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 16th-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 20th, 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 