Cheesy Chocolate Confessionals of a Swiss Weekend

The snow glistened rosy-pink as the sun rose over Paso del Pajares (the pass that divides Asturias from the high plains of central Spain) Thanksgiving morning. The bus zipped nauseously around mountain bends before a 5-hour straight away to Madrid brought us to the airport for our flight to Geneva, Switzerland. Monica, our spunky Bolivian friend with whom we spent four years at the University of Oregon, has been working there since June, and acted as our French tour guide around the impeccably well-kept city. Evan, another dear Eugene friend living in Sanlucar de Barrameda, Andalucia, joined us, too! We were to Couch Surf (for the first time!) with a Venezuelan named Gabriel, and his roommate, Catherine. The connection happened through another Couch Surfer named Charlotte, who'd been to Eugene years ago and had total faith in ANYONE from there! Not only did they provide the coziest sleeping quarters we could have asked for (beds for all three of us!), but they became fast friends in only four short days.

(We HIGHLY recommend Couchsurfing.com to anyone traveling or interested in meeting like-minded people by hosting them!!!!)

Our first full day in Suiza began over Pan du Chocolat and Café o Le
in a corner cafetaria a block away from an impromptu holiday carnaval with screaming circus music and bright lights. Our first bites melted deliciously in our mouths, and became our staple meal (quick, cheap and tasty) over the weekend. Running to hop a tram, we sang the few French phrases we knew in the crisp Swiss climate, overwhelmed with the feeling of experiencing a new country with our favorite people.

The United Nations in Geveva is the 2nd most important only to New York, and we headed there after breakfast with Evan to meet his family friend who works as an Environmental Diplomat for the US. After a brief passport check at the entrance, we were specifically instructed not to leave her side by any means, and yet, to our surprise, once we were inside the UN she gave us a calm "Well, I have a meeting I must go to, but Evan was here yesterday and knows his way around so… have fun! Just try and look like you belong." Yeah right, as if the US would have three young representatives come to the UN in denim jeans and hiking boots. We gave her a big thanks and proceeded to tour the labyrinth-like building as if we owned the place. First the cafeteria, then the library, the hallways laden with artwork donated from countries the world over, an exhibit demonstrating extreme starvation and poverty, we witnessed the 25M dollar ceiling recently purchased by the UN from a Spanish artist (trust us, not really worth the money at this time of global economic crisis), and through meeting rooms with place cards on the tables displaying country names in French such as Japon, Federation de Russie, Portugal, Pologne, Kenya, Irlande, etc. One can only imagine the issues discussed by people from countries on opposite sides of the globe when in these rooms sitting side by side.

During the long weekend we found ourselves in a country that doesn't celebrate this particular North American day of thanks, and yet surrounded by friends old and new in a truly international city. Not a single turkey could be found in Geneva's grocery stores, but we did find the closest family we could have asked for this side of the Atlantic. On a chilly Friday night, Evan and Monica joined us at our Couch Surfing pal Gabriel's casa along with eight other internationals representing five countries. Joining any given conversation during the evening was difficult, as one might encounter: "…y la comida es riquisima…"; "yes, the United Nations is an…."; "…Merci beaucoup!". The tasty food was easily overshadowed by the process in which it was created, and also by everyone's thankful narratives given around the circle.

An unseasonably sunny Saturday was spent wandering the big city in a small city's shoes. Geneva boasts international diversity with its 250,000 residents, and we took advantage by sampling Ethiopian finger-food (literally eaten by the handful), authentic Italian pizza, and Thai curry -- a much-needed break from Spanish pinchos (typical Spanish sandwiches). By nightfall, the city gleamed purple and green, adorned with intricate displays of holiday lights illuminating trees and sidewalks, and resembling a Michael Jackson music video.

We rose with the sun on Sunday, anticipating a day exploring some snow-covered, tiny mountain town. Crossing the border into France by foot, we gazed up and realized the cable car spanning the tall peak was closed for the season. Without a second thought, we began are soggy assent up the trail, until we arrived at Monnetier (just the sleepy town we'd hoped to find on our adventure). Three vendors proudly displayed their modest fare at a Sunday Market: fresh cheese, meat and fish, and fruit. We bought some provisions with the few euros we hadn't exchanged for Swiss Franc and strolled slowly passed colorful cottages. Trudging up the winding road to the summit, we whistled Lion King songs to keep us warm and stuck out our thumbs hopefully each time a car cruised by. After over an hour, our frozen thumbs were successful; Philip, an English-speaking Swiss in his 70's, pulled over, smiling. Simba (funny coincidence), his dreadlocked dog, greeted us with a timid woof from the back seat. He brought us to the sunny summit where we frolicked in fresh powder. Cradled by tall peaks, Geneva appeared much smaller than it feels when you're walking the lively streets. Opposite Geneva, Mont Blanc -- the king of the French Alps and tallest mountain in Europe at 4,800 mts (14,400 ft) -- demanded attention among the dozens of razor-sharp peaks to its left and right.
Our mountain adventure concluded over a bubbling pot of cheese fondue, so deep and decadent we were left in our second food coma of Thanksgiving weekend. We'll be happy not to eat cheese again for a while! We said "au revoir" to our temporarily adopted grandfather with hugs and three kisses (one up from the 2-kiss salute in Spain) on the cheeks. That evening, we feasted on curry prepared by a talented Charlotte and shared more travel stories with our new international friends.

Our ideal weekend came to a close with a quick tram ride to the airport. Handing our passports to the woman at the EasyJet check-in, we were disheartened to hear, "Claire LaPoma, that's you... but who's Evan Kleiman?" DAMNIT! We'd exchanged passports during our UN trip and only had 45 minutes before check-in closed to find Ev and switch back. Our Spanish cell phones didn't work in Switzerland, so we borrowed one from a friendly stranger and called Evan quickly. He would have to travel across town at rapid speed to make it in time. Sure enough, with TWO minutes to spare, we see our tall counterpart running down a crowded airport hallway, passport in hand. Sans formalities and without enough time for even a hug, Ryan grabbed his passport and sprinted to check-in. THANKS AGAIN, EV!!!!

Hope you had a relaxing Turkey Day weekend! To see our photos, please visit: http://picasaweb.google.com/clapoma/CheezyChocolateConfessionsOfASwissWeekend#

Love and besos!

"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." -Abe Lincoln