We are at Grindelwald... that forms the headwaters of the money flow coded under the name of 'tourism'. You are aware of the history of Switzerland and how it has retained its position as Europe's highest earning people. First, they set up arrangements so that their friends in high-taxed countries could avoid (or at least minimise) tax liabilities by holding their wealth in Swiss corporations. After tax avoidance got a bad name, Switzerland learned the skills of money laundering. That worked fine when customers consisted of upper class blue bloods from European elite. Unfortunately, the Swiss skills in hiding money trails became known to the Mafia and drug lords... who wanted the benefit of such services. The respectability of money laundering went down the drain. Also, other national countries became better at tracing money and made all sorts of embarrassing accusations against some Swiss citizens. Time to find the next money pot to keep the Swiss living in the luxury to which they have become accustomed.
I think their next scheme is to fleece us tourists. We had been warned that Switzerland was expensive. But no one mentioned being extortionately expensive. Grindelwald, 43 years ago, was a delightful mountain village offering fantastic views of three huge mountains. Our return visit was arranged in the hope of finding as little change as possible in the lovely town of Grindelwald. What did we find? Well, it was like walking into a giant casino... glass and brass everywhere... flashing lights urging you to sign-up for the experience of a lifetime... hang gliding... water rafting... sauna massages... helicopter flights. No... I just came here to look at the mountains and do a little walking. All the glitter and hype of the town has allowed hoteliers and apartment landlords to charge ridiculous rents. We chose to be here on the last weekend of the Swiss school holidays... so the place is full. (It's hard to get traction with a rant about extortionate pricing when the merchant has to beat off prospective customers with a stick.)
So, with much pain and grinding of teeth, I am going to pay €177 for a ticket on a train to take us up to the saddle between the two highest mountains around here (Monch - 4107m... and Jungfrau - 4158m). I could tell you about the cost of meals... of accommodation... of coffee... but it's just too upsetting.
Let's focus on the remnants of human kindness that remains even within this 'Sodom and Gomorrah'. Joye had purchased a cheap watch in a market in Italy... paid €16. Unfortunately, it didn't keep time all that well... we finally concluded it needed a new battery. In Interlaken... just down the road from Grindlewald... there were lots of shops selling Swiss watches. We went into one shop and asked if a new battery could be installed. The shop owner took the watch out the back... after a few minutes we heard some cursing... the shop owner had broken the glass of the watch... he was upset. He asked how much Joye had paid for the watch... Joye told him. "I'll give you a choice", said the shopkeeper. "I'll give you cash for what you paid for the watch... or you can select one of my Swiss watches of a similar size." We thanked the shopkeeper and shook his hand... and walked from the shop with a watch with a window price of €99 Swiss watch... with a new battery. We were taken with the charm and generosity of the shopkeeper during the ordeal.
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