Outside
In
Locations |
While reading a novel, I've often wondered why the author chose a certain location. It has also added to my enjoyment of a book, if it is set somewhere I know or have visited, so I thought I would give you a little insight as to why the characters in Outside In went where they did, and where I got my information. |
France: Marseilles | |
Germany: Swiss Border @ Basle | |
Scotland: Glasgow & Troon | |
Spain: Almeria & Cabo de Gata | |
Switzerland:
Grindelwald & Zurich
|
Zurich, Switzerland |
The first time
I set foot in Zurich was towards the end of month long Inter-Rail holiday
in 1983. We (my mate Gordon & I) had already travelled through Germany,
Austria, Yugoslavia (as it was then), Greece, Italy & Austria (again).
My first impression was the amount of graffitti. Not an uncommon sight in
inner-city Britain, but not something I had expected in clean, orderly,
affluent Switzerland. Gordon was fascinated by an automatic shop we came
across in the maze of catacombs under the main railway station - it was
a huge vending machine, about the size of a small kiosk and you could buy
everything from a loaf of bread & a tin of beans to a crate of beer
& a side of ham. Isn't that efficient! Considering that I lived less than two hours drive away for over a decade, my subsequent experiences of Zurich have been almost non-existent. In fact, apart from leading the Freiburg Nomads to defeat against the Zurich Nomads on a blistering, hot day in July 2003 in a place called Uster on the outskirts of the city, my visits have been limited to changing planes at Zurich Airport and sitting in traffic jams while trying to negociate my way through the city from the end of the A1 motorway, which runs into the city from the west, to the start of the A3 motorway, which leads to the ski resorts of Arosa, Davos, Klosters & Lenzerheide (among others) in the Eastern Swiss Alps. For the parts of the book set in Zurich, I based my description of Hauptstrasse on memory, and its probably true to say that its based more on memories of Bern & Basle, as they are the two Swiss cities I have visited the most. A friend of mine, Simon Holliday (if you ever need a jazz pianist or band in the Freiburg area - he's your man!), who knows Zurich like the back of his hand, commented that my description of Zurich wasn't completely accurate, as the street running away from the railway station wasn't called Hauptstrasse, and he offered to help me re-write it correctly. I didn't think it was that important for such a small part of the story. Caroline's house on the shores of Lake Zurich is also pure fantasy. I mean it is a fact that Zurich's elite live in that area, but I have never visited it. I just tried to imagine in my mind's eye what kind of house I would like to have if money were no object. |