Grüezi!
Welcome to Wander We Go. I’m Alex.
I write about life in Zürich, travels throughout Europe, and musings on both.
Welcome to Wander We Go. I’m Alex.
I write about life in Zürich, travels throughout Europe, and musings on both.
All in Other Stories
I was recently debating with a conservative Trump supporter about the current state of the country. The conversation itself was mostly cordial, if not a wild ride, but near the end - I was mocked for bringing up empathy. Told I should leave empathy out of it. Empathy. The ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Empathy. Something that helps us connect and reminds us to be kind and respectful. Empathy. Something that allows us to say “I haven’t had that experience, but I’m listening to yours,” that can open our eyes to the privileges afforded to us that might not be afforded to others. Empathy. Something that helps us understand the beliefs and the perspectives of others, or challenges us to reframe our own perspective. Empathy is so important. And this rejection of empathy - well, it just hit me straight in the heart.
Running, at its essence, is simply the physical motion of putting one foot in front of the other. That’s all it is. Nothing more, nothing less. No matter your reason, find something that resonates with you, and let it carry you forward, one step at a time.
I’ll be the first to admit: reading Station Eleven, a novel about a flu pandemic - during a pandemic - is perhaps a questionable choice. But upon finishing it, I can’t help but also think - maybe this is exactly the right time to read this book. Yes, the context of this book is a pandemic that wipes out 99% of humanity. But the purpose of the book isn’t the story of the collapse of civilization - but instead, a story about people and their resilience. It’s a book of warm imagery and nostalgia and the dark grace of survival in a fallen world.
And so this means that summer 2019 is in the books. And also - that summer 2019 was one for the books. I read by the lake, by the river, on the train, on the mountains, on flights home. Basically wherever I went this summer, a novel (or two) came with me.
Absinthe comes from the French region of Switzerland, in an area called Val-de-Travers, in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel. It was produced here from the 18th century until 1910, when it was vilified, banned and bootlegged for nearly a century. Absinthe was re-legalized in Switzerland in 2005, and has slowly been making it’s revival. Today, around twenty microdistilleries produce absinthe throughout Val-de-Travers, and export many different types of the spirit all over Europe.
Now, I knew the Germans were serious about their beer. In order for it to be even called beer in Germany, it must be brewed according to the Reinheitsegot (literally, the “Bavarian Beer Purity Law”), which only allows for the three ingredients of water, hops and malt. It’s been brewed this way for centuries. Breweries started in German monasteries, back when drinking beer was safer than drinking water. The monks knew their stuff (and how to start a lucrative international business). I knew German beer was a point of pride. I just didn’t know why.
For this season of book reviews, I mixed things up a little bit: There was a compelling nonfiction, a memoir of personal challenge and triumph, a fiction book written like a documentary, a break-your-heart-wide-open book (there needed to be at least one), a though-provoking slow burn novel, a book from an old favorite author, and a book from a new favorite author. They weren’t all great, but this list is certainly the most varied. A book here for everyone!
I’ve always believed that books are one of our strongest and most important tools to generate knowledge and change. In honor of Women’s History Month, here are 10 standout books, by women from across the world, all different sizes, shapes, colors, and identities. Hopefully, reading one (or all!) of these authors will strengthen the collective voices of women, and serve to educate us all. Happy reading!
