In Switzerland - sort of
I did finally arrive in Switzerland after my layover in London. However my bag with all my climbing gear did not, which has changed our intinerary somewhat but what the hell, I'm not too worried about it. I'm trying not to think of the Thousands of dollars of climbing gear in that bag - gulp. Tom has said they have lost his luggage for weeks before and the bag always comes back.
We have been visiting Tom's friends and they've been very fun and kind hosts. They've felt responsible to give me the "Swiss" experience so I have had a fondue at one friends place, a raqlette at another. Tom was here before me and he had already had cheese 4 days in a row but he was game to eat more. The other bonus so far is in addition to cheeze Tom's friends love wine so I have been treated to some very good vino! Oh and lets not forget the coffee, the swiss take their coffee as seriously as their cheeze. Combine this with driving through the Alps and its a close to heaven as I can get!
We are now in Interlaken staying with Tom's friend Stephan Siegrist, he's a hot-shot climber here and has said we can stay at his place for as long as we like. When we told him that my climbing bag was lost, him and climbing guide - roomate opened up their gear room to me and said "take what you need"Climber hospitality at its finest! They are sponsored by Mammut so the gear, the gear.... grrrrrr oh baby, ya baby! LOL!
We toured the Mamut factory with Tom's good friend who works there. We got some lovely Mammut graft and Thomas gave me a very fun Mammut climbing hold for my climbing gym. Tom's friendships here in Switzerland have a long and obviously very warm and heart felt history. His friends would pull out photo albums of their adventures with Tom in California 10yrs ago. So funny to see them all in the early 80's even. Over the years they have visited each other and travelled to other countries together.
Thomas told Tom that he had booked a hut as a surprise for his girlfriend so invited us along. Tom told me that "hut" in Switzerland is somewhat different than Canada. He called ahead to book our raclette dinner, let just say that it sounds quite posh. He said the swiss get a rude awakening when they show up at a hut in the Canadian Rockies - no shit sherlock. :-) We'll stay there for Christmas Eve to hike with them. We hope to do some climbing on Christmas day - maybe. I really don't care too much if I climb ice or not, I'm having a blast being in different country, eating fabulous food and meeting fun people.
BTW, yes Switzy is expensive and it really, really helps to have people to stay with. Dinners in a resturant are an average of $20 Swiss francs for lunch, (equivalent to a dollar). Coffee is almost $4, bottled water could cost you $7 in the resturant. It is far more reasonable to buy food from the store. Chocolate, wine and cheeze are reasonably priced so Halleluia!
But when I think back on this trip I won't worry about the credit card bill, I'll think back on the warm hospitality and beautiful scenery.
We are off to a train trip up to this little tourist spot in the mountains. I told Tom that since he was with me, this gave him licence to be an unaplogetic tourist this whole trip. I'm not how I'll be able to reciprocate Tom's role as a co-adventurer and a tour guide. I suppose I can take him fishing to Frazer Lake and have my dad force him to drink moonshine and smoked fish?!
Until my next installment
adieu!
We have been visiting Tom's friends and they've been very fun and kind hosts. They've felt responsible to give me the "Swiss" experience so I have had a fondue at one friends place, a raqlette at another. Tom was here before me and he had already had cheese 4 days in a row but he was game to eat more. The other bonus so far is in addition to cheeze Tom's friends love wine so I have been treated to some very good vino! Oh and lets not forget the coffee, the swiss take their coffee as seriously as their cheeze. Combine this with driving through the Alps and its a close to heaven as I can get!
We are now in Interlaken staying with Tom's friend Stephan Siegrist, he's a hot-shot climber here and has said we can stay at his place for as long as we like. When we told him that my climbing bag was lost, him and climbing guide - roomate opened up their gear room to me and said "take what you need"Climber hospitality at its finest! They are sponsored by Mammut so the gear, the gear.... grrrrrr oh baby, ya baby! LOL!
We toured the Mamut factory with Tom's good friend who works there. We got some lovely Mammut graft and Thomas gave me a very fun Mammut climbing hold for my climbing gym. Tom's friendships here in Switzerland have a long and obviously very warm and heart felt history. His friends would pull out photo albums of their adventures with Tom in California 10yrs ago. So funny to see them all in the early 80's even. Over the years they have visited each other and travelled to other countries together.
Thomas told Tom that he had booked a hut as a surprise for his girlfriend so invited us along. Tom told me that "hut" in Switzerland is somewhat different than Canada. He called ahead to book our raclette dinner, let just say that it sounds quite posh. He said the swiss get a rude awakening when they show up at a hut in the Canadian Rockies - no shit sherlock. :-) We'll stay there for Christmas Eve to hike with them. We hope to do some climbing on Christmas day - maybe. I really don't care too much if I climb ice or not, I'm having a blast being in different country, eating fabulous food and meeting fun people.
BTW, yes Switzy is expensive and it really, really helps to have people to stay with. Dinners in a resturant are an average of $20 Swiss francs for lunch, (equivalent to a dollar). Coffee is almost $4, bottled water could cost you $7 in the resturant. It is far more reasonable to buy food from the store. Chocolate, wine and cheeze are reasonably priced so Halleluia!
But when I think back on this trip I won't worry about the credit card bill, I'll think back on the warm hospitality and beautiful scenery.
We are off to a train trip up to this little tourist spot in the mountains. I told Tom that since he was with me, this gave him licence to be an unaplogetic tourist this whole trip. I'm not how I'll be able to reciprocate Tom's role as a co-adventurer and a tour guide. I suppose I can take him fishing to Frazer Lake and have my dad force him to drink moonshine and smoked fish?!
Until my next installment
adieu!
posted by Lise B at Saturday, December 23, 2006
2 Comments:
Okay, spoke to soon in last comment. Fingers crossed that your lost gear finds its way back to you, but what wonderful generosity in getting all that great stuff lent to you, eh? Definitely a high point for this trip. Get it? Climbing? High point? Ha! I slay me!
Looking at the mountains around Interlaken (and the lake of course) while eating fondue and raclette, that sounds like a very nice xmas to me!
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