Locals and Tourists

I took the boys on a bike ride this past weekend, and we came across a rare site in Basel -- an American football game. I told the boys what they were playing and Willem said, "Why are they fat and wearing hats?" Sorry for offending any football players, but I understand where he's coming from -- the padding and helmets made the teams look quite different from football players in Europe (soccer in the US). I had a laugh, but the comment was a reminder that my sons are growing up in a very different place than I did. And seeing American football also was a sentimental reminder of "home".

Even though our family is by now quite used to many things around here, I still like to take advantage of shopping in the US for items that we miss. I was there for business travel last week, and I brought back some things that are difficult to find here (within reason): for example chocolate chips, Tylenol, Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, and baking powder (which is only found in small quantities here).

Historical grain storage barn

We enjoy our opportunity to live in Switzerland like a local. On the other hand, we still enjoy playing the role of tourist. We recently visited the Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland, which must be one of the most well-known mountain peaks and is a symbol of the Alps. It was a scene we felt we had to see in person while living in Switzerland. The town of Zermatt has grown with tourism from the original isolated mountain town that it once was. Undoubtedly, I'm sure the character has changed as a result -- there are often Chinese translations on signs and you can find plenty of tourist shops with miniature Matterhorns. However, the town still retains a quaint feel. We walked through a portion of the original town, where we could see houses from as early as the 15th century. Zermatt is also part of tragic stories from people who lost their lives trying to scale the Matterhorn peak. A walk through the town cemetery is a sad testament to this. But there are some amazing mountaineering stories as well, such as one villager who lived to be 104 and climbed the Matterhorn over 370 times.

Matterhorn

Our trip to Zermatt was a good excuse to feel like a tourist (we even bought a Zermatt cowbell for Landon, who has had his eye on one for a while). Sometimes it feels good not to try to blend in as a local!

Until our next adventure...