This was a last minute, why-not trip to be reunited with Leigh (you may remember her from the Paris trip) in Switzerland. Zurich is officially the most expensive city to live in and a budget traveller like myself would be batshit crazy to travel there, and I honestly would not consider it if it weren’t for Leigh. The luck of 573 four-leaf clovers and “crickie” the lucky cricket from Mulan showered down on her for 8 months as she worked as an aupere for a next-to-perfect Swiss family in a ridiculously amazing house overlooking lake Zurich, (nearly) all expenses paid. I mean, wtf?!
Destination: Zürich, Intelaken, Zermatt, Lucerne
When: Friday 10 April – Sunday 12 April 2015
Where: A central european utopia wedged in between Italy, Germany and France
Why: Free accom, free food, free rides… need I say more? And also may because of the fact that Switzerland is goddamn oasis.
Highlights: being in a car again, cheese fondue, Lake Zurich, Lucerne, the perfection that is Switzerland, 20 Questions
First class service of private car pick up met me upon arrival (thanks lele) and first stop was the Lindt Factory (OMG) followed by a drive by the house that silver fox, George Clooney was meant to move into (DOUBLE OMG) which ended at the freaking perfection of a house that Leigh had been living in the past however many months. Disbelief. That’s the word.
I was introduced to the beauty of Lake Zurich, the old traditions of the Swiss, CHEESE FREAKING FONDUE, unjustifiably sky high prices, quality swiss beer and what it really means to live comfortably.
The next day: Roadtriiip! Lunch box packed with aussie goodies, we set off to explore the wonders of Interlaken and Zermatt to get a geaz at the Matterhorn. The drive was absolutely breathtaking… it honestly looked like a painting. Believe me, hundreds of photos through the car window were taken (that don’t do it justice). Upon finally making it to Zermatt, the fog decided to come too. Fog that would eventually stop us from seeing the one thing we wanted to witness – the Matterhorn. Cool. We ended up opting for a postcard as an attempt at consolation instead.
Can I just say now, technology is NOT to be trusted. Just when we thought our luck couldn’t get much worse, what should have been a 3-4 houur drive back home turned into a mind-numbing (bum numbing) 7 hour trek. Ha. Thanks to snow-ins and an unreliable TomTom, we found ourselves driving back and forth in the middle of Switzerland. I can tell you now, I have never played that many rounds of 20 Questions before (level: expert). I have never held my pee in for that long either. That was a whole ‘nother level of bonding. Even delving into primary school memories happened.
The last day was spent visiting the gorgeous city of Lucerne, eating sushi by the lake and taking in the breathtaking views that Switzerland has to offer one last time. It was an incredible weekend and definitely an amazing way to say goodbye to Leigh before she left Europe (a week later). I will be back, for sure – my body will always be ready for cheese fondue.
NB: Note the date of trip. Haaa ha. I’m very organised and up-to-date as you can see. Thought I’d share this with all of you anyway (I’m also super nostalgic).
angelica la viajera 