It hailed to us like a shining, familiar green beacon of hope after being kicked out of not one, but two local establishments for wanting simply to enjoy a warm drink in lieu of a full meal. My impressions of Switzerland are becoming increasingly negative despite the fact that I'm feeling more and more at home here. On a trip to Bern yesterday, my friend and I received what I have come to expect as a Swiss reception in any sort of customer service situation. We were yelled at in a language we didn't understand (Swiss German in this case) and then expected to be content anyway by the waitstaff. This no longer surprises me, but it still makes me angry and when the offender speaks French, I tell them off effortlessly - somehow I have no trouble finding the words when I'm angry. When they don't speak French or English, I tell them off in gests, which is what language is all about anyway. By the time we were yelled at a second time yesterday, we had been searching the streets of Bern for a cute cafe or tea house that wasn't either overcrowded, overly smokey or staffed by yellers for over an hour. My sprits really began to drop and I was ready to go get on the next train back to Neuchâtel.
Then Carolyn saw it. The Starbucks sign. I have never in my life felt such joy at seeing a Starbucks. I stumbled around that corner to find a little piece of home in a mean, foreign city. It was all familiar, the decor, the refrigerated case full of muffins and donuts, the overstuffed chairs, round dark wood tables and most of all the protocol. I know what to do in Starbucks, there's no way in hell anyone's yelling at me there. The curvy Starbucks signs had favorite seasonal drinks like Peppermint Mocha accompanied by ridiculous Swiss prices, such as 7.80 chf for a tall Latte! Once we got through the long line, the cheerful barista in his green Starbucks apron greeted us in the most cheerful, not at all resembling a yell, Swiss German and then spoke English when he realized we were not Swiss. YAY! I paid 4.80 chf for a Grande Coffee, sat in a window seat sipping it and kept the insulating sleeve as a souvenir. It was the most enjoyable Starbucks experience I could have asked for. In fact, it completely redeemed my opinion of Bern.
But it's not Bern that I like; it's knowing that for 30 chf and an afternoon I can spend an hour and half on a train and take a mini trip home.
2 comments:
Merci Lindsey for the correction.
My level of Fr..hmmmm...my accent is better than my grammaire and forget spelling. I appreciate all corrections.
Tout de suite!
Interesting..I've always resisted Starbucks abroad and at home, but in this case it sounds perfectly reasonable and very welcoming. I'd love to hear more about Swiss chocolate..Feldchin was at the NY choco show and I bought 500grs of their sugar-free! I was impressed buy the taste.
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