Road Trip, Day 10-15 // Switzerland (so far)

'Ohh! Beautiful! Gorgeous. Wish you were here.'

After leaving Lake Garda, we drove up Swiss Hwy. 6, through the mountain pass - from warm and sunny Italy to chilly snow-capped mountain tops - with so many breath-taking views.

As much as I loved seeing this, I was very happy in Lake Garda, in the sun, in my little dresses. The farther we drove up the mountain the sadder I got ... and the happier Tim became (he loves the great outdoors, as long as they are freezing).

But it was worth it, to see this:

We were booked to stay in Bern two nights, but cancelled the second and decided to wing it. Bern is a beautiful (and very clean) city - but after one Saturday at the outdoor market, being pushed and prodded by crowds of people - we were more than ready to head back to the hills.

Confession: Sometimes when I am surrounded by throngs of people, I get the overwhelming urge to reenact a scene from Undercover Blues - you know, the one in which Kathleen Turner's character pretends to have a seizure, falls on the ground, and starts kicking and thrashing at the crowd.  

I am more than a little concerned about this development in my personality.
I don't wish to discuss it any longer.

In a coffeehouse in Bern. Apparently it's become a 'thing' of mine to photograph elderly gentlemen in coffeehouses when travelling. I can't help it - look at how adorable he is. 

Me and my babe. He is definitely my kid - you can tell.

After leaving Bern we ended up in Eigenthal - a handkerchief-sized hamlet in the middle of the Alps - so small it didn't even make the map.

... So naturally we decided to stay, because Tim loves the mountains best and I am (apparently) turning into one of those people ... you've met them - the ones who drive for days just to visit a tiny town in the Northeast Georgia mountains, to 'oooh' and 'awww' over the falling leaves. The ones I always thought were kooks as a kid. I have joined their ranks: "LOOK! A COW! ANOTHER COW! A TREE! A ROCK! LOOK AT ME! I AM ON A RUN! I AM RUNNING BETWEEN THE TREE AND THE ROCK! ISN'T THIS LITERALLY THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD?!"

Yep.

Just us, a handful of homes, and dozens of cows with brass bells around their necks.

It was a perfect night.
And the next day we left for Zurich:

Today is our fourth day in Zurich and we will leave Friday morning. Tim is attending a Thermoelectrics conference this week, and Isaac and I are doing a little sight-seeing and a little hibernating. There's been a lot of rain.

Zurich is classy - a city of fine dining and upscale shopping where I am entirely out of place (she says, while typing away on a laptop that is coming apart at the seams, and wearing a secondhand Free People sweater that may actually be more hobo than boho).

They do have excellent parks (but they are mostly wet), and excellent cafes (but they are mostly expensive) ... And we are on a budget (which we've more or less been on for two years, and is how we've managed to take this trip in the first place. And by that, yes I do mean that we've been living in a kitchenless one-room apartment on a fairly bland diet in clothes that are unraveling).  

I think this place considers me its equal, so I took a picture of it:

Then again ... I didn't check its prices so there's a good chance I can't afford it, either.

Luckily, the hotel has a complimentary breakfast and we were able to find a nearby grocery store to buy lunch food. Dinners we eat out with Tim's colleague(s) - Chinese food (authentic, home-cooked, compliments of friends we met stateside - !), Mexican food (last night), and tonight maybe Moroccan (we are hoping to go into multicultural shock - 10 countries in 3 weeks and food from Everywhere Else). 

Yes we are trying things from the countries we visit as well. In particular, I am trying to taste all their wines (does this count?).

It was in Zurich that we discovered Isaac's undying love for umbrellas. As you can see. Fortunately for us, he insists on carrying one wherever we go. Unfortunately for us, he also thinks they are light-sabers.

Window shopping. We've done a lot of window shopping over the past few days. Incidentally, Zurich has an expensive antique teddy bear shop, an expensive flamboyant hat shop, two expensive secondhand shops, and, I'm sorry to say, what appears to be an entire shop dedicated to expensive wooden mushrooms.

The good news is ... I've seen many men who resemble George Clooney (for whatever reason), and that has been delightful.