Grüezi!
Last month music took me to Switzerland for a guest conducting engagement with the Musikkollegium Winterthur in an all-Organ program. The concert would occur in the beautiful Tonhalle Zurich which was a stunning space. The organ, better known as the “Queen of Instruments” had just been replaced and the hall had also just gone through a 4-year renovation. I couldn’t wait!
While I was excited for the trip, I was also nervous. To get from Memphis to Switzerland was going to be a 17-hour travel day with my biggest concern being how to keep my Sucraid cold. Sucraid is currently the only prescribed enzyme replacement medication for CSIDs. I had traveled with Sucraid before but only on trips that were up to six hours. 17 hours was daunting. My formula for traveling with Sucraid is to have three syringes per day I’ll be away. I was going to be in Switzerland for 10 days, therefore, I needed 30 syringes. Enter 4ALLFamily.
I came across these insulin coolers one day on amazon after a traveling with Sucraid question was posed in one of the CSID Facebook groups. I found that these insulin coolers have been a lifesaver. I have them in two different sizes and with a little maneuvering, I can fit 5 Syringes in the small cooler and 15 in the larger size. Both come with a nice-sized ice pack that stays cold for up to 72 hours. I also have an insulin pouch that I also purchased from amazon that fits about 10 syringes and stays cold for about 6-8 hours. I ended up asking for a bag of ice on the plane and putting both my syringes and ice pack from my pouch in the bag overnight and it worked great.
After a full day of travel, I arrived in Switzerland Friday morning and as you can imagine, I needed food. I planned ahead and packed a bunch of snacks and sandwiches to eat on the plane because I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat any of the food offered. As soon as my car dropped me off at the hotel, I checked it, dropped off my luggage, and went straight into the hotel restaurant. I had my typical CSID breakfast which consisted of boiled eggs, Chef’s Cut Biltong, an almond flour muffin (I baked these and pack them), and some fruit. This may seem boring but at the end of the day, I am grateful to have food to eat.
This is by far the best biltong I have ever tasted.
I dedicated one day to being a tourist. I remembered I discovered that Airbnb offers experiences and decided to see if anything was available in Winterthur and happened on a tour of the Rheinfall, one of the most powerful waterfalls in Europe, located between the cantons of Schaffhausen and Zürich. It was a one-on-one tour with my guide Martina who was absolutely lovely. It was magical to both see and hear the Rheinfall as well as the nature it surrounded.
Now let’s talk about the food scene. There were a plethora of restaurants and shops near my hotel, however, I found my options limited because of CSIDs. I noticed how health-conscious Swiss people were regarding what they put in their bodies and the quality of their foods. This meant they cooked using a lot of grains, legumes, and veggies, most of which are high in starch and off-limits to me. I was pretty much confined to eating meat or fish and veggies, which I didn’t mind so much because everything tasted so fresh.
These were the two dinners I alternated between served in the hotel restaurant. The venison burgers were melt-in-your-mouth good and were very filling. I also got some bacon on the side, which tasted nothing like bacon in the states. The fish dish was Zander fish which were very light and flaky. I enjoyed them but they were not very filling and I found myself hungry within an hour. Luckily, I also brought protein bars with me which came to my hunger rescue. The last plate was a lovely salmon and cauliflower dish I had while on break from rehearsal at Tonhalle.
My trip concluded with three wonderful days of rehearsals followed by a truly magical concert experience that I will always cherish. I look forward to my return to Winterthur and exploring even more!
