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I am up at 3.50 am with a caffeine deficiency headache :) It's good I have a "buffer" day today to (somewhat) recuperate.

Off the top of my head a few observations:

I chose the wrong country to visit! After seeing all the beauty and consuming all the food, how can somebody go to any other country? I am in love with it!

It's good I left my heart in San Francisco. Otherwise the first cup of Swiss coffee would give me a heart attack! (strong, strong)

You can't go wrong chosing a "base place" for your stay, they all have something to offer.

And a question to all chocolate lovers/addicts: would you hate me for not eating Swiss chocolate?

Hello Faina!
No, I will love you even if you don't eat any chocolate. I will also feel sorry for you and will recommend therapy when you get home.
Hope the headache goes away quickly!
((L))Scarlett

Hi FainaAgain, I live in Switzerland and never eat Swiss chocolate. But luckily, most people love Swiss chocolate. As for the coffee, a lot of Swiss drink hot milk with their coffee (called Schale), which makes it easier to drink. I personally prefer the Cafe Schnapps (or better said: Zwetschgen "prune" Schnapps).

How do you access the internet at 3.50 a.m. where you're staying? I'm looking forward desperately to a really detailed trip report. I love strong coffee. I love Switzerland. Surprise, surprise. Thanks. J.

One thing that I found out very quickly about Switzerland was that Switzerland is tourist friendly.

I mean the trains, the buses and the whole deal is just so damn easy to use that the novice traveler should be able to move around easier than Howie Dean can say: YEEAAAHHHHH!! ;)

As for the chocolates, I usually wait until my last day in Switzerland. Then I load my travel bags with chocolates!

The hiking trails and the network of lifts, funiculars and such have been set up with the hiker in mind.

But you do not have to hike to appreciate Switzerland and what she has to offer the traveler.

Welcome Home Faina,

I am happy you had a wonderful time. ((Y))

Very sorry to read about your headache. :`(

I have always wanted to visit Switzerland, so I am very much looking forward to your report.

Wishing you a pleasant transition back to SF. Tiff

Welcome Home Faina!! Looks like you had a Fabulous time.

jmw44: "How do you access the internet at 3.50 a.m. where you're staying?" Pretty sure she is checking in from home out here on the Left Coast having just returned from her trip.

Hi, welcome back!
Rest a little, drink some coffee and then tell us all about it. (Please)

Welcome back Faina!! I can hardly wait to hear about your visit to Switzerland. Get a good rest today, imagine you have to go back to work tomorrow.

Hello, all, I am slowly coming back to life and soon will be able to reply to everyone individually. Will post bits and pieces as I recall them or stumble upon notes or things. Now I have the telephone card. So let's talk

Telephones.
It was easy to find a kiosk and buy a card. Our first hotel did have a public phone and to call USA I dialed 001-415-xxx-xxxx. Can't tell how much is a call, maybe 1 or 2 Sfr - I could see the numbers change. And I love that beep-beep-beep sound to remind to pull the card out when you hang up. I think they have those cards in 10 and 20 Sfr. And if you're really afraid to mess up, press L twice for instructions, have you noticed if you press L only once it turns to Spanish (I think) and only after 2nd press it's English? Or is it me?

This was in Zurich only, where the hotel had a public phone. And when I called my dear husband 2nd time, he said I don't have to call him every day, he doesn't miss me that much! He had the nerve!

In Interlaken and Zermatt the hotels didn't have public phones, can you believe that?? To call from the hotel would cost 5Sfr to connect even if you have a free dial-up number, so you better confirm with the hotel if they charge for local calls. I couldn't call from Zermatt because of the time difference and my evening activities and husband's schedule. But this hotel had 24hrs free Internet access, so I shot an e-mail to my oh so considerate children to call dad to let him know I am fine, just no connection with the outside world. Oh, well, at least I tried, and everything turned out fine.

I also sent a short e-mail to LoveItaly as I didn't have the password with me to post on Fodors just to rub it in: live from Zermatt :) Thank you, LoveItaly, I saw the post, but now can't find it. Oh, well, must be the jet lag ;)

Here it is Faina! ((F))

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34626370

Hi Faina, glad to see you are up and alive. I always have jetlag when I return from Italy. And then the luggage with all the dirty clothes sits in the corner and glares at me because it wants to be unpacked.

Have a good nights sleep Faina.

FainaAgain, this is great! And I love your thread title - definitely caught my eye!! I hope there's more. Glad you had such a great trip. More and more I am intrigued with Venice.

Faina went to Switzerland, not Venice.

Faina, welcome home.

As I am heading to Switzerland in July, I can't wait to read your report on the chocolate milk cows. My parents will be accompanying DH and me on this trip (their first trip overseas), and I've got them convinced the Swiss have these special cows. LOL!

Thanks in advance for a great report!

No Swiss chocolate?

As a hopeless chocoholic, I've never been able to visit Switzerland without some serious chocolate consumption. Not to mention the loads I bring home with me. I admire your restraint.

Did you try any hot chocolate for breakfast? A nice change from the strong coffee, although I love the coffee as well (with lots of steamed milk as mentioned above)

Welcome back - looking forward to the details.

Hi Melnq8! How are you?

Hi Scarlett - all is well here in the sticks.

LOL, tell me about Sticks! :D
We are moving to Fainas side of the world ~

Scarlett -

Sticks = a remote camp on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. A long way from CA - good luck with your move.