zurich.

hallo,
zurich was a bit of a disaster in the beginning. all the hostels were booked online so i decided to walk and see if they had an opening. no. i panicked a bit and went to starbucks to find a solution. i had set up a couch surfing account before i left and so i figured it was my only option.

i sent out so many requests with an urgent message telling my situation. i was nervous no one would reply. 10 minutes later a boy did and said he had the flu, but to message another guy who would surely have me. so i do and he replies within two minutes. i decide to take the offer in case i didn't have any others. he is weird on the phone.

i get thirty other people telling me i could stay with them. it really allowed me to see how wonderful the human race can be--letting a stranger into their house last minute.

i meet the man at the train station at 8. last year he had 200 people stay with him. i figured he must be a good host then. on the contrary... he was really manipulative in his words and so so rude. his energy was terrible the minute that he walked into my personal space. i felt uncomfortable and wanted to cry. i tried to be a big girl, but the feeling wouldn't escape. there were many rules and i can barely write about all the things he said to me because it makes me get that feeling back. but i will share this story--he tells me about his divorce and his kids. he says he is glad to have his single life back again (although he has a girlfriend of 2 years). he can finally take back up his hobby. what is that i ask? photography. oh great! i say. of people he says. cool i say. then he starts explaining the german words for it. "the closest i can think of to an english word would be nude photography," he says. oh, i say. my body tenses up. immediately realizing what kind of man i am in the presence of. i knew he had to be a creep.

he makes me dinner and we go on a walk. he tells me the next day i WILL go to a couch surfing meeting that is weekly. then he asks if i would object to leaving the meeting early because he enjoys conversing with me and would like to do so on a more one on one situation. i say okay because i didn't know how to tell him i really had no interest.

i go to bed after the walk, but just found another couch surfer to stay with who had messaged me before. he was from california and is working in zurich. i decided i'd trust this man. i told the first man that i decided to take an overnight train to berlin and so i would keep my bags at the train station for the day. the next guy was really kind. his wife lives in germany so his house gets lonely. i had a whole big room and no rules. it turns out he knows the other guy because he is the ambassador for zurich--the head guy for couch surfing there. and he knew exactly why i was uncomfortable. it was nice to hear i wasn't crazy.

that day i walked around the city on this little walking tour from a tourist map. honestly i think it just walked me through every shopping platz in the city. makes it quite difficult for me to resist. i managed only to buy a swiss watch in my favorite color. i had taken a lot of money out because it is THE most expensive city i have been in and the hostels were a lot. but then i ended up not paying for a hostel either night. i didn't want to lose money in changing it back to euros or dollars so i spent it.

i went to a museum and got lucky because it was a free day. i think it was my favorite museum i've seen so far. the collection was so diverse and every corner i turned i just smiled so excited to see a real painting by these artists i've taught my students about. here is a sample of what i got to see:

pablo picasso.
joan miro.
van gogh.
edvard munch.
monet.
rodin. -- i loved his sculptures
robert delaunay.
paul klee.
roy lichtenstein.
andy warhol.
piet mondrian.
jackson pollock. (one time i dated a boy who made me feel so dumb for how i said his name. i almost cried. and then my audioguide said it the exact same way. i'm not so dumb after all)
dali.
poussin.
polke.
kandinsky.

so so amazing. and oh! check into the sculptures of giacometti. i loooved them. i've become a real art lover.

here's the volcano in iceland.

i walked and saw all the buildings. it was rainy and really cold. for some reason my stomach decided to be the most hungry in the most expensive city. usually i just eat breakfast and a mid day meal. but here i ate three times. crazy.

i was walking down a cobblestone street and i saw this painter painting the scene. we smiled at each other. this is what he was painting. i ended up talking to him for a while. he is from new jersey and living in new york. he was commissioned to paint landscapes and portraits for a guy in zurich. he was really really amazing. it was a nice chat.

when i bought my watch, there was an older lady looking at them too. she tried talking to me in german and i said sorry only english. we ended up talking in the store for ten minutes. then before we parted ways, she grabbed my two arms and said, "i will never forget you, erica" it made me feel really special.

i think there is a saying that all the ducks are lined up in a row? well in zurich, all the swans are lined up in a row.

here was my siting of the alps.

the one thing i loved about zurich was how many free things they hand out. in the day and a few hours that i was there, i got 4 free samples. green tea drink, gum, coke zero, and some other drink. justen justen should move here. "i love free and free loves me."

that night, my new host aaron and i had an evening drink and then made dinner. he told me his story, which was a brutal childhood of orphanages and foster parents. he was so kind to me. offering me everything. he even had a DRYER, which i haven't seen my whole stay in europe. his wife lives in germany while she finishes her degree and then will join him next year. he married her in vegas after a two year engagement. i was so grateful for his kindness.

now i am on my way to berlin. i sat next to a man on the train from there so he gave me tips. he said i'll barely get to see anything because i'll only be there for a day and a half. i'll do my best. but that probably means i won't be updating this until i'm back to holland. i feel so guilty for the neglect, but the trip is almost over and i have a hard time justifying sitting on my computer when i could be out and about. soon enough :)

sorry for so many words this time. not much to see in zurich, but with a few good stories.

chuse,
erica