Home » Switzerland » European Tales: Switzerland 1996, a lengthy tale

It was now 7pm. I was exhausted following the ten-hour hitch and getting a bit desperate as car after car passed me, despite the placard I held which read 'FRANCE: £10?' Just as the streetlights began to buzz a van screeched to a halt a couple of hundred metres down the road, I grabbed my impossibly heavy rucksack and lurched after them. "Ten Quid?" he asked, before opening the door of their small van. I was to share the back with several crates of beer that they'd just bought in the duty free...

European Tales: Switzerland 1996, a lengthy tale

Joseph Tame
2006-06-30 17:53:26

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me what to do, and generally trying to get everything done his way. By early December I was ready to call it a day; thankfully Alex timed his holiday perfectly, and I had the opportunity to calm down.

The heavy snowfalls of the alpine winter were well under way. It was too good an opportunity to pass by, and so I bought an amazing sledge that surpassed all my expectations. Being very early December the ski-pistes that seemed to appear from nowhere were deserted, and so I spent many days practising 180ø handbrake turns, whilst careering down the mountain at crazy speeds. I learnt how to drive according to the different snow conditions, how to disperse my body weight in order to navigate seemingly impossible corners, many of them sideways. I never hit a skier, but usually overtook them instead. In the end I won the title of 'Best Amateur Sledger of Kleine Scheidegg', beating my closest rival by two minutes as I setting a new record of twenty-six minutes (non-stop) to Grindelwald. My days were also filled with exciting events such as having my waistcoat eaten by a huge St. Bernard - whilst I was wearing it.

The Japanese groups, who until that point had just been faceless tourists, began to take on a new meaning for us. Rather than treating them as just another part of work, we began to try to learn their language and become more involved. Admittedly, our repertoire was somewhat limited, but the few words and phrases we did know we would develop and mix with English. They always found this hilarious, and many situations occurred where we'd find ourselves with a few tables of Japanese folks in hysterics. We resolved to enjoy ourselves and not cave in to the manager's style of work where smiling was a crime. After a few months the common language between us during working hours was Japanese, and we'd starred in endless numbers of photos. On several occasions we'd even form a little choir to celebrate the birthdays of a couple ...