Ode to Switzerland

I think we can all safely agree that a major component to the whole teach abroad thing, particularly in Europe, is the ability to travel to other places. This is not groundbreaking news. However, I fully acknowledge it may seem strange that I dedicate an entire post to a country that is… not the one I’m currently living and teaching in. I feel the need to preface this by saying that I thoroughly enjoy living in the Czech Republic. It’s only October and I’m already sad about the end of the school year. I feel extremely lucky to be here. And speaking of luck, I also happen to have family that lives in Lausanne, Switzerland. Which means I got to spend some time en Suisse/ in der Schweiz before arriving in Prague.

My journey began auspiciously at a Buffalo Wild Wings bar in JFK, where I bonded with an army vet over grapefruit margaritas and his life story. I thankfully proceeded to sleep through the entire flight to Geneva. I needed the rest because it turns out dragging 10 months worth of luggage on a commuter rail is not an effortless task. Thankfully, there were many strapping men who graciously answered my sweaty merci beaucoups with a polite je vous en prie. I met my cousin and her boyfriend in Lausanne, where we quickly prepared for a three-day backpacking trip through the Swiss Alps. 

We stayed at a campground cabin in Lauterbrunnen, a tiny village nestled in the middle of the mountains about half an hour from Interlaken. From there we had access to incredible day hikes in the region. For me, it was the perfect backpacking trip because it involved neither real backpacking nor sleeping in a tent. We were quite laissez-faire (or as the Swiss Germans would say, gewährenlassen) about our schedule. Our mornings were generally lazy; we took our time eating pastries from a local shop and having coffee at a cafe run exclusively by men of the Chris Hemsworth variety. Our afternoon hikes were spectacular and more often than not accompanied by brown cows. There’s nothing quite like the sound of both mooing and church bells in the middle of the alps. I went full Von Trapp.

On our first full day back in Lausanne we took the train to a town called Rivaz. The entire village is essentially a winery overlooking Lac Leman. After hiking through the vineyards we did an unbelievable white wine tasting. In our wine-induced state, we missed our train back to Lausanne by a minute and had to wait another hour. But, it turns out the station was right on a beach on the lake. After about five minutes of staring at the most beautifully clear water I’ve ever seen, I stripped and dove in. Best swim of my life.

The next day we took a ferry from Lausanne across the lake to Evian, France. Yes, as in the water that, like many French things, seems to think it’s too good for you. However, our international pilgrimage was not in search of overly-priced bottled water, but rather, a petite creperie that was, in a word, transcendent. It was compulsory to have two courses of crepes, savory followed by sweet. The savory crepes in this region are made from buckwheat, which makes them a lot heartier and more nutritious. I ate two huge crepes by myself with no trouble at all.

Our last excursion was to the town of Gruyere. Yes, as in the cheese. We went under pretenses of taking a hike and then, maybe… you know, we’d also eat some cheese. We made a nice show of exploring the town for 20 minutes before heading to a restaurant, the minute it opened for lunch, and stuffing our faces with fondue and raclette. Do you see a theme developing here? After lunch would have been a nice time to go on our intended hike. Instead, we rolled right on to the Nestle Factory. Yes, as in the chocolate. In case you were worried the cheese-fest best suited for a 15th-century king wasn’t enough for us, don’t fear. We also ate enough chocolate to send us into full comas for the rest of the day.

Winter is coming here in the Czech Republic. And while the wide assortment of heavy soups, stewed veggies, and roasted meat will certainly keep me warm throughout the season, I'll certainly still find myself indulging in the memories of warm weather, white wine, and Swiss chocolate!