Adventures of a Wandering Thirtysomething

Switzerland, a new country and a breath of fresh air (not literally, the smoking here is just as bad if not worse). The train ride from Milan to Lucerne was spectacular. It was a truly beautiful way to travel through the Alps. Around every bend were snow capped mountains, crystal clear streams and tiny alpine villages, and the best part of all was that it felt like home. Switzerland was a great way to begin the second half of our trip.

It hit us rather quickly that we were not in Italy anymore. When changing trains in Arth-Goldau, Christina walked right past the departures board, as it proved to be almost unrecognizable. The familiarity of Italy is most definitely gone. No longer can we rely on the advantage of knowing Spanish to cheat our way through communication.

After walking through Lucerne for the afternoon we were excited to finally try new foods other than Italian for dinner. A local German brewery, a Rick Steves recommendation, was the place we had picked only to discover the daily special was spaghetti with ham. Unable to stomach one more Italian meal and unable to read a single other menu item, we fled and regrouped fixing our sights on a hole-in-the-wall Thai place with a back alley entrance. Just our kind of place. We walked in and were amazed at what we found. No hole in the wall, we proceeded to walk down a flight of grand stairs into what looked like a magical Thai paradise. It was a restaurant so beautifully decorated in its culture I felt as though I had stepped into a movie set. Sitting down we quickly glanced at the menu to see what the damage would be and saw that a single order of chicken curry would cost nearly $50.

As we once again fled the scene, water already ordered, we realized that nothing had prepared us for how expensive Switzerland is. Don’t get me wrong, we knew it was expensive. But the prices here can be described as nothing less than theft. Insulted at the notion of paying $50 a plate for one of the cheapest foods around in Seattle (typically $8), our only recourse was to accept the call of the golden arches. The foodie walk of shame landed us front and center at a McDonald’s menu where a small meal deal started at $12 and up, and the “dollar menu” replaced with fewer items starting at $2.50 each. In the end we ended up at a different burger joint charging the same prices for a slightly bigger microwave burger, and I proceeded to give the manager the finger with my look as he hollered at me for refilling my 6oz cup of Diet Coke without paying.

Tomorrow we prepare for a day of fasting and lots of fun on Mt. Pilatus.

Photo #1: Lucerne Waterfront

Photo #2: Christina and I on the old wooden bridge across the river.

Photo #3: Monument to the Swiss soldiers killed in WWII.