We ran into many hikers on the trails around Zermatt today. There are people from so many countries here, it is impossible to know how they will greet you or how you should greet them. It is fun to just blurt out a greeting in the language of your choice. Guten Tag, Guten Morgan, Halo, Alvetizane, Buon giorno, or Good Morning work equally well. Unless you get very unlucky, they will not know the difference. So I was wondering, what if I threw out something totally random or off-the-wall. I thought "Umpa-lumpa" would work wonderfully. I’ve practiced saying it a million times, so I know I can say it with conviction. Ah, but I was with my wife who does not appreciate a spectacle. That one will have to say unused, at least for now.
We had a funny exchange with a foreigner on the road back from Moos. He asked me something that sounded something like is the road open. I thought he was asking something about the weather up ahead. I told him with my best southern drawl that I only speak English but that the weather ahead sucked, or something to that effect. I embellished the forecast by pointing to my camera and waving my hand like "not good, not good at all". After we passed down the road a few steps, my wife states that she think he was asking if the restaurant was open. Oh well. He should have learned to speak English like most educated folks.
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