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Jason and Dana Kunzman
Working and Playing in Switzerland

Our Days in Switzerland May be Numbered

Wednesday - 16 Feb 2000
Grindelwald - Switzerland


The Golden Arches

A Satisfied Craving

Our employment options here in Switzerland are disappearing right before our very eyes. A colleague from work got us both very excited about working at a busy pizza place in Interlaken for the months of March and April. Unfortunately, almost as quickly as we were presented with this opportunity, we were informed that this restaurant was already fully staffed. Our search in Grindelwald also continued with the same results. Just as our spirits were at their lowest, the strangest sensation came over me and directed us to the McDonald's located in Interlaken. Apparently I had fallen victim to A BIG MAC ATTACK, and Dana, as the good wife she is, accompanied me down this path of culinary delight. Having split a Big Mac and french fries, our next stop was Balmer's to watch the movie "Big Daddy" and to chill out with friends.



Lagos, Portugal

An Interesting Possibility

When we arrived at our favorite youth hostel, Dana and I breathed a sigh of relief. At Balmer's, we know that there are good people with good hearts and lots of times, good ideas. We were immediately greeted by a number of former co-workers who were all very interested to hear about our latest employment woes. Each time Dana would tell our tale, she would say that we had been fired from the hotel, and each time I would interject that we had been in fact laid off. Being fired just has such a negative connotation!!! In any event, everyone got the point that as of February 29th, Dana and I were going to be without work.

Then it hit us like a ton of bricks. An Australian mate of ours, Shane, who actually took one of our staff positions at Balmer's when we left for Grindelwald, suggested that we fly the Swiss coop and head for Lagos, Portugal, located in the Algarve region. Shane insisted that at the beginning of March, work in a restaurant or bar would be relatively easy to come by. In fact, Shane even said that he would call his former boss at the Old Town Tavern and recommend us for available jobs. Intrigued by this offer, Dana and I encouraged Shane to make the call. If nothing else, having another option aside from the Hotel Silberhorn in Wengen couldn't hurt.



A Great Reunion

February 10th started off like any other lazy day off we had to this point. We were late to rise and were on the slopes by 1pm or so. Surprisingly enough, the snow on Oberjoch was absolutely perfect. The warm weather and rain in Grindelwald almost 4,000 feet below did not have a negative effect on snow in the higher elevations. Dana and I hit it hard for 3 1/2 hours and ended our day of snowboarding down the very steep intermediate run down to the Shreckfeld gondola station. A little weary at the beginning, Dana managed to traverse this slope with true grace and elegance, without falling.

Having worked up some serious appetites, we made our way to the hotel we work at for 5:30pm dinner. At the dinner table Dana handed me a business card from the Hotel Rosenegg, a hotel located in Grindelwald. On the back of the card was a note from a buddy of mine, Philippe, who had come to visit from his home in Paris. Philippe and I met in the fall of 1992 at Neiman Marcus. I was working at the ritzy department store as an undercover investigator, and Philippe was performing a marketing internship through his university in Montpellier, France. As good friends do, we managed to stay in touch through the years, and prior to our departure, I insisted that he visit us while we were in Switzerland. Philippe's arrival was a pleasant distraction from the uncertainty surrounding our employment situation.

Practically running up and down the icy pathways of our tiny ski villiage, Dana & I made to romm #16 of the Hotel Rosenegg. I practically banged the door down with excitement. At first there was no response to my knocking, but before long there stood my French friend groggy and still half asleep. We spent some time catching up in Philippe's hotel room, when Dana and I insisted that for the rest of his stay Philippe bunk with us. Philippe and I spent the remainder of the evening reliving many of our times together both through stories and pictures that he had brought with him from home. Our evening ended with a quick tour of Grindelwald and more importantly, where our Swiss shack was situated. We made plans to meet up with Philippe the next day, but surely there were more pressing matters for Dana and I to contemplate: our looming unemployment.




The Hotel Silberhorn in Wengen

On the Rebound

Early dismissal at 12:30 the next fternoon prompted us to make the journey to Lauterbrunnen and Wengen. We went to Lauterbrunnen to meet with Prishka, a woman we were told about who might be able to assist us with our numerous problems the our bosses. That trip, however, proved fruitless. Our next stop was the Hotel Silberhorn in Wengen to meet with the manager once again. Before entering the hotel, Dana and I agreed that this would be our last attempt of securing work in Switzerland. If in fact our potential lead had washed away, Plan A 1/2 (a month's worth of snowboarding) would be in effect...or would we be off to Portugal??!! As luck would have it, the manager remember us and instructed us to return to the hotel on February 29th and meet with our prospective bosses. Our first official day of work would be March 1st. There was one slight hitch!!! At the present time, the manager did not know where he would house his 2 future star employees. He did assure us, though, that he would take care of this not-so-minor technicality. Convincing ourselves that more options were better than no options or just one option, Dana and I tried to get enthused about our sudden bit of good luck. The question now remained whether or not WE WANTED TO STAY IN SWITZERLAND!!!!


Sad Farewell

Dana and I returned from Wengen to find Philippe on his way to rent a pair of skis. Philippe and I planned to catch the first gondola Saturday morning and squeeze in a few runs together, he on skis and me on a snowboard. We awoke early the next morning and managed to be one of the first on the chairlift, the Oberjoch Express. The sun was beginning to drench the mountainside as we arrived and the snow was freshly groomed and oh sooooo soft!!! We cruised down 4 or 5 times with the final run taking us into the midst of a sea of clouds that covered most of the mountain down to Grindelwald. Reluctantly leaving Philippe and a perfect day to snowboard, I met up with Dana just prior to our 10am work day.

Our weekend of fun soon came to an end as Philippe caught a train back to Paris sunday afternoon at 2:50pm. In an attempt to relieve our sadness, Dana & I shifted our attention to the 2 days off together over Valentine's Day and her birthday.



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The Workbeat II
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NEWS FLASH
  Jason and Dana Kunzman - Bio and Journals
  Working and Playing in Switzerland - Intro Average Rating of 3 Viewers
Chapters of Working and Playing in Switzerland
  So Good to See a Friendly Face
  Living on the Edge
  The Eagle has Landed (REVISED)
  Three's Company (REVISED w/pictures!)
  The Workbeat I
  Local Sporting Events
  The Workbeat II
  Our Days in Switzerland May be Numbered
  NEWS FLASH

       

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