We All Need A Little Neutrality In Our Lives

Grüazi from Neutral Territory!


I left off the last e-mail with Milan, and I think I got the point across that it was't exactly my favorite place on the trip thus far. The city apparently didn't want me to leave it on a good note either, as I missed my train for the first time in a month and a half. So, I sat in dirty Milano Centrale for 4 hours, read Italian magazines (yes, I am the only person silly enough to buy expensive magazines in a language I completely don't understand). When I finally got on the train to my next destination, Interlaken, Switzerland, I felt like a big cloud lifted over me as if God was saying, "you've served your time, you may enter into heaven now."

I'm not really exaggerating though in the sense that the beauty of Interlaken is probably quite comparable to that of heaven. I took a short nap and awoke in a few hours to the train passing through the most glorious, lush green mountains scattered with cute wooden houses and waterfalls cascading off of various rocks. My first thought was how crazy it was to feel like I entered a completely different world within a few short hours....but I guess that´s the beauty of Europe. I arrived in Interlaken and walked around the main town for a bit, which was so picturesque. Some places are built up by others but when you get there, you aren't that impressed. Others are built up by people and when you get there you say, "Ahhhhhh. I see what all the fuss was about." Interlaken was definitely in the latter category.

Several people told me before I went on this trip to brace myself because Switzerland would be expensive. I kind of brushed it off because I figured it couldn't be worse than the Euro, since the Swiss franc is about the same as the American dollar. I was wrong. I was very, very wrong. Everything here is about 2.5 times more than it would cost in the states. For instance, a typical meal at the McDonald's here costs an average of 14 American dollars (!!!!). Everything from grocery stores, to magazines and books, to clothing were INSANELY expensive. I'm fairly confident that in order to visit this town if you weren't staying at my hostel, you were a very, very wealthy businessperson (even in this tiny place, there were Rolex and Louis Vuitton shops).

When I was checking into the hostel, I started chatting with the girl next to me. She reminded me so much of one of my Fiji buddies from study abroad, Bre (miss you, girl) - very athletic, fun, easygoing. We winded up hanging out that night and met a bunch of other people. Two guys were from England and didn't even have money to stay at the hostel that night, so they winded up sleeping on the floor in one of the dorm rooms because they made friends with everyone and we were all conspiring to find a place for them to sleep indoors. I was talking to one of the guys who had been traveling for months and said sometimes he just sleeps on the streets for a few hours and walks around the rest of the time making friends. I'm not really sure what it was about him, but I really liked this dude. He didn't have much, but he wanted to travel and made it happen- despite perceived limitations, like, uh, cash. But, he was so outgoing, friendly, and happy. You know those people you meet who don't have a care in the world? They are just happy to be alive and take life in. It was really a great thing to meet him, as people's happiness tends to rub off on others =).

I also met a kid named Sal, and yes, just like the name implies, he was the VERY first Italian-American Neeew Yawka that I had met the entire trip. The first thing he said to be was, "Yeah, I'm from Mount Vernon- da Vern, da Vern!- and you know how itz done in dat big apple, ya kaweenz gurl." hahahaha....love it. Listening to that thick accent made me just glow the entire night...it's been a while, and I felt an odd comfort in hearing an accent of familiarity.

That first day in Interlaken I wasn't feeling too well, but I figured I was probably just tired from traveling all day. When I woke up the next morning with what felt like a tingle in my throat and a bit of a migraine. It was like being chained to the middle of a street as a truck is coming toward you...you know what's about to come and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it, which makes it worse. I promised my friend Alex (the girl I met at reception) that I would go hiking with her, but after a ridiculously intense 2.5 hour hike, I felt like crap. So, I took the tram down and went to the pharmacy, got some "Vita Juice", and sat on a bench for two hours. I was really sad that I didn't feel well, but I'm glad I did the hike anyway, because the views were absolutely amazing and I had great bonding time with Alex and her friend, Eric. Plus, I think it's pretty sweet that I can now say I've hiked the intense Swiss Alps while experiencing flu-like symptoms.

I spent the next day recovering, as I could not even walk without feeling like I was going to pass out....as Alex would say, "Weak sauce, man. Weak sauce." I started to feel better by dinnertime, so I pulled up a chair and asked a couple of girls if I could sit with them. We winded up talking for four hours about our trips, life in the states (they are both from Chicago!), work, and grad school. Katie and Kaitlin were both such amazingly sweet, down to earth girls and are even training for a half marathon in Switzerland next week! I left that conversation feeling refreshed and glad that I talked to them. You don't realize it until you travel alone for a while, but it's hit or miss when you make the effort to introduce yourselves to others. Sometimes, you meet people who are completely uninterested and close-minded. Other times, you wind up talking to people and leave the conversation feeling like you've known them forever. I got very lucky once again, as I have with all the amazing people I've met throughout this trip.

My final day in Interlaken was spent doing some 'baby hiking' as I like to call it. I was feeling a little better, but not by much. I walked a few hours along river Brienz, which is about 9 miles long and 1.5 miles wide...massive. That night, despite still feeling sick, I decided to go out with the girls to the club at the hostel (yes, there was a big club in the hostel that is so popular in this small town, even locals go there to party). I had my two-for-one happy hour Guinness and made friends with a guy who goes by the name "Spaz". What can I say? Life doesn't really get better than that. There was a Hawaiian party theme that night, and I leid probably the first and only Asian guy I will ever lei in my life, and he seemed real thankful to me for the lei...I guess they don't get leid very often in Korea? hahaha. I'm being silly, but seriously, I was SHOCKED by how many Korean and Japanese travelers there were throughout Switzerland..in my dorm room alone, 5 out of the 8 people were from South Korea...it was nuts!

That night, me, Katie, Kaitlin, Spaz, and the cooooolest most fun Korean dude ever danced until 3 a.m. to classy beats, such as "Like a Virgin," " Lean Back," "American Boy," and of course, a little Journey action was thrown in for good measure. I had a BLAST and figured that I would be paying for it greatly when I woke up the next morning feeling like crap, but I actually woke up feeling refreshed and ready for my next destination: Basel, Switzerland.

The plan was originally to meet my friend Lizzy from Dublin up in Copenhagen, but my body was telling me, "Melissa, if you travel all the way up there by train, I'm going to punch you in the face, and it will hurt." I realized that I was just going at too fast of a pace, and not really enjoying everything along the way. Considering I have only 17 days before I start work back home, I realized that I needed to rethink the rest of my trip so that I could slow it down and be rested when I got home. So sadly, I will not be getting to see Lizzy, which I was looking forward to the whole trip. But, the cool thing about Basel is that you can pretty much walk to both France and Germany from here in the same day.

During my three days in Basel, I got to explore the cute little town and took a day trip to Zurich, which was less than an hour away. Zurich and Basel were both really beautiful places. I dipped my feet in the Rhine, drank cappuccino on a bridge, had beers at 2 pm on a Sunday with my new friend, Alexis, and had a lot of time to relax and reflect.

I met a bunch of really cool people as well. One night I went out with two guys- one of which is in the Navy- and we talked about the intensity of Army-Navy football showdowns every year. Apparently, everyone from both colleges has to attend the games and stand almost the entire time..INTENSE. After a night of hanging out at a cool bar that used to be a factory and kind of resembled a small airplane hanger, I left with some new knowledge. 1.) Chimay, a Belgian beer, is one of my new favorite beers. 2.) I have a new found respect for Navy Seals. 3.) Don't get into politics with anyone who is involved in the military. Ever. Especially if you believe that war is bad. Like I do. haha

My last night in Switzerland, I hung out with Alexis and two new Spanish friends, Miguel and Pablo. I asked them, "Have you ever been to Valencia?" And they both looked at each other and laughed...." Only for 24 years." hahaha. Turns out they lived in the next place I was going to visit, and Pablo offered to show me around Valencia, Spain! What a small world.

To be honest, I thought I would like Switzerland a lot more than I did. It isn't that I hated my time there.....because let's be honest, after Milan, anything is better. But for some reason, I just felt out of sorts during my week there. I realized after my mood immediately perked up when I got to Valencia that people are a lot like countries. Each one has its own unique personality, and even within it, there are lots of different aspects and ways of thinking and living. If I was a country, I definitely would not be Switzerland. The places I visited there seemed mute, stern, unemotional, detached, and waaaay to pristine. If I had to choose, I'd have to go with Spain. The people here love to dance until 7 am, go to the beach, make a lot of noise when they talk, and welcome people with open arms. Plus, Rafael Nadal is from here. Yes, yes....I would be Spain =)



I´ve actually been in Valencia, Spain for 3 days, but I´m going to wait a little bit to write about it....I learned a lot here and it deserves it's own e-mail.


Switzerland Observations:

1.) People speak about 4 languages each here because it is such a hub for travel to other countries in Europe. I went to the store to buy a gift for my mom, and the woman said, "Danke, Merci, Grazie, A Bientot!" ...Yikes. I try to speak the language of every country I visit, but I didn't even bother here because everyone speaks a different variation of languages!

2.) Their grocery chain is called the Coop, but I kept calling it the Co-Op because of Hamilton, and every time I asked for the Co-Op, people were like, "What the heck are you talking about?" haha

3.) In Interlaken, I met about 5 or 6 Americans, which is more than in any other city I've been to thus far other than Dublin. I overheard one guy say "Narley, dude", and it made me smile a little =)

4.) I literally saw no litter in Switzerland. It is the cleanest place in the world.....it almost looks unlived in.

5.) It is also super duper quiet, especially in Basel. I was sitting down just watching everything and I realized that on a Monday afternoon when it should be pretty noisy, it was EERILY quiet. The people make no noise, the cars make no noise...even the TRAINS make no noise. It really freaks me out, actually.

6.) I thought it was so cool that I could walk to Germany and France in the same day from Basel. And I would have done it, except I wasn't sure if they'd let me cross the borders with all of the drugs.


.......JUST KIDDING =)


7.) I saw a Swiss Military dude eating a McFlurry with M & M's in his army uniform. I don't know why, but it made me laugh and reminded me of watching a NY cop with a gun on his waist and a Krispy Kreme in his hand...adds a little feminine touch, I guess? Next thing you know, they'll be baking cupcakes!



Trip Stats:

Days: 43

Roommates: 72

Life Lesson: " We are always making plans for our lives, and when they don't work out, we break. Remember, life is just a ride you have to take." - Alexis, new friend in Basel

Jukebox: Instead - Stacie Orrico

" A new point of view, a walk in your shoes
I wish I could get inside your head
To see what you see, when you look at me
'Cause I could have lived your life instead."

....Look up the rest of the lyrics. I can't think of a better way to describe my thoughts lately.

Random Thoughts:
At first, I was wishing there was a universal language. And no, not English. A REAL universal language that combines all world languages somehow. Just think about how many people we could communicate with...the mind share, the wisdom, the cultural understanding that would occur as a result of us being able to all speak with one another. But then I realized that language, in many ways, shapes our reality. If we all spoke the same language, would our realities become more similar, and thus, less interesting? Would be lose our culture and a part of our ancestry? I wonder what is more valuable....being unable to communicate with billions of others but keeping beautiful and interesting cultural differences intact....or vice versa?


Quotable:

After my friend from Interlaken, Alex, was making fun of me for my accent:
"Don't worry, I only make fun of the people I really like.......well, i guess I make fun of people I really don't like, too....but still!!!" hahaha


Overheard at the grocery store:

Some very buff looking dude picked up Weight Watchers orange juice and the two girls he was with were like, "What are you trying to lose weight or something?" He goes, " Uh, yes. Do you know how much chocolate we have been eating on this trip??!" lolol....just imagine a dude who looks like a football player saying this to his two skinny girl friends. Hilarious.