Premier weekend!!

        As promised, I have much to share on my first fun filled weekend here in Switzerland. With another practice under my belt last Friday, I still am excited to see what this season lies ahead for me. But enough about volleyball for soon that will be the only thing to talk about once we really get into it. Saturday was dedicated solely to being a tourist I think I played that role quite suffiently with the 188 pictures I took.

    SATURDAY 

        My host for the day would be Magali who also lives in Neuchâtel. We start the drive from Couvet around noon and right away I'm already snapping pictures of the beautiful countryside. It was a sunny drive but the weather would not be stable for long. Halfway through, we could already see the lake that is one of the selling points for this small city.  Thirty minutes later, we arrive and are soon off to find some food.  My guide asks me what I want and I honestly have no idea, because I do not know what is typical to eat here. All I ever think of is chocolate which wouldn't be a bad life if I could just live off of that. I have always wanted to eat an authentic crêpe so we head to a nearby cafe that Magali frequented while a student there in the city. It is crowded but looks like a typical college cafe would. For my Eugenians, think Glenwood with one floor and fewer space to walk between tables and people. Magali tells me everything there is good, which doesn't help me decide because there's 1827483929392 things on the menu to choose from. If Hardy and I went to eat here, we would never be able to order. I finally decide on a crêpe with saucisson et fromage (sausage and cheese). I almost thought about ordering the special (chicken, onions, red peppers, and a sort of sweet and sour sauce) but I wasn't sure if I would handle anything too different. Turns out, that one turned out waaaay better than mine. I only got to try it because Magali ordered the special. Teaches me not to be so safe I guess. Still, what I had was good and like any true tourist young person with a smart phone, I took a picture of it. I also ordered a café bach which is a coffee that comes with cream, sugar, and a little chocolate dish filled with whipped cream to put in the coffee. Costs extra but you know, "when in Europe". I definitely plan on coming back soon to hopefully get the special and a sweet chocolate crêpe. C'est délicieux!

       With lunch covered, we began our long day of walking towards the main part of town.  The first sight to see is the garden and flea market right outside where we ate.  The plants and presentation of everything is gorgeous and has me reminiscing about Seattle and all the parks I enjoy to walk through. Though I have yet to see anything like this 

There was also a hippo and frog, but alas no giraffe.  A quick pit-stop to Magali's flat, we make our way to the la grand rue or the Main Street.  The area is particularly busy due to a world music festival. Bands that come from all over perform in various parts of the city for passerbys to enjoy. I heard everything from Spanish, Greek, to a Swiss-German orchestra that rapped and sang a German version of Kanye West's "Stronger". Only seven people were in this group but they were highly entertaining with good music and showmanship. At the end of the day we saw them again and they played Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man" and "Crazy In Love" by everyone's queen.....Beyoncé. You know I sang every word to both of those songs and even got a 👍 thumbs up from the trumpet player when he saw my skills. (Pullup Orchestra if you feel inclined to google them) In between the music, we met up with another teammate who is one of my faithful translators on the team. Fabienne probaly has the best English accent so far so I sometimes forget she can speak French and Swiss-German (Fun Fact: Swiss-German is very different then Germany German but Swiss-French is the same as France French. Just a different accent between the latter two.)

          We make our up more hills and stairs which I failed to mention.  EVERYWHERE I GO IN COUVET HAS STAIRS AND HILLS. I'm constantly sweating going to and from the gym and market. No bueno, c'est horrible.  Anywho, we walk up a steep hill and a billion stairs to see the local castle. Though it was really cool to see a castle up close, it's nothing like you see in fairy tales. It looks like an old stone building from the outside but really cool within the courtyard.

Entering the courtyard, I used my deductive Sherlock Holmes skills to see that people were really, really, really.....

SHORT, back in the Middle Ages. The church next to the castle is very beautiful as well and the view from atop those monumental stairs is incredible.  

When we arrived, my guides asked me if I had ever heard of pétanque? If I were any other American, I probably would have said pe-what? But thanks to my highly cultural time spent at Henry D. Sheldon High school I knew exactly what they were talking about. Unfortunately, I still somehow managed to walk right through someone's game and looked yet again like another oblivious tourist.

          After the castle, Fabbiene bid us adieu (look at all the languages I can speak), and we made our way to le lac du Neuchâtel. We were fortunate to have a rare moment of sun during this portion of the day and the water was incredibly clear and blue. Still too cloudy to see the Alps, but hopefully one of these days I'll get lucky.  Many pictures later, we strolled to what is called "Place Pury". In many towns the "place" is a center where you go to meet someone. We happened to be meeting a friend of the volleyball team and her daughter. Two years old and cute as a button, Sara speaks Spain Spanish because of her mother, understands Arabic because of her father, and French I think due to her daycare of some kind.  I swear, I feel so inadequate because I am not fluent in a second language. Americans really are missing out being monolingual and all.  Another fast round of rain showers sends us to a cafe to stay dry and meet my Portugese teammate Leticia. Already I am in need of a nap, but we carry on to see more music and I can't stand how cute it is to watch a two year old dance and clap to all the music. She especially liked the Greek group. 

     Towards the end of our day, we headed to eat a classic Swiss meal, cheese fondue. This is something I have been dying to try for years.  We take more stairs, but thankfully down, to where we were to seated.  If I'm being honest, it didn't smell great.  Think very strong cheese mixed with dog.  It's great you want to bring your pooch and all, but it doesn't make for a very romantic ambience.  With one waitress on staff on a busy night, we were there for quite some time but it was worth the wait. With some white wine to go with, I ate bread dipped in hot cheese till it came out of my ears. Very strong in flavor which had me eating smaller amounts then my companions but who can complain. When you get to just eat bread and cheese all the time, life is good.  Fair warning; I was told not to drink anything cold during or after having fondue. The cold will harden the cheese while in your stomach and make for some uncomfortable digesting for the rest of your evening. Wine is fine (haha rhymes) due to the alcohol being able to help the digestion of the cheese. Like I needed another excuse to drink more wine.  Hot tea is also common if you're not into delicious smushed, fermented, grape juice. By 9:30, we finally pay l'addition and begin to say our goodbyes. More goodbye kisses to the cheek, (3 total not 2) Magali and I make our way back to Couvet.  The clear sky and billions of stars is a good omen to the BBQ we are supposed to have with her family the next day.

SUNDAY

       I admit, this morning was quite difficult to wake up from. From walking all day, lots of food, and always focusing on trying to understand the different languages around me, I was quite exhausted.  Can't complain though because it all has been a blast so far. Alex and I walked down our steep hill to Magali's family house which currently includes Joelle and her family as well as their parents. I walk into a beautiful jardin (garden) to see their father cooking on what they consider their grill. It's more of an old stone structure with a rotisserie pit.  He is incredibly nice and welcoming to their home which is now to be expected with this great group of people.  The young girls of Joelle are excited but shy to see the new Ameican player and take a little while to warm up to me. But they don't call me the child whisperer for nothing. Even in broken French I can charm any kid I come across. There are once again numerous cheeses and some meats for appetizers and a large shot glass of what?  If you said wine you'd be correct.  So what do you eat at a Swiss BBQ? Pork that has been roasted on a stick for hours and gratin.  By far, the gratin has been my favorite thing I have eaten while here.  Their mother made it and I was shameless as I took a much larger second helping of it.  This dish includes risotto on the bottom and vegetables laid on top then baked till perfection. Heaven in a pan I swear.  With more wine from one of the sponsors who also owns a winery, we ate till we were full but hungry enough to eat multiple desserts. Glace, chocolat, et gâteau à la crème (ice cream, chocolate, and cream cake basically) were on the menu and I ate all of it.  The last one is a typical Swiss dish that looks like a cream-custard pie that tastes like apple pie. I can't help but compare everything I see, eat, hear etc to what I know back home. During the dessert, I had a very hard time keeping my eyes open. After numerous large yawns, it was time for another coffee. I love how normal it is to drink a coffee at 3 in the afternoon here. After food, we lounged inside le salon (living room) until it was time to go. Not before of course the oldest girl had me attempt to read her French books to her. I was very grateful on how patient and polite she was as I most likely mangled and butchered her beautiful language.  She would me pronounce anything I looked to her in desperation trying to say.  After a weekend like this, I am quite tired but really happy to have all these people making my experience so much fun.

Santé! (Cheers!)

The pooped American