Well I wasn't really desperate (yet!) but today my friend Bartek was going shopping across the border in Germany and I wanted to try it out at least once because it is very popular with students and trainees on a shoestring budget who happen to live close to the German-Swiss border. As everyone knows, prices in Switzerland are very exorbitant so it is no surprise that so many young people living in villages such as Baden, St. Gallen and Villigen are tempted to do their shopping on the other side.
I met up with Bartek in Baden and we made our way to a small village called Waldshut. This place seems to have been founded precisely for the reason we went there. As soon as we got off at the station, mega supermarket chains LIDL, REWE and Kaufland together with a Burger King place greeted us. We enjoyed what Bartek told me was a traditional Burger King Meal which cost 3.99 EUR (around 3 times less than the same meal in Zurich!) before we moved on to Kaufland.
In total I spent just over 56 euros and bought enough food to last me a month, including a bottle of Żubrówka (yey!), a six-pack of beer, 8 pieces of meat, tons of canned and frozen food and some tupperware and toiletries which God knows what a fortune they would cost in Switzerland.
A word of advice about the Swiss Customs. Unfortunately, people crossing the border may be subject to random spot checks and any items which exceed a certain allowed limit will be subject to paying customs. Such restrictions are mainly on alcohol (1 L of spirits and 2 L of wine or beer) and fresh meat (0.5 kg fresh meat per person). It's good to keep in mind these restrictions and the additional charges when trying to purchase items outside of Switzerland. More information about the Swiss customs can be found here: http://goo.gl/iK7mit
Thanks to my Gleis7 (an extension of the Halbtax card) the train journey to and from Waldshut (approx. 1.5 hours one way) was free of charge because we traveled after 7 pm. If you want to know more about the benefits of the Halbtax card (which allows you to buy public transport tickets at half-price all across Switzerland) and Gleis7 (which allows young people to travel on trains for free after 7 pm all throughout Switzerland) visit the SBB website on http://goo.gl/qwWiX and http://goo.gl/7CPGDN respectively. If you are going to be living in Switzerland for at least 3 months I definitely recommend you to get these cards (which are valid for 1-5 years) because public transport in Switzerland is very expensive and you will get your money's worth in no time. Together both cards cost a total of 304 CHF or just 175 CHF for the Half-fare card.
It took me 5.5 hours to finally get back home with a shopping bag that was going to burst at the seams which means it won't be something I will be doing often. I guess I will just have to see how it goes and how long it will take me to run out of food and then weigh up my options.
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