In continuing on with our theme of Travel over at CulturallyOurs, we are so excited to share staycation ideas and cultural insight from Switzerland by the lovely Anita Gerster.

Anita is a photographer in Switzerland and she shares such beautiful narratives and photos from her home country. These images and her essay has us longing to go to Switzerland to bike the countryside, sip some Fendant and eat all the different types of cheese fondues that Anita talks about.

Thank you Anita for sharing these beautiful staycation ideas from Switzerland!

From Anita,

Occasionally I wake up to the sound of cowbells. When sitting in our garden we often can hear someone playing the alpenhorn on the hills around our town. Sounds unreal, am I right? But it’s true! I live in a tiny town that lies in a State Park in a small yet beautiful country of Switzerland. My husband and I recently bought a house with a big garden that we are currently turning into our dream home. Yes, I am more than aware of how fortunate we are to live such a beautiful life.

You also might have heard that Switzerland is pretty expensive. But there is something you need to know about us Swiss. We started out as a very poor country covered with small farms all around. Usually the farmers had big families and often dealt with difficult land – steep rock flanks, meters of snow in winter and living a lonely life in widely ramified valleys.

Today we are one of the wealthiest countries. But wealth came very slowly and people worked really hard for it. That background is still deep seated in our minds as many of our grandparents lived a hard life full of privations. Swiss people are very anxious that this young wealth will not last and they could be thrown back to that before life. That’s why we LOVE security. If a Swiss buys a house, he usually plans to stay there for the rest of his life. We hate to take out a loan or to be in dept. A Swiss will always prefer to pay a new car in cash than to lease it, if he can.

We long for a safe life with little risk. For example, employees here legally have 4 weeks of holidays per year. A few years ago people could vote on raising the obligatory amount of holidays to 6 weeks per year. However, the Swiss population chose safety and voted to keep 4 weeks rather than possibly bringing economy into trouble. We are raised to work hard and save, save, save to be on the safe side – pun intended! That’s why we work long hours everyday and often forget to enjoy life. I am the same, it got even worse since I started my own business as a photographer and mostly work from home. I am sure, all self employees can relate. That’s why I started a little challenge with myself. I call it – Each day is a new adventure.

I am lucky enough to be a woman with a fine sense for precious everyday things. But even if you’re not, it’s so easy to live life as one big adventure. Especially if you live where I do. Just be mindful and behave as if you were here for the first time.

Observe. Breathe.

I love all the seasons, I love the green and growing around me, I adore the smell of moments. I just have to step in front of my house and adventure is waiting. Actually I don’t even had to leave my house, but it would be such a pity, too.

Staycations in Switzerland are really easy and something a lot of people do. The easiest way to go on a tiny trip is to hop on the bike. We have many great bike trails around here – just keep in mind that Switzerland is a country with lots of mountains and hills. If you want fun, no sweat, just follow the many paths along little rivers.

I also love having picnics – even on the living room floor. But from where I live, I have countless spots that are accessible in minutes where I can enjoy the sound of busy bees and chirping birds while sitting on my picnic blanket and drink home made ice tea. Also, we don’t need to be afraid of trespassing private property. As long as you leave the place with no trace you can picnic whereever you like. That’s actually the unwritten rule all over the country. Nature is for everybody, just treat it with respect. You can even lit a fire in most places – just keep it small, make a security ring with stones and only use dry wood you find laying around. Everyday adventures are done so easy around here.

My favorite adventure to repeat every season and in every place is eating fondue. That sounds cliché but it’s also real life for us cheese lovers. Some Swiss people will tell you that fondue is a winter dish. Well that’s not true, at least not for me. Do you know why Fondue is such an important cultural dish for us? Because it’s very easy. Because it’s so slow. Because it’s a ritual we all share.

When you are invited to a Fondue, no matter where, it’s always the same story. One person is in charge of cooking – which basically consists of melting the cheese while the rest are standing around the stove and chatting, discussing different ways to do it. It starts with the cheese – everybody has his own favorite mixture, every cheesery has its individual recipe ‘de maison’. Some like it mild, other prefer spicier cheese and there are people who like to experiment with non-classical fondue cheese. Then comes the garlic part – Do you cut in in half, slice it, make tiny cubes or strain it? Someone else is in charge of cutting the bread into bite-sized dices. As soon as the consistency of the cheese is right, everybody strives to the table, sits down around that little flame, skewers that first piece of bread on the long fork and agrees on the rules.

Yes – Fondue has some rules! What happens if someone loses his piece of bread in the fondue while stirring? Do you have to kiss the person to your left, do you have to buy a bottle of wine etc. When fondue is being served and we can sit for hours around that pot with melted cheese, stir our bread and talk.

With fondue we usually drink white wine. The type you should go for is called ‘Fendant’ and there are many different bottles on the market. My husband and I have a favorite Fendant from a small winery three hours southwest from where we live. Switzerland is such a small country and everything is a comfortable short distance away. So this summer we decided that we need to refill our Fendant stock and drove through the stunning landscape of western Switzerland to a tiny historic town called Féchy. Of course, we needed to taste the wine first, for security reasons, you know?

As you can see, we Swiss people are still a simple folk. I don’t need much to make a holiday out of a usual day. I don’t think anybody does. We just tend to forget that. So let’s step outside, breathe in and start our next adventure. One each day.

Anita, I couldn’t agree more! What a magical life you lead in Switzerland. Stunning landscapes, simple needs and a beautiful way to celebrate life all around you.

Thank you so much for sharing so freely about your beautiful country – we loved getting insight into Switzerland from a local’s point of view and Fondue will forever remind us of this beautiful narration.

{Credit: Photos and words by Anita Gerster of Kandis Fotografie}

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