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Where is the u with the two little dots in Microsoft Word?

By jkichton

I am typing away at this blog post currently on a train coming home from Zurich, Switzerland. I was there because I had an interview in a nearby city, Baden, and decided, why not? The train ride is three hours long so I figured I should make the most of it. Earlier in the week I had another interview but this one was in Bern, Switzerland. Bern is only 2 hours away, and, if you were wondering, is the capital of Switzerland! Not Geneva. So this week I have finally visited the three main go-to cities in sweet lil’ Switz. The best thing was that I saw them alone and without any real plans. An important distinction, this blog post will be dedicated to the concept of traveling alone.

Let’s start with Bern. Bern is GORGEOUS city. I realized after going that Geneva isn’t really that pretty, that is if you take away the lake. Lac Léman is the only thing going for it. But Bern, wow. First of all the city is on a hill, so half of it is above the other half. The bottom half is charmingly known as the “Old Town”, and can be seen by an amazing view when you go to the edge of the hill. Second, there are trees. Tons of trees! Everywhere. They are dispersed throughout the city and gave it a quaint village feel. It was nice to see some green. Third, there are not many cars. I think 80% of the transportation I saw was in the form of public transportation. Trams are what’s commonly used there and because of this, everyone in the city literally just walks all over the streets. No need to be afraid of cars! Just watch out for the tram drivers, but they go pretty slow. Lastly, there cobblestone roads and alleyways are just plain adorable. This feature made everything feel so old-fashioned and European! It was interesting to compare the aura of Washington, DC with Bern, Switzerland. The District is so professional, fast, and educational. Bern was welcoming, tranquil, and knowledgeable. Like DC is that smart cousin you have who you love hanging out with because you learn so much, but Bern is sort of like that wise uncle who you have always looked up to.

Next, to Zurich! Zurich is known for its nightlife and shopping. But because I was there during the day, and specifically a Sunday, both of these things were unavailable. However that didn’t bother me, because I still got to see Zurich’s historical and hip sides. Some of my main historical stops were one of the oldest chocolate makers in Switzerland, Sprüngli, a 13th century church that Marc Chagall outfitted with personally made stained glass, the Fraumünster, and the biggest clock face in Europe, St. Peter. The confiserie section of Sprüngli was closed so I didn’t get any chocolate, but I did get to see their cafe section and their little cakes were pure art. The Fraumünster was beautiful. Although a Romanesque-styled church, Chagall’s stained glass gave it a modern flair. This is because his designs aren’t the typical, mosaic, sharply cut images. His design looked like he painted or drew the images onto glass. They were fluid and soft. It was definitely something I had never seen before in stained glass. On the hip side, I was able to visit the world’s oldest vegetarian restaurant, Haus Hiltl! Wow that was delicious. I went to the buffet and was overwhelmed with all the different options! It was not your average salad bar. They even had many gluten free and vegan choices too. Then were the several streets of super expensive and designer stores that I walked right past (mainly because there were closed, however even if they were open I would have been shunned if I dared to walk into them anyway). Lastly was a coffee shop called Cabaret Voltaire which was where the art movement Dada began! The art history nerd inside of me was screaming!

Now, I traveled through both of these cities alone. And I really, really, enjoyed myself. Being alone while traveling gives you a certain freedom that is unique to you. You see and experience things differently, you are in control of what you do and where you go, and you learn about yourself! For me, I love being able to do what I want when I want. I love being independent and just exploring random city streets with only my backpack as my companion. I love having nothing to influence me or my decisions. I love having time and space to reflect on what I have seen and done. Actually, you are forced to do so because when you are alone and don’t reflect, then you get pretty bored. There’s only so many times you can say to yourself, “Wow, that’s pretty.” I love being able to walk by a corridor that leads to a pretty water fountain and say to myself, “Hey! Go there!” This aspect brings in the lack of planning I did beforehand. I know in my previous post about Paris, I was disappointed that I didn’t get to do as many things as I wanted to. But when I came to both of these cities, I did not do any prior planning. I brought my Switzerland travel guide but that was it. So I knew of the big things I needed to see but really didn’t have a plan on how to get there, when to do it, or what to do on the way. Actually, when I was literally turning down the prettiest city streets in Zurich with no plan in mind, I ended up at Cabaret Voltaire! Which just goes to show that spontaneity and serendipity are best friends.