Absinthe Minded
Trip Start
May 06, 2011
1
27
Trip End
Mar 31, 2012
Solothurn, Solothurn, Switzerland
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Joelle met us at the airport in Basil and led us back to Solothurn on the train. Unfortunately, train transportation in western Europe is much more expensive than pre-euro Europe when backpacking and training around Europe was a very economical adventure for college or post-college Americans. Monopolies run many of the railways, and nowhere is this felt more than Switzerland. Even the European railpasses, which used to be the way to get around Europe, are now only sometimes cost effective, and rarely if you are over 25 and not allowed to buy a second class ticket. While this shouldn't deter anyone from seeing all that Europe has to offer, it's just not the budget trip that it used to be.
Solothurn is a charming, clean town which could not have been more different than the tourist mecca we left this morning. When we got to Joelle's house, she left her bike out front, and she and I climbed the stairs to her house. Karen stayed behind and told Joelle she forgot to lock her bike. Joelle said "Oh, I don't need to lock it." This was a far cry from the pickpocket capital of Europe that is Barcelona.
After some down time, we headed to an outdoor bar on the river, followed by some fondue at a local restaurant. After a delicious feast which included several pounds of Gruyère cheese (not the hole-filled Swiss cheese!), we decided to get a post dinner shot. Even at this quiet local restaurant, the shot involved... you guessed it... fire. The shot came out with a orange wedge and a sugar cube on top of it. The waitress lit the sugar cube on fire. Then we were instructed to blow it out and take the sugar cube and the orange wedge followed immediately by the shot. I followed these directions exactly, but then found myself in an impossible situation. I could not swallow the shot because I had a full orange wedge and sugar cube in tact in my mouth. I could not chew the wedge and the sugar cube because the liquor completely filled my mouth leaving no room to chew. I sat for several seconds trying to figure out how to proceed. Karen and Joelle had finished their shots (no idea how), and then they noticed my conundrum. I tried explaining my dilemma through a series of hand gestures and noises, and was just met with laughter, which didn't help my situation at all. At this point, the shot, orange wedge, and sugar cube were more likely to exit through my nose than make their way down my throat. I eventually fought through tears and a gag reflex without making a mess on the table in front of me. I'm still not sure how I was supposed to take this shot.
It just so happens that Joelle works at the only absinthe bar in all of Switzerland, cleverly named the "The Green Fairy." The owner of the bar was actually influential in getting absinthe re-legalized here. There are legends that absinthe used to make people go crazy, but science has ruled out that myth. Still, there is a legal limit on the amount of hallucinogens allowed (which is what made people crazy), but we were lucky enough to score some of the bootleg stuff which didn't follow these guidelines. I wasn't worried - Joelle has worked here for years and never once saw someone go crazy, although a night with her friend Christian may may you think otherwise. (Just kidding Christian!) A few of Joelle's other friends met us, including Linda who was a second of the trio I met in Chile. After the absinthe bar closed, we hit a few more of the local spots in the quiet, quaint town before heading back to Joelle's for some late night drinks in her backyard. All in all, it was a much needed tranquil night with a fantastic hostess and her great friends. The next morning, Joelle had headed into town before we woke up and brought back breakfast from the bakery. We enjoyed a peaceful breakfast in her garden before jumping on a train to Interlaken.
I later asked Karen what it says about our trip if our most chill, relaxed night was spent at an absinthe bar.
