Switzerland - 2014

Back in December, between the end of classes and the start of final exams, I went to Switzerland for 2 days to present a paper at University of St. Gallen.  It was an enjoyable trip, as I hadn't been to that part of Switzerland before (in fact, I had only been in Switzerland for 2 days before, in 1995!).

However, I was exhausted afterwards.  After just finishing a semester with three classes and a house move (and on-going renovations), I needed a break, not a work trip.

The town is quite pretty.  The week before my visit, the town's Christmas market was mentioned in the local newspaper as a top market to visit.  My host, upon hearing this, was amused and surprised, as she felt that the market was quite ordinary (and, I got the impression, inferior to the markets in her native Germany).

near the UNESCO heritage site in St. Gallen

I was hoping for some snow but was too early in the year.  St. Gallen is in a valley and gets a lot of fog / clouds in December - snowy season starts in January (roughly).  One of the graduate students I met complained that he hadn't seen the sun in two weeks. That would be depressing!

Abbey of St. Gall - UNESCO heritage site

Even in the fog, the town was quite pretty, including the main shopping area.

Typical street scene

The talk went pretty well, and they have a good group of economists there.  It was a bit odd, though.  Nearly all the faculty are German, as the pay is much better than in Germany (and the German system for tenure is odd, although I don't really understand it).