What a Whirlwind!

So much has happened since I last wrote! Classes are in definite full swing with even a couple tests out of the way. The smaller class sizes and encouraged participation from very enthusiastic professors are a great way to learn the upper level material.

We also had our first of three formal dinners on Wednesday February 10th. Everyone got all dressed up and it was a fun night full of socializing with the staff and other students as well as an amazing multi course Italian meal with some wine! We went to a restaurant in nearby Castelfranco for the night where it was an awesome evening with awesome food and fun company!

The next BIG thing was our first travel week that started that Saturday, February 13th. My plans included Paris for 5 nights and Zurich Switzerland for the remaining 3. My roommate Nicole and I were traveling by train the entire way from Venice and would meet up with about 8 other girls from the program once we arrived in Paris. Our train ride on Saturday was an all day event but a great way to see a lot of the countryside. We packed some food and made an adventure of it. We started by getting to Venice which was trickier than we anticipated because of Carnevale going on. We packed onto a train with a few other friends who were going to spend the day in Venice. Once we made it to Venice we killed a couple hours by sitting outside the train station observing all of the people dressed up as everything from superhero’s to almost renaissance type apparel. It was quite the sight to see! Next we boarded our train to Milan where we would have to connect for our 7 hour ride to Paris. I ended up sitting next to a very nice college girl from Milan on my way to Paris and she gave me lots of helpful hints about Paris and about Milan because we plan to travel there later. The train ride was uneventful and we had no problems at all! We made it to Paris at about 11:15 pm and had to find the metro and then find the one that would take us to Place d’Italie, the large stop that our hostel, called “Oops” was near. After asking a few helpful strangers we made it to our hostel and checked in and hit the sack! Who knew admiring Europe’s countryside could be so tiring!

The next morning we met the other girls for breakfast in our hostel and planned our day. It was Valentine’s Day and we made our way to the Eiffel Tower for a 4 hour bike tour around the main sites of Paris. It was a little chilly but the sun was out and there were blue skies. We learned a lot on our bike tour and saw so many main sites- the military school that Napoleon attended, the peace monument, Grande and Petit Palaces, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, biked through the busiest intersection in Paris (which is also where Marie Antoinette was executed) and stopped for lunch in the Touilleries Gardens at a small outdoor cafe. It was a great experience and a fun way to get introduced to the city of Paris. That afternoon we walked up and down the Champs Elysees and got a closer look at the Arc de Triomphe. I was amazed at the lavish and expensive shops on the Champs Elysees. It was quite a sight to see! With it being Chinese New Year and our hostel being very near Chinatown we went out for an authentic Chinese meal that night before a few of us went back to the Eiffel Tower to see it lit up at night! It was beautiful as it sparkled and even as it just stood plainly lit up. It almost had a magical aura about it.

The next day we made a cold walk to Notre Dame and admired both the inside and out. The architecture is so ornate and intricate. We then met the other girls at the Louvre where we were lucky enough to get in for free with our permits to stay! We saw Napoleon’s Apartments, the infamous Mona Lisa (which is so tiny in person!), Venus di Milo and many other awesome paintings. The Louvre is giant and there’s no way you could ever see anything in one day! We headed for a much needed Starbuck’s in the lobby with our packed sandwiches and had a late lunch before calling it a day at the Louvre. After lunch we made our way to the Galleries de Lafayette which is a GIANT department type store in Paris. They carry all the major expensive brands in one place! We wandered around amazed and not even knowing where to start. None of us girls bought anything (shocking I know) but I think we were so overwhelmed by all the choices that buying something didn’t really cross our minds. Some of the girls headed back after the department store but Nicole, Angela and I took our time walking back and shopped some of the smaller shops on the streets as we made our way back to a metro before calling it a night!

Tuesday most of the other girls were headed off to their next destination so Nicole and I went to Musee d’Orsay. This was probably my favorite museum because there were so many recognizable pieces of art that was so exciting to see in person. The highlights for me were Van Gogh’s works, Monet’s water lillies and his famous garden painting along with works by Manet and Degas. They were all so talented! We ate our lunch before walking to Jardin de Luxembourg and the palace. The gardens obviously weren’t in full bloom but we could only imagine it’s beauty in the later spring and summer. The palace was huge and the grounds it was set on made it stand out even more. There were fountains around with many Parisians taking in the beautiful sunshine out on the lawns. We next walked to see the Pantheon from a ways away before decided we were beat after another full day and walked back to Oops! We took a break before getting a crepe next door- we both got one with hot chocolate sauce and ice cream. They were huge and absolutely worth it! We next decided we could do for some more shopping and went to the indoor shopping mall at Place d’Italie near our hostel. Nicole found some cute boots! We called it a night after that so we could make the most of our last full day in Paris on Wednesday before heading to Switzerland!

Wednesday morning we got up and going to get ready to trek out to Versailles. It involved taking a metro to a stop where we could catch the RER which is another type of train in Paris. This took us out to Versailles where after getting off we had about a 10 minute walk to reach the grounds. It was stunning and absolutely giant! The weather was very cold and dreary but it did not take away from the beauty. The gold gates in front are absolutely amazing and truly add to the magical appearance of the chateau. Inside Versailles we saw the hall of mirrors which was really awesome to see in person and the apartments. We headed outside to walk around the grounds, but just like Luxembourg we realized the gardens are nothing compared to what they would be in the summer. It was still incredible to see the large amount of land that the chateau consisted of and to see where Marie Antoinette’s quarters were and all of the land that was hers. We made our way back to central Paris and took the metro up to the Moulin Rouge area. The weather had been getting progressively worse and our energy was getting less and less. We walked the street in the Moulin Rouge area and saw many eccentric shops and people. After a few photo stops we decided we should head back and start to pack up for Switzerland as we left the next morning. We bought a real French Baguette to share for lunches in Switzerland- I almost felt like a native! Today also marked being exactly 1/3 of the way done with my study abroad experience. I can’t believe how fast time is going and how much I am getting to see and do!

Thursday morning started with a metro to the train station where we would have about a 4.5 hour train ride to reach Zurich Switzerland. Once we arrived at the station we took the local train to a nearby town that we were staying in called Kloten. It is very near the airport and it was much less expensive to stay out of town a little ways than directly in Zurich. It was nice to upgrade to an actual hotel for the last few nights and to have our own space and very comfortable beds! We wandered around Kloten for the afternoon where we found an amazing mom and pop establishment that we decided to get cheese fondue at for dinner. While it was a little expensive (just like everything else in Zurich) it was completely worth it! This restaurant was exactly what you would picture places to be like in Switzerland. All the locals sitting around smoking cigarettes and drinking beer chatting away and the owners even joined the occasionally.

Friday we made our way into Zurich where it was overcast and a little chilly but nothing could take away from the quaint and cozy feeling of the city. We walked the streets of the “Old Town” which is opposite the river form “New Town”. As the day wore on it got colder and we decided to take an adventure to the Lindt-Sprungli chocolate factory in nearby Kilchberg. It was about a 20 minute train ride to a small and quiet town right on the lake. We found the factory and took in the smells from outside. Unfortunately they no longer give tours due to hygienic restrictions (I guess I do want clean chocolate). We were able to go into the factory store where they sell their “less than perfect” chocolate for an extremely discounted price (always welcome by college students!). We stocked up for our families and friends back in the states and of course for ourselves! We didn’t mind that one or two might have a broken corner. The samples that were out were incredible and I’m sure helped persuade us to buy a few more pieces. We made it back to Zurich but it began to rain so and was getting to be later afternoon so we headed back for dinner to Kloten and called it a night!

Saturday was our last full day in Zurich and decided it had been a crazy eventful week so we were going to take it easy and have a relaxing day. The sun was shining as the morning went on in Zurich and we contemplated going to the top of Mount Uetliberg to see all of Zurich until we found out that it was 20 Swiss Francs just to get there and back! Instead we wandered through a couple of churches in town and found a square that sat above the town where we sat for about an hour and had lunch just taking in the crisp air and the beautiful sites. We made our way down to a bridge near the lake where we sat and could see the Alps from afar. The relaxation was really setting in! Lastly we wandered through New Town on our way back to the train station. It has many upscale shops such as Dolce and Gabbana and we also saw 3 H&M’s all on the same street! The Swiss seem to really enjoy shopping! Our trip had just about come to and end and all that was left to do was make it on the train back to Paderno Sunday!

The train ride back was absolutely stunning. We had an early start with a 7am train departure from Zurich and a connection at 9 am in Brig Switzerland before making it back to Venice at about 2:30pm. The train ride back was filled with sights of the sun rising behind the Alps and cruising next to water with the mountains in the background and even going through very long tunnels under the mountains! It was incredible and a nice way to finish a very fun trip! We made it back to campus with no problems and even met up with some other students when our train stopped in Milan. We all caught a taxi back and unpacked in anticipation for classes this week.

It’s been a rough Monday in terms of “switching on study mode” as my accounting teacher said at 8am this morning. We are expected to be back in full swing right away. It really feels like what the real world would be like after going back to work after a vacation. It’s a little rough but we get a long weekend again on March 5th, so that is something that everyone is looking forward to!

I have a LEAP Leadership Competency workshop tonight before dinner and then I think some of us are going to try and catch some of the Olympics! With a couple tests this week and some other activities that CIMBA has planned I’m sure it will be another quick week. A week from Wednesday marks our halfway point here. It’s unbelievable!