There is almost a ‘work’ component to long-term travelling – a routine consisting of thought (where to go next), research (trains, planes, buses) and action (venturing out each morning with several sightseeing goals in mind). Even if, as some do, you claim to be a free-wheeling, go where the wind takes you backpacker with no plans at all, the sheer fact that you end up somewhere else does take some planning. Maybe not as much as me perhaps, but as I leave ‘home’ each day and return having stood up all day, review budgets, liaise with different people on the best way to execute a plan, and spend a fortune on coffee, it sometimes feels like work to me, albeit a fantastic job.
There are exceptions; the Greek Islands felt like a true summer holiday, as did laying on the beach in Positano. But when i arrived in Schaffhausen, Switzerland and there was a kitchen, bath, TV with Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives (in English) and my own room sans random backpackers snoring, it didn’t just feel like a holiday, it almost felt like home.
Except home isn’t surrounded by lush forests on one side and the emerald green Rheine on the other, of course, nor is it a short walk past traditional cottages to a cobblestone town containing a castle (Munot) and beautiful statues and fountains scattered throughout, adding to the village atmosphere.
I spent the first day chilling out, and the next walking through town after a light rainfall in the morning – climbing up the castle stairs to look over the village and wandering through open-air shops. I travelled the 40 minutes another day to check out Zurich (30 dollars for the train! Cheap it ain’t) which was great, it’s a smaller city than I imagined but encompassing beautiful churches sitting either side of the Rheine and lots of wide, paved, manicured streets. Oh, and a 3-storey english bookstore, which captured my attention and my budget, for a good few hours – not including the discussion with the cashier about where exactly Harry Potter might find Voldemort’s 7th horcrux. I also found a dress for the wedding the friend and I attended on the weekend – friends of his through work held in the southern German town of Hubertshofen.
An hour away from Schaffhausen, the village contained a small church where the traditional Catholic ceremony took place, before Champagne and pretzels were served outside the church. (In Australia we call them giant pretzels, but I don’t think they have pretzels any smaller there, so they just call them pretzels. Like we call it ‘Chinese food’, and they just call it ‘food’).
It was all quite casual, the couple stayed with guests after the ceremony and followed us around to the massive circus tent the family had erected on the property of their family-owned Bed and Breakfast next door for coffee, tea and cakes in the garden until it was time to head into the tent for dinner.
The food was amazing – a professional buffet put together purely by friends using the B&B’s kitchen, and after dinner a band played swing, jazz and traditional German music until the early hours – the couple staying until they had farewelled their last guest.
It was a fun night despite not knowing the language or any guests, and I think gave a nicer overview than any tourist brochure could. A friend who doubled as the photographer brought trays of shotglasses to each table, as we all toasted the couple with Williams (pear), Kirsch (cherry) and Ouzo (aniseed) spirits – great for us despite the photographer starting to feel the effects half-way around the tent after every table insist he have ‘just one’ with them. Some things are funny enough that you don’t need a translation.
At about 2am I head off to sleep in the B&B just outside the tent, leaving others to continue on until morning, and we drove back the following morning after breakfast with the bride’s parents and friends.
Being much warmer and sunnier than the previous day, the friend and I decided to take a boat cruise down the Rheine to a little town called Dressenhoffen. The scenery was stunning, full of families in boats, swimming and hosting BBQ’s by the banks of the river, kids waving madly as our ferry sailed past. Lunch was in Dressenhoffen before a short train back to Schaffhausen and an early night.
Needing to catch up on some research for Paris, the UK and my Africa trip in August, I spent Monday in the house, fortunate as the weather once again turned cold and raining (this is summer, can I remind you. Right, just wanted to make sure you knew).
Ironically, I watched Grey’s Anatomy again that night, and realised it was the same episode that I watched hours before my flight to Bqngkok in March. So I’m still no further along than I was 3 months ago, and now won’t have a TV until October in Canada. A cruel twist of Karma to make up for my week of luxury. Oh so cruel.
I left Switzerland the following day with my head full of new countries to explore, timetables and directions to follow, and back to carrying my pack everywhere again – which mysteriously feels so much heavier after just one week.
In other words, it’s back to work.
-Sarah
Sarah