Days 5 and 6: The Alps

We woke up early to catch an early train out of Zurich with the group - we were headed for the mountains! I picked up a copy of the International Herald Tribune, the first English paper I have been able to read on the trip. (NYTimes.com and SFGate.com have been frequent web visits, thought.) We were on the train for an hour until my friend and I got off in the Switzerland capital of Bern (along with our host brothers and a teacher from the Bay Area) to make a little stop by the embassy to take care of some unfortunate logistical details.

I have never been to a US foreign embassy abroad before so the experience made up for the slight hassle. Even in Switzerland - where riots don't exactly burst out every day - it was heavily fortified and we were barely able to sneak this picture in before the guards started screaming at us. Everyone else at the embassy had lost their head; my friend, teacher, and I couldn't stop laughing at the hysteria around us and about other funny things that had happened on the trip. We each had to excuse ourselves from the waiting room at various times as, say, a woman just started breast feeding right in front of us.

We hustled back to the train station, struggled with a payphone to get in touch with the Swiss guys who we had lost as they waited for us, but finally got on a train to the mountains to catch up with the rest of the group. I have to say that I realized at the stage that it is SO much easier to travel when there are natives leading the way, especially in a country whose language you don't understand. Not having to worry about anything related to directions, signs, costs, etc. was awesome.

We arrived by train at our lodge high in the Swiss Alps, and the views were simply astonishing. I took 30 pictures in the Alps; could have taken 100 but then again they all look like they were from a postcard so why re-take them all? In other words, the views were picture perfect. Our hostel/motel was buried in the mountains in a little village that had a supermarket, sports center, and other cottages.

In the afternoon (Wed 6/15) we took a 1.5 hour hike in the Alps which was beautiful, if a bit exhausting. There was some snow on the ground, but mostly green fields and high peaks.

The next morning the group took a half hour walk to a cheese making place where we could buy natural Swiss cheese or yogurt (I bought some cheese which i was told to eat soon rather than bring home). At noon time we took a ghondola up from our "base camp" to the highest mountain in the Swiss alps. As we rode up, the fog became so thick where we couldn't see anything outside the glass box that was our ghondola. pretty scary. It took two ghondals to get to the top peak - where it was cold but beautiful. We walked around from the tourist center at the top, checking out the views, and then enjoying some Swiss ice cream in a restuarant at the top which physically roates around. Ie the restuarent spins around as you sit in it so you can see all the views.

A few hours later we're back in Zurich after our nice two day trip to the mountains. Lots of emails and 200 blog posts to catch up on.....

Comments

[Becky]

Thanks for photos -- the views are awesome. So, did you get the passport(s)??

[Nayla]

Ja, wuerd au sage dass en April Scherzli isch Sunst frogi mi wuerkli ob uneesrs Land nid oeppis anders z tue het nid dassi daenk dass es e schlaechti Idee isch, aber also wenn's numme um Vogel-Draeck goht wuerdi sage dass es bald chunnt go raegne und denne isch wieder alles ewaeg! :o)