Switzerland, where have you been all my life?

Am I in Switzerland, or France?

If the change in temperature in Milan slowly crept up on us, when we arrived in Switzerland it hit us like a stone. We were going to have to get creative with the few clothes we have squeezed into our bags. Thankfully, we did pack rain jackets, as when we left the airport in Basel it was raining.

Arriving in Basel is a strange experience. As you will know, Basel is in Switzerland. Yet, the airport is actually in France. This threw me into a momentary panic when I was checking out how to get from the airport to downtown Basel. I hadn’t expected to have to find my way from France.

Leaving the airport, is another novel experience. After collecting our bags from the luggage carousel we searched for the exit signs. And there were a couple of options. We could exit into France. Or into Switzerland. Are there any other airports in the world with this scenario? We were later to discover, and visit, a place up the river in Basel where the borders of Switzerland, Germany, and France all converge. Never had I been so close to three countries, all at the same time.

Switzerland, so the currency is CHF. Obvious?

Back at the airport, we left through the Swiss exit and after a short wait we were on a bus headed into the city of Basel. Whilst in the Schengen zone, Switzerland maintains its own currency, the Swiss Franc (CHF). Why “CHF” you ask? I asked myself the same question and a bit of research taught me that CH is the official domination of Switzerland. CH, standing for Confœderatio Helvetica, the offical name of Switzerland. This also explained the numerous CH stickers on Swiss cars.

A transfer to a tram and we arrived at our hotel just before 10pm. The latest we have arrived at one of our destinations. The downside of budget air travel. The upside was that we could spend a little more on our accommodation. Our hotel had a fridge. So salubrious. And a mini bar that was complementary. Quite why that fridge would only have one beer is beyond me, but I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

It was at this point that I observed what I at first found odd, and have since found out is very common across European countries. The single duvets (two of them) on a double bed. I have since come to realise it happens everywhere, and I like it. Snuggle up in your own little cocoon and don’t be disturbed by your partner’s nocturnal duvet hogging.

Basel, a great introduction to Switzerland

Wandering around Basel was a great introduction to Switzerland. So scenic, with an old town that hasn’t changed for centuries. Meandering through the narrow streets, marvelling at the houses, with a growing sense of excitement as we noticed all the xmas decorations, and large xmas trees all over the city. The xmas markets had arrived in force in Switzerland and it wasn’t long before we were having our first gluhwein of the season. Served in festive mugs, the mulled wine was delicious, sat outside a little cafe, on sheepskin rugs to keep our bottoms warm.

So, in Switzerland, a Cordon Bleu is a posh schnitty

Our “cost of living” indicator had changed from spaghetti carbonara to a wiener schnitzel. A “schnitty” is a classic pub dish in Australia, a particular favourite of ours. The schnitzel hails from this part of the world, next door in Austria, and were to use it to see how expensive places were. Our first evening I had a posh schnitzel. The Cordon Bleu. A schnitzel wrapped around ham and melting cheese. Delicious. And pricey in Switzerland, as we were to learn everything is.

Some things are worth paying for. And regardless of cost, we were on the hunt for our first Swiss hot chocolate. And, we found it. Thick, creamy, and steaming hot. Served with a chocolate on the side, Victoria had a smile that could have lit up the city. Happy wife, happy life, or so they say.

After a couple of days it was time to hit the road again. We had a train booked to Bern and after securing a hotel, my next job was to find a bar showing the England vs Iran football match. 

Why is there a bear pit in Bern?

Switzerland has no official capital, but Bern is one of the three that commonly gets recognised. Walking from our hotel, over the water and past the bear pit…wait, bear pit? Yup, it turns out that Bern has its very own bear pit with a connection to bears that stretches all the way back to the city receiving its name.

Legend has it that Berchtold V, Duke of Zähringen, the founder of the City of Bern, vowed to name the city after the first animal he met on the hunt. This explains the preponderence of bears on the city flag of Bern, and the many statues of them across this beautiful city. It was just a shame that it was the time of the year that the bears hibernate.

I also discovered that Einstein lived a few years in Bern. Passing the apartment he lived in I discovered that it was in Bern that he developed some of his theories that were to change the world, and how we saw physics. The great man is commenorated by a museum in his old apartment and with various statues across the city.

Switzerland steals our hearts

You don’t have to be Einstein to work out how great Bern is. Once again I am left asking myself why we have never visited Switzerland before. Picture postcard perfect. I must pass on my gratitude to Victoria. We were originally going to travel straight from Basel to Zurich. Left to research the options, Victoria got looking at other places in Switzerland that we could visit on the way to Zurich. And so we found ourselves exploring a lot more of this beautiful country than we expected.

I even managed to find a bar to watch the football in, and we were the only ones in there for a while, until a couple of the bar owner’s friends joined us. This suited us fine as we quaffed cold Swiss lager and watched England make light work of Iran.

Tomorrow, we head to Interlaken, and I will be sure to share what we discover.