BERLIN (AP) – Two hitchhikers in Switzerland probably weren’t expecting the driver behind the wheel of the little car that stopped for them to be a government minister.
Their surprise appears to have given way to delight, for the women later sent Environment Minister Simonetta Sommaruga a thank-you card stating: “what a peaceful country we have, where a member of the Federal Council picks up hitchhikers”.
Sommaruga posted a picture of the card on her Instagram page last Friday, adding that she had been driving down the road in her Mini when she saw the women – one of whom she said was almost 90 – walking along an icy road.
Swiss media quoted Sommaruga’s spokeswoman last Saturday saying the incident occurred a week ago in the Bern region.
It is not unusual to see members of Switzerland’s seven-person Cabinet in public without security.
