Well, I've been slacking with this blog, but the fact that I'm back says something, I feel.
I've been home from travel for a week, and I miss it more than I can explain.
It's a very strange feeling, to take two weeks off from "college" to travel around to different places in the world, but still have it be academic in some sense...
Coming back last week was very strange, walking around campus and having this weird feeling of "oh, I still have classes.. I'm here for.. for an education?! What is this nonsense!"
However! When I did return I was privileged to have this waiting for me:
Five packages were waiting for me when I got home! I'm sure reception loved me.....
Thanks to Mommah, Aunt Ellen, Hannah/Aunt Rani, and Kelly for the gifts, even though it did make me miss you all terribly! (44 days until I come home for winter holiday!)
For my travel, I was on TVL-297 Lausanne, Geneva, and the Alps with (Dean) Sara Steinert-Borella.
It was truly an incredible experience and if you haven't been to Romandy (the French-speaking sector of Switzerland) I highly recommend it. Even if you have, I suggest going back (and bring me with you!) I feel that this trip was very beneficial to me for two broad reasons: 1. I got to experience more of the country that I am living in, and will be living in for the next four years of my life. I think it's crucial to see as much of where you are, to get a better understanding of it and appreciate everything that the place has to offer. That being said, 2: French-speaking Switzerland is drastically different from Italian-speaking Switzerland. The Swiss-French are friendly, they are interested in having a conversation with you, whether it be French or English, and they seem like they enjoy social interaction, to be frank. The Swiss-Italians (or Swi-ties, as we unaffectionately call them here in Lugano) are not so friendly. They are very focused on what they are doing and don't really want you to bother them. So, if you have only been to Ticino, that is not a very reliable impression of the Swiss.
Moving onward, to the actual trip!!
We left Monday, 17 October for St-Luc, which is in the canton of Valais. The bus ride was breath-taking as we climbed into the mountains. We took a route through Northern Italy, as the Swiss pass was already closed because of snow.
(Swiss Alps and the Moon)
(the Simplon-Pass into French-speaking Switzerland)
(you see these kinds of roads in the movies)
(but we actually drove on them in a coach tour bus.)
St-Luc is a beautiful place. Rather than going right to the hotel (La Gîte de Prilet) we took the tour bus up to Chandolin, which is a tiny village with about 100 permanent residents. We then hiked down the mountain to St-Luc, where we were staying for the first three nights.
(chalets in Chandolin)
(a view while hiking down the mountain)
(a view of Chandolin)
The food in French-speaking Switzerland is PHENOMENAL. The place we stayed at gave us amazing food and the portions were huge! Each meal was served with a salad, the main entre (with a glass of wine, of course!), and then dessert. My favorite was probably the lasagne (go figure - more pasta.) but some other notables were: cheese / tomato fondue, pork, pumpkin soup (delicious!), and lamb stew.
The next day, we hiked up to the Hotel Weisshorn, which is in the Swiss Alps! We were 7,667 ft above sea level at the end of our hike, and it was incredible. I'll let the pictures speak, because it's impossible to describe the beauty of being atop the Swiss Alps.
(tvl-297 group photo)
(my RA, Dani, and I)
(Kaitlin and I)
(Kencho and I)
The third day, to wrap up St-Luc was spent with travel Anne Deriaz, who took care of Ella Maillart, another travel writer, up until her death in 1997. It was a very interesting day to spend with an author and learn new techniques for writing, as well as her own experiences as a traveller and a writer.
After our six hour workshop with Anne, we headed over to a local bread-making shop and made wheat break just like they did hundreds of years ago!
That's all for St-Luc.
I figured I would break travel up into a few different posts,
since the updates tend to be rather photo-heavy!
Hopefully I'll have time to update about Lausanne, Geneva, and Neuchâtel
later tonight after my computer graphics class!
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