The Time Has Come

Here we are, hours away from ending what has been one of the most memorable six months of my life.  From a summer in Namibia, Wales and Greece to a semester abroad in Geneva things are finally coming to a close.  Last week I finished my 8 week internship at the WHO.  We had our Farewell Cocktail party on Friday night, and now our final weekend in Geneva has crossed over to the day of departure.

This final weekend was all about reaffirming our already established and deeply rooted love for Geneva--our home for the past three and a half months.  Saturday morning I had breakfast with Mags and Danny at Celine et Sebastien, our favorite cafe right around the corner from Rue Muzy.  We enjoyed the most delicious reverses and pastries before meeting up with people at Manor, a department store, to make some final purchases.  Following that, Danny, Kathleen and I ended up wandering aimlessly for several hours.  With no particular destination in mind, we strolled the right bank all the way to the WTO and decided to walk all the way up to Nations where we were greeted by the usual protest outside of the UN.  Since we had already come that far, we decided to make the trek back home.  Literally, we hit some of my favorite and most travelled destinations in Geneva and it was so refreshing visiting them while enjoying ceaseless conversation and good company.  Later that evening, 9 of us walked back along the right bank and had a fondue feast at the infamous Bains de Paquis.  While some of the girls had gone to Chez Ma Cuisine, I wanted one last genuine Swiss fondue indulgence.  We scraped the pots clean and devoured multiple baskets of bread and it couldn't have been more delicious.  We wandered out on the jetty and had the most incredible view of the city from one of Geneva's secret niches none of us had previously discovered.  As an end to the night we even threw coins into the lake and made "Geneva wishes" before leaving.

Sunday was a day of mixed emotions.  While the majority of the day was composed of packing and spending as much time as possible around everyone, we managed to slip in a polar bear plunge into the freezing cold Lac Leman.  Needless to say we made quite the "un Swiss" scene off of the Bebe Plage.  After that, everyone headed into Old Town to celebrate Fete de l'Escalade.  There was a huge procession and reenactment of the fall of the Savoyards to the Genevois, complete with costumes, fire and lots of vin chaud and lanterns.  We then proceeded to make our last visit to Parc de Bastions before finding our way home.  After getting back to Rue Muzy, half the house compiled all the remaining food everyone had and made a huge and delicious feast.  We had stir fry, pasta galore and cookies to somehow try and consume by the end of the night.  Bottles of wine were passed around and everyone was at ease and enjoying comfortable conversation.  Post dinner, things took a turn for the emotional worse.  Some goodbyes were said and there were hours spent embracing and reminiscing.

Looking back on it all, we all shared endless, unforgettable memories throughout the entire semester.  Pictures tell more than 1000 words and with the amount of photos taken across the semester, novels could be written.  Everyone says it but it is 100% true:  time truly does fly.  As much as you may try and soak in each and every moment and live each day to its fullest, somehow the end will always catch up with you and goodbyes must be said.  For me, one of the hardest things to deal with has been the fact that a lot of these people will realistically be seeing each other in the near future.  One disadvantage of living on the West Coast: not being close in proximity with some of the lifelong friends I have made this semester.  We all have unexplainable shared memories that no one else outside of this program will ever be able to understand and this is an undeniable fact.  It is as if we have a million secrets that even if you share them, people on the outside cannot quite comprehend the sentiments and stories behind them all.  However, in this plain and simple fact lies the sole reason I am reassured throughout this whole "end experience."  These experiences will be relived and retold to the best of their abilities throughout the entirety of my life.  I will never forget the friendships I have made, the lessons I have learned and the memories I have made with the help and guidance of these 46 unique and individual people who have grown into my abroad family.  For that fact alone, I know this semester along with these people will always remain in my heart.

Christmas Time in Europe

 Two weekends ago I was bitten by the Christmas bug.  Mags, Caro and I made the long day trek to Basel (the part of Switzerland that shares a border with both France and Germany) for the opening weekend of their Christmas market!  Our day was filled with food, festivities and fun.  Once we arrived in Basel we had no clue how to best navigate the city and ended up deciding caffeine would assist in our decision making process.  After a delicious cup of coffee, we hopped on what we thought was the correct bus however, we ended up taking a long-winded half hour bus tour of the city.  It was a great chance to see parts of the city we otherwise would not have and the only thing we could do was laugh.  The city was covered in lights and every window was decorated with Christmas displays.  Over the course of the day we wondered in and out of every stall:  from candles to ornaments, to soaps and sweaters these stalls were full to the brim with festive christmas gifts and decorations.  We sampled fresh nougat, indulged in "Sweet Magic" pastries and feasted on sausages and "karteiffien puffer," or deep  fried shredded potatoes dipped in the most delectable garlic sauce.   We wandered around town and attempted to take the official Christmas tour, unfortunately right before we handed our money over the man at the tourist info desk said, "you know this is in German right?"  Game changer right there.  Thank goodness we found out before the tour had started but we were still bummed.  We wandered between the two market squares and wandered around the shops just outside the squares.  We made our way back to the center of town as the sun was setting and found ourselves just inside the Munsterplatz, or town hall.  There was a huge lit Christmas tree and the town's Christmas Wish Book that we all signed with our christmas wishes for the world.  After signing our Christmas wishes, we came back outside and were greeted by little kids running down the street in a "fun run."  As the evening progressed, different heats of different aged kids ran through town in the kick-off weekend run.  We cheered everyone on and enjoyed free tea provided by the local Migros!  Basel is known as one of the biggest and best Christmas markets in Switzerland and the greater parts of Europe and we got to be a part of the 2011 tradition.  After an incredibly festive and all around marvelous day in Basel, Sunday seemed like quite the drag.  I had to dig down deep to find some kind of motivation to work on the two papers I had due last week.  Overall, a productive Sunday leading into week 7 of internships.

Christmas Markets

Basel Festivities 

Hot Chocolate and Christmas Mugs!

During the week, Mags and I hosted another visitor--Andrew aka Chingy...Maggie's friend who graduated from Dartmouth a year ago!  I had heard a lot about him so it was fun finally putting a face to the name.  On Thursday was the big Christmas tree lighting in the town square.  There were several (long winded) speeches given by the mayor and other people involved in designing this years' Christmas lights and main tree decorations.  The tree was illuminated and the festivities really commenced with free Raclette and mulled wine.  I made my way home rather quickly for what ended up turning into a late night of finishing up papers before my Friday departure for Wales!

Friday couldn't have passed more slowly.  I was beyond excited to be on the plane and more importantly in WALES!!  Lauren and I had planned on meeting at the airport a little around 3pm for our 4:30 flight.  We made it in plenty of time and grabbed a coffee and perused the shops before making our way to the gate.  Uncle David picked us up from Bristol, an airport I had yet to fly into before this trip.  It took us another hour or so to get home, but the travel was worth the wait.  Kate, Sarah, Aunt Cath, Nan and Uncle Viv were waiting for us when we arrived and I don't think I will ever forget Nan's shrieking reaction and embrace when I saw her.  We were quickly exchanging stories and munching on appetizers before sitting down to our meal.  Aunt Cath treated us to homemade turkey and mushroom pie and vegetables galore.  I forgot how much I love (and was in desperate need of) homecooked meals.  We feasted until we felt stuffed and ended up spending a quiet night in catching up and sharing stories from the past semester and of recent Blaenavon stories.  


The next morning, after an incredible night's sleep in a plush, double bed Lauren and I woke to an incredible breakfast spread made up of tea and crumpets, cereals, yogurts and fresh fruits!  I indulged again (kind of a theme of the weekend...and the semester) and consumed mass amounts of blueberries and strawberries and of course a bit of everything else.  Uncle Viv met us at the house and shuttled us out to Big Pit--the working mine and UNESCO heritage site in Blaenavon.  I hadn't been down the Pit for probably10 years and it was great to go back.  I definitely could appreciate the content a lot more and actually enjoyed the museum aspect of the visit.  Going down the Pit itself was also incredible especially after hearing more in depth from Uncle Viv about how my great-grandfather and great-uncle had started working down there at the age of 13!  When we came home, Kate was back from work and we decide to head "downtown" to check out the Winter Wonderland going on.  There really wasn't that much to show for but the craft tent had lots of fun trinkets to look at and we showed Lauren the Welsh gift shop Kate works at.  After that quick visit, we headed down to the market town of Abergavenny, which was a lot more lively.  We wandered through the market itself and showed Lauren Abergavenny Castle.  After exploring we decided to go to the Angel Hotel, where my cousin Sarah was married this summer.  Coincidentally enough, another wedding was going on and we were lucky to snag a seat in the bar where we order some of the best tea and scones I have had.  We were serenaded by carolers out in main lobby and that only added to the incredible Christmasy vibes I had been getting for the past week!  We went home to reorganize ourselves before our night out in Cardiff.  It was a rugby match day and Shane Willams' last day so by the time we got into Cardiff, the entire city was smashed.  I don't think I have ever seen Wales in the state I saw it in that night.  We had an amazing Thai meal at "Thai Edge."  I seriously had been craving Thai for the past several months and between our prawn pad thai, beef masama and green curry I was completely satisfied.  We pub hopped for a while after dinner before catching the last train home.  The train was jam packed with rugby fans who continued singing and chanting despite the loss earlier in the day.  I may or may not have par taken in a good old "Oggy Oggy Oggy" chant as well :)  We recounted hilarious bar stories in addition to our delicious meal to Aunt Cath on the drive home from the train station and we were all ready for bed by the time we got back.  

Going down the Pit!

Could we be anymore British?

Kate at Thai Edge about to enjoy our delicious starters

The next morning Aunt Cath prepared the most delicious Welsh Breakfast before we made our way to the airport.  I definitely got emotional saying goodbye to everyone but I am so happy I was able to make it over to Wales for a weekend.  I have come to appreciate and love my Welsh family so much over the years and now that I am older I can definitely appreciate the time we spend together a lot more than I think I ever was able to when I was young.  I don't think we could have had a more special and memorable last travel weekend of abroad and I am so happy I got to share some of my family with Lauren!  

I love my Nan!

Family Loving

Seasons Greetings from Blaenavon

An Overdue Thanksgiving

Thursday marked my first Thanksgiving spent away from the United States and away from my family and closest childhood friends.  The day itself was pretty uneventful.  A few comments shared around the office and at lunch all saying the same thing, "it is so weird we're not home right now...I wonder what float is passing down the parade route...who won the dog show" etc. but it was nice to be in the same position as so many other people.  We all shared family and personal Thanksgiving traditions so the whole essence of Thanksgiving was definitely not lost.  I even managed to stream part of the parade from my office! :)  The real festivities began when everyone returned home from work.  Everyone's spirits were high and getting ready made me feel like I was in high school again--getting ready for homecoming or some other "dress up" event. 

The program took us to the Intercontinental Hotel, a swanky hotel close to the UN, where the American Club of Geneva hosts a traditional Thanksgiving meal for anyone, but particularly American workers and their families living here in Geneva.  We felt super classy showing up dressed to the 9s, checking our coats, and having a photo snapped as we entered the venue.  There was a cocktail hour prior to the meal--I'm not going to lie, it is going to be so bizarre coming home and not being able to enjoy a glass of wine or a drink out on the town with family or friends...definitely have gotten too used to the European lifestyle!  We made our way into the ballroom where dinner was being held and I found myself sandwiched in between Kathleen and Danny. Lauren, Mags, and Caro were at the table along with some others and the night from then on out was filled with good food, people, and laughter.  We feasted on clam chowder, corn bread, turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and an endless table of desserts.  There was even a special line dancing performance--definitely something that has never been part of my traditional Thanksgiving repertoire but hey, this wasn't your typical Thanksgiving to begin with!  Later on in the evening they invited everyone (aka our program) onto the dance floor to learn their moves.  This pretty quickly turned into BU dominating the dance floor, along with an adorable little blonde girl, and before too long I had been spun up and down the dance floor by my nearest and dearest on this side of the Atlantic.  I was able to talk to Mom and Dad on Thanksgiving day which was nice and staying busy all day long kept me from getting too homesick.  It was definitely one of the most memorable Thanksgivings to date and I feel like this year had presented so many things to be thankful for.  

Some of the things I am thankful for:

My friends and family back home

My friends who have become my family here in Geneva

All the opportunities the past 6 months have presented me with--Namibia, European adventures, internships, etc.

Being able to stay healthy and active

All the new relationships I have fostered at school and all the relationships from home I have maintained 

The love and support from all those currently surrounding me in my life.

It is so hard to imagine everything is wrapping up in 2 weeks time.  This semester is definitely something to be included in the "things I am thankful for..." what a life changing and memorable experience this has all been.  So much to be thankful for this year and I am glad to have had the opportunity to begin to reflect on all those things :)

Cousin Bonding like Never Before :)

Last weekend (I know a little late, I'm sorry!) my cousin Kate from Wales came to visit for the weekend! I honestly couldn't stop telling her, "I feel SO spoiled I have gotten to see you 2 times in 3 months!!"  I hadn't seen Kate in 5 years until August of this summer at her sister's wedding so I loved getting a full 48 hours just us two...definitely some major cousin bonding :)  Friday afternoon I got to leave work early to go meet Kate at the airport.  There is nothing better than picking someone else up at the airport, which is something I haven't gotten to do for SUCH a long time!  I brought her back to Rue Muzy to get settled before we, along with Mags and Lauren, had dinner at Chez ma Cuisine.  We feasted on chicken, salad, pommes de terre, and wine before making our way to the "outside bar" for drink before making our way home.  The next day I showed Kate around Geneva in a typical visitor's fashion.  We hit all the major spots, took tons of pictures, and even stopped in this cute cafe for some of the most delicious hot chocolate I think I have ever had!  We lazed about for a while before meeting up with Mags and Lauren and taking the boat over to the other side of the lake.  We had decided to pay a visit to Les Bains des Paquis after a co-worker had highly recommended them.  Little did we know what we had gotten ourselves into...lets just say we all took our friendship/cousin relationship to the next level.  There was a sauna, a hammam, a turkish bath, and a bitterly cold Lake Geneva involved.  I will let you fill in the rest. All in all, a memorable night to say the least--but SO much fun!  We came home, concocted a feast of food and while our intention was to go out dancing, we ended up all cuddling up and watching The Dark Knight!  The next morning we woke up, made the Fair Scones Mom had brought with her and enjoyed a completely lazy morning.  I took Kate to Parc de Bastions, where the outdoor ice rink was just set up!, and some other final "must sees" in Geneva before having an early dinner at Chez Marino.  We chowed down on spaghetti and pizza and reminisced about our perfect, cousin's weekend.  I am very much looking forward to my weekend in Wales (it's next weekend, I cannot believe how quickly time is flying!!) and loved seeing Kate and getting to catch up and spend more time than usual with her!  Definitely a memorable weekend, filled with lots of laughs, delicious food, and cousin bonding.

Chocolat Chaud de Aure

Cousin bonding at its finest

Aventures en France

I can now officially say I have attended a professional hockey match.  Last Friday, a big group of us from the program received tickets from the program to Geneva’s pro-hockey team’s match against the Lakers—ironic huh?  I went out with a group of girls I haven’t previously gone out with before and had an absolute blast!  Even though we were in Switz, I considered us to be “all-American” fans.  We sipped beer, munched on snacks, and obnoxiously cheered on our home team, who came out victorious with a score of 2-1, from the official fan zone!  Now that I consider myself to be an incredible hockey fan, I am planning on dragging everyone at school to a Sharks game.  I feel like that is just something we have to do and check off our Santa Clara bucket list sooner rather than later!  The next night, the girls and I went out for drinks with some of the physicists and engineers they had met at the CERN Halloween party the week before.  We ordered what are called “Beer Towers,” which are 5 litres a tower and are essentially a self serving tap.  They were a really cool concept and a fun way to have drinks and share conversation with some very intelligent and interesting people.  There were a couple of Americans, an Italian, a couple Austrians, and a Spaniard.  Definitely an interesting night to say the least.  I called it an early night seeing as I had an early morning football match the next day!  I played in my first game with the club from Antilly (I think I finally figured out the name of the town and club!) and while we unfortunately lost, I had a blast playing defense the entire second half!  I definitely felt rusty but it was such an incredible feeling being back on the pitch in a competitive game.  I found myself having constant flashbacks to my high school seasons and how I never thought I would play competitively again. Funny how life can surprise you like that :)

After the match--uniform colors look a little familiar... :)

Geneva's biggest hockey fans! 

This past week has flown by and I feel like there’s no slowing down.  With 4 weeks left to go there is SO much to be done and crammed in, but in a way that I can still enjoy.  This weekend, we took a spontaneous day trip to Annecy, France.  It was just our luck that there was a “Festival de Caillon—un jour de couchons” also known as a pig festival!  We ate our way through Annecy:  from fresh out of the oven baguettes, to freshly pressed apple cider, to raspberry jam filled pastries, to some delicious soup with bacon, to lemon and sugar crepes accompanied by dark hot chocolate—I was in food paradise!  We wandered around by the gorgeous lake shore and popped in and out of cute little shops.  Yet another perfect “fall escape”—sunny day, gorgeous scenery, and delicious food…away from Rue Muzy!!  

Fresh, early morning baguette!

Les Couchons!

Flowers in Annecy

Lac d'Annecy

Today, we had another early morning and quickly found ourselves on a bus heading back towards the border.  We crossed into France and caught the first “téléferique” up Mont Salève.  Danny, Mags, Steph, Lauren, and I were skeptical as we ascended into the wall of fog.  Much to our pleasant surprise, the sun was shining full force as we got off the gondola.  With views of Mont Blanc and the surrounding Alps, we couldn’t have been happier.  We even sat in on a Tibetan monk meditating in the monastery that sits on top of the mountain!! What a rejuvenating way to start the week. 

View from the top

Reminded me of Andrew and the science museum in Boston!

Tibetan Monk Meditating 

Everyone keeps avoiding saying the dreaded phrase “we have 4 weeks left,” but this is definitely something we all must confront in the very near future.  All my remaining weekends are planned out and time seems to passing more quickly than ever before.  More so than ever, I am trying to absorb every experience like a sponge.  It is hard to believe that the time has come when saying goodbye to friends and my home for the past 4 months will be here before I know it.  For now, enjoying the simple things and day-to-day routines is more vital than ever.  I am genuinely able to say I am looking forward to the holiday season at home and what I know will be an epic return to the Clara.  But for now, cheers to the last 4 weeks of what has been a life changing and monumental experience in my 20 years of youthful living!

Weekend Bliss Take 2

This is long overdue, I know, but my weeks have been consumed with late nights at work and what seems like continuous exhaustion.  I spend way too many hours a day at my internship looking at a computer screen editing documents, sending emails, and researching documents online.  None of these are completely valid excuses but nonetheless I have had an overdose of screen time these past 3 weeks.

Last weekend was definitely one of my "highlight" weekends from abroad (as was the one before that!).  Friday afternoon, Mom and Paula (one of her best friends and colleagues form work) arrived in Geneva for a long weekend of Swiss adventures.  They had been in Norway for the week meeting with a university and thought since they were on the same continent, they had to come visit...no complaints on my end!!  Friday night after meeting up with them in their hotel, which was conveniently a 3 minute walk away, we caught a train to Nyon where we met up with my Uncle Michael's childhood best friend, Tony, who has been working in Geneva for some time.  Tony took the 3 of us out to his country club for what turned out to be a lovely and relaxing evening.  We feasted on soup and salad, risotto, venison, lamb, and lake fish along with a bottle of smooth, red wine.  Our conversation was very engaging and we ended up finding out Tony had closely worked with the father of a guy I went to school with for years!  The world only continues to get smaller and smaller...overall, a nice relaxing night and we were all so happy we finally got to meet one of Uncle Michael's closest friends.  I hope to see him again and meet his wife before leaving Switzerland.

Swiss Wine Tasting..."It's 5 o'clock somewhere"

That night, I cuddled up with Mom and Paula and we all quickly drifted off after our pleasant evening and delicious meals.  The next morning, we went to my favorite cafe called Celine et Sebastien.  Seeing Mom and Paula try and navigate the French language was quite humorous to say the least.  I ordered them their coffees and sandwiches before running back to change for the day.  The 3 of us explored the Saturday Farmer's market, tasted wine before noon, and munched on freshly cut meats before heading to the train station.  We arrived at the train station and ran into Danny, who was planning on coming on our day trip!  I hadn't seen him at home so wasn't quite sure how we were going to meet up but, as we were buying tickets there he was buying his as well!  He debriefed us on what seemed like a wild night at the CERN Halloween party as we waited for our train.  We all caught up on our 2 hour adventure to Broc-Fabrique, our first stop on what turned out to be an epic day of food consumption and other memories.  We arrived in Broc and quickly found ourselves in front of the Cailler (Nestle) chocolate factory.  We signed up for our tour and had about 20 minutes to wander the shop and movie theater.  We decided to watch whatever these "movies" were and I could hardly contain myself from laughing hysterically.  There were all these commercials, often with sexual undertones, that were made in such an old school style.  You couldn't help but laugh.  Before long, our "Sublim" tour was boarding and we were first in line!  This tour was also slightly laughable, but in the best way possible.  I felt like I was in the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland as we were ushered through various rooms that a) smelled of chocolate b) had animated figurines and c) somehow managed to educate everyone on the history of Cailler and chocolate in general.  The best part by far was the tasting room at the end of the tour.  Danny and I were determined to try every sample and while I'm pretty sure he succeeded, I was too full to make the final tastings.  Instead, we managed to smuggle out several pieces to eat later on in the day.  When we finally had a bag to put the chocolate in, my hands were smeared with melted chocolate.  Of course, instead of wiping them with a napkin or washing them in the bathroom, I licked them clean :)

Train to Gruyeres

SO. Much. Chocolate.

From the chocolate factory, we took our little alpine train back to Gruyeres itself.  We arrived just in time for sunset and it couldn't have been a more spectacular view.  This was a prime example of what many artists evoked in their Swiss landscape paintings--the sublime.  Everything was beyond picturesque and looked like a backdrop had been placed in front of us.  However, everything was totally and 100% real.  Switzerland never ceases to amaze me.  We watched as the sun dropped from one of the castle ruins just at the top of the hill where Gruyeres lies.  From there, we quickly found dinner!  How me managed to eat what we did after the chocolate factory amazes me.  Mom and Paula shared a pot of fondue, Danny ordered a Gruyeres risotto, and I had Raclette!  There was nothing that we ordered that was not delicious.  We couldn't stop commenting on how incredible everything tasted and what a perfect day we had just experienced.  We were all sleepy on the train ride home but were kept entertained by Angry Birds on Paula's phone.  I stayed with Mom and Paula again so we could be up and ready to go for a day of exploring Geneva.

View from Broc, heading to Gruyeres

We grabbed coffee at another cafe because a lot of stores, restaurants, etc. are closed here on Sundays.  Mom and Paula stopped by Rue Muzy and finally were able to meet the girls, who were doing the day trip we had done yesterday, today.  Next, we headed up to Old Town where I gave Mom and Paula my Art History schpiel and showed them the Cathedral, the granary, la maison Tavel, and many of the other sites we visited during my Art History course.  Mom and Paula played on the children's toys in the square where the longest bench in the world sits.  It was absolutely hysterical watching 2 grown women enjoy themselves SO much on 3 various playground toys.  We couldn't stop laughing and don't worry, videos were taken!  After that we visited the Reformation Wall in the Parc de Bastions and made a coffee pitstop at the cafe in the park.  We had such good, open conversation and it felt so natural having them here in Geneva with me.  Next, we made our way to the Botanical gardens, which were just as beautiful as last weekend.  By this time, it was getting late and we made our way back to Eaux-Vives.  Paula left Mom and me to unload all my goodies (Mom really spoiled me with all the treats and clothes she brought over with her!) and have some mother-daughter time.  We then had the most fabulous meal at the Italian restaurant around the corner from my residence.  I had been dying to try their food since we got here and finally, 9 weeks later I did!  It was well worth the wait.  We gorged ourselves on Caprese salad, green salad, and a 4 cheese pizza with parma ham on top!  Then, because of the delicious dessert we saw the man eating next to us, we ordered strawberry sorbet which paired nicely with the warm sables the man who sat next to us offered us.  We had engaged in conversation with him throughout our dining experience and we quickly found out he was the owner of the building I'm living in!  He was so sweet and when we went to pay our bill, he had taken care of it for us!  We couldn't thank him enough and he offered me such kind words from a "father's perspective" and wished me a wonderful rest of my time here in Geneva.  We seriously couldn't have had  a more perfect weekend and I definitely feel recharged after seeing family.  While it was incredibly hard to say goodbye, Mom and Paula coming was just the boost I needed to get me to the end!  While I have never been homesick while I have been here, I definitely was getting to a point where I was starting to truly miss people from home.  I cannot wait to see them both in December, and I know the time from now until then is absolutely going to fly by.

Getting to show people who are such a big part of your life a place where you now call home is such an amazing experience.  This is some place neither of them have been and it was truly an incredible experience letting them into something that I have taken on without any connections to home.  While I often feel like I do not know Geneva that well, it is times like these that I realize I know enough...for now.  I am able to comfortably navigate what 3 months ago was a completely foreign place to me.  And now, I can offer an insider's insight to some of the most spectacular areas of a place I will always be able to call "home."

Weekend Bliss

This past weekend was not only the perfect fall weekend, but also a refreshing and defining “Geneva weekend.”  Starting with an epic Muzy bonding night in the basement and continued at Java, our first Geneva club experience, and ending in the Lavaux vineyards today—this weekend couldn’t have been any better. 

After a completely lazy Saturday, which was much needed after an endless first week at our respective internships, Danny, Steph, Mags, Emma, and I hosted a scrumptious American-style brunch on Saturday morning.  We might as well have called it lunch seeing as we didn’t get started until noon.  Our first course was prepared by Steph and was the most delicious caramelized apple and Brie omelette.  Yum.  Next came the preparation of my contribution—Mom’s famous Blueberry Buckle.  Conversions were tricky and I definitely made up my own crumble recepie but it turned out divine.  The smell filled the kitchen and I felt like I was waking up the morning after Prom or some other high school event where everyone stayed over at our house afterwards.  The smell also made me nostalgic for May Birthdays and other family functions when Buckle and/or coffee cake is essentially a requirement.  While that was in the oven, Mags and Emma concocted delicious French toast on a fresh, French loaf of bread.  We even managed to scrounge up some maple syrup.  Yum again.  Finally the buckle was ready and we literally attacked the pan with our forks.  Community buckle for the win.  We devoured the whole thing, after having planned on sharing “leftovers” with late morning straglers.  So much for that plan!  Yum yet again.  By this time it was nearing 3pm.  Where had the day gone?!  We quickly dressed and met down to continue what will now be referred to as “Learning to Love Geneva Day.” 

Personally, I would reclassify this as a “re-learning” day for me, seeing as I have never doubted this city, but have also had the opportunity to explore a lot of the surrounding area due to art history.  Nonetheless, since the majority of our party (Steph, Mags, and Danny) classified Saturday as the above name, we’ll reference that title from here on out.  After a pit stop at our favorite little café around the corner from Muzy (to pick up coffee, NOT more pastries or other delicious food items that reside in the walls of this café), we hopped on the 8 bus and reached the end of Saturday’s line by Nations.  While we have inhabited Geneva for nearly 2 months now, we all loved playing tourist and snapping the UN flag, emblem, and broken chair pictures as we made our way down to the botanical gardens.  From there, we couldn’t get enough of the changing fall leaves that were everywhere to be seen.  We kicked, threw, and crunched our way all the way to the various green houses (note to self:  do not attempt to take pictures in the tropical fruit/climate green house…also, you will not last more than 2 minutes in that place, get out while you can!) and an “artery” park that is home to a party carousel and various exotic birds and foreign animals.  While we were looking/talking to a young fawn, the cutest grandparent couple approached with their blond haired granddaughter, who of course had the most adorable jacket and pink bow in her hair.  All in French of course, the grandmother described to her granddaughter why the fawn’s nose quiverd and why his ears perked up so quickly.  Definitely a touching moment that made me wish I was with my grandparents or had a little munchkin with me to explain the “little things” to about animals.  Adorable moment to add to the day.  By this point we were starting to fade and so was the sun.  We made our way across the stree to our final destination of the Garden Observatory down by the lake.  We “ooed” and “ahhhed” at the red and golden ivy-clad manor that overlooked the lake.  After  snapping what was probably our 100^th picture of the changing colored leaves, we finally made our way back to central Geneva where we picked up some apple juice that would quickly be heated up upon return to Muzy, poured in mugs, and carried down to the lake and sipped on as we watched another incredible sunset over the Jura mountains and Lac Leman.  When we were thinking our night couldn’t get much better, we came home and watched Crazy Stupid Love as a nightcap.  While this time we weren’t “oohing” and “ahhing” over the beautiful, Fall leaves we all definitely “oohed” and “ahhed” over Ryan Gosling!  The movie was entertaining and the perfect way to end a perfect, Autumn Saturday. 

Sunday was yet another magical day in Switzerland.  We had an early morning that started off with a brisk walk to the train station followed by an hour train ride into the Vaud region, more specifically the Lavaux vineyard region.  We had been told to prepare for  a 20-30 minute walk to the Daley vineyard after disembarking the train but let me tell you—none of us were prepared for the hike UPHILL that seemed like we were climbing Everest.  The vineyards of Lavaux have been there since the 13^th Century and literally cover any and all ground in the surrounding area, regardless of how steep they are.  We definitely experienced this first hand.  However, none of us were complaining when we were greeted by Jean-Christophe Piccard, our host and resident winemaker, and his adorable dog Dartagnan.  We wandered the vineyards as JC made final preparations for our tasting.  After a tour of , we were all cozied up in the cellar area of JC’s home where we sat on wooden stools around three wooden tables.  In total throughout the day, we sampled 6 varieties of wine all from the Piccard vineyards—a vineyard that is currently in its 4^th Generation within the family.  Our sampling menu in order of consumption:

(1) Unfiltered, 3 week old Chasselas--for the upcoming line of production

(2) 2010 Lavaux Grand Cru, Dalley Villette, Chasselas

(3) 2009 Charmillon - Pinot Noir, Gamay and Garanoir blend

(4) 2009 Alunisense Plant-Robert

(5) 2009 Trait D'Union

(6) Fantasie d'Automne

We were all feel pretty good after these generous "samples" and the snacks were much appreciated!  We all left in the cheeriest moods and in love with the Daley vineyards.  To bring an end to our day, we spent an hour and a half walking along the lake back to Lausanne where we boarded the train back to Geneva.  All in all, this has been one of the most laid back, cultural, and best all around weekends abroad.  Getting to spend time with the majority of our group and enjoying the incredibly lucky fall weather we have been enjoying was priceless.  Everyone bonded on a whole other level and conversations were had with people I haven't gotten the chance to have "real talks" with.  Definitely a win of a weekend, and the wine wasn't half bad either :)