Milee, my fun Australian roommate woke me by shouting, “OMG the bus leaves in five minutes again.” Lol This was the second day I slept until five minutes to go accidentally (it took me five days to be accustomed to the time change/waking up so early). So I threw things in my suitcase, quickly decided what should go in the small suitcase that I couldn't have back until Florence, strapped my suitcases together, and ran. When I got to the bus, the door had just closed.
But – they opened it for me and I walked in. . . The bus was silent for at least three hours as we all slept. The gas station that we stopped at had the most disgusting apple I had ever had in my life. And it cost like four Euros. Between the fried food the first night and Europe’s love for things made with bleached flour – I have been searching for healthier foods. I found a 2 euro orange to eat and fell back asleep on the bus. At the next stop – I stumbled upon a SALAD BAR – HEAVEN REJOICE - I made a delicious chicken green leaf salad with olive oil for dressing, purchased a bowl of grapes, and a bowl of cold delicious green beans. YAY! To reward myself – I had crème brulee (who knows when I’ll be in France again?).
In the coach, we slowly approached the Swiss Alps. Little clusters of houses with a white steeple churches in the centers were spread across the country side with lakes speckled between them. The vast mountains created a stunning backdrop for each village. We arrived in Lucerne around 5 p.m. I opted to miss dinner to shower, but arrived in the dining room in time to see a plate of white rice with with thick gravy and chicken. At least it wasn’t fried. I ate enough to make it through the next few hours. To my enjoyment, it was delightfully warm in Switzerland. It was the first time on the trip that I was able to wear a dress comfortably – Yay! We walked through the tiny village to a boat and took a cruise though the Alps. This time – the cruise passed my standards for an excursion. I danced around and took pictures with the group. The setting was beautiful. The buildings are tall and brightly colored, the water is clear, and mountains spread in each and every direction. It was stunning. It has to be the most amazing quaint village in the world. Dana, love her – A LOT, had been begging me to partake in some Swiss fondue. She, determined to get along with all members of the group, invited everyone. As sweet as this was, it was completely impractical. Trekking with 32 individuals down the streets of Lucerne made me hate my life - only because everything took 20 times longer than it had to. I felt like I was on another guided tour.
I ran into a tiny restaurant decorated in cow print (tacky in Oklahoma – adorable in Lucerne) when I saw fondue pot on each table. The cute blond woman working there agreed to let us eat there and Dana and I sat down, but EVERYONE ELSE KEPT WALKING. Dana, still determined to be part of the group, convinced me to follow and we explored a little bit more. I explained to her that maybe some people wanted to just see the sights while we wanted to experience the culture and that we could not do anything about that . . . and that I just had to do what would make this trip special to me.
Back at the cute little cow-themed restaurant (Swiss people are very cute – there really do put bells on their cows) – the cute blond, blue eyed Swiss woman stayed open late to serve us. We ordered two HUGE pots of fondue: a mixture of cheese and spices and a dark chocolate – AMAZING! We were given all sorts of breads and fruit and went CRAZY eating it. . . I felt a little concerned with the cute woman brought us spoons to scrap the bowl with, but I went for it. While completely stuffed, we decided to order one more cheese. Delicious. This time she only brought white bread. . . but I went for it. Yum.
((Back at the hotel, some of the others said they paid 40 Swiss Franks to sit on the water and have a small pot of fondue. . . Dana and I paid 14 (the woman discounted it for us) per ginormous pot. For me, it paid to wonder off the beaten path where no one speaks your language and everyone eats really amazing food. They were happy – we were happy – all was well. As my mom says, sometimes you have to please yourself. ))
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