Electricity in Europe

Obviously you had the wrong adapter. It sounds like it was maybe some over-priced all-in-one deal or at least something much bulkier than what's required. Did you ever walk down to the hotel desk and ask to bum one?

Next time, get a set of four or six that will cover you most anywhere in the world. These suckers stack and are much smaller. You can also use them to piggyback out of a recess to give room for an odd gizmo on the end of your electronics cord. Optionally, an outlet-multiplier cube will let you charge several things at once or also help with the odd-shaped cord end of some electronics.

Switzerland may require two types of adapters.

Why you needed a converter is a mystery unless you have very old or very unusual electronics.

none, absolutely none, of the European sockets are square.

Rather than asking why electrical engineers in Europe are making these adapters unusable which makes it sound like all these 6 hotels and everybody else is the reason you were unable to plug in, I think that the better question might be "why companies are making adapters that won't fit anywhere and are therefore unusable in Europe?"

Thanks for sharing your report. Did your adapter look like this smaller one? The depth of that adaptor usually fits into the recessed sockets, although you have to be careful when pulling it back out, so as not to leave it in the wall.

"Did you ever walk down to the hotel desk and ask to bum one?" Ed hit it. Hotels will almost always have the adaptor you need, but you have to ask.