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!  

J'ai pris le mauvais train!

Now that school has started, the days have begun to pass quickly and blur together.  Wednesday morning we had a lecture about Global Security, and it was very interesting and very frustrating at the same time.  Many of us were annoyed at the criticism of the United States and its strong military, which provides aid and support for many other countries around the world.  I am enjoying my classes, but it is interesting to see how ideology and reality do not always match up.  Wednesday afternoon our group visited the United Nations library to get our passes and have a tour so that we know what to do when we come here to do homework and research.  The United Nations building is up on a hill not too far back from the lake, just above the Botanical Gardens and with a beautiful view of the Alps and Mont Blanc.  Not too shabby.  The library itself was not that big, but it has a lot of resources that will be very helpful for both our 10-page international studies paper and our 30-page independent project.  This is probably one of the only times I will ever go in the U.N. library, so it’s neat to have that opportunity while I’m here! 

View from the back on the United Nations

By the time the tour finished it was time for me to head back to Gland, so I caught the 5:21 train and got to the house a few minutes before 6.  I love how the trains run EXACTLY on time here.  This is especially wonderful after dealing with the SNCF in France.  It is quick, cheap, and easy to take the train almost anywhere in Switzerland, and the distances are not that far.  I’m excited to see as much of the country as I can!  Martine made delicious steak for dinner Wednesday evening, served with broccoli and potatoes.  We both had plum tart and espresso for dessert…yum!  Then after about an hour of reading for school, I went to Nyon with Kaity, Sophie, and a couple other friends from the program.  We ended up going to a bar called Cactus Jack—it was Tex Mex themed of course.  It gave us a little dose of home, and we had a lot of fun!  The Margaritas were very strong, but good J  I had a blonde moment on the way home though…instead of getting on the train to Gland, I accidentally got on the train to Geneva, because I don’t usually take the train from Nyon and am not familiar with the station.  So my return trip took nearly an hour instead of 5 minutes…oops.  Thursday we had a guest speaker from the Graduate Institute for International Studies, who talked about U.N. peacekeeping efforts and how to combat threats to international security.  Sophie, Kaity, and I had Indian food for lunch—a buffet—and it was delicious!!  We mainly reviewed grammar in French class, with a little bit of oral comprehension, and then at 5:00 we were free to go.  Martine made salmon and risotto for dinner, yum!  Then I spent a lot of time reading and doing a little research for my 10-page paper… Ten pages really isn’t that long, but I don’t like having an assignment looming over me, so I would like to get a lot done in order to be able to travel worry-free.  Friday morning I had to do a group assignment at the library at the International Committee of the Red Cross, and then Kaity and I went to the U.N. library to do some work before our group meeting with the homestay coordinator at 3.  We ate lunch at the U.N. cafeteria and sat outside because the weather was beautiful.  After the meeting was over, I came home and went for a run in Gland.  I decided to explore the other side of the train tracks and was happy to find that Gland has a beautiful old part of town (my part is very pretty, but it’s newer).  I ran down a street that went straight through a vineyard, and there were beautiful old houses up above.  I really enjoyed seeing a different part of Gland, and I will definitely be going back up there!  After showering, I headed into Geneva to go to dinner with some friends.  We ended up at a really good pizza place that was actually pretty reasonably priced (for Geneva), and the pizza was delicious.  Everyone else went out afterwards, but Sophie and I decided to come back and go to bed so that we would be rested for our trip to Montreux the next morning.

Walking along the lake in Montreux

Yesterday morning I caught the 9:15 train to Montreux with Sophie, Kaity, Fiona, Maryn, Julia, and Ben.  The ride took less than an hour, and the views along the lake were spectacular.  When we arrived in Montreux, we set out to walk to Chateau Chillon (about a 30-minute walk along the lake).  It took us longer, though, because we kept stopping to take pictures of the beautiful views and the flowers.  The weather was beautiful, and we stopped for a snack on the way.  When we reached Chateau Chillon we decided not to go inside, because it was expensive and Fiona said she had been before and the inside is not that great.  But we spent lots of time walking around outside taking pictures, and I bought a few postcards as well.  What a beautiful setting for a castle—right next to the lake with mountains rising up behind.  It was so pretty!  Then we headed back to Montreux, bought food at the grocery store, and had a picnic on the beach.  There were really nice public lounge chairs on the little beach, so we enjoyed sitting in the sun and wading in the lake.  

Fiona, Julia, Sophie, and me wading in Lac Léman

After lunch, Sophie, Kaity, Ben, and I decided to explore the town some more, while the others stayed on the beach.  We saw a beautiful old church way up high and decided to climb all the way up to see it.  It was definitely a long walk uphill, but we got to see the beautiful old part of Montreux—gorgeous old buildings with flowers spilling out of windowboxes, cobblestone streets, etc.  

Kaity, Sophie, and me at beginning our climb up to the church

And the views of the lake were spectacular.  When we finally made it up to the church we realized that there was a wedding going on, so we weren’t able to go inside.  But what a beautiful place to get married!  We saw some steps leading up the mountain behind the church, so we climbed up quite a ways and got an even better views of the church, town, lake, Alps, and Chateau Chillon.  We went so far up that we crossed the tracks for the cable car that goes up to Rocher de Naye!  I’m so glad we went all the way up there, because you would never know that the old part of Montreux existed if you just stayed down along the water by the hotels.  It was a wonderful way to spend the day.  

On top of the world!  Looking across at the church steeple

View of Montreux from above

We came back in time for dinner, and then later on Kaity and I went to the disco in Gland because there was a party there and Sandra, Aurelie, and Gabi had invited me.  François and Vincent were there, too.  We had such a good time!  Sandra, Aurelie, and Gabi were all working at the event, so we really didn’t get to hang out with them much, which was a shame because last weekend was so much fun.  But Kaity and I still had a great time.  It was nice to sleep in a little bit today, and I’m going hiking with Kaity and Sophie in about an hour.  The weather is beautiful, and I’m really looking forward to being outside for most of the day!