So, I went to the Swiss Alps and I didn't go skiing... Blasphamy? Maybe not. I exploited the features of the Alps that I could with the time and money that I had. To tell you the truth, the mountains reach their full potential before you even set a foot on them; to see them is all one needs to be enthralled and fulfilled. Add to that the largest pot of authentic Swiss cheese fondue I've ever seen, and who wouldn't believe that I was in ecstacy. We ate our fondue on top of the Alps and then proceeded to ride plastic sleds (a bit more sturdy than the hot pink one I had when I was little) straight down the side of the mountain, litterally. Moonlight and a few small, dim lamps lit the way down. Collisions, Death, and Lawsuits would be common on a similar trail in America. Don't worry, everyone survived and walked away with a smile on their faces. Hot mulled wine was waiting at the chateau at the bottom to warm us inside and out. That night, crashing at The Happy Inn was immenent! Saturday, we got up and wandered around the town for a bit and came to the edge of the town where a hiking trail led us to our own Alp! We hiked up and ate a picnic lunch on the tip of the peak looking out over an astonishing view! That night we attempted a Mexican restaurant. I think the downfall of it was that it was also some sort of Asian food and apparently, European as well. I ended up with a nine dollar plate of the crappyest nachos ever. The Mexican experiance added to my growing qualm with globalization. I often feel that I am still in the U.S. and everything everywhere is the same. I know that this is better for the world in some aspects, but my expectations of diversity are only minimally being met. Walking to the club on Saturday night I saw more stereotypical Americans than could ever have been expected (this also has the unexpected effect of an increasing dislike for Americans). Perhaps I am going to the wrong places. I digress. Anyway, we had a superb weekend! Some of the other people I went with went parasailing, skydiving, skiing and snowboarding, but for the most part paid through their noses for their experiences. Plus the altitude exhausted my body, so had I had the three weeks to do it all and a small fortune, I probably would have died from lack of sleep... I mean I fell asleep in a Swiss McDonald's in the middle of the day.
Don't worry, I didn't order anything there!