Heidi’s Switzerland
Bee was headed to Prague again and this time stopped off in Zurich to pay her respects to chocolate. We took a day trip up to Flawil, Appenzell, and St. Gallen, the chocolate and cheese-making headquarters of the world in that place they call Heidiland.
The chocolate factory was unfortunately not running when we visited Flawil (although you aren’t allowed to take pictures inside anyway, just like in Willy Wonka’s version) but you could still tour through it on a catwalk high above the factory floor. While I was disappointed the Oompah Loompahs had the day off, we still loaded up on the chocolate at the shop and if you’re nice to me maybe I’ll even bring some home for you if I’m ever back in the U.S. before January.
The train ride to Appenzell is every stereotype I ever thought Switzerland would be, neatly framed for me by the window of our little red train that actually whistled over each mountain pass. I think I used to have a children’s book with the same illustrations in it. The front faรงade of the town is all painted houses, cows, and storybook hillsides - normal people live in the back of the town where they have actual car circles and Migros (grocery stores) and parking spaces.
On the way back to Zurich we popped over to St. Gallen, which would have been more interesting if mass hadn’t been going on at the church and they’d actually let us in to take pictures of it, but I snapped a few pics of the local architecture and then we headed back to Zurich with our twenty pounds of chocolate loot (at least, what was left of it that we hadn’t already eaten). If you’re ever in Flawil, Bee and I highly recommend the white chocolate raspberry bars as a replacement for your crack habit.
All the pics from the alpine adventure are here. And yes, I do plan to make those Chickenbags!
