Igis, Switzerland
The 1st of August is the National Day of Switzerland. We usually go to a farmer’s for brunch, and that’s what my mother planned for us. That was the fixed deadline we had to be back for. It was worth it. The brunch was very delicious, deep inside a valley, where my official hometown on paper is. Very few people live there, and it remains a very traditional area. We had a tour in one of the old houses and were explained what kind of handicrafts/activities people did back in the day.
After the brunch, we continued to explore a bit. There was much to see. We walked to the Swiss Grand Canyon, a viewpoint accessible on foot from the renowned ski village of Flims. A platform offers an even more stunning view at the canyon’s edge.
In the evening, we had a barbecue at home and watched some fireworks, especially the so-called “high fires” up the mountains, a tradition in Switzerland on the 1st of August. People bring wood to the top of mountains and start a fire when it darkens. Seeing all the light at different peaks from down the valley is interesting.
We did two more things before bringing my friend to the Zurich airport. First, we went over the nearby tiny country called “Liechtenstein”. My friend wanted to be in two countries simultaneously by sitting on the border marker. So we did that. There’s no border control or anything, just a marker on the floor that indicates the change of countries. Next, we were invited by my friend’s aunt for dinner. They lived close to the airport, so we could combine that perfectly. We had nice talks and a nice dinner. They also showed us the area a little. Then it was time to say goodbye to my friend and deliver her to the airport in Zurich.
Brigels, Switzerland
Almost every year, I stay for a month in the mountain village called Brigels to do my duty as part of the Swiss Army. This year will be my last time, and I only have to serve my remaining days, which are only 2 weeks. After coming to the farm to work for many years, it was sad to go there for the last time. The work is always hard, but fulfilling, and the family is very friendly. So I enjoyed it. On the other hand, I was also happy to be done with it and have no more duties.
I attended motorbike driving lessons during the weekends—four hours in the morning on three Saturdays. I had to do this to get the official driving licence for smaller motorbikes (A1). No more police asking me for money when they check tourists in Thailand or Indonesia. It wasn’t very pleasant, and I finally wanted to have it officially done on paper, also for the insurance in case something happens, it’s a must. So I’m happy I could squeeze in those courses while I was back in Switzerland. The course was very interesting, I learned many new things and could practice certain scenarios. Also, a good part is that the road traffic office is speedy and delivered me the updated and international driving licence within three working days. Because 5 days after my last driving course, I was already heading off to Indonesia.
