We suffer the effects of a sandstorm

Zurich, Switzerland - I hope the title of this post didn't raise your expectations too much, for the truth is somewhat more benign than I might have implied. In case you find yourself disappointed, I spiced things up with some data about COVID vaccinations in Switzerland and Europe, and I give you a run down of our mediocre rental car. 

Hiking Under an Orange Sky

Today we ventured to Brunni, a small ski town in Obwalden. From there, we made our way up a steep climb to the peak of the Furrgelenstock, which is about 1650m above sea level, and about 600m above Brunni. 

I want to pause here to briefly note that "Furrgelenstock" is a deceptively difficult word to remember. Hannah and I (if I'm being honest, mostly Hannah) have been struggling to keep it straight for the last 48 hours. The "r's" seem to translocate themselves to various other interesting places and or disappear altogether, resulting in things like: "Fruigelenstock," and "Fugelenstock."

Anyway, the view from the top of the Furrgelenstock is quite remarkable, though unfortunately our view was somewhat remarkable because it was obstructed by an orangey haze. That haze was the result of sand from the Sahara which has blown up and scattered itself over Europe. Apparently this happens with some regularity: The journalist in the article linked above notes dryly that this "is a well known meteorological phenomenon that occurs around three times a year in Switzerland..." This strikes me as an interesting statement for a journalist to make, since it would seem to undermine the news-worthiness of the article itself. Perhaps the journalist is suggesting to their boss that their time would be better spent elsewhere?

In any case, we got some lovely views from the Furrgelenstock, but we would rather have preferred if the sky were a bluer hue since it would have made for better photos.  

COVID-19 Vaccines in Switzerland: The Best of the Bad

Switzerland, like many countries, has started vaccinating people for COVID-19 over the last month or so. Switzerland compares well to its continental neighbors - it has vaccinated more people than most other European countries. Unfortunately, Europe is not doing a spectacular job vaccinating people as of yet. Most European countries have provided about 2-5 doses per 100 people. This compares to the US (~11 doses per 100 people), the UK (~17 doses per 100 people), or Israel (~60 doses per 100 people). According to the Zurich authorities, the vaccine may be available to the general public (i.e., Hannah and me) in April. 

The Berlingo

In order to get to our hiking adventures, Hannah and I have been renting cars maybe twice per month. We've gotten to be on good terms with Alesandra, the short and spritely woman who works at Hertz.  Now, Europeans are quite enamored with manual transmissions because manuals have historically been more fuel efficient (less true today) and because European fuel prices are higher. So, most European rental cars are manuals (or so I believe). However, being Americans, Hannah and I request/require a car with an automatic transmission because we would endanger ourselves and others if we were to drive a manual. The upshot of doing this is that we frequently get upgraded to a rather nice car. You see, there aren't many "Economy" rentals with an automatic transmission. Here, automatic transmissions normally come on fancy-pants rental cars. Some of our recent rentals have included a Mercedes, an Alfa Romeo, and a BMW. 

However, our last two rentals yielded a Citroen Berlingo. This was disappointing. Citroen is a French carmaker that had to exit the US market in 1973 because their cars were not good. This was at a time when American consumers were offered gems like the AMC Gremlin (name tells you everything you need to know) and the Ford Pinto (a car famous for bursting into flames when it was rear-ended). 

The Berlingo is characterized as an "MPV": multi-purpose vehicle. This is a category of cars that we Americans would roughly call a minivan. Hannah's immediate reaction upon seeing it was to ask: "What the f*** is that?" But she finally settled on calling it a "bread-box beast." Let's just say our first impression of the Berlingo is that it lacked some of the panache and comfort to which we had grown accustomed. And while the car isn't bad, it also isn't good. A quick perusal of some online reviews describes the car in this way:

• "It’s much better to drive than before and while it’s not quite as fun as most rival family cars, it’s refined and reasonably comfortable." - Auto Express UK, January 2021
• "For years, the Berlingo has provided no-frills, practical motoring for cost-conscious families." - What Car?, Undated

Anyway, here's to hoping we find our way back into a Mercedes in subsequent trips.