Switzerland and a little bit of France
I wish I could have infinite time in Switzerland! The scenery is unreal. The first day or so we were here it was cloudy and bleak and I wasn’t sure it was gunna meet my expectations. The second the sun peaked out though, it was the most unbelievable views I had ever seen. Yet, I had said that about the Cliffs of Moher too!
Like usual, I’ve procrastinated this blog post a whole lot. I wish I could write every second of my time here, but I didn’t prepare myself for that!
I’ll give you my main take aways from our time here
1. A place that’s known for chocolate, cheese, mountains and lakes is easy to love
• Our first night in Lausanne, we decided to treat ourselves to a cheese fondue dinner. I obviously
had high expectations of Swiss cheese, but the fondue really outdid itself. Many dollars and
many pieces of bread later, me and Emily finally finished our fondue pot. And wow was it
satisfying and so delicious. Thank god our server spoke decent English or else we would have
no idea what we were ordering or how to order it!
• Every angle of Lake Geneva is stunning, and that’s an understatement. I’ve now seen it from
Geneva, Evian, Thonon, Lausanne, and Lutry and I still cannot get enough! I could just sit
there and stare at the alps and the lake forever.
2. Getting lost or unplanned moments always leads to an incredible adventure
• On Tuesday, we had plans to take the a ferry from Lausanne to Evian, France. 40 minutes later,
however, we ended up in Thonon, France, unknowingly to our tour guide or to us. It seemed like
a very misfortunate mistake, but me and a few of my friends decided it was a grand (shout out to
Ireland) opportunity to live it up in this random French city. An hour and a bottle of wine later
though, we were told we were driving to Evian! We quickly had to finish our drinks and close
our checks, and essentially run to our group’s bus in 15 minutes.This whole situation was a
string of unplanned and unforeseen moments, that lead to such a memorable and entertaining
day that ended up being so much fun and allowed us to see two French towns instead of one!
• Yesterday was our free day to explore Lausanne. We made no concrete plans so this mostly led
to us frolicking around the town with no real agenda besides eventually going to the neighboring
town of Lutry. We were extremely confused on how to even make it to the train stop, let alone
how to buy the right ticket or how to even make it to the town we wanted to get to. It was
extremely frustrating and confusing, and at times all I wanted to do was leave by myself and just
go back to the hotel. But finally, we made it to Lutry. Once we arrived, I forgot why I was even
stressed after we saw the pristine views of the mountain tops, lake and vineyards we had
stumbled upon with little guidance.
3. Never take for granted the opportunities you’ve been given
• Our days tend to be long on this trip, some days we begin traveling at 7 am after a full day of
activities the day before, and with a full day of activities ahead of us. Sometimes, this leads to
me struggling to stay awake in lectures or tours regardless of how incredible and interesting
they may be. One day, during the 3rd or 4th hour of us sitting in the classroom we had been in
the whole day, I began to feel annoyed and angry that I was there because I got so drained. I
quickly caught myself. I was in SWITZERLAND, talking to these incredibly intelligent and
experienced human beings that had so much to offer me and the world with their knowledge. I
grew embarrassed that I was ever even sleepy or discontent with being in the lectures, and was
determined to give myself some perspective and be more grateful! In Switzerland, we heard
from some of the most profound people. At the University of Lausanne, we got to hear from
someone who worked for the International Olympic Committee, the Anti-Doping Association,
and from Thomas Roos, a researcher who specializes in genetics and sports science. Then we
listened to various speakers at the United Nations Geneva. Each of these people taught me
things I would have never learned if I didn’t come on this trip!!
Now, time for Germany!
Like usual, I’ve procrastinated this blog post a whole lot. I wish I could write every second of my time here, but I didn’t prepare myself for that!
I’ll give you my main take aways from our time here
1. A place that’s known for chocolate, cheese, mountains and lakes is easy to love
• Our first night in Lausanne, we decided to treat ourselves to a cheese fondue dinner. I obviously
had high expectations of Swiss cheese, but the fondue really outdid itself. Many dollars and
many pieces of bread later, me and Emily finally finished our fondue pot. And wow was it
satisfying and so delicious. Thank god our server spoke decent English or else we would have
no idea what we were ordering or how to order it!
• Every angle of Lake Geneva is stunning, and that’s an understatement. I’ve now seen it from
Geneva, Evian, Thonon, Lausanne, and Lutry and I still cannot get enough! I could just sit
there and stare at the alps and the lake forever.
2. Getting lost or unplanned moments always leads to an incredible adventure
• On Tuesday, we had plans to take the a ferry from Lausanne to Evian, France. 40 minutes later,
however, we ended up in Thonon, France, unknowingly to our tour guide or to us. It seemed like
a very misfortunate mistake, but me and a few of my friends decided it was a grand (shout out to
Ireland) opportunity to live it up in this random French city. An hour and a bottle of wine later
though, we were told we were driving to Evian! We quickly had to finish our drinks and close
our checks, and essentially run to our group’s bus in 15 minutes.This whole situation was a
string of unplanned and unforeseen moments, that lead to such a memorable and entertaining
day that ended up being so much fun and allowed us to see two French towns instead of one!
• Yesterday was our free day to explore Lausanne. We made no concrete plans so this mostly led
to us frolicking around the town with no real agenda besides eventually going to the neighboring
town of Lutry. We were extremely confused on how to even make it to the train stop, let alone
how to buy the right ticket or how to even make it to the town we wanted to get to. It was
extremely frustrating and confusing, and at times all I wanted to do was leave by myself and just
go back to the hotel. But finally, we made it to Lutry. Once we arrived, I forgot why I was even
stressed after we saw the pristine views of the mountain tops, lake and vineyards we had
stumbled upon with little guidance.
3. Never take for granted the opportunities you’ve been given
• Our days tend to be long on this trip, some days we begin traveling at 7 am after a full day of
activities the day before, and with a full day of activities ahead of us. Sometimes, this leads to
me struggling to stay awake in lectures or tours regardless of how incredible and interesting
they may be. One day, during the 3rd or 4th hour of us sitting in the classroom we had been in
the whole day, I began to feel annoyed and angry that I was there because I got so drained. I
quickly caught myself. I was in SWITZERLAND, talking to these incredibly intelligent and
experienced human beings that had so much to offer me and the world with their knowledge. I
grew embarrassed that I was ever even sleepy or discontent with being in the lectures, and was
determined to give myself some perspective and be more grateful! In Switzerland, we heard
from some of the most profound people. At the University of Lausanne, we got to hear from
someone who worked for the International Olympic Committee, the Anti-Doping Association,
and from Thomas Roos, a researcher who specializes in genetics and sports science. Then we
listened to various speakers at the United Nations Geneva. Each of these people taught me
things I would have never learned if I didn’t come on this trip!!
Now, time for Germany!
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