I ended up going adventuring in Interlocken, despite my sassy claims of keeping my feet on the groud. Hannah, Angela and I ended up parasailing the last day and it was AWESOME. We floated through the air for about 20 minutes and landed in the main square of the town. Surprisingly, it was extremely smooth and absolutely gorgeous! We were brushing through trees, flying over the lakes, and at the beginning, way above the Swiss Alps and seriously I have never seen anything like it. I always thought people who did stuff like that were insane, but I am definitely doing it again in Santa Barbara if anyone wants to join me!
And then on to Geneva...
Geneva was interesting :)
The first day or two were a little shaky. Our hostel resembled a prison, and we were way too close to the red light district for comfort. And having 5 roommates in a room that is about the size of a Page Hall dorm room, if not a little smaller is always an adventure. I think it was more the part of the city that we stayed in that was gross than the city as a whole... BUT, we ended up having fun there - it just took a little more creativity than most of the cities that we have been to so far :)
We (Hayley, Corrine, Jess and I) have started trying to run in the mornings. It's a random mix of us each day, depending on who decided to ignore their alarm (we've all done it a few times... :), but it's been a good chance to enjoy seeing the city before we go adventuring in the more touristy/class applicable areas. And it's nice because we have been eating cheese, bread and soda for too long and we feel gross. We go in the morning, in a group, only if we start class late enough that it's light out (I love you mommy!). We ran along the river to the (previous) UN headquarters one of our days in Geneva. Brooke, Beth, and I also ran stairs at the hostel in Genevea. Never again.
It was also a good chance to get homework done before we headed to PARIS!
We had the best hot chocolate at the bar next door to our hotel. The first night, Emily Daniels and I ordered it because we were freezing and took a lot of judgment... but by then end of the week, everyone was heading to the bar and ordering the hot cocoa and getting looks from the waiters. win.
We stopped by Bern on the way to Geneva to see some sites from the Reformation. This is where Einstein lived for 7 years and we saw the view (a huge town clock) from which it is rumored that he came up with the foundation for his theory of relativity. We went on a perfect day, and got a chance to explore the city for a few hours. Definitely nicer than Geneva... and I'd love to come back to it someday and spend more time there!
This was the river where Anabaptists were thrown during the Reformation. It's so pretty and cool until you know that... huh? :) In preparation for class, we read the account of a woman who was writing to her 6 month old baby girl to explain why she was about to be executed and leave her baby as an orphan. Her letter was about why she was convinced that she was serving her daughter to the best of her ability by being a martyr because she was providing an example of what it is to be committed to God, regardless of what the world was telling her and says she looks forward to knowing her one day.
Bear River. Bern means Bear. There were actually bears. And Cages. I stayed on the bridge :)
We have a rule that if you are near a starbucks you are safe. We also were under the impression that pumpkin spice lattes had arrived. Not only were we wrong (stay tuned -October 1st), but a grande Chai was 7 Swiss Franks!!!
At this point in our day we were sad.... we had adventured in the rain to a flea market that turned out to look a lot like a sad, gross garage sale... and we were cold. This was the moment where our attitude turned around. The cafe was being moved, and wasn't open, but the idea of a Central Perk in Geneva was enough to brighten our moods :)
Because of the killer night life in Geneva, we ended up back at our prison cell and took over the bathroom that we shared with 30 people... and created a spa night. Very good decision.
Reformation Wall in Old Town Geneva. The following pictures are of our tour :)
Just to prove that we don't seek out Starbucks... they find us. We are going to random coffee and tea houses too!
"It's a wizards chess" in the park.
Escape night. Jess, Corrine, Hayley and I had a chance to escape one night and get some better internet and enjoy something that felt familiar :)
I cracked and got an expensive chai. Well worth it. They do this thing here where everything is luke-warm. Nothing with ice, nothing too hot. Usually, not a big deal, but it was SO nice to have something taste like home!
On Friday after class, we took a day trip to Chamonix Mont-Blanc, which is in the South of France. We will be back there in a few weeks, but we had a chance to go to the French alps or ice caves. Corrine and I tried to find a Gandala down to Italy, but sadly, it had stopped running about 2 weeks earlier because for the winter :( but we ended up having an awesome day exploring the city and finding a macaroon, chocolate and coffee shop!
coffee, vanilla, and carmel (in case you are wondering - carmel was the best)
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