i am really loving this little adventure out here in swiss-land and am constantly learning new things, so i thought it was about time to share a small list of quirks, facts, and oddities that you may not have know about this beautiful place.
1. there are 4 official languages spoken in this country and the street signs change depending on what part of switzerland you're in. the languages are italian, german, french and romansh.
2. the local transportation system in locarno, switzerland is called the 'fart'.
3. you better bring some bags with you when you go to the grocery store, otherwise you'll have to buy some. they ain't free. (fyi, my fav. grocery store is called 'migros'.)
4. you also have to put a 1-2 franc coin in (approx $1.12-$2.20) to get a shopping cart, and then you retrieve the coin when you put your cart back. i actually think it's a really good idea--except when i don't have a coin on me.
5. they have a 1,000 franc bill, and i saw a lady bust one out at the grocery store the other day. the checker didn't even blink an eye. and no $20 limit at the drive-thru window. oh wait, they don't really have drive-thrus here.
6. more grocery related--you have to weigh all of your fruits and veggies and then affix them with a sticker before you get to the checkout line, otherwise you will be yelled at in italian and sent back to the weighing area, which can be rather embarrassing.
7. the grocery store checkers are always seated and there is no such thing as baggers. you da bagger.
8. they eat horse.
9. i know right?! so terrible. i would never, and brady is not permitted to try it.
10. they put brown tuna that has been packed in oil on pizza. you're craving it in your pasta? no problem, because they heat it up and do that too. it's called 'tonno', so watch for it. i've found thin layers of it on things that i never thought possible. btw, they don't even sell tuna packed in water, let alone my beloved dolphin-safe solid white albacore in water.
11. all of the stores close at 6pm except on thursdays, which they are open until a whopping 8pm. if they are open on saturdays, they usually close at 5.
12. almost every store closes for 2 hours at lunchtime, including some grocery stores.
13. the pharmacies (or farmacias) are only open during the week until 6, and you won't find anything over-the-counter outside of the farmacia. if you get food poisoning on a weekend and you don't have something on hand, well, better luck next time. be prepared.
14. dogs are allowed in restaurants. it still seems strange to see a dog sitting under a table while i'm eating my spaghetti, but mosh rather enjoys it.
15. the stop signs here look exactly the same as in the US.
16. there is more american music played here than anything else. in fact, a lot of the american songs that they play are randoms that i have never even heard (i try to stay current through streaming radio).
17. if you go out to dinner, plan to stay a while. the servers won't give you your check unless youask beg (at least a few times).
18. if you don't finish your meal, the only thing that you can get in a doggie bag is pizza.
19. don't expect to see drive thru's around. the only fast food place in locarno is mcdonalds and it is a sit-down restaurant. the swiss' version of fast food is picking up a dry, pre-made sandwich or yogurt at the gas station. also,
20. there are lots of gas stations that bake fresh bread. it's pretty awesome, i have to say.
21. they don't post many speed limit signs around. you have to know what the speed limits are and go the correct speed, otherwise you'll get caught by a speed camera and mailed a ticket. italy is the same way. b and i drove down to pisa last year and apparently during one of our times being lost we drove into a restricted access area. (we had no idea.) then out of the blue we received a pretty big ticket in the mail stating that a camera had caught us driving around this alleged restricted area. if it's restricted, put up some gates! cheesh!
22. they are big into recycling (which i really dig). i was told by someone who lives here that if you aren't recycling properly, there are people who are assigned to go through trash and they will find you and fine you. very creepy jeepy. also, you have to buy special trash bags (for about $2-3 each; the high price pays for the trash service) with your town's name and emblem on them and put those bags into a large, designated bin. that trash is then burned in highly efficient scrubbing ovens, and the only resulting emission is steam.
23. the post office (or posta) is capable of just about anything. you need said special trash bags? head over to the posta. you need to pay your bills? stand in line because the posta is your place. what was that? a cell phone? one word--posta. you forgot your cash to pay your bills because you can only pay bills in cash or a direct wire transfer? no worries, the posta also has a bank. this is switzerland.
24. i see a lot of walking sticks around. young and old use these walking sticks. it doesn't matter if you're on the street, the mountains, flat terrain or a grade. these sticks actually remind me of an old jack handy quote that "it is a good idea to carry around 2 sacks of something at all times just in case someone asks you, 'hey, can you lend me a hand?' you can say, 'sorry, got these two sacks'."
25. it's against the law for your car to have an oil leak. the roads are pretty darn clean as a result.
26. the swiss version of a street sweeper is a guy paid 45,000 fr/ yr with a big ol' witch's broom.
27. because the neighborhoods here are so old, the roads so narrow, and the terrain so steep, you will often see helicopters overhead making deliveries or doing pick-ups. several months ago i saw a chopper overhead dangling something pretty massive. as it got closer i realized that the massive, swaying object was a full-size swimming pool. (i unfortunately wasn't able to get a picture of it.) these two heli ground shots are of the chopper that i often see outside of the grocery store. and there are a lot of houses that aren't accessible by road, so small mountain communities will often share a chopper. wouldn't that be rad?! brad and angie need to consider moving here.
28. gas is over $8/ gallon. the prices are shown per liter. (and the below pic was taken in the winter; i wish it was snowing right now. it's 100 friggin' degrees outside! that's another thing, they're a bit superstitious about air conditioning here, so you rarely find it in housing or shops.)
29. they don't refrigerate their eggs.
30. standard vacation time here is 5 weeks. 5!!!!
1. there are 4 official languages spoken in this country and the street signs change depending on what part of switzerland you're in. the languages are italian, german, french and romansh.
2. the local transportation system in locarno, switzerland is called the 'fart'.
3. you better bring some bags with you when you go to the grocery store, otherwise you'll have to buy some. they ain't free. (fyi, my fav. grocery store is called 'migros'.)
4. you also have to put a 1-2 franc coin in (approx $1.12-$2.20) to get a shopping cart, and then you retrieve the coin when you put your cart back. i actually think it's a really good idea--except when i don't have a coin on me.
5. they have a 1,000 franc bill, and i saw a lady bust one out at the grocery store the other day. the checker didn't even blink an eye. and no $20 limit at the drive-thru window. oh wait, they don't really have drive-thrus here.
7. the grocery store checkers are always seated and there is no such thing as baggers. you da bagger.
8. they eat horse.
9. i know right?! so terrible. i would never, and brady is not permitted to try it.
10. they put brown tuna that has been packed in oil on pizza. you're craving it in your pasta? no problem, because they heat it up and do that too. it's called 'tonno', so watch for it. i've found thin layers of it on things that i never thought possible. btw, they don't even sell tuna packed in water, let alone my beloved dolphin-safe solid white albacore in water.
11. all of the stores close at 6pm except on thursdays, which they are open until a whopping 8pm. if they are open on saturdays, they usually close at 5.
12. almost every store closes for 2 hours at lunchtime, including some grocery stores.
13. the pharmacies (or farmacias) are only open during the week until 6, and you won't find anything over-the-counter outside of the farmacia. if you get food poisoning on a weekend and you don't have something on hand, well, better luck next time. be prepared.
14. dogs are allowed in restaurants. it still seems strange to see a dog sitting under a table while i'm eating my spaghetti, but mosh rather enjoys it.
15. the stop signs here look exactly the same as in the US.
16. there is more american music played here than anything else. in fact, a lot of the american songs that they play are randoms that i have never even heard (i try to stay current through streaming radio).
17. if you go out to dinner, plan to stay a while. the servers won't give you your check unless you
18. if you don't finish your meal, the only thing that you can get in a doggie bag is pizza.
19. don't expect to see drive thru's around. the only fast food place in locarno is mcdonalds and it is a sit-down restaurant. the swiss' version of fast food is picking up a dry, pre-made sandwich or yogurt at the gas station. also,
20. there are lots of gas stations that bake fresh bread. it's pretty awesome, i have to say.
21. they don't post many speed limit signs around. you have to know what the speed limits are and go the correct speed, otherwise you'll get caught by a speed camera and mailed a ticket. italy is the same way. b and i drove down to pisa last year and apparently during one of our times being lost we drove into a restricted access area. (we had no idea.) then out of the blue we received a pretty big ticket in the mail stating that a camera had caught us driving around this alleged restricted area. if it's restricted, put up some gates! cheesh!
22. they are big into recycling (which i really dig). i was told by someone who lives here that if you aren't recycling properly, there are people who are assigned to go through trash and they will find you and fine you. very creepy jeepy. also, you have to buy special trash bags (for about $2-3 each; the high price pays for the trash service) with your town's name and emblem on them and put those bags into a large, designated bin. that trash is then burned in highly efficient scrubbing ovens, and the only resulting emission is steam.
23. the post office (or posta) is capable of just about anything. you need said special trash bags? head over to the posta. you need to pay your bills? stand in line because the posta is your place. what was that? a cell phone? one word--posta. you forgot your cash to pay your bills because you can only pay bills in cash or a direct wire transfer? no worries, the posta also has a bank. this is switzerland.
24. i see a lot of walking sticks around. young and old use these walking sticks. it doesn't matter if you're on the street, the mountains, flat terrain or a grade. these sticks actually remind me of an old jack handy quote that "it is a good idea to carry around 2 sacks of something at all times just in case someone asks you, 'hey, can you lend me a hand?' you can say, 'sorry, got these two sacks'."
25. it's against the law for your car to have an oil leak. the roads are pretty darn clean as a result.
26. the swiss version of a street sweeper is a guy paid 45,000 fr/ yr with a big ol' witch's broom.
27. because the neighborhoods here are so old, the roads so narrow, and the terrain so steep, you will often see helicopters overhead making deliveries or doing pick-ups. several months ago i saw a chopper overhead dangling something pretty massive. as it got closer i realized that the massive, swaying object was a full-size swimming pool. (i unfortunately wasn't able to get a picture of it.) these two heli ground shots are of the chopper that i often see outside of the grocery store. and there are a lot of houses that aren't accessible by road, so small mountain communities will often share a chopper. wouldn't that be rad?! brad and angie need to consider moving here.
28. gas is over $8/ gallon. the prices are shown per liter. (and the below pic was taken in the winter; i wish it was snowing right now. it's 100 friggin' degrees outside! that's another thing, they're a bit superstitious about air conditioning here, so you rarely find it in housing or shops.)
29. they don't refrigerate their eggs.
30. standard vacation time here is 5 weeks. 5!!!!
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