And then I was Fabulously French: Switzerland

Bonjour mes amis!!

I will continue where I left off in Colmar, France. Cheryl and I drove back to her village in Hunenberg which is located about 40 km SW of Zurich in the region of Zug. It is a charming farming village which is comprised of Swiss Germans and a significant amount of foreign nationals. The reason for this is that Zug is a very low tax region and many national enterprises come set up shop here. In keeping with national greed, I also understand that many companies have also simply just created a single office with local admin as headquarters for the purpose of the tax break (60 minutes evidently did a special on this). I'm assuming in about 20 years the region will lose some of its charm as their is a lot of new construction and
foreigners will take over :)

By the way, Hunenberg is the cleanest and tidiest town I have ever visited. It feels like it is landscaped daily it is that perfect. Cheryl said it is because everyone picks up after themselves and are very respectful of their community. The local grocery store will leave plants, flowers and other items outside over the weekend and no one will take anything. What a concept!! :)

On Saturday we visited the town of Luzern (Lucerne). Here again is a charming swiss town although considerably more touristy. Popular landmarks include Lake Lucerne, Reuss River, Chapel Bridge, Mount Pilatus the Gutsch Castle (will open as a hotel this summer), the 9 watch towers and you get a pretty dynamic view of the Swiss Alps.

The day was spent sightseeing, nice lunch along Reuss River and a little bit of shopping :) The day ended with ice cream scoops in the plaza (because it got pretty hot that day). I must add that the walk to, within and from the watch towers was engaging. Three towers were open and to reach the top of a tower you had to make your way through these tiny, erect stairs - that I felt the next day :) The views from atop were stunning and well worth my pain!!

On Sunday (my departure day) we strolled a bit in the town of Zug and got to see some local sites. Short on time, we then took the train into Zurich where I was returning to Paris from.
Upon arriving in Zurich (the strain station is a city in an of itself it's that big), Cheryl briefly took me on a short tour of some of the sites. I could tell immediately Zurich was a more metropolitan city with name brand stores everywhere, Starbucks and a greater variety of tourists and languages spoken. Unfortunately I did not have enough time to spend in Zurich and I certainly would have liked to.

I can only say my experience in this part of Switzerland and spending time with Cheryl who was familiar with the area was incredible. The Raclette dinner we had Friday nigh was spectacular. I love fondue so this was such a treat. On Saturday night her husband (Brad) grilled chicken and turkey. Another splendid wine dinner because their house sits atop a hill and they have dynamic views of the village. Hopefully you can see this in some of the pics attached. Cheryl, Brad and Sara were incredibly welcoming hosts. Thanks again Cheryl!!

I hope you enjoyed my Swiss experience as much as I did.

Avec L'amour de Switzerland (French is much prettier language than German) :)