![]() |
Magnolia's are blooming everywhere |
One of the challenges of visiting Europe is
having an authentic experience outside of touring monuments, museums and
overpriced, crappy restaurants with geographic advantages. Moving to Europe is
no different. In the several years that we’ve been in Switzerland I’ve been
trying to do as the natives do to get this authentic experience. In the first year I got up early, ate late, watched the World Cup, and gorged on
cheese fondue, wine and chocolate because I thought this was European. Oddly
enough, looking around me, I seemed to be the only one gaining weight. So…what
to do to fit in?
It turns out, nothing. When travelling to a
new or exotic location there is sometimes a pressure, a desire to live as the
natives do in order leave ‘touched’ or ‘seasoned’, to come away a different
person than you were before. I took me a while to realise that this will not
necessarily make me a better person because when you get right down to it
African, Spanish, Italian, Chinese or Irish, we all smile, cry and love the
same (perhaps over different things…I’ll never understand Eurovision).
Therefore having a cultural experience isn’t necessarily about becoming a better
person, but sometimes about finding better ways to do things.
For example, in Switzerland everything is closed on Sundays. If you
didn’t get to the grocery store beforehand, you’ll be eating canned beans from
the corner store (and they aren’t on every corner). Some days it’s annoying but
for the most part it means spending time on hobbies, exercise, family during the
weekend. Switzerland is also huge on recycling. Receptacles for batteries,
glass, light bulbs, plastics are 500 metres in every direction and stores that sell electronic devices are
required by law to reaccept and recycle them. I don't have to worry about what to
do with the old blender.
So nowadays I’ve pretty much settled back into rituals I had before coming to Switzerland, like eating dinner early, but I also indulge in the best it has to offer, cheap Italian wine, bike
paths, swimming in the river and my favourite weekend ritual of all….fresh chocolate
croissant from the local baker!
![]() |
This one has a bite out of it, think I'll take it back |
No comments:
Post a Comment