I make it back home for Xmas about every other year. This means one Xmas in a tropical country and the next in sometimes snowy Switzerland.
After arriving back in Switzerland, I stayed the first couple of days at my parents’ place and met some friends around my area for a warm drink in the evening at a Xmas market. It’s very common in Central European countries. A so-called Glühwein (mulled wine).
In the office for a week
Midweek, I took a train and headed to a friend’s place, which is closer to my office in Bern. It’s not always easy to find affordable accommodation. So I was happy when my friend told me she had a guest room I could use for 1.5 weeks. She wasn’t even there and left the key in the mailbox. So I could go in and out on my own. As if it’s my own apartment for the time being.
In addition, I also had to replace my passport after 10 years. It got stamped a lot, I’ve been to around 55 countries within the last 8 years. The Swiss passport has a special design. The old one was already colourful, and the new one got quite a lot of traction in the news, so I was excited to see it and compare. They removed the colours and gave it a more modern look. I still like it, and the cover stays bright red, which is quite special. My old passport was hole-punched, and I keep it at home as a memento.
We had a Xmas dinner at my company at the end of the week, and I wanted to be there to meet all my co-workers. It’s always a great opportunity to meet them all together, since some folks are remote and others are hybrid. So it’s not common to have everybody together in one place. We went to a fancy restaurant I’ve been to before with a client and really enjoyed it. This time was no different. We booked a special yurta for our company (20 people) and enjoyed a 7-course meal with a lot of fine wine and beer.
Fondue with family
While I stayed in Bern, my grandmother and mother visited, and we went to a pop-up place at a Christmas market to eat Fondue. My two cousins have lived in Bern for a few years, so they joined us too. We enjoyed the food and had some nice talks. Later, we walked around the city and sat down for coffee and cake.
Day trip to Basel
On the weekend, I decided not to go home, but to stay at my friend’s apartment, explore, and meet friends around the area. One day I headed to the Xmas market in Basel. It was an hour’s train ride from my temporary base. There I met a friend to walk around, talk and grab lunch. It was fun, and the atmosphere was nice, with the Xmas market going on and a beautiful, clear blue-sky day.
Video production at Silvesterlauf in Zurich
Spontaneously, I got a message from a video production company I had worked with a lot before. They asked me if I could help out for an event in Zurich. I didn’t really pack warm clothes for my office visit, but I managed to coordinate and solve this issue. So I was able to agree to that and work again for a day as a cameraman. It’s something I still love to do, and I appreciate it, that they thought of me. Sadly, I can’t combine this job with travelling, so I’m not available most of the time while I’m gone. Over the past few years, I’ve been outside Switzerland a lot.
It was a run in Zurich‘s city centre, which we livestreamed. There were two parts. One was the professional runners in front, and then there was a fun race for the public, where everybody could take part and run different distances on the closed street. A fun event. Our part was to cover the international race via live stream. We set up a couple of cameras around the course and in the start/finish area. We also had a drone flying above the river, covering parts of the route and capturing some great shots.
The race and the live stream itself weren’t that long, but our preparation was. We had to lay cable for multiple cameras and set them up. It’s work I really enjoy. We wired up all the cameras around the course, set up the microphones for proper audio, and set up the antennas for the wireless cameras and drone, as well as communication between the broadcast van and the camera operators.
The day went well. It stayed dry, and things didn’t get too cold. But I was glad I pulled out my warm clothes for the day. Especially the warm gloves. After the main race and the ranking ceremony, we already collected all the gear and stored it in the van. By around 5 pm, we finished and had time to grab some food. On productions like this, the days are long, and this was no different.
Hotel Mama and meeting family
After some time in Bern and at the office. I left and went home to my parents’ place. There I stayed and worked. As usual, my grandmother is always inviting me over for lunch to cook my favourite dishes. One is called “Tatsch”: chopped omelettes with applesauce. The other is called “Krautkrapfen”: oversized tortellini with a softer and thinner dough filled with spinach. Both are very local, and I can’t have them while travelling, so I’m really enjoying them.
My mother was also very busy preparing Xmas cookies, and we always have a lot of them. So tasty and nicely made. To prepare for Xmas, we also bought a Xmas tree and put it in the living room. And yes, in Switzerland it is very common to use real trees rather than plastic ones.
Xmas with family
One day I headed over to the next village by bicycle to visit my other grandmother. While there, my cousin came over as well. Later, she asked if I wanted to go for a walk, and I absolutely agreed. I’m enjoying the time I spend with family, especially the ones I don’t see often. The boyfriend also joined for the walk, and we covered quite a distance. The weather was great, and a nice atmosphere. During our walk, we passed a playground where, by chance, my other cousin was having a picnic lunch. I didn’t know then that I’d be invited to dinner at my uncle’s and meet him again there. We kept walking and ended up at my uncle and aunt’s home for more talking. I also hadn’t seen my aunt for years. Then my cousin arrived with his girlfriend, and they started cooking. Just before everything was ready, we headed over to get my grandmother, who lived in the same house on the lower floor. So we had a big pre-Xmas dinner, cooked by the guests, excluding me. The food was really good, and I really enjoyed the spontaneous evening.
We usually celebrate Xmas over two days. On the 24th, we have dinner with the immediate family: my parents and brother. The next day, we invite uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandmother over to our place and celebrate more properly, always with great food. This year, we moved the celebration back to the 27th because of date conflicts. For me, it was also great because I was leaving Switzerland on the 28th. The evening was fun. We had great talks, had a lot of fun, and did the usual things like lighting the candles on the tree (me as the angel), some music (not my favourite part), and delivering/unwrapping gifts.
Leaving Switzerland again
I already prepared my luggage the day before. Because right after our Xmas dinner, I had to leave before dawn to make it to the airport. It was even before buses were running, so I had a 30-minute walk down to the train station in the valley. It was cold and foggy. Around 0 degrees. Since it didn’t make sense to bring winter clothes to my final destination, I put on many layers and wrapped myself in everything I had.
At the airport, I was meeting my co-worker, who was also travelling. It was pretty funny that our flights were at almost the exact same time and date. We were both back in Switzerland for the company Xmas gathering and celebrating with family, and now we were off to each of our favourite places in the world. For him, it was Santa Marta (Colombia). For me, it was Bali (Indonesia). We had little time to talk at the gate, and then he already had to board the plane. Such a fun coincidence, considering the timing and also the nearby gates, since Zurich isn’t that small and has 3 separate terminals.
A bit later, it was also my time to board. My flight was via Abu Dhabi to Indonesia. A day in the air, split by a couple of hours in between. I like to fly via the Middle East because it’s not a straight 6-hour flight, but two 5-6-hour flights. Some time in between to stretch. Everything worked smoothly, and I arrived in Bali in the late afternoon.