DAY 1 – Zurich, Switzerland

Okay…time change is weird.  I left Los Angeles at 830AM Monday, and I’m arriving in Zurich Switzerland at 930AM Tuesday.  Total flight time…14 hours…and now I have to be up all day and I’m running on only a few hours sleep in the last 48 hours.  Kelli kept asking me days before this trip, “Are you excited yet?” and my answer was always “No.”  But flying down through the clouds and watching the vast greenness of Zurich pop up into my view from seat 27F high above the ground…I can finally answer YES!  Now, I’m excited!

Zurich is not on my planned trip with “the group,” but I’m fortunate enough to have family living here in Switzerland…The Wild Family!  Yup..that’s their name…W I L D!  Turn the “w” into a “v” and you can pronounce their name.  Mom and Dad are Daniela and Werner with son and daughter, Patrick and Jenny.  Add to that Rico, Jenny’s boyfriend (but soon to be husband?).  GREAT PEOPLE!

Clearing customs was fun, because even with my US Passport, they kept asking me if I live there.  I must have said No four times…did I look like a Swiss guy?  After I got my bags, I could see through the glass window that the entire family came to pick me up!  All four of them!  This is especially touching because it means that they all took the day off of work just to greet me at the airport and spend my first day with me…see?  GREAT FAMILY!

It was an awesome reunion…last time I saw them was a few years ago when they visited the states.  Off we went to their home in HOMBRECHTIKON…a small town outside of Zurich.  They have the most beautiful house in the world…overlooking Lake Zurich, complete with apple orchards and plush green rolling hills and thick woods densely packed with the most amazing trees you’ve ever seen.  I vote Switzerland the “cleanest” country…it’s amazingly beautiful.  It’s overcast and drizzly, but to me that is the most perfect weather!  AH!

When we got to the house, I met the newest addition to the Wild Family…SIRO!  Say ‘zero’ and roll the ‘r’ and you’ve got it.  He’s a 2 year old golden retriever who looks very similar to my goldie back home…Jag!  So talk about feeling at home! 

First things first!  BREAKFAST!  For those of you who don’t know…I just lost 45 pounds…and I have a feeling I’m going to gain it all back….just today!  Daniela always overdoes it when I visit…as do most Swiss and German families…the freshest breads, meats, cheeses, fruits, juices, spreads…and did I mention…CAFÉ!  I think I had at least 5 cups of espresso coffee…just at breakfast!

I got to see all the new renovations they made to the place.  It was purchase by Werner’s grandfather back in 1928 where he farmed as an occupation.  The house was past on to his father and then to him in the late 1980’s.  There’s the house, the barn and an additional barn on the property.  They have updated the interior while preserving the exterior.  AMAZING.

The day was filled with activities which allowed us to just “hang out” and talk about literally everything and everybody.  We went to the lake, watched Siro swim, had glace (or ice cream…swiss style) and then lived the life while watching world cup soccer outside in a “public viewing” place…nice and rustic…it was really cool.

So I did learn something new….DON’T DRINK SWISS BEER IF YOU ARE EXTREMELY TIRED!  WHOA!  The beer was great…but strong…fatigue was starting to hit and I fought to keep my eyes open during the second half of the game.

Early evening had Patrick and I walking literally through the woods to take Siro on a walk, but also to see Patrick’s new house!  He just moved a month ago and was just settling in to his house, that he and his lifelong friend, Ceril, were renting together.  The house was pretty amazing.  Three stories tall and about 100 years old.  Again…the exterior is preserved to keep the awesomeness of time intact, but the interior has been revitalized and modernized.  He’s so happy with his new house…and he has every right to be…it really is a great place.

Then we walk back and head home for dinner…FONDUE!

OH…language…in Switzerland they do speak German…but “Swiss-German”…it’s unique to their region and is very different from any German that I’ve heard…so they have been trying to teach me useful phrases like (excuse the spelling) ‘Grutzi’ (a greeting like hello) and ‘gippfele’ (croissant).  My pronunciation is poor but my efforts are good.

Fondue was great…a bit strong because they have their special Swiss ingredient – KIRSH, a very strong alcohol…oh no…more alcohol…definitely added a “kick” to the fondue which we dipped with bread, meats, and potatoes.  We wrapped up the day with another Café and another game of football (soccer).  I finally made it to bed after some wonderful conversation on the back patio with the lights of the opposite shoreline sparkling in Lake Zurich.

I got to have Patrick’s old room on the second floor.  Let’s just say…I had the best night’s sleep of my entire life.  Bedtime…1145PM…day one sadly came to an end.