The Endless Clinking of Glasses

Giant Wine Goblets in the Sky

Where was I? Oh yes! The Customs and Traditions in Switzerland. You must excuse me - I was rather distracted by the idea of watertank-sized Vino glasses, and the very pleasant prospect of a sun-filled vineyard in which to sip (by that I mean glug!) from them unhurriedly, in the gold pink glow of the Swiss evening sky.

By now you may have guessed that Wine, or Wii (no jokes please!) are a major part of the Swiss psyche. If you are invited to a dinner, or even a family lunch, it is normal (nay, expected!) that you will bring one, or even two, bottles of wine for your hosts, (amounts depending on how much you like them of course!) These offerings will be inspected and appreciated... and then you will never see them again! They will be squirrelled (Eichhörnchen) away for the host's private consumption at a later date. So I have found that really, any old plonk will do! Although the Swiss plonk is of course very good quality!!

Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 2999

So... before the meal is served, the wine must be poured. Usually white first. My in-laws use the tiniest glasses, almost like shot glasses. Then, before drinking a drop, it is polite to clink glasses with every member of the party, be it six or twenty! This can be either problematic, or fun like a game of Twister, depending on the health of your spine. Tradition dictates that you must clink, look directly into each person's eyes, and say 'Prost' or 'Zum Wohl' using their christian name. If I have forgotten, or don't yet know their name, I just mumble 'Rhubarb Rhubarb' at such a low frequency that only Bats and Mother-In-Laws can detect. But I know her name now (just), so I'm OK!

Prost is generally used more for Beer/Spirits, and Zum Wohl for wines. I have got the two mixed up on occasion, but I think I've been forgiven; as an Ausländer! (foreigner).

People who think the Swiss are reserved, and extremely polite, would be correct. This applies only until you are accepted and befriended by a Swiss, after which they can be full of good humour, loud, and quite raucous dinner guests. I have been to parties/dinners where they are just getting started at 2am, while I am completely burnt out, and ready for my bed! My brother-in-law, a large and burly teddy bear, is a good example of a Swiss 'party animal'. His booming foghorn laugh has given me many a headache... but I am still very fond of him! 

The other difference at Swiss parties is that no one bothers to slip outside for a crafty ciggie. It is quite normal to smoke inside, filling the room with acrid choking smoke, which seems to affect nobody's lungs, except my feeble English ones! When I first moved here, every Cafe/Restaurant/Bar was a smoker's paradise. I used to avoid them unless they had a terrace. But since 2010, smoking has been banned inside public places and buildings. They do seem to be a little slower to catch up with the rest of the Western World; but they get there, in their own sweet, unhurried, Swiss time!

At the end of the evening, you will be wearied by Swiss conversations flying over your head in a rapid fire assault of jumbled words and sounds. You will want to take your leave. You will want to slink out, with a general wave to all, and a word of thanks to your Hosts. But oh NO!!! This is NOT the way it's done here! You must go to each person individually, shake their hand, and wish them a goodnight. This could take up to an hour. I am not joking!! So, you might want to get a head start, and begin your goodbyes roughly an hour before you actually need to leave. I find this works for me, although the fine planning of it may fall by the wayside, depending on how much Wii or Grappa I have imbibed!

All in all, I find the Swiss extremely hospitable, welcoming, and warm - when you get to know them! Warning: This could take either six months or six years! Some of my Swiss friends have taken longer to thaw than others! But once you're accepted, as a Kollegin, you will find fierce loyalty and sincere kindness in your Swiss friend; and that makes being an Englishwoman abroad almost bearable!

Thanks for clinking glasses with me!

Angela x

Day Tripping

So, after the meeting of the Swiss family was checked off the list, (see part 1) OH decided to take me on a tour of the area. They live in a small village, situated roughly between Luzern and Engelberg.

OH's family live on a farm in the little dip between these two mountains.

We walked to the local bakery (Bäckerei) to have breakfast. On the way, we saw around five teenagers approaching. I steeled myself for the usual intimidating stares and posturing that would normally occur back in England. But no!! Nodding politely, they all smiled and said "Grüezi!" on their way past. 'Grüezi' I learnt, is the common greeting around here, not 'Guten Morgen', or 'Guten Tag' as I had been taught back home in German Class.

Of course, as any proud Swiss will tell you, they are not related in any way to the Germans, (not convinced of the validity of this!) but here in Central Switzerland they speak their own, much more diverse, Swisserized version of German. What they call Schweizerdeutsch, Schwyzerdütsch, Schwiizertüütsch, or even Schwizertitsch. Which basically all sounds like an Aussie version of UK English. It's very guttural, so you get a sore throat trying to pronounce words like:

1. Chuchichäschtli (Kitchen cupboard) and

2. Chäs-Chüechli (Quiche or Cheesecake)

I must just say that OH's family had great fun watching me try to pronounce these two words. Apparently a ritual that all foreigners must go through, for the amusement of the hosts, and to be accepted as an honorary Swiss. I think I passed!

Anyway, back to the Backerei. Here we found a tempting array of breads and pastries. The smell was amazing, and there were little tables and chairs set on the terrace. Although it was only 9am, there were lots of customers taking their time over strong coffee and Gipfeli, which are what we call Croissants! This, OH explained to me was 'Znüni' time, which applies to the snack/drink taken anywhere between 8:45 and 9:30am, when the workers come for their mid-morning break. (Nine is Neun in German, thus it becomes Zneuni ) Children at school also have Znüni time. It's called the 'Pause' - which rhymes with browser. Later I learnt that they were expected to take a small healthy snack to school, which is also known as a 'Znüni.'

The staff in the Bakery were extremely polite, and very smiley. I was pleased to find that you get table service in most cafés/bakeries here, and that you don't have to fight your way to a table with a heavy trays, and hot spilley drinks. Relaxing into a comfortable cream sofa, I ordered a schale, which is a milky coffee, and a weggli, a soft breakfast roll, (a big favourite with my kids!) My youngest always likens it to 'a little bummy bum' - but then she has my low-level sense of humour!

After that, we drove to Lucerne, which is actually spelt Luzern by the locals. I was captivated by the many beautiful sights there, the river, the large boats, the stunning architecture, and one of the main attractions in Luzern; the two medieval covered bridges across the Reuss River.

The largest and closest to the centre is the Kapellbrücke, which means Chapel Bridge in English. The Kapellbrücke was nearly destroyed by a 1993 fire, and much of what stands today has been lovingly restored, with many of the original artworks inside retaining their original beauty.

 Downriver, between the Kasernenplatz and the Mühlenplatz, sits the Spreuerbrücke, meaning Mill Bridge. Rickety and old, it steadfastly refuses to crumble; and proudly stands upon the Reuss. This bridge was constructed in 1408, and features a series of medieval-style 17th Century plague paintings by Kaspar Meglinger titled "Dance of Death." It has a small chapel in the middle that was added in 1568.

 After all the walking around and taking in of the many Swiss sights, it was time for another food break, (an essential part of any trip!) and we stopped at one of the many Italian eateries along the promenade. Again, table service, and without any visible resentment from waiting staff! OH told me that service workers get paid very well in Switzerland, and even have to go to school to learn the job. Apparently, no job vacancy is filled without proper training of some kind. The Swiss equivalent of apprenticeships, I suppose. I was impressed. No wonder they are happy-ish in their jobs!

Well, that was my first full day in Switzerland. I hope you enjoyed hearing about it as much as I enjoyed being there! 

Later, I will talk about the many weird and wonderful customs and traditions of the Swiss!

Thanks for popping in.

... and Tschüss!

Angela x

First Impressions

Get the Alphorn out Bert - we gots company!

They always say it's best to start at the beginning, so I shall!

I first came to Switzerland in 1999. I had met my husband in the UK, and was going to meet his family for the first time. It was an exciting moment. He picked me up from Zurich airport, and as we sped along I was absolutely blown away by the beauty of the scenery. Majestic, craggy mountains, surrounded by picturesque villages, sparkling lakes, and green farmland. The air felt cleaner somehow.

His family live and work a free-range Pig Farm. I was surprised to see how small it was, but it was situated in the middle of a large valley, and had a wonderful panoramic view of the mountains all around. Perfect for watching multi-firework displays on Swiss National Day, as I would discover later! That's their equivalent of Guy Fawkes Night, I think.

As we went into the house, a tubby blonde woman came to the front door, smiling. I expected a hug, or maybe a friendly nod; but I got an extremely firm handshake instead, and a "Pleased to meet you, I'm Vreni!" Six firm handshakes later, and I was acquainted, Swiss Style, with the whole family! The fact that his brother came fresh from the shower, in just his tee and underpants, didn't seem to faze anybody... except reserved British ol' me! This unabashed flashing of male flesh went on for the rest of my 5-day visit, and although I never quite got used to it, at least I managed to control the flinching!

I should just say; handshaking as a greeting is very much de rigueur over here. Even pre-schoolers are taught to do it. You've no idea how comical it is to be greeted with an outstretched hand, and an earnest expression when meeting a 3 year old! But at least they are polite. Very polite.

The next culture shock was when dinner was served. Bread, assorted cold meats, cheeses and salad. And red wine, always red wine! Although that could just be OH's family! His father, 'Dadi', does love a large glass, or three! Anyway, after the lazy susan, (or in Swiss german 'Faul Freda!') was brought to the table laden with aromatic tidbits, I looked around to see where the plates were. Everybody was tucking in with gusto, using no plates, table only. OH, seeing my confusion, offered to get me one. "No!" I hissed, embarrassed, "I'll do the same!"

Having slightly OCD tendencies, it almost killed me though; especially as there were about 300 buggering flies bombarding us at the same time. Well, it IS a Pig farm! No one seemed to be bothered about them except for me though; very Englishly 'eeeking' and 'aaarghing' throughout the whole meal. Sigh! Talk about first impressions!

Part 2 of my First Impressions next week.

Thanks for stopping by now!

Angela x