On the Road, Part Deux (or Zwei, as they say in these  parts)

After almost three months of alternating exercise and sloth in New York, I have finally organized the next leg (ok, most of the next leg) of my journey.  These past weeks have been fine but fundamentally did not advance the Ned ball towards much contentment beyond the hardly profound understanding that staying in the same environment -- without a sharp departure from how I relate to it (and others) -- was not going to provide much opportunity for insight, growth or change.

My time out West certainly did do that and provided a clean break from the unworkable pattern my life had settled into.  Its time to go further.  Hopefully, my weeks in Europe, and some trips beyond, will help me view the world, and myself, from different perspectives so that I can better resolve how and where to live going forward.

My familiarity with Europe is pretty limited and to some extent almost any itinerary would significantly enhance my knowledge of this extraordinary place.  Mid-summer, though, is not necessarily the best time to enjoy much of Europe; in the end, I let my feet chose the path and they seemed to itch to do more hiking.  And, of course, the essential European hiking experience is had in the Alps.  So I joined up with a small American outfit that specializes in Alpine hikes for their version of one of the most famous hikes in the world - the Bernese Oberland Traverse, an 11-day series of day hikes (with a different small hotel, farmhouse or B&B every night) across a portion of the Alps in Central Switzerland south-southwest of Zurich.  Following that, I travel to the Dolomites, the Italian Alps in northeastern Italy, for a series of day hikes in that unique region.  And I have not resolved the itinerary beyond that, (a trip in the Norwegian fjords that I had signed up for got cancelled) so stay tuned . . .

Saturday, July 21: Zurich

Many begin long trips with special rituals or practices that will get them rolling in the right traveling mindset.  I seem to be in this camp as well, although my routine is a bit unique, generally involving the most unpleasant or painful illness or problem possible.  In this approach, truly "extreme travel," my real introduction to a new place usually involves exposure to the local medical community.    You may argue that this is a rather harsh way of getting to know a new place and certainly not a sensible way to begin travel if the idea is to enjoy yourself.  And you would be right.

I could regale (and probably repulse) you with tales of my epic illnesses that blossomed upon various arrivals in London (stomach flu, pneumonia and pleurisy), of the kidney stone that took me to the emergency room my first night in Tucson last fall or of the nasty food poisoning that rendered my last (and only prior) visit to Switzerland over 25 years into a well-known case study for the World Health Organization.  In fact, I was shocked that they let me back in as I arrived in Zurich early Friday morning.  Had the customs agent been on her game, she would have noticed the slight rictus in my mouth, the cold flop sweat and pale concentration, symptoms of the brutal tooth ache that had me ready to take a pliers to the guilty teeth (several seemed to be at fault).

I'd seen my dentist the prior week because of some sensitivity to cold, which he had treated before by putting on a coating that would prevent material or liquids from getting into the tiny crevasses of a few seemingly susceptible teeth.  En route to JFK, though, pains were cycling through my mouth without anything in it but I popped some advil in the hopes that the tooth would calm down.  After arriving in Zurich though, and trying to walk its pleasant streets (more on that later), I realized that the pain was getting unbearable and that if it continued like this, there would be no way I could do the hike.  Nor did I want to rely on access to dental care in the small villages we would be visiting.  My delicious dinner at the justly famous Kronenhalle thus was, sadly, an expensive agony.  So with the help of the excellent staff at Hotel Helmhaus, I found my way to Swiss Smiles, a large dental operation with long hours, and to Dr. Bosshardt, my first lady dentist.  After examination, x-rays and a telephone consult with my dentist, I spent an hour in her office Saturday afternoon getting my fifth root canal.

Now, Sunday morning, my pain seems almost entirely abated and, with the help of antibiotics, a few painkillers (nothing too strong) and the exceptional handiwork of the good Dr. Bosshardt, I am cautiously hopeful that I will be able to stick with my plans.


Needless to say, my 48 hours in Zurich has not allowed me much opportunity to explore, although I have wandered its streets and the small river, full of boats and swans, that curves through the downtown area towards the Zurichsee, the lake on which Zurich is situated.  Zurich seems a quaint, mildly charming small city with superb transit, a number of fine museums and a lot of shops, cafes and restaurants.  While it has a reputation for being pretty buttoned-up, Zurich has some night life and, while no threat to Bourbon Street, people and visitors here seem to know how to have a good time.  Maybe it'll rub off . . .  I'll remember Zurich for the rain (despite the pictures below), the oft-ringing church bells and the great service (indeed kindness) I found everywhere.


The Kronenhalle Restaurant is one of the oldest traditional restaurants in the city; it was a shame to be unable to enjoy the exceptional roast chicken, carved and served table side in the old school manner.  Maybe next time.  Last evening, after wandering a bit, including down to the Zurichsee, I was able to enjoy some bouillabaisse at Restaurant Louise.  I always find it hard to pass this dish up, even a few hundred kilometers from Marseilles.  As a kid, I remember how cool it was that James Coburn, in In Like Flint, could purported identify the actual Marseilles cafe where the drop of bouillabaisse on a dead man's suit came from.


So here are a few shots from my walkabouts in Zurich; I'll try to add a few more later.   I leave in a couple of hours for Lucerne and hope to have a report from there tomorrow; my hiking begins on Tuesday.