Ok this might be long. There were sooooooooooooo many quirks to observe.
I’ve mentioned the price of things. It remains insane. And you know how the Swiss are famous for their cuckoo clocks and watches. This is 4o thousand less than my house.
The driving here is mental. Not just because they drive on the wrong side of the road but because, to be fair, I suspect the Swiss attitude is kind of tightly wound. There appears to be a mindset here of embattlement, possibly because they are the only country not to embrace the European Union yet. My family describes it as having a Swiss moment.
Have you heard of the Gnomes Of Zürich? Does that not sound completely charming. Sadly no. The Gnomes of Zürich was a term coined by British Labor Party politician Harold Wilson in regards to the Swiss bankers. The name has stuck. Fascinatingly the Gnomes come out for an hour between 1130 and 1230. We walked through the streets of Zürich at that time and the place was hopping. Loads of people in suits. Then the clock struck at 1230 and they disappeared. Like Gnomes.
Speaking of lunch time evidently you never have lunch in Switzerland at 12. All the Swiss seem to have their lunch then. There is no other time. Evidently it’s like eating time at the zoo. I didn’t experience it at that time but I can attest that eating at 1 was like having dinner in a ghost town.
They have purple potatoes here. Evidently they are purple cos they are full of anthocyanin, which is good for memory and preventing cancer, evidently. They taste just like white potatoes. It’s like eating martian food.
You will never not know your time here. There are clock towers on almost every street corner. On the other corners are churches. With bell towers. Bell song is constantly heard, this is very pretty except in the middle of the night. Between that and the clock towers there is 24/7 noise. Which can get annoying to be fair. No wonder they desensitize themselves with cuckoo clocks.
Dragged from the archives as my post about last night in Charlotte alone still hurts to read. Maybe one day.
Away For A Bit 
If you didn’t want anyone to ask, I guess you wouldn’t have written it in your blog, but why were you alone on your last night in Charlotte, and why are you sad?
As for those crazy Swiss and their watches…. I am a bit of a horologist and was at an exhibit in Singapore a couple of years ago. It was free to get in, but one had to register and show I.D .This was because there was millions of dollars worth of tickers. The best one I saw was encrusted with diamonds and had all the bells and whistles, coming in at a tad under ONE MILLION DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn’t believe it. My Swiss (Victorinox) watch just a tad under a thousand didn’t cut the mustard!
KB, I am a bit of an horologist as well. I have dozens but seem to wear only two. (Unlike the tie collection, which has peaked over 500 now) The watches range from my dad’s Elgin pocket watch he received in 1961 after 10 years of service for the railroad, to several Swatches, Fossils, a few Raymond Weil’s, a Tag Heuer Carrera, a Kenneth Cole , a 1950’s Timex, my first LCD wrist watch from 1975, a 1940 vintage Bugs Bunny watch (still one I adore), and of course a classic Mickey Mouse watch from back when I became a Mousketeer in 1969.
And now Nigel has piqued my interest in collecting cuff links…
Who knows, what I will collect next!
BTW, Nigel purple potatoes are very good and we have them here too. A bit more dear than plain old Russets or Yukons…….
just one more thing we have in common JW, but you win with the different watches (my disposable income does NOT match my love for the finer things in life!) My only other watches are a Seiko ladies diving watch that I bought in the 70’s, and an Astro Boy watch bought on a whim, which I have never worn. This does not preclude me from coveting my brothers 2x Tag Heuer and another friends Breitling. Quality ….it can’t be surpassed.
Nigel we have purple potatoes here, heirloom , obtainable at the organic market, they are called purple congo ! I will cook some for you when you return to Oz
I want your Astro Boy watch!