Advertisement
Published: November 12th 2005
Pilatus Jump
Notice the lack of railings at seven thousand feet.Hello Reader.
Friday
On Friday, Steffie and I headed to a farmer's museum. It was our last day together and it was great. We walked and talked and enjoyed learning about the evolution of a Southern German farm. We were able to explore old farms with cows, barns, and farmhouses as old as six hundred years. (the farmhouses, not the cows.) We got back home and I spent some time on the internet looking for some people to stay with in Switzerland. Her father broght home some fresh apples and juice from a local, uh, applery. They were crisp and perfect, but not better than the ones we stole a few days earlier. We got in bed early that night and I woke up to another great breakfast.
Saturday
At the table, we discussed the route we would take, because the one we found on mapquest would take us through a toll road which would cost fifty euros for a pass that would be good for the year. (Which Steffie would never use.) After looking at a web of unpronouncable roads on the map for fifteen minutes or so, Heinz said that he would just take us so we
Katrin and Sibylle
My gracious hosts in Frankfurt were a great beginning to the trip. would not get lost, like a family outting. I was so grateful, especially when we stopped for gas and they actually bought the pass. We drove for almost two hours. When we got to Zürich, we couldn't find the hostel. Finally, after thirty minutes and stopping for directions five times, we found it. I checked in, said a fond farewell to the Noppels, and Steffie gave me a wrapped gift. She had given me three pieces of chocolate and a keychain depicting St.Christopher carrying the baby Jesus across a river. A symbol of a safe arrival/return for travelers. It was really nice and is still in my pocket, (the keychain, i ate the chocolate.)
The hostel was huge. It had leather seats in the lobby, a bar, and a fifty-two inch flat screen. They were also hosting a chess tournament. While watching a twelve year old checkmate a middle-aged man in less than five minutes, I met Barnaby. He is a student from Massachussets studying in Florence and taking a weekend trip with his two friends, Al and ('The Don') Jeff. Nice guys.
I went out to get lost in the city on my own while they slept.
The Noppel Family
My family for a week in Bodnegg, Germany. Steffie, Tinsha, Mrs. and Mr.Noppel... and Samy, their man-eating dog. I got on the first tram and had forgotten to pay. So when I got off to transfer to the next tram, I bought a ticket... FOR ALMOST FOUR FRANCS!!! I vowed to never buy another ticket in Zürich. And if they asked, I would, I dunno, start crying or show some cleavage.
That night, we met a couple of girls from Germany and asked if they wanted to go out for some dinner/drinks with us. They wern't hungry, but came with us anyways. They were from Munich and one worked in a hostel. She reported that she was glad to be going out with us because she isn't allowed to make fun of Americans at work... This should have sent up a flag. After laughing off about twenty remarks stereotyping Americans, she pointed to a McDonalds and said 'ooh, look Americans, a McDonalds.' I can take a lot, but don't knock the 'Mickey-Ds.' I said, 'Oh, great, let's eat there cause we always eat there and get fatter and lazzier every time we do. I guess you really know Americans, we're all the same, right?' She started to say something, but it was too late, 'Tell me about
On the Bus in Zurich
From left to right: Jeff, Al, Barnaby, and Alta on a bus we didn't pay to ride. (please take note of the father and son in the seat behind, they will forever be remembered.) Germany's unemployment rate, and how do you feel about Eastern Germany, and didn't your country just appoint a female chancellor?' She retorted, 'I could say a lot of bad stuff about Americans, you know.' 'Then why don't you?' I answered my own question, 'cause that would be mean, wouldn't it?' She chilled out after that. I suprised myself a little, it is not like me to say something like that. But in retrospect, it felt rightous.
After grabbing some grub, and a beer from a bar, the four of us (we ditched the girls in the bar) went to see 'the forty year old virgin.' The subtitles were in German and French... and there was an intermission...? We waited twenty minutes for a night bus back to the hostel and then another hour on the bus itself. I crashed, clothed, despite the locomotive sleeping in the bed next to me.
Sunday
I woke up and greeted the two Italians who were also staying in the room. They were in town for David Copperfield. Not just to see a show, but to see three shows. One was a big fan, and the other was a magician. He showed
Rules at the Zurich Zoo
No pets and no roller-blading backwards while skateboarding. me a couple of neat tricks, one of them envolving materializing a cigarette out of a ball of flame. Sergio gave me his e-mail and told me to contact him when I go to rome.
The boys and I met a girl named Alta from Calgary, Alberta, Canada during breakfast. A laughy girl who will be traveling for a month in Europe. We all went to the zoo. They have this interesting part of the park that is like a rainforest safari, it holds exotic animals and the like. I somehow walked passed the entrance to it...? But everything else I saw was great, especially the monkey rooms. And I was sure to stay clear of the bat cave. Bad bad bat memories.
Back at the hostel, I completely crushed Barnaby in a half game of chess, which involves removing half the pieces. (Unfortunately, he beat me twice in regular games... but those don't count.) They left for Florence at ten pm and Alta and I chatted and slept. (But not at the same time, or in the same bed.)
Monday
The morning was cold and foggy and got a really late start seeing the city.
I found my way up to the University of Zürich and filed into a massive building with heavy doors. I followed some students into a large auditorium and sat down nervously. There were about one hundred and thirty students, I had a good chance no one would single me out. I started scribbling furiously in my leather bound journal to make myself look busy. No one talks to busy people. The class started and I was safe. The professor spoke, of course, in German, but the subject was Calculus, Statistics, Probability, or Egyption Hyroglyphics. Either way, I ducked out after thrity minutes of pretending to know what was going on.
I met a guy named Junio when I asked for help in the school's computer lab. A seemingly nice guy who spoke at great length about the end of the world over some McDonalds. A nice hand shake and a quick departure, then I sped home, checking every once in a while to make sure the apocolypse wasn't sneaking up behind me.
A quick hello to Alta and her new friend Tiina, with two just in case she loses one. (She is from Finland.) And I went straight
The Kunsthaus Zurich
Jorge and Tiina taking a rest after touring the museum. to bed.
Tuesday
Alta and I headed to see churches in Zürich. One of them had a room filled with amazing stain glass windows. They were modern and beautiful, made by Marc Chagall. We went to another church and met a guy named Jorge from Columbia. He was traveling for a couple of weeks I think around Switzerland. He told us about the Lindt chocolate factory just a short bus ride away, it was a no brainer. We got on the bus and for some strange reason Alta and I bought a ticket, I was a little more reluctant than she. It was expensive (eleven francs) but it would last twenty-four hours. I was reading the sign that said 'eighty franc fine for those caught traveling without a ticket,' and muttering to myself that they never check anyway, when a short gentleman in a black hat and bad breath boarded the bus and asked to see my ticket. It was the only time in four days that I had even seen someone checking tickets.
If that isn't luck, I don't know what is.
We arrived at the factory and excitement filled our minds as the aroma
Lucerne, Switzerland
An old bridge crossing the river in Lucerne. of pure chocolate filled our noses. At the top of some stairs, there was a large Lindt store and a woman speaking to me in Itailan, cause I guess I look like I speak Italian, saying that the tour/museum was closed for renovation. We cured our dispair by purchasing loads of chocolate... well, I only spend five francs, but it helped nonetheless.
We went to the art museum Kunsthaus, in Zürich. There the three of us met with Tiina-two-eyes and explored. My favorite was Manet, an impressionist artist, Marc Chagall, and Van Gogh, also impressionist. We walked Jorge to his hostel, (he was collecting his bag because he was taking a late train out... Tiina was two... i mean, too.) I used the cheap internet to confirm some couchsurfing in Lucerne (Luzern). On the bus back, Alta and I met a traveler from Mexico, currently staying in Madrid. Our eyes glassed over at his detailed description of the nightlife in Madrid. His stories only whet my appitite, which I later had to satiate with some chocolate.
Wednesday
Alta and I failed at waking up on time. We caught a ten o'clock train to beautiful Luzern. I was going
Pilatus
View from the peak. to stay in the city for a few days and she was just day tripping. We followed the 'memorized' directions to where we were to meet my hostess. Daniela works in a cinema and loves movies. We were off to a good start. She walked me and Alta to the flat where she and her boyfriend, Thomas, lived. She showed me a bed with a satin blanket, not a couch. I think I remember hugging her. She also gave me a key and said 'is curry stir fry okay for six thirty tonight?' I think I remember crying.
Alta, or 'Tall Girl' as I appropriately called her, and I then set out for the city streets. Walking about thirty minutes, we suprisingly ran into Jorge. Following an enthusiastic greeting, he said that we had to go to the top of a mountain. So we went to the train station, which DIDN'T offer a student discount, and bought a ticket which would allow us passage to the peak of Pilatus, the King of Mountains that overlooked Luzern. Thirty-eight francs, and a frantic rush to find our bus, later, we found ourselves arriving at a ski-lift type contraption.
The small
Blues Festival in Lucerne
These are some great names in Blues, playing for me, for free. cab ride seemed endless. We had made it up to where the trees ended and then took a larger lift to the very top. The view was again amazing. It was exhilarating being at the top, but I hadn't earned it like I did when I went with Steffie. Pilatus may have had a better view, but the feeling was deeper after having climbed Hochgrat. The climb, by the way, to the top of Pilatus would have taken over five hours, climbing gear, and Tinkerbell. After eight thousand pictures, we met Eric, a traveler of five months who had just been graduated from Northwestern University in Chi-town. He told us stories and made jokes. He was a stand up guy.
We ate cheap pizza with separated toppings and went looking for a blues festival supposedly going on around here. We found it at the (really fancy) Casino by the lake. We talked to a large man in a nice suit who said that tonight was the only free night of the festival, the show started at eleven, and there was no dress code. Eric said he'd come naked.
I hugged Alta goodbye and went home to my hosts around seven. They were just finishing preparing dinner and said they were about to call the police to look for me... punctuality was never one of my strong points. The food was delicious and the conversation was great. I thanked them with every breath and she asked me to stop after a while. I get that a lot. Better more than less I say.
I later met up with Jorge and Eric at the concert who had brought Sam, from Canada, and two sisters from Madrid, from whom I recieved e-mail addresses. The music was poppin' and I was happy, mainly cause it was free. And 'Georgia on My Mind' was sung to round out the evening. I got home after one am and slept til eleven.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.092s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 14; qc: 29; dbt: 0.0285s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Zio
non-member comment
DAMN SKIPPY!!!!
And here I tought you had drowned in Lake consanse or was upduckted by thek gnomes that live in the swiss holes in the mountians. Its good to hear from you! the museum you went to wasnt in Gutach? was it? Cause if it was i would be so happy!!!! it sounds right tho.. if its not just let me believe it was. Anywho. The wrist brace is off, and typing hurts. Your pressents is missed here my friend, you've left a void not soon to be filed. But dont worry I have put an add out on Cregs list for a replacement...;)