More of St Gallen

We got back to St Gallen late Friday night, so we took it pretty easy in the morning.  The kids wanted to show Aunt Jennifer the chocolate factory.  Or at least that was the ploy they used to get a repeat visit.  Either way, we went there before lunch and then dropped the kids back at the house to watch a movie so that Jen, Megan and I could go to St Gallen on our own while Ryan worked.

I didn't do the Abbey Library when I went the last time, and now that I have gone, I see the wisdom in that decision.  You have to wear little slippers over your shoes, and you can't touch anything. My kids wouldn't have made it  2 minutes.  I didn't ask about checking anything out--but I think I know what the answer would have been.

St Gallen is named after St Gallus, who started a hermitage around 650 a.d.  The most common story about him involves him giving a bear bread and in return the bear brings him firewood.  Or in some versions, the bear helps him build a log cabin.  Ummm, perhaps the story got embellished along the way?

We looked for a place for lunch.  We couldn't find anything that seemed like a good balance between outside food stands and sit-down $$$ restaurants.  That is, until we found the Swiss version of Golden Corral.  Hey--at least it wasn't McDonalds.  Migros "restaurant" is like a buffet except you pay by the weight.  So you put a little more thought into what you choose. We ended up with a variety of salads and such that you would never find in the U.S., and we'll chalk that up as a cultural experience.

Megan and Jen at the Swiss Golden Corral

 Another interesting thing about St Gallen is that the middle of the town has the "red carpet" treatment.  It isn't exactly carpet, but it is definitely red.  There are tables and benches built into the area, and weird golden potatoes hanging over head.  Sometime art just confuses me.

Jen and Megan in St Gallen

I know I've mentioned once or twice  (or in every post) how things are a little pricier here.  Our golden corral lunch was $60, and the crepes we got from a street vendor were a delicious $7 each. As a result, I was running low on cash. 


I try to pull out a decent amount since I get charged for each time I withdraw money.  Looking at the ATM screen, you get an idea of how Swiss finances differ from those in the U.S.  The minimum amount you can withdraw is 50 francs ($60), and they'd be happy to shell out 1000 francs ($1200) if you're interested.  Because it's no big deal here.

And f.y.i, they deal in hundreds.  I've NEVER gotten a $100 bill from an ATM before.  But in Switzerland that's how they roll.