Switzerland

 5/14/22

This morning was travel day to Switzerland. I went with the choir to the airport, but boarded a different flight. It was a seamless flight and I got to see Sam again after three years. I was so excited to get away from cities and see more of nature, especially the nature of Switzerland. He picked me up in a van that he converted into a camper. It had 9 seats, a kitchen, drawers for pots, electrical units, and a pull out bed. It was so cool to see how he had completely renovated the vehicle. Immediately when I landed, we went to Zürich and met up with Jackie. We walked about nine miles total that day as we saw everything that the city had to offer. I got to see the University where Jackie studies to become an educator. We grabbed a salad from the supermarket at her school and then went up to a park that overlooked the whole city and the river that runs through it. Then we walked down the most expensive street in all of Europe. It was fun to window shop. There was also a demonstration in the street that was about the war in Ukraine. We walked around and found a flee market with many trinkets and clothes. On the way home, Sam and I went grocery shopping for the week and I got to see what a typical Swiss store looks like. Everything was fresh and organic from the local farms. We even got milk straight from the farm! We stopped over at his parents house to say hi, and they invited us over for dinner. He lives two minutes away from them so we walked over. His mom had the most extravagant garden that overlooked their small town with a view in the mountains in the back. We at dinner outside and I felt like I was looking at a photoshopped image. It was stunning, and they live there everyday! I got to eat a homemade Swiss meal and it was delicious. His mom is also a music teacher and so we bonded over all the instruments that she had in her house. It was a special moment for me bonding over my passion with someone from a different country! We went to Sam’s apartment and it was also impressive to me. You could see the mountains and the whole wall was window! It was bright and scenic. He let me have his room to myself, and I went to sleep almost immediately after such a long day. 

5/15/22

This morning, we woke up pretty early to go hiking during the best part of the day. We picked up Melanie on our way to the Mountain. It was such a good reunion with those two, Sam and Melanie. They were two of my dearest friends from Up with People. We all sat in the front seat of Sam’s camper van and reminisced together as we drove. We listened to call songs and talked about people that we missed. Once we got to the hiking trail, we had lunch that we packed. On the hike,  it was about four miles long and it took us two hours. From the top, you could see the Swiss alps for miles and miles. The weather was absolutely perfect. It was sunny but not too hot. We ate ice cream while we were admiring the view of the lake, the mountain, and the city of Lucerne. Then we hiked all the way down, and went to explore Lucerne.  It was a 20 minute drive around the lake with mountains. It was absolutely stunning, and I was freaking out the whole time. Then, Melanie showed us her school and her favorite spots. Then Sam and I drove back to his house and we made dinner. As I took off my shoes, I noticed that I had a major allergic reaction to something because there were hives all over my feet. Then I started feeling sinus and ear pressure. My nose was running and I was sneezing a lot. We looked up my symptoms and realized that I had Hay Fever. I am not allergic to anything in the U.S. but I definitely am allergic to the forest here. And of course, we will be in nature the entire time I am here!

5/16/22

This morning I woke up, and my allergies were still very irritating, so we went to Sam’s parents house, and his mom gave me some Swiss allergy medicine. It helped a little bit, but it was still brutal. During the day, the first thing that we did was tour an old city called Stein am Rhein. The buildings in this town were built in the 1300s and they were beautiful! There was a river around the town and the buildings were built right around it, and it honestly looked fake. I couldn’t believe how picturesque it looked. After that, we went to the Rhein falls which is close to the boarder of Germany. It was the biggest, most powerful waterfall I had ever seen! There used to be a glacier there, and that’s where all the water flows from. We walked around it and took some cool pictures. On the way home, Sam wanted to show my Winterthur. This town is right next to his hometown of Elgg. In it was his hairdresser. She traveled in Up with People in 1992 and was the reason that Sam traveled as well. She was so excited to see us and to meet another Uppie. We all knew Walter, so we sent a selfie to him and he was excited. Those types of connections are so valuable to me. I was in a small town in Switzerland with so many small connections. It was crazy! After that, Sam and I went on a small hike in Elgg where we could see all the Swiss Alps as well as his entire town from the top. It was gorgeous. However, the hike up was extremely steep and my allergies were killing me! Hahah! Once I got up to the top it was worth it. Another full day exploring this amazing country, and tomorrow I am off to Belgium. 

5/17/22

Travel Day to Belgium was a rough travel day for me yet again… Sam dropped me off at the airport in the morning. Then, my first flight was delayed and so I was worried that I would miss my connecting flight! The flight attendant reassured me that I would make it in time, so then I relaxed. Once we landed in Amsterdam, I was informed that my second flight to Belgium was CANCELLED!

See Juliette…