Taking the Kids: Meeting Swiss kids
Fondue anyone? Maybe an authentic Swiss raclette -- melted cheese served over boiled potatoes or a tasty Rosti, made with grated fried potatoes and served with an egg, bacon and cheese. Many consider Rosti the Swiss national dish.
"Kids should try the local food here," says Noa Von Allmen, 12, who lives in the Swiss mountain town of Lauterbrunnen, considered the gateway to the famous Jungfrau mountain region.
"Fondue is really fun because you cook it yourself at the table," suggested Jano and Rajan Julen, who live in Zermatt.
Noa may not be old enough to drink or drive, but he certainly knows his way around a Swiss menu. He waits tables in this tiny village at the Hotel Silberhorn, which was started by his great-grandparents and is now run by his parents. The Julen boys also help out at their family hotel business, which dates back to the early 20th century.
"I'm glad to help because I get to practice English," explained Noa. "It's my favorite subject."
The Julen boys are simply glad for the tips -- so they can buy sweets for themselves and their friends.
Unlike American mountain towns, you'll find mostly family-run hotels in the Swiss Alps, hotels typically in the same family for generations. Kids like Noa and the Julen boys help just as their parents and grandparents did. (Check out my new Switzerland video, https://www.takingthekids.com/category/travel-diary/#.W316o7hMEdV.)
"I kind of grew up being a host," said Lars Michel, 23, who is studying hotel management and hopes to be the fifth generation to run Hotel Gletschergarten, his family's 32-room hotel in Grindelwald. His great-grandmother was the youngest of the hotel founder's 12 children; his grandmother Elsbeth met his grandfather Finn, a Dane, when he broke his leg hiking and had to stay at the hotel to recuperate. "He never left," the family jokes.
The traditional Alpine hotel, decorated with paintings of the area done by Lars' great-grandfather, artist Dani Fullemann, is charming with blooming flowers on all of the balconies and views of the Alps.
"There are enough impersonal chain hotels without charm and history," he said. "I think it is the time we take for our guests that is the luxury from today rather than marble-tiled bathrooms or golden faucets. That is what I would like to continue doing, just like my parents do this today."
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