I moved to Switzerland four years ago, in the spring of 2019. I was full of plans, dreams, ambitions, and tasks. Yes, tasks. I hadn’t even set foot in the country yet, but I had already received a list from my friends of the most important things to do in Switzerland. Or rather, to quote their words:
“We know that we’ll continue to be friends and we’ll be still part of each other’s lives, but to seal the deal and spice up your Swiss existence, we’ve come up with a little game. We would like you to document the following things in video and/or pictures and share them with us.”
Why have enemies when you can have friends?
But if you take a closer look at the list, an old saying might come to mind: Why have enemies when you can have friends 😀 Just to give you an idea of what I mean, here are a couple of examples from my to-do list in Switzerland:
- Take a photo of Roger Federer
- Yodel on top of a Swiss mountain, and take a video of it
- Wash your hair sexily in a waterfall, and take a video of it
- Try to play a Hungarian children’s song on a Swiss alphorn
Due to a lack of courage and opportunity, I haven’t yet managed to go through the whole list, but I’ve started, and in this blog post I’ll show you what I’ve done so far. The stakes are high, as my friends have promised me that if I achieve everything, I will become a Swiss citizen… So I hereby solemnly promise (again) to complete the whole list this year, which you can read here. But, let’s get started, here are the first 8 things I’ve completed from my to-do list in Switzerland.
- Pose with a Swiss watch
- Go enjoy the view and send us lots of pictures of the Kapellbrücke in Lucern
- Visit the St Paul Church in Lucerne and pray the Lord’s Prayer – in the name of the whole congregation – for your friends who are at home
- Travel on the Glacier Express and take a nice panoramic picture through the window (with your reflection in the window)
- Take a photo with a cow
- Go to Toms Beer Box in Chur, drink a beer, and take a similar photo
- Visit at least two Christmas markets
- Write a poem of at least 3 verses about life in Switzerland
My most important things to-do in Switzerland
Pose with a Swiss watch
I was not sure what kind of watch my friends meant cause in Hungarian we have the same word for watch and clock. So voilà, I took photos with both.
Go enjoy the view and send us lots of pictures of the Kapellbrücke in Lucerne
I’m so lazy sometimes. These pictures were taken almost a year ago on my day trip to Lucerne. And I’m starting with documenting my to-dos only now. And I chose Lucerne precisely because the girls gave me lots of to-dos there. Gosh, I really am lazy.
But nevertheless, I went there and I took several photos of the bridge. Plus, there’s an interesting fact about me: Anyone who knows me knows how much I don’t like talking to strangers, like for example asking someone for directions. But during this trip something has changed in me: I went to a stranger, and asked him to take a photo of me :O !
Visit the St Paul Church in Lucerne and pray the Lord’s Prayer – in the name of the whole congregation – for your friends who are at home.
And since I was in Lucerne, I did as I was asked and visited St Peter’s Church. However, an Italian mass was about to begin, so I had to pray very quickly because they were already coming toward me with an Italian prayer book. Grazie, I said, and I left. I didn’t want to take too many photos inside, as this church is not a classic tourist destination, but outside I took a few, here they are.
Travel on the Glacier Express and take a nice panoramic picture through the window (with your reflection in the window)
Beauty is relative, such as the concept of a panorama picture. My reflection is visible, and that’s the point. I’ve already written a little bit about the Glacier Express, and I wouldn’t want to repeat that now. Instead, click here to access my previous blog post.
Take a photo with a cow
My commitment is demonstrated by the fact that I completed this task within the first weeks of my arrival. We love to go hiking (oh my God I say “we love to go hiking”, in plural, what if I awake one morning from my uneasy dreams and I find myself transformed into Swiss), and anyone who’s ever been to Switzerland knows that cows are an inevitable part of the landscape. So it was no difficult task to take a selfie with them. These beautiful examples for example live not far from Glovelier, in the Franches-Montagnes region.
Go to Toms Beer Box in Chur, drink a beer, and take a similar photo
Bam, done. This is a to-do from a friend, who actually lived in Chur and knows Switzerland pretty well. The picture on the right is of her about 9 years ago and the picture on the left is of me. The pub itself, Toms Beer Box, or simply Box, is a great beer bar with over 140 different beers to choose from, so it’s a must for those who like special beers. By the way, the picture was taken at the toilet, yes, they look like huge beer cans.
Visit at least two Christmas markets
I exceed this task every year. No wonder, as Switzerland has perhaps the most magical Christmas markets in Europe. The two photos below were taken in 2022 at the Biel/Bienne and Basel markets. Enthusiasm level is over 2.000.000.
Write a poem of at least 3 verses about life in Switzerland
No comment on this one, other than that there is a Shakespeare lost in me – very deeply.
Hallo zäme Ahoi Grüetzi
Wanna have a beer or some Rösti?
Let’s grab some in a Restau or a Stüebli
Or maybe you’d like some Spätzli
Zürich, Lucerne, Basel or Geneva
Gosh, you are such a diva
Cause for real, without a visa…
There is no other alternativa…
But to slide down superlong slopes
Otherwise, you better give up all hopes
And to finish up:
Zwingli, Bobo and Tell
Does any of them ring a bell?
Please, try not to yell
I had no clue as well
To-do list in Switzerland, to be continued
Well, that’s it for today.
There are still 25 tasks left on the list, I think I’m starting to get an idea of what I’m going to do next. If you have any wishes/ideas on which tasks should be next, click here to access my to-do list in Switzerland. I look forward to your recommendations via email or Instagram message or in the comments field below 🙂
