Au revoir, Switzerland... Halo, Hrvatska!

I have been in Croatia since November 20th, and I have to say I LOVE it here for many reasons.  But before I tell about Croatia I need to write about the Matterhorn and leaving Switzerland.... Read on, it's a loooong post :)

Matterhorn- Kaity and I got up bright and early (6:30 a.m.) on Saturday morning, November 13 to catch a train to Zermatt to see the Matterhorn.   The ride was beautiful and took about 3 hours total.  We had a minor setback just past Lausanne when our train was held up for almost 30 minutes, but eventually we made it to Visp and then to Zermatt.  The weather could not have been better—beautiful sun and clear blue sky.  I found Zermatt itself to be very touristy, which makes sense because it is a ski resort town.  But in November things were pretty deserted, so it was not crowded.

  Kaity and me in Zermatt

The older part was much less touristy and (in my opinion) more interesting.  Kaity and I wandered around town taking pictures and then got lunch before taking the Gorner Grat Bahn up to see better views of the Matterhorn.  It was even more dramatic from up high, and we took lots of pictures before hurrying back onto the little train down the mountain.  One would think the snowy Alps might begin to get old after 3 months, but honestly the incredibly natural beauty is just so awe-inspiring that it’s impossible to become mundane.  I’ll let the pictures do the talking for me.  I enjoyed the ride home, listening to my ipod and snapping occasional pictures of the sunset. 

The Matterhorn!

Leaving Switzerland- I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Switzerland and learned more than I ever possibly imagined, but by the time November 20^th came I was definitely ready for a change.  Once the novelty of a place wears off you begin to pick up on the flaws and cultural differences that are not necessarily apparent to a tourist who only spends a few weeks taking in the sights.  The hard part was saying goodbye to Martine and the rest of my host family, to whom I am extremely grateful for taking me into their home and treating me so well for the past 12 weeks.  On Tuesday night November 16^th, there was a farewell reception at a confiserie in Nyon.  The space was a bit small for all 27 of us students and our host families, but at least it was cozy and the food was delicious.  I discovered a love for macaroons when I was in Paris (HOW had I never tried them before??), and fortunately I was able to continue this love at the reception.  

Martine and me at the farewell reception

I spent the rest of that week conducting interviews for my research, working on my paper, packing, enjoying my last few moments in Gland, and spending time with friends.  I knew that leaving wouldn’t feel real until I actually arrived in Croatia, so I tried to get the most out of all my usual activities—running by the soccer fields at sunset with the Alps in the background, taking walks in the vineyards around Gland, stopping in Migros in Geneva for a café au lait, watching TV with Martine in the evenings… On Friday the 19^th I had a fascinating interview at the World Intellectual Property Organization and then headed to the UN Library to print a final draft of my ISP paper for mark-up…and spectacularly face-planted when leaving the UN, giving it a true Claire-style goodbye.  I tried to get most of my packing done before Friday night so that I could spend time with Martine instead of alone in my room.  She and I ordered delicious pizza for dinner and made salad, and then we had homemade panna cotta and espresso for dessert (sadly the Nespresso was broken for the greater portion of my stay, but Martine bought a new, shinier, fancier model just before I left…yay).  We watched a TV show about Japanese mudfish and talked and ate and talked, and inwardly I marveled at how my relationship with this woman was entirely built upon a language that is not native to me.  So all that stuff about how languages are very powerful tools in bringing people together and promoting greater understanding?  Yeah, it’s true.  If only there was enough time to learn more.  We exchanged gifts—leather gloves that I bought for her in Florence, chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate in many different forms for me—and I showed a few pictures of my family (which I should have done at the beginning of my stay, but I completely forgot about the photos until I was packing!)  I tried to get to bed at a decent hour so that the 6 a.m. alarm wouldn’t feel quite so early, but naturally I did not sleep too well and woke up pretty exhausted.  After a quick breakfast and tea, Martine helped me load my two unwieldy suitcases into her car and we set off for the Gland train station.  The train was coming at 6:45 a.m., so there was not much time to say goodbye…and how do you really say goodbye anyway?  Martine said, “A bientôt,” which means “See you soon” in French.  I promised to send a postcard from Croatia, and we agreed to go out to a restaurant for perch filets the next time I’m in Switzerland.  It’s better that way.  I don’t know what Martine’s life will be like the next time I see her, but I hope everything works out for her.  Her ex-husband wants to sell the house, and with rising apartment prices in Gland she is not sure if she can afford to stay in town.  Consequently she will probably not be able to host another student next semester…I may be the last for awhile L  I can’t even imagine unwilling having to sell the home where I raised my children, and I really hope it works out. 

Gland in winter...no more grapes :(

I almost didn’t make it onto the train from Gland to Geneva.  I got stuck somewhere between my two suitcases, the platform, and the top stair of the train.  There were a few moments when I honestly didn’t think I possessed the strength to lift my bags onto the train, and I wondered if the train would speed off with my bags and me flying in all directions.  This would become the theme of the day.  Luckily I did make it onto the train and arrived in Geneva a little after 7 a.m.  Getting all 27 of us AND our luggage onto the train to Venice (yes, a 7-hour ride) was no small task.  As one of my friends put it, it was like playing a game of Tetris with suitcases.  I felt kind of sorry for everyone else on our train.  Somewhere past Lausanne we shoved the last suitcase into the last available space, and I collapsed into my window seat with my ipod and passed out until the Italian border.  Speeding through northern Italy reminded me of my first trip to Italy in 2007, when I went to the Veneto with Spencer.  Our train stopped in Verona and Vicenza, two towns that I had visited and really enjoyed.  Sometime around 2:30 p.m. we finally arrived in Venice, and thanks to some careful planning all of our bags miraculously made it off the train.  The next train ride took a little more than 2 hours, and I settled into my seat with some wine after the stress of the day (when in Italy…)  We finally arrived in Trieste and unloaded everything AGAIN.  Our next form of transportation was a charter bus to Pula, Croatia.  The most exciting moment of the trip was getting our passports stamped in Slovenia (Slovenia? Really?).  So it was official, I had finally left Switzerland for the western edges of Eastern Europe.  I realized in Switzerland that my draw to traveling comes from the adventure, the excitement and thrill of visiting new places.  Three months was too long.  Understanding the Swiss has not been an easy task, and I realize that their culture comes from 500+ years of unique historical circumstances.  A few weeks into the semester I began to notice a few things that I really did not like about Switzerland—Men pushing girls and elderly people out of the way to make it onto the train, hypocrisy (especially politically), unfriendliness, self-centeredness, high prices… I came to appreciate my southern American background so much more and am very excited to go home.  It will be nice not to feel a little bit like an outsider anymore.  One of my friends noticed that sometimes it is actually harder when your culture is somewhat similar to that of the country that you are visiting, because you look like you should fit in but don't.  When you go somewhere very different, such as Africa or Asia, you don't even attempt to fit in and just take in the culture and sights.

Pula, Croatia- My first views of Pula were in the dark, and the first thing I smelled when I got off the bus was the salty air from the Adriatic Sea.  Yesssssss….I had been in a landlocked country for too long.  Our hotel is right on the water on a beautiful peninsula, and I am staying in a suite with my two best friends…could life get better at the moment?  All of our meals are included in the hotel buffet, and it has been extremely refreshing to get some Mediterranean food (feta cheese + olives + fish + gnocchi = I was getting tired of bread, cheese, and chocolate).  We are also fortunate enough to have a gym and a 25-meter saltwater pool in the hotel, and I just have to step outside to take advantage of the walking/running trails that crisscross the entire peninsula.  The first 4 days of our stay were devoted to finishing up our ISP papers and presentations, but as I had already pretty much finished and was in the final editing stages, I refused to stay cooped up in the hotel all the time and tried to get out as much as possible.  

Sunset over the Adriatic

Where to begin with Croatia?  I love it here for so many reasons.  First of all, I would describe Croatia as a “1 ½” or “2^nd” world country.  Which is not necessarily a bad thing.  After the most recent Yugoslavia war and decades under communism, Croatia is still in the process of rebuilding its economy and infrastructure and trying to improve its position in Europe.  This means that (in my experiences here at least) the people do not share the Western European sense of disdain for the United States and the jaded feeling of enjoying extensive political rights and economic freedoms but not really appreciating the true meaning of these freedoms.  Because Croatians have not had these privileges in the past, they seem to have a much more favorable view of the United States and share the American Dream that has long been dead in much of Western Europe.  They still seem to think the streets in New York City are paved with gold, and while that certainly is not the case, it can’t be bad to have hope, right??  The opportunities are there…

 The colors on this page aren't great, but the water is the PRETTIEST blue color...

Anyway, I spent a lot of time relaxing and exploring the first four days.  My friend Sidra and I went into Pula for lunch the first Wednesday and saw the amphitheatre, fort, etc.  Such a pretty city!  We found a great restaurant called Kantina, and I’ve already been back there 3 times since.  The food is delicious, and like a lot of things in Croatia it is relatively cheap.  That evening I went for a walk around the peninsula by the hotel to take pictures of the sunset.  I’ll have to let the pictures speak for themselves, because it was absolutely gorgeous even in winter.  At one point when I was walking two middle-aged men stopped me, and one of them asked, “You are very beautiful…may I take your picture?”  Interesting way for a conversation to start, but they turned out to be very nice and not creepy.  They asked if I was British, probably because not that many Americans make it to Croatia, especially at this time of year.  They were very helpful and told me all about the area and insisted I come back in warmer weather.  Thursday (Thanksgiving) was the start of presentations on our Independent Study Projects, which continued until Thursday, December 2.  Each person gave a half-hour presentation and Q&A session on their topic.  This was actually one of my favorite parts of the entire semester, and I think I actually learned a lot more than I did in class.  My classmates presented a very wide array of topics, and the discussions we had during and after the presentations were extremely interesting.  Anyway, back to Thanksgiving… Our hotel restaurant kindly prepared a Thanksgiving dinner for us and tried to include as many traditional American elements as possible.  We had turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, etc. and some non-traditional items such as gnocchi and fish.  Sadly there was no pumpkin pie.  Before dinner my friend Kaity and I went down to the hotel bar for a drink and ended up meeting a group of Serbian dermatologists who were staying at the hotel for a conference.  They were probably around 30 years old and insisted on buying us the local honey grappa.  They also invited us to go out to a club with them over the weekend.  

Beach!!

On Friday afternoon after the morning presentations I decided to take another walk around the peninsula with my camera to take some more pictures.  I ended up meeting an elderly Croatian man (he was probably around 70 years old), and once we established that our common language was German we took a nice long walk.  When he said hi to me I didn’t realize it would turn in to a long conversation, but he could not have been nicer.  He showed me some cool historical sites, such as a part of the beach where Austrian soldiers invaded during World War I and a building that was used in a 1959 German film.  He also told me all about his wife, mother, and daughter, who unfortunately passed away in the 1990s.  I think he said that when he gets sad, he comes out here to go walking because it’s so beautiful (my German is rusty, but I think that was what he said).  He also told me that he worked for a radio company in the Netherlands for a long time.  People here seem to be so nice and welcoming…it’s definitely a nice change from Switzerland.  Saturday morning some of us headed to Pula to check out the market and do a little souvenir shopping.  The market was really cool and very authentic, with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, and local specialties such as grappa and olive oil.  We went back to Kantina for lunch (and had also been there for dinner the night before), and the waiters know and recognize us now.  We were lucky to have great weather while we walked around.  Saturday night 7 of us girls went out to a club in Pula with the dermatologists.  We had a great time and had an “authentic” Croatian (Serbian?) experience.  It was definitely more fun going out with people who knew the area a little bit! 

 At the club with some of my friends :)

This past week has been devoted to presentations in the morning and free time in the afternoon.  I get restless if I stay at the hotel too much, so in addition to running and using the pool a lot, I have been going into Pula some, too.  We went to see Harry Potter one night ($3!) and went back to Kantina for dinner another night.  The presentations ended yesterday, so our entire group took a day-trip today as our final official activity.  We were originally supposed to take a boat to the town of Rovinj, but because of the rain and wind we ended up taking a bus instead.  Rovinj is less than an hour away and is known as a “little Venice,” because it looks a lot like Venice and is from the same time period.  The church at the top of the hill in the old town even has a bell tower that is a replica of the one in St. Mark’s Square!  

Rovinj in the rain

I loved Rovinj and would really love to go back sometime when the weather is nice and warm.  It was beautiful even in the rain.  Then we headed to a fish restaurant right next to a beautiful fjord.  Some people were caught off guard when the fish was served whole (eyes, tail, skin, etc.), but it didn’t bother me, and I thought it was delicious.  Our last stop before coming home was Porec, where we visited the famous Euphrasius Basilica.  It was built in the 6^th century and has beautiful Byzantine mosaics inside.   The trip today confirmed what I had already decided—I definitely want to come back to Croatia sometime when it’s spring or summer.  It is a gorgeous country with a lot to offer, and I really like the people and culture.  This is already an extremely long post, so I will end here…. I’ll probably write one last post to tell about Zagreb and leaving to come HOME!   

Rovinj :) 

    

First Heidi, Now Lady Gaga?!

Again, story to come.  But I haven’t updated this in a VERY long time, so bear with me while I fill you in on the past month J  I’ll just focus on the highlights… And newsflash: I am leaving Switzerland in 8 days.  Where did the time go?

Gryon- The second weekend in October, I headed to the town of Gryon with 8 of my friends from the program.  Gryon is in the Alps near Aigle, all the way at the end of Lac Léman past Montreux.  In fact, it is almost to France.  My friend Sammy found a great hostel on the internet called “Chalet Martin,” so after a grocery store trip to buy supplies we headed off bright and early on Saturday morning.  The trip took less than 2 hours including the transfers to regional trains, and when we reached Gryon it was certainly worth the journey.  The views were incredible, and the leaves were changing in full force.  Chalet Martin was by far the nicest hostel we have encountered this semester, and even though the door to our room had no lock, we all felt completely safe.  Chalet Martin is apparently owned by an American couple from West Virginia, and in the winter it serves as a base for skiers and snowboarders.  The inside was beautiful and very rustic (although the many knives and axes displayed on the walls were a little creepy), and the 9 of us had our own room with bunk beds.  I made sure to take one of the beds by the window so that I would wake up to sunrise over the Alps.  

My bed :)

Looking down at Gryon from Chalet Martin

We used the “communal kitchen” to make lunch, including some homemade guacamole courtesy of Emma, who is from Texas.  It had been too long.  After finishing lunch, we set out to hike in the mountains above Gryon.  It took about 20 minutes to walk to the gondola station, and from there we took a harrowing 10-minute gondola ride up the mountain.  When we reached our destination, it was time for the hiking to begin.  Our group quickly split into two groups: the “advanced” hikers and those who wanted to take things a bit more slowly.  My group was led by my friend Georgi who is so tall that he can walk about twice as quickly as the average person.  Needless to say, the other 4 of us had a little trouble keeping up, even though we’re in good shape.  Georgi led us off the trail straight up a double black diamond ski slope (which of course in early October was not yet covered in snow).  It was challenging to say the least, and we had to take a lot of water breaks.  When we finally reached the cross at the top, we took some pictures and then decided to continue hiking along the mountain range.  

With Danika & Kaity (almost) at the top

Georgi accidentally led us off the trail so that we were clinging to the side of the mountain for dear life…thankfully we all survived and noticed that the actual trail was much safer (which came in handy on the way back).  When we finally stopped, we all collapsed in exhaustion and admired the view around us.  It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, and so quiet and peaceful, too!  We decided to institute 5 minutes of silence, which quickly turned into longer.  I’ll have to let the pictures speak for themselves, because it really was amazing.  

Sound of Music picture :)

We could have stayed up there all day, but we missed the last gondola down the mountain and thus had to walk down before the sun set.  Georgi led us off the trail straight down the mountain, which was interesting, and we passed through some beautiful little towns full of wooden chalets.  The vibrant colors of the leaves made it even more breathtaking.  After showers back at Chalet Martin, we all pitched in to make dinner.  Dinner was pasta, pizza, salad, bread, and chocolate of course!  It was really fun cooking with the whole group, and we felt like a little family.  Then the boys made a fire outside in the chalet’s fire pit, and we spent the rest of the evening stargazing, talking, and enjoying the nice weather.  

Walking down the mountain

Sunday’s adventure was the thermal pools at Lavey-les-Bains.  We made breakfast, packed our things, and then took the train down the mountain to Bex.  From Bex we continued around the lake to another town, where we caught the bus to Lavey-les-Bains.  The thermal baths were one of my favorite experiences on this trip thus far.  It was so typically Swiss, and all-around a great time for all of us.  After changing into our bathing suits, we headed into the series of pools, saunas, steamrooms, etc.  Some of the pools were indoor and some were outdoor, and all are naturally heated by thermal springs.  We had so much fun during our two hours, and the sauna pretty much cured my cold!  I can only imagine how cool it would be to visit the baths in the snow…

Lavey-les-Bains

St-Cergue- The next Sunday I took the regional train up into the Jura mountains with two of my friends to do a little bit of hiking. The weather wasn’t great, but the leaves were beautiful.  We did a lot of exploring above the town of St-Cergue, and then we came back down for a cup of hot chocolate before taking the train back down to Nyon.  It was nice to get out and get some fresh air instead of studying all day! 

 Sidra and me :)

One of the views during our hike

Barcelona- After finishing all of my finals on Friday, October 22 (yes I’m done with classes for the semester, all I have to do is finish my research paper & presentation), I headed straight to Barcelona to see two of my friends from Duke.  My Easyjet flight was late (of course), but I eventually arrived in Barcelona and started my journey to the boys’ apartment in the city.  I speak no Catalan or Spanish, so I felt a little bit lost.  Fortunately I made it onto the right bus, found the Metro station, and got onto the correct train.  And by some miracle I found the apartment.  My friends Brian and Conrad are living with 3 other boys from Duke this semester, so I got to meet all of them when I arrived.  After talking and eating chocolate for awhile, we headed out for a late dinner (10 p.m. is early by Spanish standards, but to me it felt late).  I had a great risotto dish, and then we came back to the apartment to drink wine before heading to a few bars.  We had a great time and stayed out much later than I usually do, but for Spain apparently this is normal!  I was glad I was able to sleep in the next day.  After “breakfast” (at normal lunchtime), we headed out to see some of the city.  First we walked down Las Ramblas and looked at all the street performers.  The weather was gorgeous, which was a nice change from cold, cloudy Switzerland.  It almost felt like summer!  Then we headed to food festival that Brian had found out about online.  There were lots of free samples of olive oil, olives, etc.  So much fun!  After a VERY late lunch (5 p.m.?) we relaxed at the apartment before dinner at 11.  I decided to get something typically Spanish and ordered paella.  It was an excellent choice.  Then we headed out to bars again.  The first one, the “Tree Bar,” was designed so that the inside really looks like you are in the woods!  It was so cool.  I had sangria, and it was very good J 

Tree Bar!

After the tree bar we headed to another bar and then eventually walked to the beach to explore some of the bars and clubs along the water.  We had a nice time at an Irish pub and then walked around by some of the clubs but decided not to go in because it was really too late to make it worth paying the cover.  Sunday was the day to explore El Parc Guell.  I loved seeing all the Gaudi buildings and sculptures, and the musicians and vendors added to the charm.  We spent a very long time talking and admiring the view, but eventually we had to return so that I could leave for the airport.  I absolutely loved Barcelona and hope to make it back there someday, because two days is not nearly enough time.

El Parc Guell

Italy- Last week I visited Rome and Florence to see some friends from Duke.  First I went to Rome to see my friend Sophie, who is living in an apartment right by Piazza Navona in the heart of Rome’s old part.  Her apartment was beautiful, and I was thankful to finally arrive because getting there was kind of a hassle.  The train station in Rome is a nightmare, and then the bus was extremely crowded.  I was rewarded with a nice dinner of gnocchi, carpaccio, and caprese salad.  Italian food is wonderful!  We also had some gelato and spent a lot of time talking and catching up.  On Friday we did a lot of walking, talking, and shopping.  One of my favorite parts of the day was our picnic at the Villa Borghese right in the middle of Rome.  The weather was so nice that we stayed for several hours.  

St. Peter's Basilica at sunset

Heading out for dinner with Sophie

Dinner was delicious again of course, especially the Tiramisu that we had for dessert!  Saturday was also a wandering/shopping day, with a delicious 2 ½ hour lunch in the middle of it.  I hated to leave Sophie on Sunday morning, but I got to go to Florence to see Laura and Reshma!  My train was very late (Italy does NOT have the same train efficiency as Switzerland…), but I eventually arrived in Florence in the pouring rain.  Laura came and got me, and we walked back to her apartment near the Santa Maria Novella.  I (and my luggage) got soaked.  Oh well.  Laura is doing the NYU in Florence program and lives on one floor of an apartment building with 10 other girls.  There are two girls in each room, and there is also a kitchen and living area.  It was very nice!  Reshma came to meet us, and the 3 of us braved the rain to do a little sightseeing.  Unfortunately the weather was not conducive the picture-taking.  

Reunited with Laura in Florence!  We ran into our ZTA sister Cat :)

After Reshma had to leave, Laura and I went to a delicious pasta dinner at a local restaurant and then had a drink with one of her friends from high school.  After all that I was so tired that I took a shower and went to bed!  Monday morning the rain continued…  I caught the train out to Sesto, which is a town just outside of Florence.  Reshma is doing Duke in Florence, which is actually in Sesto.  All the students live in a beautiful 16^th-century villa, with an amazing chef, cleaning service, etc.  I could go on and on about how wonderful it was.  We walked to the elementary school where Reshma helps out teaching English to a third grade class every Monday.  The kids were so cute!  We taught them about Thanksgiving, and it was really funny hearing them speak English.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  After spending some time at the Villa, Reshma took me to meet a 75-year-old lady in Sesto whom she befriended while running one day.  The lady could not have been nicer, and even though I speak no Italian and she spoke no English we still had a great time.  Reshma’s Italian has gotten really god from practicing speaking with this lady!  

View outside one side of the Villa...I could easily live here :)

Then I returned to Florence to shop at the San Lorenzo market.  I found lots of great gifts for family!  This is where the Lady Gaga story comes into play…  In Italy, men like to say things to random girls.  Especially if you have blonde hair, which is not common in Italy.  Laura and I were walking in the market when this guy yelled “Lady Gaga!” at me.  According to Laura, it was definitely directed at me because he kept staring.  Later on when we walked by again he started singing the Lady Gaga song “Alejandro” to me.  I really don’t understand where all my nicknames come from…  That night Laura and I had dinner with our friend Dan from Duke, who happened to be visiting Florence as well.  It was nice to catch up with some old friends, and my pizza was delicious!  I left Florence on Tuesday morning to come back to Switzerland, where I will be until November 20^th, when I leave to go to Croatia!  I am going to Zermatt for the day tomorrow and am hoping the weather holds (as it is supposed to) so that I can finally see the Matterhorn J 

Lutry, Bruxelles, et Paris

Sorry it has been so long since my last update… I’ll try to give my best run-through of the past few weeks!

La Fête des Vendanges à Lutry (9/25)- Kaity and I went to a festival in Lutry (a little town past Lausanne) celebrating the harvest of the grapes.  There were all kinds of tents and vendors set up, and despite the rainy weather we had a wonderful time exploring, trying food from the different vendors, and (of course) drinking wine.  We each got a little wine glass to bring home as a souvenir! 

Decorations for the wine festival!

Brussels (9/26-9/29)- Sunday Morning (September 26^th) we left for Brussels…all 27 of us, 2 program directors, and our luggage.  It really was not a bad train ride, especially because we decided to make mimosas on the train.  Always a good idea.  After changing trains in Paris, we eventually made it to our hotel in Brussels a little after 4 p.m.  The hotel was pretty nice, and it was very near the Old Town, so that was convenient.  After unpacking, we headed out to explore and find food.  Ended up at a really cute, authentic Belgian restaurant that was not too expensive, and of course we all ordered beer, too (when in Belgium).  After dinner we got waffles, and they were DELICIOUS!  I got mine with chocolate sauce and bananas.  I decided to go to bed early so that I would be wide awake for our lectures the next morning (7:00 a.m. wake-up call…ouch).  Our lectures Monday were at the European Commission, so naturally they basically just talked about why the EU is so wonderful.  At least we got free tote bags!  And it was interesting.

La Grande Place in Brussels

Monday night after a delicious dinner of Moules Frites (mussels with French fries, the national dish of Belgium) and beer we headed to Delirium Bar, where you can in fact drink DAS BOOT.  All in all it was a great night…first we met some Italians, and I convinced them that I was German and didn’t speak a work of English (they believed me).  Then we made friends with three Belgian boys, named Max, Gilles, and Charles (Max was actually from Luxembourg).  Gilles was from the Flemish part of Belgium, but he spoke French, too, and Charles and Max were native French speakers.  It was fascinating talking to them (mostly in French, a little German and English, too) and I was happy when they told me that I spoke French exceptionally well (especially for an American).  We had a great time talking, and as usual I loved hearing about life in Belgium (and Luxembourg).  

Gilles and Max, two of our new friends

The next morning we had our lectures at the Center for European Studies and heard all about the international economic crisis as well as defense in the EU.  Tuesday afternoon was free, so we walked all around the old part of the city and over to a cool shopping district.  All the buildings were really pretty, and I just wish the sun had been out!  Wednesday morning I did some souvenir shopping for people before it was time to leave.  Getting from Brussels to Paris on Wednesday afternoon was a huge mess.  First of all, there were demonstrators from the Communist Parties of various EU countries protesting all around the city and in the train station (still not really sure what they were protesting about…)  It was kind of funny to watch until someone saw a flash grenade go off…yikes.  Then our train ended up being extremely delayed.  I still don’t know if it had to do with the terrorism threats in Paris.  We were shuffled from platform to platform about six times (with all of our luggage) before ending up at our original platform and leaving nearly an hour late.  In the words of our Swiss academic director, “This would never happen in Switzerland!  This is why Belgium is falling apart!”  Touchée, Dr. Lambert.

Paris (9/29-10/3)- Finally reached Paris late Wednesday afternoon, and the first thing we saw when we exited the train station in Montmartre was Moulin Rouge.  Welcome to Paris.  After leaving my luggage at the hotel (which was very nice!), I headed out to explore the neighborhood with some of my friends.  We headed up to the Sacré Coeur, and I LOVED the area around there.  It was so charming and artsy and just all-around cool.  There were lots of people on the steps of the Sacré Coeur, including some really creepy guys (typical) and some people playing music.  The views of Paris at dusk were beautiful, and when we walked around to the side of the church we could see the Eiffel Tower in the distance.  We found a good restaurant in the area and chose the pris-fixe menu option…delicious!  I love French food.  After dinner we walked back to the Sacré Coeur to see the city all lit up at night, which was even more amazing than during the daytime.  We also went inside the Sacré Coeur, which was beautiful.  I hadn’t realized before that it was built in the late 1800s; I had thought it was much older.  

Sacré Coeur at night!

I decided to go to bed at a decent hour Wednesday night so that I would be rested for our lectures the next day.  Our first one was at the OECD and the second was not too far from the Bastille and was about French foreign policy.  At lunch I had my first macaroon ever for dessert, and it was delicious!  Thursday night was our group dinner at a really cute restaurant in Montmartre.  It was a much nicer restaurant than I had expected, and all-in-all the dinner took more than two hours.  It was great to have some delicious food and be with everyone.  I had pumpkin soup, a lamb curry dish, and flan for dessert.  After dinner some of my friends and I got ready at the hotel and headed out to a Club for international student night.  The line was ridiculously long, but by some miracle we eventually made it inside and had SO MUCH FUN.  The club was packed with students from all over the world, the music was good, and all of us had a great time.  It was definitely a typical European club experience, and I was not disappointed!  We came back really late, so I was pretty tired the next morning.  

Allison, Helen, and me at ClubMix

After packing up, checking out, and leaving our luggage at the hotel, we went down to the Seine to see Notre Dame, the Louvre, etc.  Notre Dame was amazing, and I wish I’d had more time to spend there.  Unfortunately it started raining a little bit, so our walk along the Seine was cut short when we stopped for lunch at a café by the Pont Neuf.  I had a crôque-monsieur sandwich, which is sort of like grilled cheese with ham but better!  After lunch I was able to meet up with Charlie for coffee near the Louvre.  He is doing the Duke in Paris program this semester, and it was so nice to see an old friend from home.  We didn’t have much time because he had to be at a mandatory group dinner that evening, but we spent the entire hour and a half talking and catching up.  When Charlie had to leave, I headed back to the hotel (still raining!) to meet up with my friends so that we could move our luggage to our hostel.  We had to do the whole luggage transfer/take the metro in the rain, which was less than idea, but we finally made it to the Montclair Montmartre hostel.  It was not a bad hostel, but our room was on the 6^th floor and there were no elevators.  So as you can imagine it was a nightmare lugging all of our bags up so many flights of stairs.  Our room itself was really cool though!  I could see the Sacré Coeur from my window.  Because it was STILL raining, we had dinner, got coffee, and then came back to the hostel because it was so nasty outside.  I enjoyed getting a good night’s sleep after our late night at ClubMix.    Saturday was devoted to being a tourist!  Kaity and I got up and headed to the huge flea market at Porte Clignancourt.  It’s the most famous one in Paris, and we had a lot of fun wandering around for several hours.  I bought a scarf for myself and some gifts for other people.  Then we decided to head to the Champs Elysées, get lunch, and be tourists!  We saw the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Musée des Beaux Arts, etc.  With the leaves changing for fall it was absolutely gorgeous!  There is just something about Paris that is so magical.  I wish I had taken more pictures of the leaves.  Saturday night I went out to dinner with a bunch of friends and then had a few drinks before bed.  Sunday we went to the Louvre and were able to get in for free!  We only had a couple hours but managed to see lots of classical Greek and Roman statues, ancient Egyptian mummies and art, Napoleon III’s apartments, some 17^th-century French and Flemish paintings, and of course the Mona Lisa!  It was a good mix of different things.     

 Kaity and me at the Eiffel Tower

Getting home to Geneva was a little tricky.  First, all four of us were absolutely sure that our train home left from Gare du Nord, so we headed there with all of our luggage.  Our first problem was that we were unable to print our tickets from the kiosks in the station, because even though we had already paid online we had to use our credit cards to print the actual ticket...but what no one told is that the machine didn't read American cards.  Of course the line at the ticket window was ridiculously long, but we got in line anyway because we didn't really have a choice.  I happened to leave the line at one point to check the departures board, and for some reason I didn't see our train anywhere on the board.  With a sinking feeling, I quickly realized that we were at the WRONG train station.  Our train actually left from Gare de Lyon.  In a panic we rushed to the RER and hopped on the local train to Gare de Lyon.  By some miracle we made it there 25 minutes before our train was scheduled to leave, but there was no time to deal with printing tickets.  The security guard let us through to the track without paper tickets after we explained the situation and showed her our confirmation emails on my phone, so we figured it would be okay.  Our train ended up being more than 30 minutes late, probably because of the heightened security measures in response to terrorism threats (and also because French trains are ALWAYS late).  When the man came by to check my ticket on the train, I explained the situation to him and showed him my confirmation and debit card, and luckily he understood.  We finally reached Geneva after midnight, and I headed straight home to bed! 

Heidi und die Ziegen

Translation for those of you who don’t speak German: Heidi and the Goats.  Story to come later in this post.  I haven’t updated in awhile because I have been out of town for the past week, so I have a lot to tell!  Last Tuesday night I went to Nyon to celebrate my friend Anusha’s birthday with a bunch of other people from the program.  It’s nice that there are only 27 of us, because I feel like I know everyone at least decently well.  We had a great time, and it was really my first time going out with a large group since I arrived in Switzerland.  It’s funny, because I later discovered that some people initially thought that “the party scene just wasn’t my thing,” because I spent the first few days in Switzerland sleeping off jetlag…  They quickly realized that they were wrong, and needless to say we have been having a grand old time since then.  

Wednesday morning I got up early and had a nice breakfast with Martine before leaving for Bern.  We had delicious bread and cheese and yogurt and muesli—a very Swiss breakfast!  The train ride to Bern was only 1 hour 40 minutes, and I spent most of it listening to my iPod and looking out the window.  One of my favorite parts of the trip is at the end of Lac Léman when the train goes up high above some of the vineyards and you can see the water shimmering down below and the Alps rising up dramatically across the lake…it never gets old.  When we arrived in Bern, I got lunch with Kaity and Alice, and then we wandered around the Old Town before our guided tour at 2.  Bern is very interesting because it is the capital of Switzerland, yet it is very small, quiet, down-to-earth, and feels nothing like an international capital.  The Old Town is actually a UNESCO world heritage site because it looks much the way it did in the 18^th century.  Oh, and there are 4 live bears that are kept in an enclosure by the river, because bears are the symbol of Bern (like they are in New Bern, NC!)  Sadly the weather was cloudy, so my pictures are not as pretty as they could have been.  Our tour guide was funny because she was always worried about being exactly on time and making sure we didn’t lose anyone…oh Switzerland, I felt like a 5-year-old being led around, but the tour was interesting.  The giant clock with the rooster is really cool, and on the hour it chimes and the little statues do different things.  The Münster is also really pretty, even though a lot of the decorations were removed during the Reformation and have since been restored.  The view of the river in Bern is beautiful, and on clear days you can see the huge, snowy Alps in the background.

 The Alps are the view in the other direction :) 

Some of us decided to get Thai food for dinner, which was more expensive than America but comparable to all the other food in Bern, so it was worth it for a spicy food fix!  It was weird seeing a Thai menu written in German and hearing Thai people speaking German…  I guess it’s no different than Thai people moving to America and speaking English, but it felt strange!  After dinner we had a little wine and then headed to the bar/restaurant next to the bear pen.  We had some delicious beer that is made in a brewery right below the restaurant, and Sara met a Romanian boy who turned out to be a little bit of a stalker. We didn’t stay out too late, because we had classes early the next morning. 

 Kaity and me trying the beer at the bear restaurant!

Thursday morning we had three briefings/lectures: one about being a diplomat for Switzerland, one about the military, and one that I can’t remember because it wasn’t memorable!  The first two were very good though, and I especially enjoyed hearing about the reasoning behind (and implementation of) Switzerland’s neutrality.  It would NEVER work in the United States, but I can understand why it’s a good policy for Switzerland.  After lunch we were free to explore, and my favorite thing was going to see the bears.  There are 4 of them: a mother, father, and two babies.  The father is in a separate enclosure though, because papa bears in the wild don’t stay with their families.  By the end of the afternoon, we were very much in need of naps and showers.  A large group of my friends wanted Indian food for dinner, but Kaity and I decided to try traditional Swiss-German food instead.  We headed back to the restaurant by the bear pit and ordered Spätzli and beer.  It was DELICIOUS.  After that we met up with a bunch of other people to go to a bar/club called “Propeller.”  All I can say is that it was SO MUCH FUN.  We met a lot of Swiss-German people (all boys, because I swear there are WAY more boys than girls here!), and it was interesting talking to them and hearing about Bern.  A few of them were in the army (and in uniform!), so that was cool.  We stayed out a lot later than expected and were exhausted the next day, but it was worth it.  So many funny stories and good memories. 

 Kaity and me with Sven, one of our new army friends

Friday a group of us headed to Luzern for the weekend.  I stayed two nights with 3 other girls, and a group of 5 girls only stayed Friday night.  My friend Sara’s friend Matt, who is studying abroad in St. Gallen, came to visit us Friday night, so it was nice to meet someone new.  Friday night all 10 of us went out for Italian food…I ordered gnocchi and it was delicious!  Back at the hostel we had the interesting experience of meeting people from all over the place: Israel, Canada, California, etc. and then went out to a British bar for the rest of the evening.  Unfortunately the weather was bad on Saturday, but since we had already bought our passes to go up to the top of Mount Pilatus we decided to go anyway.  After getting a delicious breakfast at a street market/fair, we took the bus to the nearby town of Kriens and took GONDOLAS up to the top of the mountain.  Sadly the clouds made it nearly impossible to see the view, but it was still really cool.  There is a restaurant/gift shop complex on top of Mt. Pilatus that is similar to the one at the Jungfraujoch, but Mt. Pilatus is not covered in snow yet because it is only 7,000 ft tall.  There is a nice hotel up there, though!  It was actually kind of fun walking around in the fog and catching glimpses of the view whenever we could…not as good as a clear day, but still an experience.  Before taking the cogwheel down the other side of the mountain, we decided to get hot drinks at the restaurant inside.  To make a long story short, we ended up meeting a group of Swiss-German guys who played the ACORDION for us, sang traditional drinking songs, and played cards with us.  They didn’t speak much English, but we were able to communicate in a combination of French and regular German.  They started laughing at me and calling me Heidi because of my blonde French braids…they kept pointing and saying, “Heidi!  Heidi and the goats!”  My friends figured that THEY must be the goats and were not too pleased.  I asked “Heidi Klum?” but no, they meant Heidi as in yodeling Heidi.  Funny. 

Thomas and me ("Heidi")

Sidra, Sara, Melinda, and I ended up taking the cogwheel down the mountain with two of the guys, Mike and Thomas.  Mike gives helicopter tours to tourists on the weekend, and Thomas is (I think) someone who keeps cows?  We took that to mean “cowboy,” and he thought that was funny.  He is also apparently a wrestler, but who knows if that is true.  Anyway, it was really cool to speak to them in a mixture of three languages and hear about their lives.  Unfortunately my ears were popping the entire way down the mountain because the cogwheel moves so quickly, but it was better at the bottom.  When the 4 of us got back to the hostel we slept for 2 HOURS, until I woke up at 8:30 and said we all needed to get dinner before going to sleep for the night.  We ended up finding a little traditional Swiss restaurant called “Stübli,” which I think is the Swiss-German word for pub.  Our chef was a little old man who I’m pretty sure was drunk, because he was sitting outside drinking with his friends when we arrived, and he messed up a couple of the orders.  I got fondue with hot tea, Sara got soup, and the other two got Rösti.  All around a delicious meal!  We even got a picture with our chef, who wore a Switzerland hat and held a Swiss flag.  Priceless.  

 Us in "Stübli" with our chef

Sunday morning we woke up rested after a good night’s sleep (finally).  Sidra had read about a really cool military museum in the nearby town of Stanssad, so we decided to go see it before heading back to Geneva.  It was SO COOL.  The museum used to be a military fort/bunker that was built at the beginning of World War II and used until the end of the Cold War, when it was turned into a museum.  I was amazed at the intricate system of passageways, chambers, hidden arsenals, weapons that could shoot up to 12 km, etc….and all of it INSIDE A MOUNTAIN.  The Swiss really are amazing, and it’s crazy to think that all of these military measures are just a precaution!  No wonder no one ever wants to invade Switzerland. 

 Sidra, Melinda, and me inside one of the many chambers in the bunker

Last night I had the opportunity to go to a Swiss Military concert with Martine, and I’m so glad that I did!  The concert was in Gland, at a theater/auditorium in one of the schools.  There were a lot of people there, mostly elderly people but a few my age.  Apparently in Switzerland there are two military bands (“fanfares”): one for French Switzerland and one for German Switzerland.  This one was the French one, obviously, and it was the brass band (trombones, trumpets, bassoons, tubas, etc.) and percussion.  It is very difficult to become a member, and the musicians have to take all sorts of tests that are very competitive.  The show opened with the “drumline,” which was AWESOME.  The drums were wooden, not metal, which added to the authenticity.  The Swiss flag was hanging on stage for the entire concert, and the second song was the Swiss national anthem.  It kind of reminded me of that scene from the Sound of Music when Captain von Trapp plays Edelweiss hahaha.  The show lasted a little more than 2 hours, and I loved it.  It's interesting to note the differences between the American and Swiss militaries.  In fact, Switzerland is really a militia because EVERY male is required to serve.  Very different from America, and I guess very old-fashioned, but it sure seems to work for such a small country.  

All in all, the past week has been AWESOME.  I've become better friends with a lot of other people in the program, and honestly I LOVE studying abroad with such a small group, because you really do know everyone.  It's impossible to best friends with 26 people, but it's definitely possible to be pretty close with everyone.  I can't believe I have already been here for a month...time is FLYING.   

Das Wein ist sehr gut

After spending most of the weekend in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, it is definitely a little harder to speak French around here…sometimes I accidentally throw in a German word or phrase!  Anyway, our weekend started off on Friday afternoon immediately after class.  We took the train to Nyon, bought some snacks for the trip (a.k.a. Nutella and bread), and set off on our 3-hour journey to Lauterbrunnen.  We had a minor slip-up on the first train, because we accidentally got off at Renens instead of Lausanne.  Luckily the problem was easily fixed after we bought some wine at the convenience store and figured out when the next train left for Bern.  Soon we made an amazing discovery: in Switzerland it is legal and acceptable to drink wine on the train.  Needless to say, the rest of our journey was very fun.  Somehow we managed to make all of connections through Bern and Interlaken Ost and finally arrived at the train station in Lauterbrunnen.  Lauterbrunnen is often called the most beautiful valley in Europe, and for good reason: quaint chalets are perched along the edge of a beautiful stream, and mountains and cliffs rise up dramatically on all sides.  There are supposedly 72 waterfalls in the Lauterbrunnen valley, and they are gorgeous.  In the distance you can see the very top of the Jungfrau, covered in snow all year-round.  We didn’t have too much difficulty finding our hostel after I called the owner to ask for directions (we were having trouble navigating the town in the dark.)  When we arrived, we were greeted by the owner, a little old lady named Greti who fortunately speaks English.  The hostel—called Matratzenlager Stocki—was definitely an authentic, Swiss backpacking experience.  I found it in Fodor’s, where it was praised for its low cost, beautiful location, and authenticity.  The sleeping set-up was just a dormitory: bunk beds all pushed together in long rows.  There was also a communal kitchen, living area, and bathrooms.  We were happy to learn that it only cost 15 CHF each for the night, and because we were planning on carrying all of our stuff with us the next day anyway we didn’t mind the dormitory set-up.  Luckily there was only one other couple in our room because it’s not the high tourist season.

Matratzenlager Stocki

After getting situated and changing clothes, we decided to explore Lauterbrunnen’s nightlife.  Greti directed us to a local festival, but when we arrived we soon learned that it had just ended for the night.  Luckily one of the guys working there showed us the “cool” bar in Lauterbrunnen where most of the young people hang out.  When we sat down, we quickly discovered that the people next to us were from North Carolina!  One boy went to UNC and now works as a banker in Luzern, and another has a friend who works at the Nasher museum at Duke.  Small world.  We also met some more people from America: CLIFF JUMPERS.  Yes, these people make a trip to Lauterbrunnen once a year to jump off cliffs with parachutes.  They were interesting characters to say the least, but all in all it was a funny night.  All three of us were big fans of German Switzerland so far.  

Kaity, Sophie, and me at the bar :) 

Sleeping right next to each other was a “rustic” experience, but the beds were actually very comfortable and we were able to get up and get going for our long day the next morning.  We were kind of rushed getting food from the grocery store for breakfast but finally made it onto the train to go all the way up to the top of the Jungfraujoch.  I am still amazed that we went all the way up there, because I have no idea how the Swiss built all the amazing railroads, cable car tracks, and tunnels that literally take you THROUGH the Alps up to an elevation of nearly 12,000 feet.  And when you get up there you find a complex complete with restaurants, an ice palace, various observation decks, gift shops, etc.  I am in awe.  Anyway, the ride up took just about 2 hours total, including changing trains in the town of Kleine Scheidigg.  As the train climbed up above the Lauterbrunnen valley, we passed cute towns like the ski resort town of Wengen, with chalets and hotels perched on the edge overlooking the valley.  All around the Alps were shimmering in the sun, and we looking to get a perfectly clear day.  

Quintessential Switzerland view from the train

Once we started getting up to the higher altitudes, we all got a little dizzy and made sure to eat enough and drink plenty of water.  Going from 1,800 feet to nearly 12,000 feet in 2 hours is kind of a shock to the system.  The final stretch up to the Jungfraujoch is mostly inside tunnels that go through the mountains, and the train station at the Jungfraujoch is actually inside the mountain.  The first thing we did when we arrived was climb up to the plateau, where you can walk around in the snow and take pictures of the amazing views in all directions.  Pictures really can’t even do it justice.  There is really nothing like being up there and taking in the sheer awesomeness of nature.  I would say that yesterday was an amazing combination of natural beauty and the power of human ingenuity.  I have never experienced anything like it before.  We decided that we were definitely up for the 1 ½-2 hour hike through the snow that takes you up to a tiny restaurant/hostel literally built onto the side of one of the peaks.  The hike was not easy at such a high altitude, and the uphill parts were challenging at times.  Unfortunately for me the snow reflected the sun so much that I got pretty badly sunburned on my face L  We finally made it to the restaurant and climbed up to see the views and have a quick snack.

 Hello, Top of Europe! 

Going back down the hike was much faster, but we had to be careful not to slip and fall over the edge.  On our way back we watched people zip-lining and sledding and would have done both if they had been cheaper.  Maybe next time.  I bought some postcards in the gift shop, and then we went into the ice palace to see the ice sculptures.  It really is just carved out of ice inside the mountain, which was awesome but also slightly scary because I am a tiny bit claustrophobic.  It was also slippery in there, because even the floors are made of ice, but I’m glad we at least saw it even though we didn’t stay inside that long.  Our last stop was the Sphinx Terrace, an overlook from which you can see the views from a little bit higher up.  By the time we caught the train back down just after 4 p.m., we were exhausted.  Unfortunately the train was PACKED, because this weekend was the annual marathon from Interlaken to the Jungfrau.  While I am extremely amazed that people run marathons up mountains at these high altitudes, I was not too pleased that the train was so crowded.  The train rides from Lauterbrunnen back to Gland were fine, but I was actually feeling pretty sick from the altitude, sunburn, and the bad cold that I now have.  But yesterday was completely worth the exhaustion!  It really was incredible. 

 Yep, we hiked that little trail down there!

Can't believe I was up here...

This afternoon after doing some schoolwork for a couple hours I went for a nice 1 ½ hour walk around Gland.  The weather was beautiful, and I still can’t believe that I am living here right now.  When I walked past the real estate office in town I looked at a brochure just out of curiosity.  All I can say is…YIKES.  Prices are ridiculous.  But when you look around this place, you can see why.  I spent the last part of my walk on the beach in Gland, and it was glorious.  I put my feet in the water, listened to my ipod, and wished I could have sat there all day.   

J'aime le train

Yes, it’s true: I love trains in Switzerland.  They are amazing, and they will take you ANYWHERE, no matter how remote it is.  Our hike Sunday was so much fun.  We took the regional train from Nyon and climbed way up into the Jura mountains (beautiful views on the way up!) before finally stopping at the “La Givrine” stop.  We were immediately greeted by cows and, yes, GIANT cowbells hanging around their necks.  They really do wear them, and the sound of the tinkling bells is almost unreal.  I think it is the sound of the Old World J  The scenery reminded me of the Sound of Music, and we had a really nice time walking/hiking for about 1 ½ hours.  Then we took the cute little train back down, and I explored the waterfront in Nyon for a bit before returning home for a shower and some homework.  Yay.

Me with the cows!

Sound of Music scenery

Monday morning our class visited the International Committee of the Red Cross, which was fascinating.  I won’t go into too much detail, but suffice it to say that I really admire what this organization strives to do, but again the realist side of me just doesn’t see how it is ever going to work.  Good for them for trying, though.  After lectures around the ICRC and International Humanitarian Law, I headed across the street to the U.N. Library to print some articles for my paper.  I felt really official going through security by myself with my badge.  French class in the afternoon was fun—lots of talking, a few writing exercises, and some usual vocabulary for our homestays.  Virginie is a really good teacher, and she tries to keep things interesting.  Martine and I had bread, cheese, and salami for dinner because she had to hurry off to a meeting, but I had no complaints because it was delicious!  Tuesday morning we gave group presentations in class about the libraries that we visited last Friday, and Tuesday afternoon French class was very similar to Monday.  Martine made filet mignon for dinner, which was sooo nice of her!  She is very very good to me, and I feel at home here.  I got a lot of work done on my essay Tuesday night, and I’m proud to say I’m about halfway done with it already!  I guess I really have learned awesome time management skills at school…. You can take the girl outta Duke, but you can’t take the Duke outta the girl!  Yesterday morning’s lecture was somewhat of a disaster.  I was initially excited because it was about international law, but unfortunately our lecturer was an old French man who was a complete spaz.  He basically hopped around the room jumping from subject to subject without warning, and everyone was extremely bored and restless, including our Academic Director.  It was kind of funny though.  Sophie, Kaity, and I got lunch at the grocery store and then headed down to the lake to eat before going to the U.N. Library.  It was really windy down by the water and the air felt like fall.  I was actually pretty productive at the U.N. library, and it was nice to have some more of the pressure off.  Last night was the much-anticipated fondue welcome dinner, and it was so much fun!  We went to a restaurant high up in the Jura, with a beautiful view of the sunset over the valley.  The drive up there was pretty winding and harrowing, but it was worth it.  It was really fun getting to meet other people’s host parents, and Martine and I sat with Sophie and her new host parents at dinner.  They were delightful and told me all about how their daughter does competitive swimming.  She’s a butterflier like me, and she’s really really good.  After drinks and appetizers, it was time for the main attraction….traditional Swiss fondue!  In this region, fondue is made with Gruyère, Vacherin, Kirsch, and white wine, I think.  Each table had a basket of sliced bread, and you just break your bread into pieces, spear it on your long fork, dip it into the bubbling cheese fondue, and voilà!  It was so delicious, and extremely filling.  But I saved room for lemon tart, of course.  Oh and we drank hot tea, which was the closest thing to sweet tea that I’ve had outside of the South!  It was delicious J  I was so full after dinner though that the ride down the mountain was NOT fun.  Martine and I made some hot tea when we got back, and that helped.

 Alice and me in Gruyères

Today was a holiday in Geneva—“Jeune Genevois”—a.k.a. no school for us!  Most people decided to stick pretty close to home, but my friend Alice and I got up early and headed to the town of Gruyères in the canton of Fribourg.  First we took the train to Lausanne, then switched to a train to Payzieux, and finally a little local train all the way to Gruyères.  By some miracle everything ran smoothly and exactly on time, and our trip took less than two hours…did I mention that I LOVE Swiss efficiency?  When we arrived at the train station in Gruyères, we did the 10-minute walk up to the medieval walled city and it’s main attraction, the Chateau de Gruyères.  The town is famous for both the chateau and its delicious cheese, so it is pretty touristy, and lots of tour buses go there every day.  However, in spite of the tourists, we found the town to be relatively quiet and very charming.  It is way up on top of a hill with cobblestone streets, cute little houses and buildings, and gorgeous panoramic views of the valley and the “foothills” to the Alps (which look like mountains).  We spent our first hour wandering around, taking in the sites and even stumbling upon a random group of cows just outside the city walls.

Cow friends :) 

Beautiful flowers in the Chateau garden 

Hello, beautiful view

After a delicious lunch of Breton crêpes, we wandered for a little longer and then headed to the chateau.  Our visit started off with a really cool film about the chateau’s history, from its construction in the 1200s to the present day.  It was so interesting!  Then we explored the entire building and gardens, which were gorgeous.  Inside the chateau was really cool, because there was furniture and artwork from many different time periods.  We learned a lot and had fun taking silly pictures with the self-timer on my camera.  Finally, after a quick look around the Maison du Fromage (SO. MUCH. CHEESE) we caught the train back to Nyon.  Good thing, because I was exhausted.  Alice was a great travel companion, and we found out we have a lot in common.  All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend the day.  I have class in the morning, and then Sophie, Kaity, and I are heading off to Lauterbrunnen and the Jungfraujoch this weekend.  So exciting!