houses by the week.

The Russians are Coming!

The other night, my doorbell rang.

This kind of event used to freak me out because I figured it was either my neighbor complaining about the way I was doing my laundry or an unknown person that I definitely wouldn't understand.

It took three years, but now I'm to the point where I don't mind opening my door and seeing who's there because I can finally talk and understand German. Over the last few weeks, I've had some interesting people knocking:

-Two women from Jehovah's Witness that wanted to give me a German Bible
-A guy from the local TV station that wanted to film an event in Baden from my balcony (but offered no money)

But perhaps this week's topped them all:

-A guy from Russia wearing a gigantic fanny pack that was filled with wooden Russian nesting dolls that he wanted to sell me.

I can't wait to see who next week will bring...

And how about you? What surprise visitors have you had at your door lately?

When in France...

don't run over their favorite food.

The Cost of Driving in France

Anyone doing a road trip in Europe knows that gas prices are sky-high. For the equivalent of a gallon of gas, one will pay between $6.40 and $7.92 this summer in France. To fill up our little Ford Focus cost an average of 80 EUR ($115) for an entire tank of gas. Can you imagine the outrage if Americans had to pay this much to drive in the U.S.? (And as a side note, this is the one area where Switzerland actually looks cheap. Gas in Switzerland is about $5.88 a gallon. What a deal!)

The other thing the French get you on are the toll roads. To drive from Geneva, Switzerland to Marseille, France on the highway for example, will cost you about 50 EUR ($70) in tolls. I have to hand it to the French though. They're really putting your toll money to work. The one accident we saw only cost us two minutes of time and the French had vans complete with flashing accident signs and also an official "accident woman" waving a red flag in front of the flashing vans in case all of those florescent lights weren't enough.

So you won't waste time due to accidents on French toll roads, but you will waste time at toll booths, spending 20 minutes in line for the honor of paying your 20 Euros for an hour of driving time. These booths are terribly slow, like most things French, and don't always function correctly. One booth we sat in line for rejected all coins put in it, and this caused much strife among the French, some of who were driving horizontally across the highway "parking lot" to find a better functioning booth. It was a mess.

The third way driving is costly in France is because of crazy ratings that make certain little cities (Gordes, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, Roussillon) believe they are worthy of a big parking charge. The French like to rate their cities with nicknames like "One of the most beautiful" or with flowers instead of stars. A French city with a 4-flower rating will definitely charge you at least 4 EUR for the pleasure of parking on the far end of it.

A French man we met at a B&B in Sault was really upset about all of these parking charges and they are kind of ridiculous. It's this crazy French attitude that "We're beautiful and you will pay." So after paying parking fee after parking fee, my husband and I decided to visit the cities NOT rated as the most beautiful and we were rewarded for our efforts with free parking and fewer tourists. I highly recommend places like Sault, Simiane la Rotonde, and Aurel where beauty and FREE parking abound. That, in my book, is a five-star place to explore.

(It must not be "one of the most beautiful cities" because it has free parking...this is pretty Simiane la Rotonde, a bit off the tourist route and thank goodness.)

Germany: Easy to Love

A friend of mine recently had his first experience driving on Germany's Autobahn. He loved making his American-made rental car race the BMWs but it just made me wonder, why do people in Germany drive so fast?

Then I went to a Galeria Kaufhof and it all became clear. The Germans can't help it--not only do they have no speed limits but they're also high on sugar.

Between the availability of Cherry Coke and the Jelly Belly bars at the Galeria Kaufhof in Munich, where I can pick out all the cotton candy, popcorn, and coconut flavored jelly beans without having to deal with mint, I have to say, the availability of products at the top of the food pyramid in Germany is quite astounding. As an American who used to survive on junk food before she moved to Switzerland and was forced to buy fresh, I can't help but thank Germany for encouraging me to enjoy a sugar high on every visit over the border.

Driving in Colmar

When driving near Colmar, France, you'll come across many interesting things:


-A roadside Buffalo Grill complete with a Native American as a mascot.


-Endless "toutes directions" signs, encouraging you that no matter what, you can't be going the wrong way.


-Lady Liberty*, greeting you in the middle of a roundabout. If you can't get enough of the novelty, no problem, just keep circling.

*The Lady Liberty creator, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, was born in Colmar, thus the reason for the hulking highway statue.

All The Pretty Little Swiss Boys

I don't know about you, but I find Swiss pageants some of the most entertaining things on Swiss TV (Swiss dating shows are right up there too). Because of my strange infatuation with the Mister Switzerland pageant, I couldn't help but write a whole essay about it (let's be honest, any show where the audience brings genuine cowbells to cheer on their male beauty king of choice has to be good). Anyhow, I'm sorry to report that my favored candidate, the lad from Aargau, didn't even make the top 8. But despite it all, I was still inspired to write the essay, "Showtime in Switzerland", which you can read online or in July's issue of Swiss News.

Another Reason I Love France

For any of you that grew up with a name that was a little less than popular in your home country, maybe you'll understand another reason why I love France:

Falling in Love with the Alsace

In the last few years, I've been to a number of old towns in Europe. Unfortunately, after awhile, they all seem to blend to together. So when we headed to the Alsace area over the weekend, I wasn't expecting much.

But the little villages in this area are just charming. I wanted to hug them. People were handing out samples of sausages, wines, macaroons, and kugelhopfs out the windows. And who can resist that generosity combined with half-timbered houses that were all competing for best floral design of the year?

We stayed in Eguisheim (about 6k south of Colmar) at a B&B that wins best value of the year in my book. It is run by Marie-Therese and Albert Bombenger, whose house sits on a vineyard right outside town. And the best part was, they both spoke French and German, so we could communicate just fine. I highly recommend a stay here, and for 42 EUR/night including breakfast, it's the deal of the century in Europe and you'll feel right at home.

I also recommend visiting Kaysersberg and Riquewihr, two other adorable villages in the area.

Reveling in Germany

Every time I go to Germany I can't help but revel in both the language and the prices of things. This has nothing to do with loving Germany over Switzerland, it's just a few things I appreciate when I cross the border.

I understand people. I don't have to ask them to repeat in High German. I meet native German speakers who have the same trouble as I do understanding Swiss German and this makes me feel better-like a cute 90-year old German woman who owns a little pension in Staufen. After I told this woman that I speak German because I've lived in Switzerland for three years, I also mentioned that my German isn't perfect yet because it's hard to learn German in Switzerland. She patted me on the shoulder and laughed, saying it was hard for her to understand the Swiss too, and then proceeded to give me a basket of cherries as a parting gift.

Then there are the prices. In my few days in Germany over the weekend, I had pasta dinners, I had meat dishes, and I had sodas and beers to go with. Each meal I ate would always amount to about 10 Euros (about 15 CHF) and this was in nice restaurants with great food and no smoking allowed. It was bliss. Why, Switzerland, can't you achieve this? I can't eat out here for less than 25 CHF and I have to smell smoke (at least in most cantons) while doing it.

I love a lot that Switzerland has to offer--endless hiking/biking trails, natural beauty, concern for environment, and the possibly the best public transport system in Europe. And while no place is perfect, Switzerland might be close if only it could add a little of what I love about Germany to the mix.

Happy Father's Day

pictured above, Zurich's Landesmuseum

In honor of Father's Day this year, I wanted to post an essay about my father that I was published last year in the Christian Science Monitor to celebrate the holiday. It is called "Dad's Museum Mania," and is all about how I used to have to take a quiz after every museum visit before I could have ice cream.

I can't quite figure out if the Swiss celebrate Father's Day. I know they celebrate Mother's Day, so I would assume they would also celebrate the other half, but I have seen no signs of Father's Day in the stores. Maybe it's another weekend or time of year?

Three Years Today

So I went to pick up a couple of friends from the Zurich Airport this morning when I realized, exactly three years ago today, I was arriving at the airport to live in Switzerland.

It brought back a lot of memories, from lost luggage filled with everything in my life that I couldn't bear to lose (was found the following day), to trying to order a sandwich and not understanding what I was ordering, to the shock over the price of a taxi from the Zurich Airport to Baden (CHF 120)--especially one that couldn't even find where we were staying and left us and 10 bags of luggage on a bridge in Baden to fend for ourselves.

Anyhow, it's all been a wonderful adventure filled with stories good and bad. But I wouldn't trade the experience of living abroad for anything. From seeing most of Europe to understanding what it really means to be an American, it's all a part of the expat package.

Hello? Oh wait...

I’ve been living in Switzerland for three years as of this coming Friday. And I still can’t seem to get the hang of Swiss phone etiquette.

The problem is, if I don’t recognize the number of the caller, I’m not sure how to answer it. Should I answer the American way, with just a “Hello”? The professional English-speaker way, with my first and last name? Or the Swiss way, with “Frau X”, said in a tone that’s as threatening as possible?

No matter the decision, it’s usually the wrong one and I end up with silence on the other end while the caller gets over their initial “greeting shock” and tries to figure out how to talk to a crazy person like me.

This morning was no exception. I went with the professional English-speaker version of “hello” and heard nothing but silence on the other end.

Then, after about five seconds, the caller cleared her voice and said, “Frau X?” I answered, “ja” and then, relieved by my one German mumble, she blabbed full-steam ahead in Swiss German.

Finally, when she came up for air, I told her I understand “not so good” Swiss German and could she please repeat everything in High German. After that, all was klar (at least as klar as it was going to get), and just when I was congratulating myself for surviving yet another Swiss phone call, she says, “Auf Wiedersehen, Frau X.” And I know that I’m supposed to answer back, “Auf Wiedersehen, Frau Y.” Except I can’t remember her name because my brain was too busy processing the whole phone etiquette/language thing only to result in being a failure at both.

So I say a simple “Auf Wiedersehen,” leaving out her name and then hang up and curse the phone.

When it comes to the foreign phone experience, I’ll never win. The only thing all of us living abroad can do is continue to encourage e-mail use. It really is the best technology for foreign communication, where we have the two things we need most on our side: time and google translate.

Gambling in Switzerland

The other night, my husband and I were walking home when a Baden Casino taxi dropped a man off in the center of town. He walked in front of us all the way to the UBS, where he took out money and then got back in the Casino taxi. I don't know if gambling is a big problem in Switzerland, but according to a recent article on swissinfo.ch, many Swiss "gamble their life away."

When I was outside the Baden Casino taking this picture, a guy came out of the casino and asked me for 3 CHF so he could pay the parking meter. I'm guessing he was losing. I only had my camera with me and nothing else so giving the guy money wasn't even an option, but please. This guy obviously had money to throw away gambling so I wasn't about to take pity on him for parking meter change. Besides, the Casino Taxi was parked right in front of us. An ATM was a short ride (or walk) away.

My neighbor is an avid gambler. We just saw her yesterday heading out with her "Casino Tasche", a special purse she uses only for gambling. A few months ago, I went to my first Swiss casino with her as my tour guide. You can read about the experience in this month's Swiss News, or by clicking here.

Have any of you visited a Swiss casino? What was your experience like?

How to Speak "Swiss"

No matter how good my German gets, I'll always be labeled a foreigner in Switzerland. Last week, I was at an "Information Day" for residents of my town, when the woman giving the presentation asked if anyone would prefer she speak in high German as opposed to Swiss German. No one said anything after a second, but finally, just as I got brave enough to say, "Ja", another woman joined me. Immediately, the entire room of people turned to stare at who the two "foreigners" were. I tried to look innocent.

Despite the stigma attached to wanting high German spoken, I was glad I went through the pain since I could understand about 80-85% of the presentation that way. If it had been given in Swiss German, I probably would have been at about 20% comprehension--the languages are that different.

How to speak "Swiss" is a complicated question, but one I've tried to answer in a fun way in the piece "How to speak Swiss" for National Geographic's glimpse.org. Check it out. I'd be happy to know what you think. And thanks again to all of my linguistically talented translators for your help with this piece.

Another "Foreigner" Moment

Often in the "Expat Adventure" column that I write for Swiss News, I talk about moments that could only happen when one lives or travels abroad. These are often moments when one feels stupid because of not understanding a part of the culture, language, or situation they find themselves in. Of course, these moments, while stressful at the time, are usually the ones I laugh about most after the fact, and to me, they are the reason living abroad will never get old.

One of these moments happened to my husband and me last week in Sweden. After buying some items from the grocery store for a picnic, we made ourselves comfortable on a bench on the island of Djurgarden. A woman came and sat on the other side of the bench while my husband took out his beverage and took a gulp, only to practically scream bloody murder at what he had just drunk.

"Try this," he urged me, as he coughed and choked his way back to recovery.

What had looked like an innocent fruit juice called "Bob" had actually been a syrup, and the amount my husband had digested in his big gulp probably had enough power to make at least a liter of strawberry juice.

While he turned green, the woman on the bench laughed and turned to me and said in perfect English (as all Swedes do),

"That stuff will last him a long time."

She was right. For the rest of the trip, Bob came with us so we could mix a little in our water at every opportunity. But Bob outlasted us and we had to dump him at the airport before leaving Stockholm. Because no matter how attached to his fruity flavor we'd become at that point, the airport security wouldn't let us take anything but the memory of him back home with us.

What You'll See in Stockholm

Last weekend, I went to Stockholm and this is what I saw:







In case you couldn't guess, H&M is a Swedish company. And not only have they taken over the world, they've taken over Stockholm. One could spend the entire day, going from one H&M to the next without much effort since many are just on opposite sides of the street from each other, like you can see in the last photo. Unfortunately, I couldn't capture the fact that there were actually THREE H&Ms all together on one street corner. So if you love this store, you now know where to plan your next European get-away.

Is Swiss Transportation too good?

photo by Brian Opyd

The Swiss train will bring you to the bus that brings you to the cable car that brings you to that beautiful meadow in the middle of nowhere. Amazing. And all connections will have minimal waiting time. But is this minimal connection time really ideal?

Of course, if you've just got yourself to worry about, five minutes to go from track 54 to track 18 is no big deal. But add a few pieces of luggage, a stroller the size of an SUV, or a group of clueless visitors trailing behind you, and you're just setting yourself up for a world of pain.

The Swiss senior citizens, though, are the champions at tight connection times-probably because they have hiking poles to push through the crowds with. We should all get some of those. They seem effective. In fact, my mother-in-law actually stopped a Swiss train dead in its tracks with a hiking pole. Talk about power.

What do you think about Swiss public transport? On one hand, it's wonderful. On the other hand, I'm out of breath.

Read more at "Swiss Transportation: Almost too good?" on glimpse.org.

Spring Swiss Flower Tours

Ever since I visited the tulip fields in Holland last year I’ve become a flower freak. My father wasn’t shy to point out, that on his visit to Switzerland this May, I took him and my mother to no less than three fields of flowers—all in the middle of nowhere.

The first flower adventure I took them on was to the mustard fields near Wettington. Every May in Switzerland, hundreds of these bright yellow patches seem to appear everywhere around the country. They are to Switzerland what the lavender fields are to Provence.


The next flower adventure was even more remote—the fields of narcissus near Montreux. Although there are specific tours that will take you to see them, they are in French, the website is in French, and like most French things, they aren’t excited about translating them. But since I’m the impatient type and like my information fast and furious, I made up my own tour based on theirs and took my family on a train to Caux. From there, we hiked up about a half hour and finally discovered beautiful fields of these white flowers, which, according to a local, are becoming rarer and rarer as the years go on. If you speak French and want a tour, or just want to wing it like me, the flowers/tours are supposedly around until June 7.

The final flower adventure took place at les Jardins du Chateau de Vullierens. The iris festival here is really in the middle of nowhere but that never stopped the Swiss transportation system. From Morges, you take a post bus (tell the driver where you’re going so he stops at the appropriate stop as you’ll have no clue when to request a “stop” and the busses don’t tell you what the next stops are). It’s worth the bus adventure though, to see the huge fields of irises that are found at this castle. You can order some for your own garden there too. There are hundreds of shapes and colors. The garden is open until June 28 and costs 15 CHF to enter. There’s a cute café there as well that serves fantastic pastries. Be sure to check departure times if you’re taking the bus, as it doesn’t run very often.

Alternative to Interlaken: Thun

A few posts back, it was discussed that the city of Interlaken is Switzerland's ultimate tourist trap. Hooter's. Japanese Gardens. Loud motorcycles. The town's got everything but the traditional Swiss feeling people go there to find. So what's a traveler in the area to do?

Go to Thun.

Recommended by Romy, in the comment section from the "What happened to Interlaken" post, Thun really is worth a day trip. A Swiss friend from Appenzell also recommended it to me, so with the parents in town, we went last week, and it was wonderful.

Now you won't see Thun in most guidebooks. Usually this is a good sign as the amount of space something takes up in a guidebook usually corresponds to the amount of unfortunate neon signage that you'll encounter when you get there. So I always make it a point to take the less trampled, less written about places.

It's easy to get to Thun from Interlaken and the best way is by boat. (from anywhere else in Switzerland, check the train schedule here)

Get on the boat to Thun (takes 2 hours total from Interlaken). Stop by Spiez on the way and visit the castle there. After peeking around the castle grounds, jump back on the next boat and take it to Thun. On the way, you'll pass by several other gorgeous castles. When you get to Thun, enjoy a restaurant on the river. Afterwards, climb a castle that's so uncrowded that you'll feel like you own it. At the top, enjoy the views of the Alps, the lake, and the river and then stop by a spotless garbage recepticle and throw away that Interlaken-touting guidebook. Now that's what I'd call happily ever after.

Swiss Budget Hotels

I was recently enjoying a long weekend in Lausanne and staying at the lovely Hotel Regina, which, despite the price, is apparently considered a "Swiss Budget Hotel."

In Switzerland, CHF 188 ($174) a night for a hotel is "budget."

As most Americans who have visited or attempted to live in Switzerland know, the Swiss have a very different definition of the word "budget." The Swiss Budget Hotel guide is a great example of this. Here, the hotels listed include places that cost CHF 250 ($230) a night. And I don't know about you, but I find that far from the "budget" I used to know.

Another crazy thing about Switzerland is what people consider a sale. Getting excited about a 50% discount is one thing. But in Switzerland, people get excited about 10% off.

For example, RailAway often has some deals on trips and places within Switzerland, but these involve buying the tickets at the departure station from the counter, which, more often than not, is filled with lines of confused people and usually not worth the 2 CHF I might save on the entrance to the Ballenberg Museum, for example. If I'm going to wait in a line the length of a Swiss bus, then I want to save more than 2 CHF.

When friends and family visit with their American perceptions of "budget", I always find myself apologizing for the high prices. I mean, you can't eat dinner for less than about CHF 50 for two people. But, nevertheless, if I pay CHF 50 for a meal for two now, I remark, "what a great deal." I guess I'm becoming slightly less price sensitive in my old expat status.

Smile in the Sun

Has anyone else living in Switzerland noticed that people are much more friendly when the sun's out?

I did the same hike on Monday that I did today, the only difference was the weather. Today was sunny and warm and almost everyone I passed said "hello". Some even smiled. This was in stark contrast to the hike on Monday when no one I passed even acknowledged my existence.

Is it all in my head? What do you think? To read more on this topic, visit "The Smiling Swiss" on glimpse.org.

The Saturday Market in Baden

I hate to admit it, but sometimes I don't make it to the Baden Saturday Market because it only goes until 11:30 and even though I live right above it all, I'm often too tired to make it there after being woken up at 6:00 by the noise of the preparation.

This Saturday, not only did I get there, I did what I had never done before at the Saturday Baden Market. I got something for free. Yes, you heard me right. There was an apero advertised to celebrate the moving of the market from one side of the clock tower to another and apparently this occasion warranted a few men to dress in velvet, fire a canon, and give away free wine, apple juice, breads, cheeses, and vegetables. It was quite the party and I enjoyed it.

But the best part was that now the market is resuming its original, pre-construction (and historically correct) position so hopefully my Saturday mornings (street sweepers aside) will be a little more peaceful. And for that reason alone, I'm glad I made it to the celebration. The whole free part just made it that more special.

Support Writers Worth Day

I'll take a break from Switzerland for a moment to let any writers and bloggers out there know about what's coming up on Friday. May 15 is Writers Worth Day. Spread the word. If you post about it on your blog, you can even win an amazon gift certificate by linking back to Words on the Page, which is a blog about the writing life by Lori Widmer, a veteran writer and editor.

Widmer, founder of Writers Worth Day, says, “Writers Worth Day was established in response to the increasing amount of job postings that offer little, if any, compensation for the amount of work expected.”

While I don't answer postings like this, I'm always amazed at the number of requests I get that ask if I can share my blog posts on another site or write a piece for free in exchange for "exposure." Please. It's one thing if I had something to sell. But it's another when what I'm selling is my writing. These publications and editors claim to have no budget and expect me to feel sorry for them. I don't.

As a writer, I don't work for free. And neither should you. Because it only ends up hurting all of us in the end. Writers make little enough as it is. We need to stand up for ourselves and "just say no." It worked for drugs. It can work for us too.

If you've got a great blog post or a great idea or a great essay, it will sell. You just have to be patient and keep trying. Giving things away for free is not the answer. If someone wants to use your blog material on another site, do what the professionals do and ask for a reasonable syndication fee. Or don't do it. It's not worth it to let dreams of Google Ad money (which will amount to probably 2 cents) get in the way of the future of the writing profession.

I can see it now, the procession of writers becoming IT professionals just so no one will ever ask them to work for free again. All the content we'll see on the Internet will be written by those with a terrible command of grammar but a great appetite for exposure. But the writing will be so bad, everyone will stop reading. And then where will that leave us?

To read more about Writers Worth Day and more about why writing for free is detrimental, visit the official press release.

A New Love for Lawn Art

I used to think lawn art was tacky and stupid, but that was when I was in the U.S., when more often than not, it consisted of a bunch of pink plastic flamingos or a few lighted Biblical figures. This kind of plastic city was considered festive by some, but let's face it, it wasn't exactly subtle and often took the spotlight away from any shrubbery that dared get in the way.

But then there are Gnomes. These little creatures are in a class by themselves. They hide under trees or among flowers and seem much more civilized than a bunch of hot pink flamingos.

Before I came to Switzerland, where gnomes were born in the tiny town of Grafenroda, I never gave gnomes much thought. But now, after seeing them everywhere, I have finally fallen in love with something that could be classified as a decorative garden accessory. With a new found appreciate for lawn art, I bought my own little gnome, who now proudly sits where he belongs, between a pine and some pink geraniums.

Expat Voices Interview

Last week I was interviewed for the Expat Voices column on expatica.com, which is a website for all things expat related. So if you haven't gotten enough of my musings about life in Switzerland on this blog, you can get your fill by reading the Expatica article.

The article is full of all things super thoughtful--like the fact that festival or not, brass bands and raclette cheese really should not be in a tunnel. But then again, life in Switzerland wouldn't be so interesting without a party for every construction triumph. So on second thought, keep the crazy tunnel festivals. Words over 15 letters though, those I could do without.

Zurich's Fall From Grace

Some people like rankings, so for those of you into this kind of thing, the 2009 Mercer report on the cities with the highest quality of life in the world just came out. So let's forget, for a moment, what the heck happened to Interlaken (it isn't even in the top 50, imagine that) and let's talk about what the heck happened to Zurich? It has fallen from its #1 ranking last year to #2 (following Vienna) this year.

Was it the weather? The street sweeper who forgot a cigarette butt one morning? The one delayed train? To try to make sense of the senseless, read more on Zurich's Fall from Grace, by visiting the Raclette Rant, over on glimpse.org. Or, for another expat's take on the disaster, visit Swisstory Blog.

What happened to Interlaken?

When I came to Switzerland in 2005 as a tourist, I thought Interlaken was God's gift to mountain beauty. So needless to say, I always get a little emotional about going back there only to realize the place is a tourist trap full of fake fondue and plastic signage.

Ok, maybe the fondue isn't exactly fake, but it's not exactly the real deal when you have to stare at a room full of Americans and Japanese photographing their every bite while eating it. In fact, the tourist office in Interlaken has definitely zeroed in on their target audience and installed both a Hooter's Restaurant and a Japanese Garden since I was there last. And you have to give them credit, they know how to give back to those who love them.

"This place really terrible," said my Swiss friend Peter, as we gave up our search for a quaint lunch spot and ate at the Coop Restaurant near the train station instead. And trust me, it takes a lot for Peter to eat at a Coop, which he claims is no different than eating in a nursing home.

In any case, the Coop Restaurant was the best Interlaken had to offer in terms of the tourist/local ratio, so we enjoyed our Coop salad and spaghetti accordingly.

For those of you looking for an Interlaken alternative, may I suggest Mürren or Grindelwald, both which are much less offensive when it comes to restaurant signage and general tackiness.

Mister Switzerland/Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera is Crowned

If you've lived in Switzerland long enough, you've no doubt heard of the beauty pageants Mister Switzerland and Miss Switzerland. They are really popular events here. Mr. Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera just concluded this weekend, and involved running commentary in the papers weeks before the actual jury on everything from how much chest hair is reasonable to if a sense of humor is important in the winner.

It's pretty amazing, actually, how hyped it all is, but then again, you can only read so much about Paris Hilton before going overboard, and these pageants appear to be developed to channel some of the attention away from Brangelina and Lindsay Lohan and onto a few good farm boys from Aargau.

This year, I even got wrapped up in the Mister Switzerland thing. It was stupid, I know, but when you're stuck on a train with people coughing in your face, sometimes the freebie paper, "20 Minuten", is your only defense so you read it out of protecting yourself from infection more than anything.

But then, in the middle of blocking yet another Swiss sneeze, it happens. You start following Switzerland's attempt at celebrity making.

I watched the whole Mister Switzerland pageant myself on Saturday night. I was amazed by a few things:
1. The event was actually run in Italian since usually the Swiss seem to ignore that part of the country.
2. Christa Rigozzi, hostess and former Miss Switzerland, spoke Italian and German together like they were one language.
3. The entire audience sang "Happy Birthday" to Christa in English (it was her 26th, in case you cared).

But mostly, I was disappointed by the whole event because the entire broadcast was more like one big informercial for Turkey than a beauty pageant. All we saw in between the guys posing in various suits were clips of them on vacation in Turkey. There was no live talent show. There was no bathing suit competition. Just clips and clips of the guys in Turkey. It got old. There was no drama, unless you count pre-filmed footage of a Swiss farm boy falling off water skis off the Turkish coast drama.

Anyhow, the winner of the whole letdown event was Andre Reithebuch, maybe because he didn't fall off his water skis while in Turkey. Either way, I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot more of him in the year ahead. Like it or not.

Customer Service in Switzerland

So my last post for the Write On blog went up last week and it already seems to have caused some, how shall I put it, emotional reactions. Apparently, the level of customer service in Switzerland is a touchy subject and one that always seems to spark debate. Of course, it all depends on your background and what you got used to growing up.

I have to admit, when I return now to the U.S., some aspects of customer service really seem overboard--like the waitresses that never leave you alone and are way too perky for someone carrying around constant 32 oz refills of soda. Still, I do appreciate other things--like being able to easily return items with no questions asked and sometimes even being given an additional incentive for my "trouble".

What's your take on the whole customer service thing? Would love to hear from you. Visit my last Write On post and leave a comment.