Up in the Alps (Switzerland)

“Care cannot assail us here, we are out of its' jurisdiction“ - Mark Twain

Seldom have I seen such a remarkable country as Switzerland; in pictures or in reality, the mountains here are awesome - in the correct use of the word. The Alps have laid claim to the entirety of a nation, and it's people inhabit the strangest places. They build houses under vertical cliffs 800 ft. high, farms on mountain slopes steep enough to shed a careless hiker with one false step. They wander about, seemingly unaware of how close they are to the brink of death all hours of the day, yet you would be searching awhile to find one who looked anything but confident. They are quite disciplined and often times let you know it, they have their laws and they follow them, and I'm not sure the term “benefit of the doubt” has reached the valleys of Switzerland thus far. However, all that being true, they still came off as a nice population of folks, willing to enjoy life in their own unique Swiss way, and to their credit, are way more polite than Parisians.

Though the margin for error amongst Swiss people and Swiss terrain is thin, I felt very at ease in the country. The landscape has a calming effect, rare in the Europe I have seen so far., and comforting to eyes that have been pasted on cityscapes for a week. The vertical relief from base to peak is of heights I have not seen before, even in the American West. While the mountains of Europe are not as “wild” as the Rockies or Sierra Nevada, I would say they are more intimidating. If you want a warning before stepping of a 1,500 ft. cliff you had better give it to yourself because there are no signs to do it for you. Moreover, I would imagine avalanches and rock slides to frequent the area more so than other ranges, and probably not get nearly the press they would in the States.

Now - the cost. Switzerland is the most expensive country I have been to so far and it does a wonderful job carrying on the price-hiking lunacy of its' northern neighbors, charging the weary traveler three times what could be deemed reasonable for nearly all purchasable items. Even this would be fine if you could find some alternative for the crazy high priced items, but alas, you cannot. I visited a Mcdonalds in Interlaken, looking for a cheap bite to eat after days of spending way over budget, only to find no value menu and Big Macs worth 9 CHF, or about 11 dollars! What sane person could say with a straight face that that is reasonable? Common Switzerland, get with the program! It's almost like an infection spreading across the continent like the “art” of false advertising, which seems to be a staple, if not a requirement, so far in Europe. Never in my life have I seen so many signs offering deals and prices that simply do not exist. !Happy Hour! – BOTTLES FOR 3 EURO!, on a big sign outside a bar – ask the bartender about it and he looks at you like you have had one too many, which would nearly bankrupt you by the way! In Switzerland though, you don't mind having your wallet gutted as much as in other European countries because the scenery is worth the outrageous price you are paying for a cookie! Thankfully, money is only money, and nothing more.

To conclude this piece I will talk food, a subject very close to my heart, or at least I think it's my heart. Switzerland is a country that knows cased meats. I had a Pork sausage served with hash browns and fresh tomatoes in the mountain village of Murren. The meal instantly went into my top ten of all time due mostly to the taste, but I would be lying if I said the scenery had nothing to do with it, after all, eating is an experience with many aspects important to the grade, including environment, but I digress. The sausage was cased to a perfect capacity and then drenched in onion sauce and some form of vegetation, barley maybe, and it was served at just the right temperature. Now, I am not one who normally admires how my dishes look, as long as they are filling and tasty I'm happy; and I am shocked that I am saying this, but the way the food looked resting on the white plate was stunning. The colors of the tomato, the hash browns and the sausage contrasted so well I took a picture of it! But no more, I'm getting hungry, on to Spain.