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!  

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!  

La rentrée scolaire

Yesterday was the first day of school!  The night before, Antoine came over to have dinner with Martine and me, and then I read my Fodor’s Switzerland book for awhile to get some ideas about where I want to visit.  So many wonderful places, not enough time! (or money…)  Then after getting all my things laid out for school, I finally went to bed.  Our classes start at 9:30 most mornings, so I catch the 8:45 train from Gland and arrive in Geneva about 20 minutes later.  Yesterday I woke up, got ready, packed my back with my things for the day, and had breakfast (yogurt and muesli yum) before leaving to walk to the train station.  Some other kids from my program live in Gland, too, so we all rode into the city together.  The train station in Geneva, Cornavin, is a very short walk from our SIT classroom building, so it’s very convenient. In the morning we had an International Studies Seminar lecture about International Migration, given by one our program directors, Heikki Mattila.  Mr. Mattila is originally from Finland, but he is in Geneva working for the International Organization for Migration (IOM).  Surprisingly the 3 hours went by pretty fast, and I was not bored at all.  For lunch we headed to Restaurant Manora, a cafeteria-style restaurant on the top floor of the Manor department store.  It’s really good and cheaper than most sit-down restaurants, but still not cheap!  I still can’t get used to how expensive everything is here… Then it was time to catch the tram out to Ecole Migros for our first French class.  I was put into the advanced class with 7 other kids from my program, and I’m excited because it’s a great group and our teacher is awesome.  Her name is Virginie, and she is Franco-Italian and lives in Evian-les-Bains, just across the border in France.  She explained all the activities that we would be doing throughout the semester, and then we did introductions (in French of course!) and an in-class essay.  I took it easy last night and did a little homework, some reading, and some Skype-ing, too.  I got to talk to Christine for a little bit, and Zach for a long time, so I was happy J  The weather was beautiful this morning when I left for the train station, and I took a picture of the vineyard that I pass on my way.

Yes, this is the route I take to the train station...

This morning we had our first Field Studies Seminar class, which Aline (one of our program directors) teaches.  She went over the syllabus and graded assignments for the semester.  We will be learning a lot of techniques to use in our field research, and we have to do several group projects and oral presentations in addition to an 8-page paper due the last week of classes.  It sounded like a lot all at once, but spread out over the next 7 weeks I think it will be completely manageable.  At the end of class, Aline announced that Virginie was sick today, so the Advanced French class had the afternoon free.  Yay!  After lunch, 6 out of the 8 of us decided to go to Lausanne for afternoon since we were unexpectedly free.  Good decision!  We stopped at the train station at Nyon to pick up our student rail passes (half price off all our tickets in Switzerland for the rest of the time we’re here!) and then continued on to Lausanne.  It was only about 25 minutes from Nyon, so not too far.  The first thing we did when we arrived was walk to the top of a pretty park and admire the beautiful views of the city, the lake, and the gorgeous snow-capped alps.  

Amazing :)

Then we continued down to the waterfront and walked along in a beautiful park, stopping to take pictures of each other and the boats that were going by on the lake.  It really was the perfect afternoon with perfect weather.

 Sophie and me by the lake

Quintessential Switzerland, non?

We had a nice time just exploring and then walked up to the old part of town…quite a hike uphill!  There really wasn’t that much up there, so we just poked around the few of the shops before getting a snack and eventually heading to the train station.  It’s hard to really shop here because everything is so EXPENSIVE!  That’s my only complaint about Switzerland so far, and as much as I love it I can’t even imagine living here because the cost of living is so ridiculous.  Martine made us a nice dinner, and now I’m just going to do a little work and maybe go out for a drink in Nyon with Sophie.  I really need to get in school mode and do some more reading, but it’s hard when there’s so much to do around here!

 Group (minus Fiona) in Lausanne

Je voudrais un Nespresso

Translation for those who don’t know French: I would like a Nespresso.  I really hope that you can buy these machines in the U.S., because they are awesome.  They are made by Nestle, and all you do is take one of the little disposable capsules, put it in the machine, put your cup underneath (large cup for big drinks, small for espresso shot), choose whether you want a normal-sized coffee drink or a small espresso, and one minute later you have a delicious drink.  So much easier (and tastier) than using a regular coffee maker.  Christmas present perhaps? 

Nespresso "Romeo" machine.  It's fancier than Martine's, but hey I can dream...

Anyway, last night was so much fun!  Martine made tacos for dinner, and then Sandra called me to let me know that we’d be leaving for the concert at 8:30.  She was going to be working at the concert (or “festival,” as they say here) for part of the time, so she sent her friends Gabrielle and Aurelie to pick me up.  They came to the house at 8:30, and then the three of us set out to walk to the bus stop, which is right by the train station. Neither of them spoke English, so I had to speak French the entire time!  Fortunately I had no problem understanding everything and talking to them, and they told me that I spoke French extremely well.  Both girls are 22, and Aurelie lives in Gland and Gabrielle lives in Nyon.  Aurelie is studying in Lausanne to be an elementary school teacher, and Gabrielle is doing an apprenticeship to go into the tourism industry.  Not as many people here seem to go to college the way we do back home.  It seems like they choose what they want to do and then follow a specific track that often does not include a degree from a university.  I’m not sure which model is better…if you know exactly what you want to do then I guess the Swiss model suits you, but if you aren’t sure or would just like to have the security of a college degree then it is better to go to university first.  Anyway, both girls were so cute and could not have been nicer to me, even during the first few minutes after we met.  We waited at the bus stop for awhile until the bus finally came.  Believe it or not, this bus was completely free and took us straight to the concert.  I wish I had had my camera with me last night, because I could no believe the beautiful setting in which the concert was held.  The bus took us up into the hills behind Gland, toward the mountains, all the way up to a beautiful vineyard and large house overlooking Lake Geneva.  There was a stage set up for the concert and a bunch of tents serving food and drinks, and people of all ages (from young children all the way up to elderly people) were outside enjoying the music and having a good time.  The 3 of us girls took turns buying drinks for each other, and whenever they saw people they knew they introduced me.  Luckily I am getting much more used to the “bises!”  I was actually very proud of myself last night because I had no problem speaking French with all these people whom I had just met, and I was able to get to know them and make friends with them.  We actually had a lot in common, and it was fun hearing about their lives.  I don’t think that would have happened if there had been a language barrier.  It was surprisingly cold up at the concert, so we were bundled up in jackets, scarves, and jeans…not typical August weather!  The view was gorgeous though…the Jura mountains were behind us, we were surrounded by rows and rows of grape vines, and we were perched up high overlooking all of Lake Geneva and the hundreds of little lights dotting the countryside.  You could easily tell where Geneva and Lausanne were because there were a lot more lights in those areas!  I was very much in awe of how lucky everyone there was to have such a nice concert in a beautiful setting with free public transportation, no trash lying all around, and so many people from the community present.  According to the girls there are things like this all the time. 

This picture is from the internet, but it looks similar to the place where the concert was held (except there was no town, just a large house and several buildings)

Ironically all of the bands that played sang in English, even though most people who were there didn’t understand any of the lyrics.  Gabi and Aurelie told me that all the Swiss bands sing in English, and it was funny for me to listen to the lyrics because a lot of them didn’t make sense or were really depressing.  The music was good though, and there were lots of cool lights and effects.  For the entire time that the second band played I thought that the lead singer was just a really effeminate-looking man and didn’t realize until the very end that it was actually a girl!  Let’s just say she looked very androgynous.  Sandra finished working at 10 and was able to join us.  She bought pizza for everyone because it was so cold, which was extremely nice of her.  All night I could not get over how friendly and welcoming Sandra, Gabi, and Aurelie were, and they all got my local phone number and invited me out with them next weekend.  I was not expecting to be able to make local friends like this, so I’m excited!  They were also impressed that I knew exactly how many cantons there are in Switzerland (there are 26, yes I'm a nerd).  We eventually took the bus back to Gland, and Gabi walked me all the way home to make sure I could find my way.  I asked her if the town is safe, and she said that it’s extremely safe and people our age walk around by themselves late at night all the time.  The only time you may every see anyone who is even slightly sketchy is at the train station, but even then they are harmless.  Quite a change from Durham! 

I slept late this morning because I was so tired, and when I woke up I had yogurt and muesli and a peach for breakfast.  Then I sat outside with Martine for awhile before going on a walk/run around Gland.  I still can’t believe I am living here and will be for several months…it’s like paradise.  The houses look like cuckoo clocks or music boxes, and there are beautiful flowers, trees, and vineyards everywhere.  I saw many families out walking or biking, and I found Gland’s public beach.  It is small but very nice, with steps leading down the grassy hill to the small sandy beach.  There are some picnic tables and several docks and platforms for swimming.  There is also a nice hotel next door with an outdoor restaurant that overlooks the beach and the lake.  I cannot imagine living here and having all of this so accessible and nice and clean.  If this is what their taxes go to then I guess people here don’t resent paying taxes!  All along the lake I saw little boats tied up, and in some areas I saw gates belonging to houses that reminded me of the house in the Sound of Music.  This must be where all the really high-up bankers live.  I returned home after an hour, showered, and had a little lunch of bread, cheese, and a peach.  I also tried “convis,” which is a local spread that people put on bread with butter.  It is very salty and strong, but it wasn’t bad and I figured I at least needed to try it.  This afternoon I’ve just been reading some of the required articles for my classes next week.  I’m getting excited about all the research I’m going to get to do for my project!  We’re going to learn how to conduct interviews, keep a field journal of all of our research, etc.  It will be a lot of work, but we are given so much time to complete it that I’m really not worried, considering that all the research papers I’ve done at Duke have had to fit into my hectic busy schedule.  I promise to take a lot more pictures this week and to take some with my friends, both American and Swiss.  First day of school tomorrow!