If I had a million dollars: Zürich, Switzerland

I’d take a limousine.
Cause’ walking is sooooooooo last month.

Well, I’d probably have to wait till after Venice, cause that place has no vehicle traffic whatsoever. I’d just have to take a helicopter instead (poor me). Dreaming aside, I’m gonna’ assume that a) not working, and b) not playing the lottery, is an effective way to prevent myself from becoming a millionaire. I could try “trading up,” like that guy who went from a paper clip, to a house. All I have to my name is a jar of pickles, so I’m already one step ahead of the paper clip! I do seriously wish I had a million dollars though (duh). If I did, I could afford food in Switzerland (and now it all comes together!).

It seems like an infinity ago (yes, I know that I just tried to quantify infinity. So sue me) since I was there, but I had an excellent time in Venice. The major problem was finding a place to stay. I didn’t want to remain in Italy much longer (too expensive), so I decided to make Venice my “on the way out” destination. Unbeknownst to me, there was a “Carnivale” taking place in Venice at the times I wanted to visit, and the only place I could stay at was one of the worst HI (hostelling international) hostels ever! Perhaps I’m being too hard on the hostel (I am), but when there is no wall between you, and 50 chatty French speaking high-schoolers, suicide via canal seems like a verrrrry appealing option.

Hostel aside; Venice was one of the most unique places I’ve seen so far. Not much to do for nightlife, but getting lost in the city was huge fun on its own. Due to the “Carnivale,” there were hundreds of people walking the streets/tourist hotspots, in super elaborate costumes/masks. These costume wearing people were not gypsies or beggars (unlike most caped crusaders I’ve seen in Europe), but rather just to show off.
My hostel was not on the main Isle of Venice, so I had to purchase a boat-taxi pass to get from island to island. One of the most enjoyable Venetian experiences I took in was simply getting on one of those boat-taxis, and just float around the island. Eventually the boats would travel through the Grand Canal, which separates the two main sides of Venice. Beautiful it certainly was.
Being the major geek that I am, one of my “quests” in Venice was to find the specific locations, where “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” was shot (one of my all time favorite movies). Venice is fairly small, and wikipedia helped me find said locations (St. Mark’s square, Grand Canal, and Piazza San Marco) in record time, leaving me tons of spare time for the evening pizza/gelato hunting (mmm).

After being ripped off by the Italian Rail Co. I was off to Switzerland for further bank account disassembly. I might have been mad, if it were not for the amazing scenery (and I’m not just talking about the huge mountains--well--wait--never mind).

My first stop was in Interlaken, where I took in some serious mountain hiking. Most people in the area were there for skiing/snowboarding, which left most of the hiking trails totally devoid of life (other than me of course. Wait, I have a life?). 5-6 hours of mountain trekking was exactly what I needed. Not only did I not run into 50 French speaking high schoolers, but I hardly saw anyone at all. I’m not quite sure what to say, but mountains are always amazing (go go gadget Saskatchewan!), and will most likely remain interesting to me for the remainder of my life.

Trekking in Interlaken was only the beginning. After arriving in Zermatt, I took in the exact same activity. 2815 meters was as high as I got, and the sights I witnessed literally impacted my view of the world. At one point, I almost succumbed to “white out,” and later stood at the edge of a cliff (with a view of the largest mountain range in Europe) that would take me a good 1000 meters, straight down to the local glacier bed. Never have I ever been in a place so vast, so empty, and so completely removed from civilization. At the top of the world I stood, and once the clouds eventually stopped playing tricks, I was able to take in some seriously crazy, heart stopping views. Zermatt is Matterhorn territory, and I was able to get some “yup, I was there” pictures (thankfully). Mother Nature tried her best to hide the mountain from me (with near success), but I threatened her with a shake of my bombastic fist.

Kyle-explorer achievement: earned-out