Turned 21 in Switzerland...Aww Yeah

I turned 21 in a country where it's legal to drink beer and wine when your 16 and hard liqueur when you're 18!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! More on my birthday later in the post but here's me with my first "American legal" alcoholic beverage.

2 weeks ago, Kate and I decided to trek across the country to the city of Basel which sits precariously near the border between France, Germany, and Switzerland. It is a famous art city and this was evident by the myriad frescos, sculptures, and fountains.

Oh, and this.

We spent a great deal of the day getting lost but it was still a good time. I mean, come on, I don't think that you can really have a bad day after seeing a pig train with popping eyes.

That Saturday night was Museum Nacht in St. Gallen which is an event in which all of the museums and art galleries are open from 6 until midnight. I was all geared up to go with my host parents, but at the last minute my host sister (who I like to refer to as my Swisster) surprised us with 3 free tickets to see the musical "Chicago" at the St. Gallen Theatre. 

Let me tell you; if you are ever presented with the opportunity to see "Chicago" in German, you take it because it's fabulous. I spent most of the first act trying to translate the songs in my head (since even "All That Jazz" got the Deutsche treatment). But by the second, I was too tired so I just focused my attention on the amazing sets, staging, and singing. The best part (and the cheese probably stands alone on this one) was when my host parents translated the song titles for me. For instance, the song "Razzle Dazzle" translates in German to "Hocus Pocus" and the song "My Funny Honey" was pared down to simply "My Man". I guess they make sense but the only Hocus Pocus that matters stars Bette Midler.

After the show I went into the city to explore the remnants of the Museum Nacht. I went to one of the prominent churches in the old part of the city because they were having special tours of their tower where you could see a panoramic view of the city. As I approached the church I heard thumping music and opened the door to witness as whole dance party complete with a DJ and uplighting on the organ pipes. It was FABULOUS. I think this just proves that churches are multi-functional spaces with great acoustics. On my way up to the tower, I passed the church bells while climbing the rickety staircase.

Basically living the team dream of being Quasimodo for a night.

Also, I keep seeing this poster when I walk through the city and it's probably one of the top ten things I've seen here so far.

I have absolutely no idea who the Swing Kids are or that a "Swing Miracle" occurred and now there's a true story about it, but I'm glad I know now. So look out, because the Swing Kids of St. Gallen Switzerland are coming to a city near you (unless you live in Boston, Kyoto, or Paris in which case you missed them). The girl with the trombone in particular is giving some major 'tude and spunk and I appreciate it.

Now for my birthday!!!!!!!!!!!! I turned 21 a week ago and I had the best Swiss birthday I would have ever asked for. It was a gorgeous day so I decided to start my 21st year off right by going for my first Swiss run.

This is the "after" picture. Due to the hills and my complete lack of stamina, I did a combination of running and walking. And representing for Pittsburgh.

That night I went out to dinner with my host family and Kate where we all had traditional Swiss dishes. I ate Spaeztli served with meat sauce, which the English version of the menu called "the Swiss response to Italian pasta". If there is pasta in some form or another, I can be trusted to sniff it out. My host parents gave me a box of Lindt truffles and a Swiss army knife and my host sister gave me a scarf. I basically felt like a naturalized Swiss citizen!

The next day, my host mother took Kate and me to Peter and Paul which is a wildlife park where you walk along some paths and observe animals native to the region. There were lots of deer species that live in the mountains and some marmots. I almost took one of those home.

It very nice to see the animals so close and to enjoy the beautiful views of the surrounding area. However, there were some terrifying wild cats. I guess there is a species of cat that's between a domesic house cat and a lynx or something that just roam around the forests of Switzerland. I was kind of horrified because they were basically like house cats but 5 times the size and with weird fur patterns. If you are a cat lover, then clearly this is the country for you because you can see them not only trolling the streets but also in the wild. 

The next day one of our classmates invited Kate and me to come to her house and partake in a very traditional Swiss meal called raclette. Raclette is melted cheese served over potatoes and melted butter....It happened. 

Raclette requires a special griddle where you can cook meat and vegetables on the top and melt the cheese underneath. The pictures above show the process of melting the cheese and subsequently drizzling it over your potatoes. I was over and out after only 1 and a half servings. It was absolutely delicious but definitely a meal you need to train for. Both Kate an I enjoyed it immensely.

In a week and a half, Kate and I will be visiting Rome, Venice, and Paris WHATTTTTT!!! And then my parents and real sister are coming and we are going on the Official "Sound of Music" Tour!!!! Oh, and we're going to Germany and Austria. Stay tuned!!! More adventure and singing to come.

Adventures in Zurich! And the time a cat tried to have lunch with me.

I'm still trying to get my head around the concept that I have been living in Europe for over a month. But, hey!, I'll gladly accept it. What I won't accept is this cat that showed up while Kate and I were eating lunch. This is it touching me. I keep seeing cats just roaming around here. I'm trying to look European by wearing a scarf.

2 weeks ago I visited Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland. It's a kind of fabulous place. First off, please observe this picture of the train station.

I got off my train (Zurich and St. Gallen are only an hour apart by rail, cha-ching!!!!), stepped into the sunlight, turned around, and nearly fainted at the sight. The rest of the world really needs to get its act together if this is what the train station looks like in Zurich. It basically felt like I had stumbled out of Versailles and into Disney World. Best. Ever.

Zurich is known as the financial capital of the country and this was evident by the hulking luxury stores (like Bally, Louis Vuitton, and Dior), the men in impeccably tailored suits, and the prices of everything I encountered. Basically the city is historic, beautiful, and wealthy. Paris is not the City of Love; in my opinion, it's Zurich :).

Being the Catholic boy that I am, I visited two of Zurich's most famous churches, both of which, I later figured out, were Protestant. One called Fraumunster featured original stained glass windows by Marc Chagall, one of my favorite artists. The other called Grossmunster has a Roman style crypt that dates back to the 13th century. It smelled funky but I'm relatively certain that it is the oldest building I've ever been in. Here is Grossmunster, right on the banks of the Limmat river.

I also visited the fabulous Swiss National Museum which had a VERY fabulous exhibit about Postmodernism. It felt nice and pretentious to tell people that I went to a postmodern exhibition but it happened and it was basically all about the 80s and Grace Jones. I spent the day walking up and down the river, visiting stores, observing the opera house, using a public bathroom that was basically a jacked up port-a-john, and eating wiener-schnitzel at the famous Cafe Odeon. Apparently famous people like Lenin and Einstein were patrons back in the day so I thought it would be the only place that would be appropriate for me to deign to have dinner. 

Also, there are randomly swans all over the river and it just solidifies Zurich's fabulousness. I literally spent a good collective 45 minutes watching the Zurich swans bob down in the water for food and interact with each other. And at one of the train stations I passed, there was a little mart called Panetarium. For me, the name implies that it is like a whole planetarium of bread or it's like a sanitarium of bread where I could go and recover from a mental illness by surrounding myself with it. 

That weekend, my host parents took me to a city called Rorschach which is a beach city on the banks of Lake Constance. I was kind of hoping the whole time I was there that people on the street would assault me with ink-blot tests but Rorschach is more than just a psychological test. We were there to view some sand sculptures that were part of an annual contest. Unfortunately, many had suffered some rain damage but they were all extremely impressive in their size and execution. 

Something to consider: there was a beach volleyball tournament while we were there and the cheerleaders all wore bellydancing scarves like it was a Moroccan restaurant or Zumba. It was better than pom-poms but none of the players could have stood a chance to Misty May or Kerri Walsh. 

I've also been enjoying St. Gallen. I had lunch at the famous Dome which is a giant Catholic cathedral in the old part of the city. It's definitely the most beautiful building I've ever been inside. I happened to be eating lunch a the same time a wedding was exiting the church. During the white dove release, all of the wedding guests had a lovely view of me eating salami as they watched the birds flock to the cloudy sky.

Kate and I also ate lunch here last Thursday which is where the cat picture came from. Most disturbing. Also, I ate this.

I got a Swiss ID card! Kate thinks I look very Pittsburgh in my picture and I agree. Between the baseball shirt and the almost-beard and the facial expression, I may as well have just suggested that we all "go dahn to the GianIggle for some huggies and chipped ham". Here it is compared with my 1/2 fare train card and below are Kate and my 1/2 fair cards in which we really look like partners in crime who got their mug shots taken. We're great.

On Sunday, my host parent's took us to a photography exhibit located at the base of a giant bridge. The pictures were all of famous Swiss bridges and other structures and how they integrate with nature. The photos and the surrounding area were all gorgeous. I loved being beneath the bridge and in the company of the mountains. We also walked past some fields and tried to get the attention of some cows. 

Good times all around! I can't wait for fall to come so that I can see all the leaves changing and more importantly, so that I can show off all my sweaters. Thanks for reading!!!!!!!!!!!!