Europa! Europa! Part 2: Cousins on Top of the World
- Dan
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Our next destination on the great European adventure was Switzerland…
Run Like Swiss Clocks…
While in London, Anders and I encountered a delay on the Underground. The reason: track invaders. Fortunately, it didn't take long for the police to apprehend and remove the interlopers, and we were on our way to our destination. This impediment annoyed the young lad to no end. Little did we know that this minor inconvenience was a harbinger of things to come.
Our last day in London saw us catch an uneventful flight to Zürich, where we needed to board a train to Bern, then onward to our destination in the Swiss Alps. Once again, Anders proved to be an expert and helpful traveler. We found the right train without a problem, confident we'd soon be whisked to our mountainous destination. The Swiss trains, after all, run as flawlessly as their clockwork.
What we discovered is that, although the Swiss trains might run like precision clockwork, the locomotives still need clear tracks to ply. Our train was dead on the tracks soon after leaving the station. At first, we figured it would be a short delay, but with each announcement and groans from the other passengers, it became clear something was amiss. A kindly Swiss gentleman translated an announcement for us that someone had jumped onto the tracks, and that the police had yet to capture the individual. At this point, the incident had been going on for over two hours.
Instead of an hour to get to Bern, it took us at least six. This tested Anders's patience, but he remained remarkably jolly for a ten-year-old—just don't tell him Swiss trains run on time! As for the Swiss, they took the delay in stride, with groans of frustration and humor (someone's on the tracks, the police can't handle it, send in the Swiss Special Forces!), but no shouting or outward displays of anger.
In the end, we were lucky to catch the last train to our destination, arriving closer to midnight than our planned 2:00 PM arrival.
Cousins in the Alps
As you can tell from the picture above, all the cousins, from the youngest to the eldest, had a fantastic time in the Swiss Alps. To my considerable surprise and to that of his aunts and uncles, Anders emerged from his introverted shell. I must admit that his brother insisting on staying back to attend the ECNL Playoffs was truly a blessing in disguise. Without his big bro around constantly physically assaulting him, criticizing him, calling him stupid or fat or both, Anders became quite the socialable fellow, even regaling his uncles with tales of his boyish exploits at school and soccer. He almost seemed like a different child entirely. More recently, I've noticed his more outgoing and confident side at soccer practices and games.
Bonding Time
Anders and his cousin Max bonded while hiking and trail running on mountain trails and through villages. They even survived a rather nasty hailstorm.
While riding the gondolas through the mountains, they enjoy the views and imagined they were on the run from ravenous monsters.
The closest we came to monsters were docile bovines wearing cow bells that added a harmonious tinkling to accompany the fantastic views.
The Food Situation
I was concerned about the food situation, feeling I had lucked out in London. Fortunately, the hotel we stayed at made homemade chicken nuggets, which Anders loved. For breakfast, I was able to convince him to down a pancake or two, and he survived on junk food for lunch.
Next stop…ITALIA!
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