Budget Travelers Beware
Switzerland is not the place for you!
We DINKS have been in Switzerland for about a week now and can attest to the Swiss having the reputation of the most expensive country in Europe. We selected Switzerland because it was the only country in Western Europe that Miel hadn't been too, plus James speaks German, and it is moderately half way between DC and Kabul. We didn't consider the fact that Miel may have avoided Switzerland in her days of backpacking, as your money doesn't go far around here.
Speaking of which, the decline of the dollar is definitely felt as we are roughly equivalent to the Swiss Franc. The difference is that your average meal, not at the spendier places, is around $20 each, plus $5 for a soda. Vending machine prices are about 4 bucks for a pack of candy and large lattes at Starbucks are $9. As you can imagine, we haven't gotten "mein latte" from Starbucks this trip.
We are currently in Interlaken, and the train ride up to the highest peak in Europe is $173 per person. Yikes! We did just get a fabulous dinner and beer for a steal of $40 at the local pub.
The moral of this posting is...Go to Switzerland. Get sticker shock. Enjoy the Alps. Enough said.
Best,
Miel&James
Stumble It!
1 comments:
This post is breaking my heart! I had the pleasure of living in Switzerland back in 1999-2000 when the exchange rate was WAY better. And this was before the Euro so I got to earn my money in Swiss Francs and then spend it right over the border in Germany (mostly) and a little bit in Italy (a few times and THAT was a good deal then). I could not even fathom going over there right now. I am still jealous that you’re there and I hope that you’re having a great time, despite the sticker shock. I’m sure it’s all worth it in the end considering how nice it is to spend time together in a beautiful place, like you’ve said in earlier posts. Miel gets to chalk it off her list, too! So now you can be more wary in choosing more advantageous locations for your get-togethers.
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