Wandering Around Switzerland: Zurich, Zug, Lausanne & Geneva

Two weekends ago, Xavi came down to visit me and Sam in Zurich and Cham. Cham was boring so we went to Zurich to see how Sam was doing.

Zurich.

We ended up going to a nice, minimalist wine bar for dinner, then down to Longstrasse to wander around a bit. But we couldn't find any decent bars and Portuguese Miguel called, so we met him and some others at a bar in a docked ship by the lake. After that they went clubbing and we hung out in a dark, chill-type bar for some mojitos and quasi-martinis (just ask Sam what they tasted like: salty "something")
Zug:



The next weekend, I headed up to Lausanne for Swiss National Day. We had a BBQ, beer and fireworks. Could have sworn I was in the US. I guess I missed my national day this year, and I got to replay it Swiss-American style. The conversation went a little like this:

Me: Yeah, my apartment's on the lake.
Xavier: Your apartment's not on the lake! Mine is!
Me: Okay, it's by the lake.
Richard: You know, you could be in Real Estate.
Me: I could say, my apartment is so great, it's right under the sky.
Richard: Which guy?

That's when I fall out of my chair...

[For the non-native English speakers, say "the sky" really fast until it starts to sound like something else].

Actually, Xavier's apartment really is on the lake:


Next day headed up to Geneva:

Huge... chess... pieces...

Private Banking buildings on the lake in Geneva. Sounds like the perfect life.

That night, there was a festival going on. (When is there NOT a festival going on in Switzerland in the summer?) Later we watched a short salsa performance then headed out to the docks for more fireworks.

After a while, I left to freshen up, and upon going back to meet the group, I was strangely lured by some familiar vallenato music. It seriously pulled at my heartstrings. I just could not avoid it. I followed the music to the Colombian stand where I was welcomed by a big yellow, blue and red Colombian flag and super friendly people, which was a refreshing break from Switzerland. Also finally speaking Spanish again was a refreshing break from not understanding any German or French. And the music was amazing I couldn't help but dance: Juanes, Carlos Vives, cumbia, and of course, lots of salsa. I met a Colombian guy, and his family, and we ended up doing aguardiente AKA "firewater" shots together. And as the sound of Juanes -Gotas de Agua Dulce- filled the air, I couldn't imagine why I ever left Colombia. The people, the fashion, the culture, the food, and especially the dancing... It honestly felt perfect for me.

After a while, the fireworks were over, so I met up again with my friends who were looking for a beer. We ended up going back to the Colombian place, where the music, the people and the drinks were pretty good.
We spent the night dancing, drinking aguardiente, and eating some delicious Patacones.

It turns out that night was my 26th birthday. I couldn't have been happier spending it with great friends, Colombian salsa, cumbia, vallenato and aguardiente. One of the happiest moments of the night was when I was dancing a cumbia song with one of the Colombians I met that night. Colombian dancing just makes me feel so free. And I felt free that night.

Speaking of free, when I came back to Zug I had decided to write off that little investment of the heart I was holding onto. Although I really thought he was special, that our connection was so innate, sometimes you have to cut your losses and move on. Especially when he forgets your birthday.