i love switzerland!

getting out of paris was so much trouble, and when we finally got on the train to switzerland we were quite happy. the scenery on the way was great, very snowy yet beautiful. and there were many strange trees that i am quite enamored with. maybe someday i can have my own garden of odd european trees, but that may be too much money and trouble. so to solve that problem i will move to zurich.

ok, i know that sounds a bit drastic, but i am in love. in paris everyone hated us, and as we slowly got closer to switzerland everyone was nicer. even though things did not quite work out perfectly in basel(our first introduction to the country) there were actual timetables we could read for ourselves(unlike in paris...typing about it would stress me out) and free candy. also once we found the train we were able to just get on and people were actually friendly. everything was cute and pretty as well(still weird trees...YES!). also when we got to zurich people were helpful, even strangers on the street offered directions when we looked lost. and the "alley" that led to our hostel was really just a cool, cobbled, car-free, food and shopping conglomeration. though the hostel was up about 4 flights of stairs(UGH), there is a spaghetti factory restaurant below and later that night one of the cooks gave us free bread! also other hosteliers were always friendly, and usually interesting and mostly nice.

and beyond that there was:
a candy shop across the street
free tea at the hostel
an amazing vintage store that sold classically designed pieces we studied in 20th century design and it was also a hair salon!
a choclate factory(though closed, so just one more reason to go back)
all the public transportation was free, they never make you pay
AMAZING chocolate treats as well
1,026 fountains, all drinkable- i think that is enough drinking water even for me!
kunsthaus- an amazing art museum, with lots of FAMOUS artists and cool modern stuff, and no boring old stuff
a free MODERN art museum(small but cool!)
lots of nice walking places
a cool river and decorations
2 awesome gothic cathedrals(and i love me some gothic cathedrals) they are called fraumunster and grossmunster and both have giacommetti stained glass windows and the fraumunster has amazing ones by marc chagall
also umlats are everywhere(i should have used ones over the u's above, but i am in florence now so i dont know how to find them.
i could probably go on and on, but i am very tired because actually leaving switzerland and getting to florence was my worst ever trainday, which is just another reason i should have stayed!
happy new year's eve eve (that is especially for dave! much better e-mail, though a bit short)
and i will write tomorrow!