I had been planning to visit Switzerland ever since meeting Alain and getting to know his brother's family, and finally managed to drag him with me on a two week trip. Shilpa and Doug also joined us for the fun, but only for ten days. The primary goal was to ski and visit Alain's family, both of which was done in a wonderfully excessive manner and that theme carried over into everything else we did: eating, drinking, sleeping, crashing, eating ibuprofen, etc. This trip was the epitome of overindulgence.

Switzerland is a beautiful country made up mostly of tiny villages dotting the rugged countryside interrupted occasionally by a large city. So many of these small villages are home to "the best" of something. Best cheese, best watches, best chef, best ski lifts, best skiing, even the best coffee machines. This can be attributed to the the Swiss people who are best described as strong, precise, and proud. Everyone seemed to relish having a role so nothing is overlooked and everything done efficiently and well whether helping prepare dinner, ensuring there was enough salt to de-ice the roads, making sure the train arrived on time, or keeping my wine glass full. The radio even announces the time down to the second, and you can tell who's Swiss because they all look at their watches when the train departs to make sure it's on time.

But most importantly, the Swiss are incredibly friendly and welcomed us into their homes making us all feel like part of the family. I'm sure our presence created quite a scene as I doubt the residents of Les Breuleux had ever seen Chinese (me), African-American (Doug and technically me also), and Indian (Shilpa) people together at the same time. All in all, this was the best vacation I've ever had.