S/V Tavarua

Oh no, Ed Jew! We didn’t expect the Tourist Information to tell us that Zürich was full, unless we wanted a 350 Euro/night room. So we were rerouted out to a hotel that they didn’t mention was an Evangelical Christian retreat center. It was at least an environmentally awarded Evangelical retreat, but it was still a bit creepy getting up and seeing prayer in progress by the ladies sitting on mats in what looked like a children’s classroom. We’ve been surrounded by Christianity and churches this entire trip, so I’ve been trying to pinpoint why I found this place disturbing. Maybe it is just that Christianity was being presented wrapped in IKEA furniture that was causing me distress.

On the positive side for the hotel, the ladies working the front desk were wonderfully patient as I asked 20 questions about how to use the phone to call back to the states to get our credit card working again. Oh, and they had a fine cheese selection in the morning with a great view of what would have been the Swiss Alps and Lake Zürich, if only the clouds weren’t in the way!

Food prices near Zürich were astronomical, about 100-200% higher than San Franicsco. We found a very casual Greek restaurant to eat at and made a meal up of just hummus, pita and dolmades with a salad on the side, no main entree. The bill hit 50 Euros. Hmm, we were going to have ATM issues, if we stayed in Switzerland much longer. So, between the rain and the costs doubling, we decided to head back towards Italy, where the hotels were cheaper, the food very inexpensive and the weather.. magnificient.

On the way out of the rain towards Italy, we hopped off the highway and checked out the Burger King (and its restrooms). The basic hamburger (that one that usually ends up in the kid’s meals) was 3.75 Euros, instead of the 1 Euro advertised everywhere in Austria and Germany. The food prices didn’t seem like they were stopping folks from eating out, but with the foreign exchange rate in place, spending $5 dollars for a mediocre Burger King burger just doesn’t compare with hopping over the Swiss-Italian border and spending $6 dollars for a fine plate of Taglierini al Spinaci e Pancetta or Capellini Arrabbiata. But, hey, that’s just my opinion.

From Garmish, we woke up to a solid downpour of rain that the news said was going to last a full week. With not much else on the agenda, we decided to continue the drive along the Alps. We toured in the rain through Austria and ended up in Switzerland. Not many people in Appenzell, as it is a base for walking, hiking and biking. The area is known for its Appenzeller cheese, so Derrell had a macaroni & cheese dinner that was fantastic and I found a rice risotto that was great. The restaurant also served up a fondue, but I couldn’t get over the smell of old socks that emanated from the tables that were being served that dish.

The architecture of Bavaria had been left far behind. The flower boxes that were in absolutely every window in Bavaria were in only half the windows in Appenzell. In addition, many of the farm houses were facing the same direction regardless of the position of the road leading to them. I looked this up after we left and found that they were all facing to the South. Since this was a big embroidery region, the houses were built to let in maximum light.