3 countries in 1 day?
My flight to Switzerland kind of blew. I was seated next to a very nice lady from Nigeria but she was practically sitting on top of me. No, she was not heavy, but for her, getting comfortable meant sprawling her entire body out as much as she could. There was a crying baby, enough said. The 2 guys behind me thought they could get away with drinking an entire bottle of whiskey they had bought at the Duty Free store while on the plane…they got about 3 shots in before the Flight Attendant had to argue with them to pull it away. And, I was so freaking hot I spent 30 minutes in the bathroom thinking I was going to vomit. I blame it on being so warm but it could have been the fatty chicken and rice (Peru memories…can’t escape the standard chicken and rice) I tried to eat. And to top it off, I did not get 1 minute of sleep. But, within roughly 17 hours (layover in Frankfurt) I made it to Zurich where I then hopped on a train to Basel. I was then on my own to take the tram and walk to the Dunkers house…it was dark….I got lost….but I’m a big girl and figured it out.
The Dunkers are what I would consider to me a very happy, pleasant, content, relaxed, and stress free family…rare these days. The Father works for Bayer, same company my dad works for. And like us, they were transplanted to Houston from Pittsburgh. The 5 years they spent in Houston we did holidays together and celebrated the birth of their twin boys, Christopher and Andrew, now 15 yet they have the same exact face as they did 15 years ago. They live in a lovely home with 5 bedrooms upstairs and the typical rooms downstairs plus a basement with a bomb shelter that’s used as a wine cellar.
My first evening in Lisa made a typical Swiss dish, Raclette. Kind of like Fondue only you cook the meat and veggies on a broiler type apparatus; once it is cooked you place the goodies in your own personal pan; put cheese all over it; then stick it under the broiler for the cheese to melt. Anything with cheese I enjoy. Dinner was followed with homemade tiramisu. Off to a good healthy start. Being up for nearly 24 hours, I slept like a baby that night.
I awoke to homemade waffles. I guess they are pampering me since I am a guest and I love it. Don then took me on a personal tour. We started with a drive to France to visit a small town called Eguisheim, a wine village. The area is surrounded by vineyards and all of the families have their own wine shops in the town. Unfortunately most were closed as it was Sunday and the town was quiet but I still could have spent hours wandering. To me, this was the typical magical town I think of when I think of Europe. Cobble stone streets, narrow roads, brightly colored homes, tiny doors, flowers hanging off the window ceils, quaint cafes and restaurants. It’s so Disney-like!
We then headed off to Germany to visit Staufen in the Black Forest. This town was much more alive as I was getting my first taste of Carnival. Every Catholic city in Europe celebrates a Carnival towards Ash Wednesday. Parades, parties, events, and lots of wild costumes and masks. After watching a bit of the parade we enjoyed a beautiful lunch. Café Mochas, tomato soup, and pastry’s! I let Don know I could eat a lunch like that every day because it was so light, he laughed and said “2000 calories light.” Although it was a gorgeous day and the sun was shining it was still frigid cold yet we had enough energy to walk up a steep hill to some ruins. Fortunately due to weather, we had a great view.
Then it was back to Switzerland for an English speaking Catholic mass with the family. I found comfort in hearing the same songs at the Swiss church as I do in the States.
3 countries in one day! That has to be a world record or something. Not to mention I was in 3 churches in 3 countries in 1 day. Just call me Superwoman.
Tags: France, Germany, Swiss
