Bernard Thurnheer, the nation's Schnurri, is also a globetrotter. He has visited 99 countries so far. blue News shows the world map of "Beni International" and he tells his best travel stories.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- For a long time, it was hard to imagine Swiss television without Bernard "Beni" Thurnheer. The eloquent Winterthur native retired in 2014.
- The former national team commentator traveled far and wide - Thurnheer has visited 99 countries. blue News shows the world map of "Beni International".
- The 75-year-old reveals where he particularly liked it.
Beni Thurnheer, how many countries have you been to?
Thurnheer: In 99! (see map).
Why not 100 yet?
That's yet to come. But I can't say yet where I'll be traveling to. That could be decided by chance. I've come close to reaching 100 twice.
When?
Just now. I wanted to go to Kazakhstan with FC St.Gallen in the Conference League to play against Tobol Kostanay - that didn't work out at short notice. A cruise to the Caribbean, where I would have gone ashore in Barbados, also fell through. You see, I've never been to Barbados or Kazakhstan (laughs).
Where have you been the most?
Probably London or Paris. But if I had to recommend something to someone, it would be Sydney or Hawaii - those are my favorite destinations.
You were in Sydney in 2000 as "Crocodile Beni" for SRF.
Exactly! I was allowed to accompany all the medal winners for a day. And that was one of my few great experiences.
Tell me about it!
We accompanied Brigitte McMahon, the triathlete who had won gold, to the mine where the gold for her medal had been mined. We flew there in a small propeller plane. It went up and down. Almost everyone threw up - I was almost the first (laughs). The co-pilot always calmed me down and said very cool: Everything is normal. After landing, he just said: It was a bit dicey ...(laughs).
Why else Sydney?
The Australians have everything I like. They're open like the Americans, but not as superficial as some of the people I've met. They are similar to the English, who I really like, but without the arrogance that you can always sense because of their history. Sydney is also a big city with everything your heart desires. And right on the beach!
What is a must-see?
Phew. Lots of things. But for example Uluru (Ayers Rock), beautiful hills that go back to the indigenous people, the Aborigines. I'll have to tell you more about that!
With pleasure.
We once stood in front of Ayers Rock with a group of tourists. And then the guide said that it would be better not to climb the hills ...
And then ...
... then an American asked if it was specifically forbidden. When the guide said: No, not that, but it's just not popular, but nothing is forbidden (smiles). The result: all, really all the Americans jumped up the hill straight away, while the Europeans who were there waited nicely at the bottom. But I also want to say this: I've been to the USA dozens of times - I like the Americans too (laughs). Nevertheless, it's a bit type-specific.
How often have you traveled with the national team?
More than 50 times.
The best trip?
Sure. 1994 in the USA. The World Cup, Switzerland's first in 28 years. The atmosphere. The Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit, where the national team played in the opener and then beat Romania 4:1. And the stadium was covered, which was totally new to me. It was like being in a movie theater, it smelled like popcorn everywhere. That's why to this day I always think of Detroit when I smell popcorn.
Were there any critical situations?
In 2014, I was at the World Cup in Brazil. We flew to Fortaleza for the quarter-final between Brazil and Colombia. We were close, very close. We did get a driver who was supposed to take us directly from the airport to the stadium. But everything had long since been cordoned off. We looked for a sneaky route and were almost duped. A boy sitting on a wall pointed to a path that our driver headed straight for - a dead end. "Shit," the driver just said and put the car into reverse in turbo. We were lucky - it seemed like we could have been robbed. When I was sitting in the stadium, still slightly exhilarated, and contacted the studio in Zurich for the first time, they just said: "Sali, Beni, you, the boss says it's called Colombian instead of Colombian." I just thought: You really have problems at home ...
How was the food?
My experience is really like this: nowhere on this planet that I've been can you go wrong with an Italian. They always maintain their standard. It used to be bad behind the Iron Curtain. Unless it had an Italian (laughs).
Were you often recognized?
Well, just like Andy Warhol, I also had my 15 minutes of fame (laughs). In 2010 in South Africa, I was commentating on a Japan game, I think against Cameroon. At the airport in Bloemfontein, there were about 1000 Japanese and us: the commentators from SRF, from Ticino, French-speaking Switzerland and German-speaking Switzerland. Suddenly a Japanese man stood out from the crowd, came up to me and asked: "You are Beni Thurnheer, aren't you?" The SRF colleagues hardly believed it. A colleague from Switzerland said in amazement: "A Japanese man wants Beni Thurnheer's autograph in South Africa, unbelievable!" In the end, it turned out that he had lived in Switzerland for five years. Nevertheless, it was a funny situation.
Missed a flight?
Yes, but privately. I was sitting at home when suddenly a friend wrote: "Wait at gate 17." I looked at my calendar and realized: "Oops, our trip to Hamburg is today." I arrived six hours after my two colleagues.
How do you travel?
Business. I allow myself the luxury. It's also a question of age.
And what's your tip for all travelers?
Enjoy, absorb, adapt - and don't behave like the Americans at Ayers Rock (laughs).
