Hello My Faithful Readers:
Blog: January 13th, 2016
I've posted a few pictures below this blog.
I have safely returned to Georgia after my fabulous
trip. As you know, I have been writing only one blog per month; however, so
much has happened since I last left you in December that one blog won’t be enough
– so I will also blog at the end of January. I will share in this blog my
travel adventures in Switzerland (part 1) and will continue with the Rhine
River Cruise (part 2) in the next blog.
So here we go the beginning of my last six months
here in Georgia as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
To begin, Christmas Day, December 25th,
is not the ONLY day that Christmas is celebrated. This is a strange sensation
for me to have Christmas good wishes offered on a day other than December 25th. The Georgian people celebrate Orthodox
Christmas on January 7th. I have listed the link below which will
provide information on Alilo.
I returned from my travels thinking that I would be
celebrating Christmas with my host family; however, I was surprised to learn
that my family was not at home in Sagarejo. All had gone, with the exception of
the grandmother, to the family of my host mother in Imerti (which is out west
in Georgia). This was a surprise as I had arranged my plans to make sure that I
was home to celebrate their Christmas with them; but, I could understand why
they wanted to go. My host grandmother and I muddled through together; but, it
was really quiet. Food was in limited supply; mostly potatoes and chicken broth
for the next few days. I had come home with a cold; so, it was nice to have a
very peaceful couple of days to recover. Neighbors hollered Christmas greetings
and of course the dogs in the neighbor barked and cried as usual.
So, this time of quiet gave me time to reflect on
the trip I had just returned from…and here is my story J
I arrived in Zurich Switzerland on Christmas Eve,
2015. My flights from Tbilisi to Istanbul and then from Istanbul to Zurich were
flawless. I really like Turkish Airlines and even more so; I know my way around
the Istanbul airport now like the back of my hand. I arranged for
transportation to the hotel and all went like clockwork. The hotel was OK. It
was the Hotel Continental (link below). It was very old world; in fact I thought
at first glance that maybe the keys would be on the board behind the reception
desk. That was not the case; but, I think you get the picture.
They had mulled wine in the lobby along with butter
cookies that I took full advantage of. I’ve never had mulled wine so this was a
new experience for me.
The first thing I wanted to do in Zurich was to open
up a numbered bank account; however, I was told it is not so easy to do that
any longer. The minimum amount to open an account is 100,000 Swiss Francs (as
Switzerland is not part of the EU they don’t use the euro). Since I was a
couple of Swiss Francs short; well, that ended that conversation.
The city was really quiet as it was Christmas. I fell
in love with the city. The tour company arranged a Zurich City walking and bus
tour. Since there was little traffic we got to see a lot of the city. The city
was like a postcard. As all of Switzerland was untouched by WW2; so I could
feel myself drifting back in time absorbing the Limmat River and Lake Zurich.
The weather was excellent; in fact, at times we could have taken our coats off.
No snow, which was disappointing.
The train station, which was within walking distance
of my hotel, was tremendous. I spent a good bit of time there as I so enjoy
being a part of the comings and goings. I was told that the Zurich train station is
the world’s most frequently served railway stations with 2,915 trains every
day. The Christmas market was still in play; so it was a frantic experience
watching the shoppers as well as all the items for sale. I tried to use the
bathroom; however, it cost 2 Swiss Francs (which I thought was a lot). So, I’d
wait until I got back to the hotel J
During our walking tour a question came up that I
have wondered about; and that is, how did Switzerland remain neutral during the
war? According to our tour guide; there is a very simple answer. That is,
Hitler allowed it. The story goes that Hitler knew he could take the country
anytime he wanted. Hitler also thought that Switzerland was like a “safety
deposit box.” When the war was over and he would have access to all the assets
within Switzerland as well as have a country that would have been untouched by
the war. These are the reasons Switzerland was allowed to stay neutral. Now, I
don’t know what if anything I’ve written is true; but that is the way it was
explained…..
On Christmas Day I connected with a local family
that belongs to the SERVAS organization I belong to. What a wonderful
experience that was. A husband and wife picked me up at the hotel and off we
went, via the tram, to Grossmunster Church (link below) for a Christmas
afternoon concert. Full orchestra as well as choir performed for 90 minutes, or
more. The place was packed and since we arrived a little early we had terrific
seats.
Being the city gal that I am, my SERVAS family gave
me a day pass for the buses and trams. The transportation system is easy, clean
and fast. I just loved being a part of the crowds getting on and off public
transportation.
After the concert we went to a local coffee house to
have coffee and then headed out to their apartment; using first a tram and then
a bus. It took about 30minutes to get to their place. Their view is of the Alps
and they showed me in the distance where I would be the next day, Mount
Pilatus. The day was so clear so we could see for miles and miles. A dinner of
salad, fish and vegetables was served, along with wine and great conversation.
All in all – it was a Christmas I won’t soon forget. I spent about 10 hours
with this couple and it was like the blink of an eye.
I felt so comfortable in Zurich; I felt that I would
be able to navigate myself around without any problem. Most people in Zurich
speak English; so that was easy also. I could spend this entire blog writing
about Zurich; but it is time to move on.
But before I leave Zurich - a couple of items:
People do not use artificial Christmas Trees in
Switzerland, only real trees. Up until five years ago REAL candles were used on
the Christmas tree (how about that!). At the crosswalks all methods of
transportation STOP and allow passengers to cross. What a unique experience
that was as pedestrians are a privilege class in Switzerland (that alone would
make me move here). The church bells ring for 15 solid and continuous minutes
announcing that services will begin when the bells end. I just love hearing the
bells. It reminds me of England when a wedding is going to take place. I am
told that there is really no unemployment in Zurich and it has been ranked as a
city with the highest quality of life in the world.
We board the bus and will now travel to Lucerne,
which is to the south of Zurich.
Lucerne was very nice but didn’t have the impact of
Zurich, at least for me. However there were some tremendous moments.
We arrived in Lucerne by boat. It took about an hour
and I could not tell you where we boarded the boat from; but, when we left the
boat in Lucerne we were only about a five minute walk to our hotel in Lucerne.
It felt like we were in an industrial district as we were close to the water
front as well as to the train station – but the hotel was OK. The boat was covered so we were warm inside
watching as we floated by the houses that were on or near the river banks. The
futuristic Culture and Convention Center (KKL) was nearby the hotel. This
building is a landmark of Lucerne.
It was like a post card, the scenery along the banks
of the Lucerne River. The scenery was pristine and untouched, or so it seemed
from a distance. I love being on the water so I was in heaven, with my bottle
of beer, in the boat on Lake Lucerne.
The “Lion Monument” in Lucerne was discovered
literally as we were leaving the city to head towards Basel. I was just so-so
and complaining, “Why do I need to get off the bus to see this.” However, it
would have been my loss. I have never seen a sculpture convey such pain and
anguish in stone. The pictures don’t do it justice; but, try and get an
up-close view of this sculpture. Truly it is very moving. I wanted to get close
and touch it; but, there was a pool of water that blocked the way. The monument
is carved into the wall; so, it would have been a neat trick (without a ladder)
to get up there.
Another moment, or really a full day, was the trip
to Mount Pilatus. We had a perfect day for visibility and although it was cold
it was manageable. We took a four person gondola to the mid-point on the
mountain and then the aerial cable car (called Dragon Ride) to the top. The
Cable car held over 50 people (maybe more). It was a thrill to watch and feel this
Dragon inch its way to the landing on Mount Pilatus. I was holding on for dear
life; however, nothing really would have saved us if the Dragon decided
otherwise (smiles).
There is a story that goes along with why this
mountain is called Mount Pilatus. It was named for Pontius Pilate, famous for
washing his hands of the death of Jesus Christ. I am not sure I can do the
story justice; but something about no one wanted to have the bones of Pilate in
their land/country. The corpse moved around quite a bit (of course not on its
own) before it settled on Mount Pilatus. Again, something about each Easter he
rises up from the grave and tries to wash the blood from his hands. I wish I
would have written more of the story down, but it could be just a “Tall Tale.”
But, if you are interested do some research….
I could never say enough about being on Mount
Pilatus. It was breathtaking. At almost 7,000 feet elevation our questions were
how they were able to build a hotel and tourist center in this location? There
were many young people parasailing off the mountain. My heart was racing
watching them get air under their parachute and then have to bank left very
hard in order not to crash into the mountain. What a thrill to watch this. We
had a tremendous view of the Alps in the distance as we were told that Mount
Pilatus is not really part of the mountain Alps chain; but, I didn’t care. I
was overwhelmed with experience.
I had another great experience with another SERVAS
family in Lucerne. These folks (mom, dad and two children – 9 and 11) took me
out to dinner at a local restaurant near the hotel. We talked for hours about
my life, their life, what it is like to live in Switzerland (they are both
Swiss), working in Switzerland and all things pertaining to their children.
There was not an empty moment during dinner. We were all, including the
children, trying to share and ask questions – saying, I’m sorry” for
interrupting (smiles). They all spoke English as most people do in Switzerland.
We talked about how expensive it is to live in Switzerland and how privileged
they felt to live where they do. (They live about an hour outside of Lucerne).
I am so glad that I made prior arrangements to meet them; my experience with
them absolutely made me richer for getting to meet them; as well as, the couple
I met in Zurich.
We did some walking in Lucerne and a group of us had
dinner at a local restaurant. I had a
“rosti” – explanation below. It was OK; but, I was told that there are other
places that make it better.
Rösti
A
flat, hot cake made of grated, cooked jacket or raw potatoes and fried in hot
butter or fat. The dish is bound by nothing apart from the starch contained in
the potatoes.
As we were touring the city a conversation developed
about taxes in Switzerland. Our tour guide said there is a “religious
tax”. You can be catholic, protestant,
or nothing and you pay accordingly. Now, I’ve never heard of something like
that. I asked what would happen if you lied and said nothing (which means you
don’t have any tax to pay). Well, if you lied and then needed the Catholic Church,
say to get married or something, then you would be denied access.
There were many, many churches that I avoided as I
had enough of the ABC tour (Another bloody Church), and shopping and stores
were in abundance - Chocolate, bakeries,
watches, clothing, etc., etc. I am not much for shopping while touring so all
these stores really did nothing for me.
We were surprised to learn of “Carnival” in Lucerne.
Towards the end of winter Carnival breaks out in the streets and squares of old
town. It is an outdoor party where chaos and merriment reign and nothing is as
it normally is. Thousands of bizarrely clad people sign and dance away the
winter….it sure sounds like Mardi Gras…
Another conversation that I found interested was the
distinction between “tourist and traveler.’ Back in the day, people who
traveled were call “Travelers” and today, in modern times we are called
“Tourist.” Is there a difference between the meanings of these words? These are the kinds of mental gymnastics my
head goes into while I sit on buses moving between cities. I will ponder this
some more.
As we left Lucerne and traveled to Basel (as that is
where we would connect with the river boat on the Rhine River), we stopped at a
store on the highway. Interesting way they handle the bathrooms. It seems that
people need to pay 1 Swiss Franc in order to use the facilities. Once paid, the
machine gives you a ticket and you can then use the ticket to decrease the cost
of any items that you are buying. Interesting way to get you to separate from
your money….
We arrived in Basel on the Rhine River. This is
where we were to pickup our River Boat. However, before we did that we had a
walking tour and also some free time to explore the city on our own.
Basel was OK. There were lots of stores as we were
in the old part of the city. My friends and I spotted the hot dog shop. Our
tour guide told us that this was a noted attraction in Basel; so of course, we
had to have one. I didn’t measure the hot dog but it was long and it was
wrapped in a large pretzels. Of course, we had to have the mustard that goes
along with us and then, ta da! We were eating lunch out in the street. I
spotted the chestnut vendor and had to have some, so I made my way over with
the loose Swiss Francs I had and purchased all that my money would buy me. I
have never had such big and evenly cooked chestnuts. It was a moment, at least
for me.
The weather was very mild so it was nice to just sit
and watch people, trams, dogs and tourists walk by. The city again felt like a
post card. I thought that Walt Disney did his homework when he recreated Swiss
architecture in his theme parks. The entire experience was peaceful and calm.
We ended our time in Basel, got on the bus and
headed for the ship. I felt like I was in Switzerland for a long time but we
were all looking forward to going to the ship (AMACERTO) and sail the Rhine
River from Basel to Amsterdam.
My next blog (part 2) will begin as I arrive at the
ship and I’m told that I have been upgraded to a stateroom on the top level. I
had my very own balcony (for the first time).
Thank you, My Faithful Readers for sharing my
adventure. I hope that your New Year celebrations were excellent and look
forward to all that is to come in 2016.
Best,
Catherine Lawrence, G14
Peace Corps Volunteer/Georgia – 1/13/16
The
contents of this blog are mine personally and do not reflect any position of
the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps.
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