Winter is coming...nope, it's here.

It's unseasonably cold and wet here in Switzerland... many locals are complaining, saying that this weather doesn't usually come until November or December. Lucky me, it came early! Its 40°, and raining... so once you're wet, you feel 10 times colder. I planned my trip around this, and I wasn't expecting such conditions so the best I can really do is layer up! My northface jacket helps with the water since its rain proof, but my legs have nothing other than jeans to save them!

Even in the cold and wet, Switzerland is beautiful. Today I went out to Liechtenstein, which is a tiny country between Switzerland and Austria. We went to the capital, Vaduz. It takes 3 minutes of walking to get from one end of Vaduz to the other. There are 5000 people living there, making it Liechtenstein's largest city. If you don't count the Vatican (sorry, I don't!) then Liechtenstein is the 5th smallest country in the world. They use the Swiss currency, Francs, and speak Swiss German, but have their own government, passports, etc.

Swiss German... what? I learned that when speaking, the Swiss in the German area of Switzerland use different words than the actual German language. The language, Swiss German, cannot be easily written, so in written communication, they use real German. Swiss German is only for talking. Neat, right?

The people of Liechtenstein make a LOT of coocoo clocks, as you can see in my photo. This was just one store of many. I braved the elements and walked around Vaduz a bit before finally deciding that if I continued, I'd die of frost bite. The wind was kicking, making everything worse for the people on the tour.

As we drove back to Zurich, the rain quieted, the clouds lifted, and the sun began peeking out. I was finally able to get some photos of the terrain. The snow is already at quite low altitudes, which is very unusual for this time of year, but it sure makes the mountains exceedingly beautiful!

On my way back to the hostel, I passed a McDonald's that had a sign "1 franc hamburgers!" I'm sorry for being such an American, but c'mon... the cheapest thing to eat here is closer to 10 franc so I welcomed the opportunity to get something cheap. In every country I go to, I check out the McDonald's prices... that is one place where you are getting the exact same thing no matter where you are, so you can easily compare prices! A McChicken meal in Opelika, $3.70. Same thing here? 11.3 CHF which is $12.75. And of course in Europe, you don't get big drinks with free refills! Wow!

Rhine Falls

I woke up early enough this morning to check my couchsurfing messages, to no avail. Instead of checking out, I decided to pay for another night. Since breakfast is included each morning, I made sure I didn't miss it. Toast, bologna, cheese, cereal, tea... It was a good meal, and while I was eating, I met a young man from Germany. Neither of us were sure of any plans for the day, and we ended up deciding to go Rhine Falls together. It is labeled the largest waterfall in Europe, but the Gullfoss in Iceland is larger. I suppose they aren't considering Iceland a part of Europe even though everything I've read says it is.

Whether it's truly the largest or not, the waterfall was still gorgeous. As we approached it, the roar of the water rushing became the only sound we could hear. Magnus and I walked around the falls, over a bridge to the other side to get some photos from a different angle. Although it took 6 miles of up/down/up/down, it was worth it! My legs will be tired tomorrow for sure!

Guten Morgen

Good morning! Today I left Milan and headed back to Zurich Switzerland. Before arriving at the train station I went to see the famous Torino Bull in the gallery. You are supposed to spin around with your heel in the depression... This will bring you good luck!

The train to Zurich was late, and to make up for the delay, they actually put us all on a different train before we got to Zurich. That made up for the delay on the train company's behalf, but made the rest of us even later!

Finally I arrived in Zurich and tried to call my host. He had told me to call upon arrival, but he wasn't answering the phone. I went into Burger King where they give 30 minutes of free WiFi. I was able to log onto couchsurfing and see that my host was sick and said he could no longer host me. I was quickly running out of WiFi time as I searched for a reputable hostel. Finally I ended up pulling out my tablet with its Zurich city app, and located one of the hostels on the map. The app is fantastic... You can type any street name in and it shows you on the map where you are. The whole thing operates completely offline!

I walked and walked until I found the hostel and was finally able to just relax. I got back on couchsurfing and began sending messages to local people, in hopes of finding a host. Hopefully, I can find someone to show me around! (Not paying 42 CHF per night will be nice too).

For the rest of the evening I just talked with some people staying here, watched a movie, and ate another mozzarella and tomato sandwiche that I made in Milan. The journey to Zurich made for a long day, but I'm here now and can't wait to see what the German speaking part of Switzerland has to offer!

Free day?

The rain in Milan has put a literal damper on everything... if you want to go anywhere, you walk to the metro, bus, etc. So with it pouring down rain, there is absolutely no way Magdia and I were going to go sight seeing like we had planned. It didn't really let up at all except for a short while in which we ran to the grocery store down the street  to get some food for lunch. I bought some stuff to make sandwiches to take to Zurich tomorrow since I know everything there will be very expensive. Food in Italy is much cheaper than anywhere else I've been so far. To get a shopping cart, you have to put a euro in, unlock it, and then when you lock the cart back up, you can take the Euro out... odd, but cool!

We cooked pasta with a spinach and tuna sauce to put on it. I didn't think I'd like it but it was delicious!

For the rest of the day, we really just talked, napped, read books, talked... it was nice, but I wish I could have seen more of Milan. It just wasn't worth going out in the pouring rain :(

Korean Italians

My couch host and another surfer that's staying with him went to Bologna today, and tried to convince me to go with them. I had the time and address written down for a church in Milan and said I planned to go there today. They told me we could all go to mass in Bologna, and it was difficult for me to explain to them why that doesn't work for me. Finally they relented and went on their way. I left the apartment and took off to find the church. I got to the address listed online, at the time listed online... but there were only Koreans there, all speaking Korean. They were running around with food setting tables. Finally I found someone who knew enough English to help me, and they explained that the American church isn't until 5pm. I thanked them and started to leave, but all the women preparing food stopped me and said, "no no no, eat!!" and sat me down at a table. They had made Bibimba, which means mixed rice. You put all the meat and vegetables on top of your rice, and then mix it all up before eating it. It was so good! It was still raining as I started to leave, so they made me take an umbrella to bring back later. They just would not let me leave without it!

My host does not have wifi and I wanted to get in touch with people back home and work on my blog so I stopped by a McDonald's for a while. They offer free wifi so until it got busy, I just enjoyed some time out of the rain. Once it looked like my table was needed by paying customers, I left and went to the Duomo. This cathedral is quite impressive! It's over 100 meters tall, and stands out among the surrounding buildings. Pigeons fill the square in front of it, and will land on your arm and hands if you hold them out.

I wandered around random streets for awhile just enjoying the Italian atmosphere until I came across a metro station. I decided to head back to my hosts house to do some laundry before going to worship.

Finally, after all the adventure of the morning, I was at church with ENGLISH speaking people. The service was slightly different than what you would expect from a church of Christ, since they had some women praying and leading communion. The songs were in Italian, but I knew what they were by the tune. The lesson was in English, with Italian translation. The congregation was full of amazing and kind people! One interesting thing is that they kept asking "So are you a disciple?" And about my family "oh, are they disciples too?" This is definitely a biblical term, but you just don't hear people asking that in the US.

After the service ended, a group of the single people were going out for apertivo. Apertivo is where you pay around 10 euro, and get a drink and all you can eat. They have platters of food set out with all kinds of stuff! I ate more than I have the whole trip... everything here is so expensive, so it was awesome getting a real meal for a good price. During the meal, Fabiola got a text saying that the American girl left her bag at the church... yea... the bag with my BRAND NEW CAMERA. We finished eating and went to the house of the people who found the bag, and then Fabi dropped me off at my hosts house. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't of been out with Fabi and the other singles! I don't even want to think about it!

007

The day has arrived. Bungyyyy!!!

Today I am conquering a 220 meter bungy jump off the Verzasca Dam. This stunt was first done in the film James Bond, Goldeneye. Basically, I'm James Bond. No big deal.

I'm on the train across Switzerland as I type this. I didn't know this ahead of time but I actually had to go up to Zurich (where I'll be Tuesday) and then come back down to Locarno. Needless to say, I've been on a train since 6:45 this morning. (Its 12:15 now).

The scenery between Zurich and Locarno is breath taking. Photos are hard to get due to dirty windows, but these images will always be stuck in my mind. The red engine of the train, leading the cars around a curve, with a sheer cliff dropping beneath as it opens into a green valley full of thatched roofs, sheep pens, and barns... looking up, specks of bright green grass stand out on the forested, snow capped mountain, each one with a tiny farmhouse in the middle.

I'm excited to see all of this again Tuesday!
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Ok guys, I did it. Don't be surprised! When I say I'm going to jump off of something, I do it. You should know that by now! Free falling through the air, plummeting towards the ground... it's an exhilarating feeling! The video won't be on here for awhile due to some complications but the only people reading this are probably friends with me on Facebook so maybe watch it there.

On the bus up to the bungy site, I met a girl from California who is studying in Barcelona. We took photos and video for each other, which worked out great! After the jump, one of the employees gave us a ride back into Locarno since she was going that way anyways... she was super nice! After a good Italian pizza, I got on the train to Milano and headed out.

Bond. James Bond.

Back to France!

Mauro had to work today, so I got up and went to the bus station. Isabel, Mauro's girlfriend, wanted to show me around her city, and some of the surrounding villages, so I took a bus to Devoine, France. If you look at the map below, you will see that Geneva is almost completely surrounded by France. There is one road between France and Lake Geneva that is part of switzerland, but other than that, Geneva is blocked in by France and the lake. The bus took 30 minutes to get to Isabel's city, and she was eagerly waiting for me at the bus stop.

We started off in Devoine, which sits on the lake. We walked through the old town, along the waterfront, and then went to the grocery store to buy stuff for a picnic. We then continued to a small village further down the shoreline, and had our lunch of cheese/tomato sandwiches with chips, grapes and Coke. I had to buy some mozzarella cheese, because it is ridiculously cheap here compared to the US. It evens comes in bite size balls! It usually takes more than that to fascinate me, but I'm a sucker when it comes to Mozzarella. Amanda met us at the lake and we fed the ducks and swans a lot of stale bread that Isabel brought with her. The swans were impatient and actually tried to climb up to where we were. When they realized we were out of bread, they quickly dispersed. Everything about this place was peaceful... absolute peace.

After sitting out on the edge of the lake for a long time, just talking, we finally decided to move on to an even smaller village. It is called Nernier, and is approximately 5 streets "big."

My middle name

Mauro had made plans for him, Isabel, and myself to eat fondu around 7, as this is apparently the best region to eat it. Cheese is one of the area's biggest productions, so he said I couldn't leave without it. Isabel had to work for a few hours so I went to a little pastry shop to read while I waited. I used my translation app on my phone to ask the owner if I could sit for awhile, and I grabbed a croissant to snack on. After a while, a little boy came in to buy candy. He pulled his money out and didn't have enough. I watched him search his pockets, to no avail. He said something to the lady, and she began to put each piece of candy back into it's respective container until it got down to the weight he could afford. The look on his face as he tried to decide which candy should go back first but just so sad and forlorn. Although I don't speak French, I walked over and held out a handful of coins. The cashier picked out what was needed, and the boy was able to get his candy. He looked up at me with such joyful surprise, gave a quick but sincere, "Merci, madame!!" before leaving.

I walked over to the restaurant that Isabel told me to meet them at, and once again used my translator to ask where I could sit to wait for friends. This app has been so useful! When you have internet, you download each language that you want (all for free). Then, when you're offline (like in the middle of Europe) you can use it to translate any of the languages you previously downloaded. I can type in English and have someone read what it means in French, and then they can take my phone and type back to me in French. It also says the words aloud if you want it to, so that you can hear the pronunciation of different words. I'm in love with it!

Finally, it was time for fondu! Mauro and Isabel arrived, and we began our meal. We chose a pot of cheese and mushrooms, and then we dipped bread into it. It was delicious! We were all full before the pot was empty, but the tradition is to empty the pot, and then crack an egg into it. You then eat the cooked egg mixed with any remaining cheese. There wasn't an option... we HAD to finish it all! Let's just say, I was stuffed.

My stay in Geneva has been wonderful, and has allowed me to rest and prepare for the fun filled, action packed, adventures that await.

It's still a vacation, no matter where you go

Today was such a quiet, uneventful, relaxing day... no matter where you travel to, you can't let yourself return home MORE tired than when you left! You need to allow for some time to just chill; Take a nap, read a book, watch a movie. It's called vacation for a reason!

Today, I did just that. I slept in rather late, wrote blog posts, and just relaxed with a cup of tea. After a little while, Mauro and I ended up going into the city center to look for some souvenirs. I bought my dad a -----, and of course had to buy some Swiss chocolate. The chances of my father actually reading this blog are slim to none (sorry dad) but I can't risk you blabber mouths telling him what I bought him!

We grabbed a quick lunch at a little cafe that Mauro said was cheap. Cheap in Geneva pays for 3 meals at McDonald's in Alabama. It's just crazy! After eating, we walked around the lake over to the famous flower clock. The artistry in the landscaping is fantastic! It's beautiful!

We went into many stores just to look around, and we tried to find the most expensive watch. Geneva is full of watch stores! I mean, they are literally everywhere! I think the highest price we found was 18,000 franc, and you get .9 CHF per dollar. Thats an expensive watch!

Once we were back at Mauro's apartment, I took a nap, we fixed some dinner and watched a movie. I know it may seem weird going all the way around the world and spending time napping, but my body is thanking me. I've been on the go, and it felt nice to just relax a bit!

(Ill add photos of the clock tomorrow, they are not transferred to tablet yet)

Au revoir Paris! Bonjour Geneva!

Yes, I said bonjour Geneva! The official language in Geneva is actually French, which is something I did not know until my host explained it to me. I thought I was finished having to try and pronounce French words, but alas, I am not. Geneva is completely surrounded by France, and the lake. I had not realized exactly how close it was to the French border! Part of Switzerland speaks Italian, part German, and part French.

I made it to the train with time to spare, and ended up in a car with only a few other people. I was able to kick back and relax!

As my train got further from Paris, the scenery changed drastically. All of a sudden, the train was up in the hills and mountains, with breathtaking views around every corner. I love being somewhere where God's creation is just so magnificent, that it makes you wonder how people deny his existence.

My host, Mauro, had called me the night before to make sure I had his number. I was to get off the train, take a bus to a specific stop, and then call him. Well... I got to this bus stop, pulled my phone out, checked the call log and realized... His phone call showed up as "no number." I was completely unable to get in touch with him! He knew what time my train was to arrive, so after a short while past what he expected, he came to the bus stop and found me. After I got settled in with all of my stuff, we cooked lunch. Mauro is Italian so I got another Italian meal! I'm going to get fat if this keeps up. He had some work to do, so while I waited, I ended up falling asleep on the couch. A few hours later, I woke up and we took the bike and roller blades into the city center. It has been way too long since I've ridden a bike, but I managed quite well. We circled around part of the lake (the whole thing would be over 100 miles) until it got dark. Mauro got a text about a free concert so we went back to his apartment to get the car. His girlfriend, Isabelle, met us at the apartment with cheesecake, which was delicious! After eating too much, we headed into the city again to meet up with another one of their friends.

A lot of people work in Geneva but live in France where things are cheaper. This creates a problem for Geneva nightlife because after 7pm, the city becomes still, without much activity. Everyone has gone home for the evening! Upon arriving at the bar where the concert was, Mauro realized that there was a couch surfer meeting a few blocks away. We ended up going there instead, and I was able to meet surfers from all over! There was one girl from Norway who was born in Texas. We talked a lot about dog sledding, and showed each other pictures of our huskies. Yes people, I'm halfway around the world and still showing off my dog!

Geneva is a nice city, and is not near as busy as London or Paris. The odd thing is that everyone who lives here has come from somewhere else. Mauro explained that 1 person out of 5 might claim to be Swiss, even they were all born here. He says there is not much sense of pride and togetherness in the country, whereas America is all about being united.

There are not many specific things that are "must see" so the agenda is really to just enjoy a few calm, relaxing, sleep too much days before continuing on to other places.

Dépaysement

In French, the word dépaysement represents the feeling of not being in one's home country. It's not necessarily being home sick, but more of just wishing you were around your countrymen as opposed to being in exotic places. I am beginning to feel this, due to the fact that no one I meet understands me. Sure, plenty of people speak my language, but everything about my life is oddly foreign to them. They talk to me about New York and Los Angeles, and don't understand that those places are so far from me. As much as I miss my family, I am not homesick, and I don't wish my trip were over, but I guess I am seeing why people don't like to travel alone. Just having one person that you don't have to explain everything to goes a long way toward keeping a person sane.

My posts are not showing the correct corresponding days due to my lack of internet earlier in the week, but "today" is Tuesday, Oct 1. This is my last day in Paris, but I wanted to relax so I slept in quite a long while. After finally dragging myself out of bed, I headed toward Notre Dame. The building is amazing, and is covered in detailed carvings in the stone. I looked for Quasi Moto but couldn't find him... I did, on the other hand, find the gargoyles. I used the zoom on my camera and was able to see every little detail of the building. It was just fantastic!

After leaving Notre Dame, I followed along the river until I came upon the bridge where people come to put a padlock on the railing. They lock it, turn the key, and throw it into the river. This is supposed to symbolize their eternal love, which can never be broken. The cynical side of me says, "hand me some bolt cutters and we will see about this eternal love." The local government is worried about the weight of all these padlocks, as the railing was not designed to hold such weight. In the near future, they may cut all the padlocks away in fear of the railing breaking. 

Back in 1993, I was brought to Paris by my parents when my father was stationed in Italy. We have a photo of me on the carousel near the Eiffel, so 20 years later, I rode the carousel again. How neat is that? I tried not to look over enthused, and luckily I was not the only adult riding it!

I wanted to see the Tour Eiffel at night before heading back to the house, but it wasn't going to be dark for another few hours. I walked in a haphazard fashion and entered every souvenir shop I came across in search of my typical souvenirs that I get from every country I visit. I stepped into one owned by an Indian man and we discussed the Holi festival which I plan to attend next March. He made me a cup of Chai tea and told me a lot about his country. After awhile, I decided it was time for me to go, and he wished me a good trip, and sent me on my way with some trinkets to remember Paris by.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, it started to get dark. I made my way over to the tower and grabbed a baguette on the way. People, like in movies, really do carry baguettes everywhere with them. All day long, I pass people with a baguette in their hand, purse, or shopping bag. I figured I'd just join the party! The sun set, the lights of the Eiffel Tower came on, and I sat in awe. It truly is a magnificent sight! On the walk home, I grabbed a crepe from a street vendor. How could I come to Paris and not buy a crepe? I chose nutella and banana... Wow what a good combination!

Upon arriving back at the house, I stepped into Italy. Three Italian girls were staying the night, and were cooking a traditional Italian meal. Apparently I arrived just in time! We talked for a few hours, laughed constantly, and just enjoyed learning about each other's lives. It was such a perfect way to spend my last night in Paris.