I got to Geneva about mid-afternoon on Monday. Sabine, who I met at Longwood fall semester of my freshman year when she was an international student, met me outside the train station. We dropped my stuff off at her apartment and went to a Tea Room for tea and an afternoon snack since I think we both missed lunch. It was great to see her and catch up. Afterwards, we walked around the city. We went to Lake Geneva but it was frigid and extremely windy (Geneva should be nicknamed The Windy City, I think it's a lot windier than Chicago) so we eventually went to the grocery store to get stuff to make dinner.
That night was the first night that I was able to test out my cooking skills since I got to Europe (my host mom always cooks and her cooking is amazing). I must say, I have learned a lot! We made a pretty good dinner of prosciutto, potatoes, a green salad with homemade dressing, and cheese. It tasted really good! I miss cooking!
After we cleaned up dinner, we went out to the movies to see "Rien a Declarer" (nothing to declare). It was about tension between border controllers on the France/Belgium border and it was really funny! I loved it.
Tuesday morning we got up early to go to the United Nations! We went on a guided tour and to our luck, the Human Rights Council started that day! We didn't get to go in to see it but we did get to look into the conference room. It was wonderful. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and I really enjoyed it!
Afterwards, Sabine had class and I was sleepy so I took a nap. After her class, we went out and walked around a bit/shopped before we went to meet her friend. The three of us had dinner together and then we went to a hip-hop dance class. I had never taken a hip-hop dance class in my life so I didn't know what to expect but it was a lot of fun. I think I might have been a little awkward at first but after a few minutes I loosened up and maybe I'm not as white as I originally thought... The instructor even complimented me! :)
After class, we went to a bar for drinks and met up with some of Sabine's other friends. It was a great night. Sabine is Swiss-German and so most of her friends in Geneva are Swiss-German speaking. This means that when they talked to each other in Swiss-German I understood absolutely nothing but luckily they are all translation majors so their English is wonderful.
Wednesday, Sabine and I went to the Red Cross Museum. It was really impressive but extremely solemn at the same time. At one part, there were rows upon rows of records that were hand-copied by Red Cross nurses during (I think) the second world war. It was really moving to think of how much time was spent and how dedicated the people who worked for this organization were, even back then.
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| Hangin' out with Henry Dunant, founder of the Red Cross |
After all that walking and all those stairs, we needed a coffee break. After coffee, we shopped a little before we were just too pooped to move anymore. We went back home and had a light dinner and then we stayed in for the night and watched tv.
Thursday was my last full day in Geneva so Sabine and I wanted to make the most of it. Beautiful weather graced the city once again. She had class in the morning so I met her at the translation building after class and we had breakfast with her friends. Afterwards, Sabine and I walked to the Museum of Art and History. The museum was great and the way there was so beautiful! When we walked out of the museum, I looked in front of me and saw that the Lake Geneva fountain was on. All week, Sabine had been telling me about this amazing fountain in the middle of Lake Geneva and we had been hoping it would turn on but I guess it was just too cold/windy. Few things could have made this last day in Geneva more perfect. Sabine refused to show me pictures of the fountain beforehand because she said it was something that you had to see in person. She was right. Here are pictures but they do not do justice. Also, notice the lake's astoundingly blue water.
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| Know that you are being cheated out of the fountain's grandeur by seeing it in a photo |
Thursday night Sabine and I went to her friend Catia's apartment for dinner with 3 of her other girlfriends. We 6 ladies had a great time and one of her friends made an amazing tiramisu dessert!
Friday, Sabine and I were up early to go to the Swiss Alps before I headed back to Strasbourg. We took a train from Geneva to Bern, then from Bern to a tiny town ten minutes outside of the capital. Then we took a bus, a roller coaster-type lift, and then a ski lift to get to the top of Niederhorn (1958m). It was a long trek to get there but it was worth every minute. We had lunch with a view of the alps. It was nothing short of incredible. We climbed a little farther to get a panoramic view of the alps. 360 degrees of mountains. It was one of the most stunning things I have ever seen.
When I first saw these sights that seemed completely surreal, I giggled like a little girl. I felt intellectually tickled. After about ten minutes of standing there, though, something strange happened. I felt peace. Sabine and I stopped talking and we just stood there in awe for over half an hour. At one moment, while there were people speaking in tongues at the top of the mountain (I think it was Swiss-German and Dutch), a flock of blackbirds flew over and around me. It was beautiful and I felt somehow changed...as though I had grown in a way. I thought about everyone I missed back home but I didn't feel sad. (I know, you're thinking, "that's because it's impossible to be sad when you're on top of the alps," but it was more than just that!) It's hard to explain in a white box.
To conclude, I think it goes without saying that my time in Switzerland has been the highlight of my time in Europe thus far. Thank you to my wonderful tour guide, Sabine and her warm friends who welcomed me!
A note to everyone: Go to Switzerland. I highly recommend it.
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