Gardens, Zug Zug, & Knives for a Future Punk
From Elementary school clear up until 16th grade I had to listen to English teachers tell me, “Ryan! Be like Ernest Hemingway in your writing! Show the readers everything, tell them nothing.” And let it be known, today is the day that I have finally thunk up a way to show you, my dear reader, just how much I have exhaustively traipsed around Zürich. Yesterday…two separate parties enjoying cigarettes and coffee outside of completely different parts of the city recognized and bought me a drink. One was a lady who plays violin at the Opera house in Bellevue and the other was an old Swiss man who went to UCLA for an exchange program in the 70’s and convinced me that crusty old dudes exist everywhere and portray the same intrinsic creepy mannerisms regardless of nationality. He almost wet his pants laughing while explaining to me he has a t-shirt that says: The weather is here, wish you were beautiful.
In between those two random run-ins I took a visit to the Botanischer Garden shown below. I did more people watching than anything because there is something entertaining about watching people gawk at palm trees. Those palm tree aficionados probably laughed right back at me when I spent 30 minutes in front of the lilypad tanks inspecting all the different species like the worlds most interested botanist. Each tank was a waist high 4’x4′ planter filled with 8 inches of water and little fish.
Those planters were also home to globetrotting ants. For a moment I wondered if any young ants ever say goodbye to their families for the equivalent of 5 ‘ant-months’ and walked 20′ in either direction to experience different continents and worlds. I bet they do.
Being throughly satiated with Zurich and looking for a different arena, I’ve moved to Zug (no not Orgrimmar you WoW nerds) and neighboring Schwyz & Brunnen. This is what it looks like – Mediterranean teal waters and snow covered alps.
Next was the original Swiss Knife Factory where I was absolutely not going to get suckered into buying a knife because I already have my trusty Benchmade manufactured in the USA…but then in a rare moment of sentimental thinking I figured an heirloom to pass down to my punk son that will come around in the undetermined future wouldn’t be a bad purchase.
You may notice the lack of gadgetry and that is absolutely by my own custom design. Knife, wine opener, and bottle opener. If this perfectly Swiss pocket tool were a hairdo…it would be a mullet. Business in the front and all party in the back with minimal survivability.
RMN 
You need to be my travel buddy when I do this
Please tell me you jumped in and swam in that beautiful water. Love you better.