Welcome to Wander We Go. I’m Alex.
I write about life in Zürich, travels throughout Europe, and musings on both.
I’m at the point. THE point. If you’ve learned a foreign language, you know this point. The point when you can understand much more than you have the ability to speak. Even if I don’t recognize every word of German that is spoken, I can generally understand the comprehensive meaning of what was said. However, when I’m left to my own devices to reproduce the words, I’m at a loss. Ugh. Welcome to phase two.
From here on out, whenever I hear the phrase, “a city nestled in the Alps,” I will always think of Innsbruck. You hear that phrase a lot, mostly in travel writing, especially in articles about Switzerland or Austria. But if there was ever a place that accurately embodies this phrase, Innsbruck is it.
Apartment living can sometimes be more than just a place to lay your head and store your things: it can be an adventure in of itself. I have such fond memories of every place I’ve lived, and in some ways, each one has become a framework of that specific stage of my life. That apartment, this neighborhood, that landlord, this roommate. Each apartment comes with it’s own quicks, intricacies, and sometimes, a mirror to reflect the culture of the city itself. Swiss apartments, in this way, are no different.
Nuremberg. Famous (more like infamous) for yes, the WWII war crimes tribunals and hosting massive Nazi party rallies, but also more breweries per square capita than anywhere else, a charming medieval old town, teeny tiny little sausages, and an area literally named after Switzerland (Franconia Switzerland) because it, well, looks just like Switzerland.
I’ve always believed that books are one of our strongest and most important tools to generate knowledge and change. In honor of Women’s History Month, here are 10 standout books, by women from across the world, all different sizes, shapes, colors, and identities. Hopefully, reading one (or all!) of these authors will strengthen the collective voices of women, and serve to educate us all. Happy reading!
A ride on the Glacier Express is anything but fast. The 290-kilometer trip through the Swiss Alps, from Zermatt to St. Moritz, takes over 8 hours, with 291 bridge crossings, 91 tunnels, 2000+ meters of elevation gain. It’s essentially the length of a transatlantic flight (but without any turbulence!), all within little landlocked Switzerland. We rode the #glacierexpress around this time last January, and I wrote about the whole experience: each major leg of the journey, what to expect, and probably more train facts then you needed to know
It’s those unassuming cities that surprise you the most, isn’t it? Our weekend trip to Catania and Taormina caught me completely off-guard, in the best way possible. Sicily had been flying low on my radar, but these two little towns on the rock at the tip of the Italian boot certainly pack a cultural punch.
If you’ve been reading my blog, you know by now that I love living in Zurich. But not everything is perfect. I wrote last week about the five things the world can learn from Switzerland. So now, here are five things I think Switzerland can learn from the world. The Yin and Yang, all of which contribute to the uniqueness of Swiss life.
A bit unexpectedly, I’ve fallen in love with the Swiss way of life. I say unexpectedly because while I knew there would be things I would enjoy (mountains and cheese and chocolate), I didn’t know much else about Swiss lifestyle or culture. The Swiss do plenty of things well, but in the past 8 months, I’ve noticed five things they do exceptionally well.
