Travel Knowledge.

There's a German saying that goes "Reisen bildet" - travelling will make you more knowledgeable.

Well, this is certainly true for me and this last trip to Switzerland. You see, I have been there before, and I had noticed that the Swiss have different wall outlets for their plugs, but I had only brought the nice slim very versatile "Euro-Stecker" before: 

...and I had never run in any problem with that.

This time, though, I brought my laptop. Which doesn't have the "Euro-Stecker", but the larger, round "Schutzkontakt-Stecker" - and that's a different type. I had assumed that it would also just fit into the outlets, with its two prongs in about the same width and the same constellation as the Euro type, but, alas, the outlets that were available were all a recessed spot. And the form of the recess was, of course, the shape of the normal Swiss plug.

The German Schuko plug is too fat for that. 

So I was dashing off on the quest to find a different cable (since the trefoil connector is the same), but they had none. And then, the technic guy turned up with an adapter. I wasn't in the room at that time, but I imagine the adapter was procured, happily attached, and then it was found that it was what the Swiss call a "Fixadapter".

Which means that it is designed to turn a German-style electrical thingummy into a proper Swiss electrical thingummy. It is to be attached and never ever in the life of the device removed again.

So basically, I left my computer unattended in a Swiss conference room for a few minutes, and it went full-on native! Well, at least the end bit of it did. The one closest to the plug.

Fortunately, this cable is easily replaced (I have a temporary, borrowed replacement as I type this), and it meant that the presentation went well with no fear of running out of battery.

Also it makes for a very funny story, I have learned something (Reisen bildet!), and for my next foray into Switzerland, I have the proper plug!