{"id":1501,"date":"2022-12-21T13:29:26","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T12:29:26","guid":{"rendered":"urn:uuid:543af803-e7dd-416d-bca0-fc5d7710936d"},"modified":"2022-12-22T10:04:54","modified_gmt":"2022-12-22T09:04:54","slug":"it-was-the-best-of-times-it-was-the-swissiest-of-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.fhgr.ch\/international\/2022\/12\/21\/it-was-the-best-of-times-it-was-the-swissiest-of-times\/","title":{"rendered":"It was the best of times, it was the Swissiest of times"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hello! Bonjour! Guten Tag!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been in the charming city of Chur for the past three months and have thus concluded:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

1. Switzerland isn\u2019t that cold<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

2. it\u2019s not expensive<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

3. fondue tastes bad<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Thank you for your attention, I\u2019m Chan Aleksandra Melbye (22) and I\u2019m an exchange student from Norway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Okay, so obviously, I\u2019m biased. But Norway is a lot colder than Switzerland. This is based on very scientific data, aka phone calls to my friends and family. I didn\u2019t need to bring out the cold cream for my chapped hands until late November(!). Back home I would have it on standby right as the leaves started falling to the ground. The cream, by the way, very useful if you don\u2019t own it already. Either that or start wearing gloves before <\/em>the temperature drops \u2013 which I\u2019ve of course never done because I\u2019m a proper Norwegian who likes to suffer (\u201cIt\u2019s not that cold yet!\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Speaking of, gloves, a good investment if you don\u2019t already own them. As is winter boots, ideally before the first snow, so you don\u2019t have to wade through the wet mud in your pretty, but impractical sneakers. Additionally, a warm winter coat. Seriously, buy stuff before you need it. That\u2019s just common sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Next up, the prices. In Norway, things cost money, and I gather this is normal. In Switzerland, things cost almost the same. Clearly, it\u2019s just that the rest of Europe is cheap by comparison1<\/sup>. The only difference is that when I shop in Migros or Lidl, I can\u2019t tell the good brand of washing powder from the bad ones. Therefore, the cheapest will do. With that mentality, suddenly everything\u2019s a bargain!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Also, a quick sidetrack for the Scandinavian readership, Coop has some gl\u00f8gg2<\/sup> on offer (no relation I think, to the Norwegian Coop brand). But even mixed with a berry sirup and additional water, tastes nothing like the real thing (as confirmed by both me and a Finn). Solution: go to a Christmas market when \u2018tis the season and you\u2019ll probably find one (1) stand with \u201cScandinavian Gl\u00fchwein\u201d which will be okay<\/em>, but with a strong taste of alcohol (a plus or a minus depending). If you\u2019re lucky, you\u2019ll actually find \u2018gl\u00f8gg\u2019 on the sign, and that\u2019ll taste just like home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n \"\"\n \n