Final Reflections

After almost two weeks at home, I guess it's time to write the final post (so sad!). I guess I've been in denial about this experience ending long enough...

First of all, I have to say a huge thank you to my family and friends - those of you who supported me, who loaned me money, who sent me silly pick-me-ups when I was homesick, and who tolerated my bragging about all these adventures. It's been an incredible ride and I couldn't done any of it without you all.

Without exaggerating, I can say that this has been the most amazing 6 months of my life. I mean, honestly, just look at the list of places I've seen (listed in chronological order):


Geneva, Switzerland
Nyon, Switzerland
Arzier, Switzerland and surrounding villages
Gruyère, Switzerland
Rome, Italy
Lausanne, Switzerland
Bern, Switzerland
Chamonix, France
Rabat, Morocco
Casablanca, Morocco
Fes, Morocco
Farraha, Morocco
Nice, France
Monaco, Monaco
Yvoire, France
Montreux, Switzerland
Paris, France
Budapest, Hungary
Lisbon, Portugal
Annecy, France
Zermatt, Switzerland
Prague, Czech Republic
Brussels, Belgium
Interlaken, Switzerland


And I've taken a lot more away from my travels than just photos and knickknack souvenirs.
It may sound cliché, but I've learned so much about the universality of human experience and the generosity of people worldwide. In Farraha, Morocco - a rural village with no market, no cell reception, and no running water - I stayed with a family that, even with their limited means, welcomed me like one of their own. In the wake of the Boston bombing - an event that deeply rattled me and brought on a kind of homesickness that I didn't even know was possible - people came out of the woodwork to offer their condolences. My fellow students, my professors, even guest lecturers at UN agencies like the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross took me aside to extend their sympathies and express their solidarity with my home city. I was honestly overwhelmed by the level of support I received from the Swiss people and it touches me even today.

I was so fortunate with the people I met and the situation I was placed in. My program of 23 students became incredibly close - even our professors remarked that we were the most bonded of any semester they had seen. And my home stay family was, as I've mentioned before, one of the highlights of my experience. Saying goodbye to them was one of the most difficult things I had to do.

On my last night, my host mom gave me a present: a "Swiss VIP" t-shirt. She explained that VIP means "Very Important Person" in English, which means that "you are very important and you can always come back to Switzerland." I almost started bawling on the spot.

But, as sad as this moment was, this parting gift is also a promise: Switzerland, you've got a piece of my heart and you can bet I'll be back. A bientôt!

Last Hurrah!

For those of you who haven't already heard, I had some big plans for my final day in Switzerland...

With thirty-six hours left until my flight to Boston, I ran off the edge of a cliff.
In other words, I went hang gliding!

It was incredible! It may have been a three hour train ride out to Interlaken, Switzerland, but the trip was completely worth it. And I had such luck. The weather held out for my "flight" and conditions were in fact ideal - there were even updrafts called thermals, which prolonged the flight, so it wasn't just a straight shot down.

Interlaken is an especially beautiful place to do this kind of thing - it's the intersection of two large lakes, Lake Thun and Lake Briez, and is a common gateway to the Alps. With the birdseye view, you can really see it all. I wish I had more pictures, but I wasn't going to risk dropping my camera up there, so I only have the professional ones I paid for!

Surprisingly, my parents were (mostly) on board with this decision. Apparently Dad was more nervous than Mom for once, but no one had a stroke, so I consider that a success.

Beware though, Mom and Dad.... this isn't my last flying experience. I'm still planning to skydive after graduation (back in America, where it's much cheaper than Switzerland) so brace yourselves ;)

Belgium: A Culinary Tour

For my last weekend abroad (yikes, time flies!), I took off for Belgium with my travel partner in crime, Caroline. It was the cheapest flight on EasyJet and only 45 minutes away from Geneva, so it seemed like another no-brainer of a trip. Her boyfriend, who's studying abroad in Barcelona, met us there as well.

If I had to summarize the weekend in one word, it would be: FOOD. Waffles, chocolate, fries, beer, you name it. Everything was so delicious - we basically planned every day around our meals.

Caroline and I each averaged about 3 waffles per day during our stay - not too shabby. Apparently real Belgians eat their waffles with just sugar, but who would do that when there are so many toppings to choose from!? We always ordered typical "tourist waffles" loaded with bananas, strawberries, nutella, chocolate, gelato and whipped cream. Honestly, they are heaven on a plate. No matter how full we were, we always needed to have more!

Note: I will not be held accountable for any salivating on the reader's part. Proceed at own risk and keep that drool off your keyboards.

Belgium is also well known for its beers. We tried all the famous ones: Duvel, Trappist, Non Peut-Etre, Kriek (cherry flavored, my favorite) and Delirium Tremens. Most of these we tried at the Delirium Club, a bar in the old city that holds the Guinness Record for most beers on tap - over 2,000! It was a great, laid-back kind of place and we loved the atmosphere.

Cherry (Kriek) and apple beers, yum 

Of course, we did take time to see the major sites too. Belgium is an unusual European city; it's not as quaint as you might imagine. There is a very pretty old area called La Grand Place (or the Grote Markt in Dutch, Belgium's other national language). This is the most photographed part of the city and it's very ornate - I expected all of Brussels to match this level of luxe.

All lit up for the evening

Not far from La Grand Place, tourists can also find the famous Belgian "peeing baby" statue, or Manneken Pis. The statue is absurdly tiny and often (surprisingly) clothed, thanks to a nonprofit organization dedicated specifically to this project. I guess there are weirder traditions to have...

We also just happened to visit the Manneken mere moments after Arnold Schwarzenegger (yes, the ex-Governator) stopped by. There was a huge crowd still buzzing with excitement when we arrived. Too bad we just missed Arnold himself!

See what I mean? Tiny in real life

However, beyond the pretty old town and its odd customs, Brussels is not very attractive. Most of the Belgians we met described the city, in their own words, as "ugly." -Maybe that's a defense mechanism of sorts - if they call it "ugly" before we can say it, then at least they have claimed their ugliness. Either way, they always told us that despite it's ugliness, you do come to love it! And I would have to agree - I do have a bit of a soft spot for this hodgepodge of a city.

Even in the gray urban sprawl, there were still plenty of cool sites to see. We found awesome flea markets with antiques, fresh fruits, yard sale goods, etc. And the graffiti art around the city was incredible - so vibrant and creative.

There were also some cool sites even in the modern parts of the city. The Atomium, which is Belgium's equivalent to the Eiffel Tower, was constructed for the Brussels World Fair in 1958. CNN once named it the "most bizarre" building in Europe, but I think it's pretty cool.

Our Brussels excursion was certainly a laid-back kind of trip. Unlike Paris or Rome, where you feel like you need to run around and take pictures with a checklist of famous sites, we felt free to just wander the city and take it in (with bloated stomachs of course). It was a perfect finale to my Euro adventures, with just the right amount of indulgence.

Quirky city, amazing food, and a lovely weekend trip. Merci, Bruxelles et à bientôt!

Czech It Out: Prague

Before leaving Europe, there was one place particularly on my hit list: Prague

I had heard wonderful things from my friends in chorale, who sang there on Spring Break tour last winter (I chose to save my pennies for study abroad instead). And, after enjoying Budapest so much, I really wanted to experience more of Eastern Europe - well, the nice, tourist friendly parts at least.

So, even though none of my friends were free to travel with me, I decided to embark on a solo trip.

Traveling alone was a completely foreign experience. I had to plan my own itinerary, learn how to take decent "selfies" on my camera, and befriend strangers just to have someone to talk to. It was certainly a worthwhile adventure and I proved, mostly to myself, that I am capable of branching out on my own.

That being said, I think my ideal travel setup is with a buddy. With two people, it isn't too overwhelming to organize a trip and you can still meet interesting new people in your travels. At the same time, you also have someone to eat meals with, to take pictures with, and to talk to. Pros and cons, I guess.

Back to Prague though: the city itself is beautiful. I say that about every place I have been, but really: the architecture in Prague is unreal. Unlike many Eastern cities that were ravaged by bombs during World War II, Prague is incredibly well-preserved. Rumor has it, Hitler wanted to retire in this gorgeous city after the war, so he avoided inflicting any heavy damage.

I spent a lot of time just wandering Prague, but I also took several free walking tours of the city - one of the perks of hostel travel is that hostel workers are great at helping their guests plan travel on a budget! Here's some of the sights from my first day: 

Old Town Square 

Astronomical Clock, built in the 1400s
(The sun circles the Earth on it, so it's a bit outdated nowadays) 

The oldest still-standing theater where Mozart performed (Don Giovani premiered here).
Mozart, in fact, had a special affection for the people of Prague.
He once said "Meine Prager verstehen mich" (my Praguers understand me), a well-known phrase among Praguers still

Czech composer Antonin Dvorak
(Music nerd alert: he is one of my favorite composers so of course I listened to his New World Symphony while walking around the city)

The "Dancing House," a standout amidst the city's Baroque architecture

Statue of Czech writer Franz Kafka, inspired by his short story "Description of a Struggle"

Charles Bridge, decorated by a continuous stretch of 30 religious statues  

One of the Charles Bridge statues

The John Lennon Wall

The next day, I took a free castle tour. Prague Castle is a pretty big deal - it's listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest ancient castle in the world. The entire complex is the size of 6 footballs fields! 

But it isn't just one large palace. It really is a "complex" filled with buildings from every era and from every architectural style. In fact, the styling is so disjointed and intermixed that Hapsburg ruler Maria Theresa famously hated it. 

It makes for quite an extensive tour though - and it was 90+ degrees every day I was in Prague! Thank goodness ice cream in the city costs less than a dollar (about 20 Czech Koruna). I must've eaten three or four cones a day just to survive!

St. Vitus Cathedral, inside the Palace Complex

I became an expert at taking "selfies" while traveling solo

Since dining alone can be a little bit of a downer, I did my best to make some travel buddies. The walking tours turned out to be great for making friends - I met some nice people my age from Ireland and Australia. We got beers at a monastery-turned-brewery, ate dinner in Old Town Square at dusk and took in a little bit of the nightlife. It's nice to know there are always other twenty-somethings traveling and in need of companions!

Czech beer

New Aussie friends

Sunset view

Dinner in Old Town with a view

 For my last day in the city, I did a solo tour of the Jewish Quarter, or Josefov. The area was renamed "Joseph City" in honor of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II who emancipated the Jews, but it was originally the Jewish ghetto.

Currently, Josefov is home to six synagogues, the Jewish cemetery, and the Old Jewish Town Hall. Of all the sites, the Spanish Synagogue was by far the most beautiful. I couldn't take pictures of the interior, but I attached a picture from the Internet: it is gorgeous. Heavily inspired by Moorish influence, it's very ornate and immaculately designed.

Spanish synagogue

Interior

Old Jewish cemetery
12,000 tombstones are crammed in there but it is estimated that over 100,000 burials took place on the grounds

All in all, Prague was an amazing city and certainly an up-and-comer for European tourists. It was packed with visitors, many of them couples on romantic getaways. My Swiss host parents, for instance, are taking a summer trip there in just a few weeks! Apparently Prague is the new Paris?
Even if it had to be solo, I'm so glad I took this trip.


NOTE: For the record, I am writing this post from good old Wakefield, MA. I'm catching up on blog posts from my last few weeks abroad - I wound up a little behind. Hang in there and I'll make it to the end! :)

Day Trippin'

One of the perks of living within Switzerland is its proximity to beautiful places. You don't have to take a weekend trip to see some amazing sites - it's doable in just a day trip!

For instance, a few weeks ago, I took a one-hour bus trip to Annecy. It's a scenic city in south-eastern France located on Lake Annecy. When I arrived, it was 90 degrees out and beautiful - it made me wish I had remembered to bring a bathing suit along! Oh well.

The town was so quaint (although very touristy in the summer) and I took plenty of pictures of its most famous landmark: le Palais de l'Isle, a castle built in the middle of the Thiou canal in 1132.

Lake Annecy

Unfortunately, it is often much cheaper to travel out of the country than within Switzerland itself - ergo, the trips to France. Swiss Trains are very efficient, but painfully expensive. However, because I am an official Swiss resident with a visa, I get access to one special perk: la carte journalière!

This day pass is available to residents of any Swiss village or town. It's 45 francs for a pass (which you must reserve in advance because they are so popular), but once you have it, you can travel anywhere within the country for that one day.

This is a huge steal. Normally, a train to Zurich (3 hours away) would cost over 100 francs roundtrip. So while I am here, I certainly want to take advantage of the bargain!

In that spirit, I booked a day pass and headed out last week for Zermatt, a famous mountaineering and ski resort in the Alps. It is also home to the Matterhorn - the iconic mountain peak featured on every bar of Toblerone chocolate.

It was a beautiful area, but very touristy. There's not a lot to do besides ogle the Matterhorn peak and sip hot chocolate - that is, unless you're an expert mountain climber.

Anyways, this isn't my last daypass excursion. I have big plans for my last days in Switzerland! So stay tuned...