Try Swiss Chocolate In Switzerland

So the Swiss are known for a few things, like their Swiss knives, watches, being politically neutral, and their CHOCOLATE!  It's no secret, I LOVE chocolate, and I definitely had to try chocolate from a country that produces some of the best chocolate in the world!

We were in beautiful Lucerne, Switzerland and I was in dire need of some medical supplies for my ankle (since I had sprained it a few days prior).    We headed into one of the first shops we saw as we exited our little hotel.  It was a huge supermarket (kind of like the equivalent of Target), and I walked around the store filling my cart with snacks, water, and other essentials.

I turned the corner and saw him....a man dressed up as a Lindt Chef!  JACKPOT!!  The aisles of chocolate were insane!  I felt like I was in Willy Wonka's Swiss Chocolate Factory.  The Lindt Chef immediately targeted the tourists (us!) with samples!  Sure...I'll take that, and that, and a little bit of that!  They had tons of Lindt chocolate that aren't available back home so I made sure that I tried those!  I bought a few pounds of chocolate as gifts for friends and family.  They had Lindt chocolates that were wrapped with photos of Switzerland so they made perfect (and yummy) souvenirs. 

I had to take a picture of my new best friend, so I got Cathy to hop in the photo with my favorite "chef" in the world.

Date Accomplished:  September 20th, 2007

Spend A Night In A Converted Hotel

A converted hotel is a building that was not initially built to be a hotel, and once upon a time served another purpose.  These converted hotels typically try to keep the spirit of its original structure. Some famous converted hotels have been former palaces, theatres, medieval fortresses, schools, lighthouses, banks, monasteries, and prisons.

Because I'm such a badass...any guesses in which one I stayed at?  Clearly, a Prison, of course.

The Hotel Lowengraben in Lucerne, Switzerland was a former women's prison built in 1862.  It was used as an active prison until 1998. 

The exterior is covered with large barred windows, and the interior is complete with creepy desolate hallways, and heavy wooden cell doors (that required a code typed into a keypad to enter the cell).  Our "cells" were basic, and were equipped with a tiny bathroom (complete with shower), along with two tiny single beds with leather strap headboards. 

So naturally, I did what anyone would do in a prison.....attempt a prison break.  Unfortunately, my escape tactics were lame and pathetic at best.  I should have probably watched the Shawshank Redemption before my stay. 

Here is a little tour of my prison cell....



Date Accomplished:  September 20th, 2007

Travel With A Traveling Gnome

When gearing for my first international trip I got obsessed with the idea of traveling with a traveling gnome like in the movie Amelie.  It was like a right of passage, an initiation to travel if you will, or maybe I just wanted an excuse to buy a gnome. 

I named him Herman, a traveling Gnome I bought on Amazon, complete with his own passport.  I bought two more gnomes that I creatively named for my besties.  I'm the only one that ended up using the gnome as a traveling gnome.  I'd like to believe he was the secret to my travel success.

Herman easily fit in my purse, and traveled from London to Greece with me.  He was there when I stumbled out of a bus and sprained my ankle in Paris, he held my hair back when I was puking in the toilet after having too much vino in Venice, he was our bodyguard when we were chased through Switzerland by a public masturbator, and he drank it up with us during Oktoberfest in Germany.

Date Accomplished:   October 2nd, 2007

Get A Personalized Swiss Army Knife In Switzerland

 

Walking through the beautiful streets of Lucerne, Switzerland I was determined to find a Swiss Army Knife shop that would be able to personalize my name on it. The name Swiss Army Knife was coined by US soldiers when they couldn't pronounce the German word.  A Swiss Army Knife is a folding pocket knife that comes with a variety of tools from basic knives to having just about everything you can think of including a newborn baby.  Okay, maybe not a baby, but they do have Swiss Army Knives that have USB Flash drives, laser pointers and MP3 players.

I found a shop that had a huge collection of Swiss Army Knives in a variety of sizes and colors.   I picked a small blue one that I could bring on my travels.  It only took a few minutes to personalize my name.  Macgyver would be so proud.

Date Accomplished: September 20th, 2007

Take A Cable Car Up The Swiss Alps

Stanserhorn is a mountain in Switzerland located 1898 meters above sea level. 

Since I am SoCal native, I was glad I was visiting the Swiss Alps in September, and not in the peak of winter.   Snow and I don't always get along.

At the bottom of the mountain we took a funicular railway up to the base of the mountain.  From there we crammed into a cable car and made it to the top.

From the top you were awarded with amazing Swiss Alps views.   It was cold, but completely tolerable.   I saw snow atop some mountains in the distance, and trails for those that were more adventurous and had more time to explore the area.

There were several lookout points, particularly one that had a semi-see-through floor that had my legs shaking with fear.  The views from that point were the best, so I suppose it was worth it.


Sorry for the shakey video....this is one of my earlier video recordings.  I swear I don't have a bad twitch.

Date Accomplished: September 20th, 2007