European Adventures

Finally back from my two-week adventure to Germany and Switzerland (and Liechtenstein)! It was just what the doctor ordered, so to speak, and I had a wonderful literal and figurative taste of life in central Europe. I stayed in six cities, visiting friends and family, meeting new people, practicing my German, and investigating local culture. Naturally, I heartily recommend everyone to go to the region, unless of course you happen to be allergic to mountains, fresh air, cow bells, quaint lakeside towns, amazing architecture... or spending exorbitant amounts of money.

Actually, I was quite lucky to be staying with friends and family, often eating in instead of out. Aside from the fantastic company and personal tour guides, I was able to get the inside scoop on what to see without spending tons of money. They say that Geneva and Zurich are two of the six most expensive cities in the world, and Switzerland is notorious for its high expense (although high quality) standard of living.

But more on that later! As you all know, I tend to be a bit long winded with my blogging. To help counteract the epic length of two weeks of narration, I have decided to present my Germany/Switzerland trip as a series of comparative anecdotes rather than a continuous chronological narrative. Yes, this means that some of the details will be left out... but take it as a sign that you should come for a visit yourself.

Never fear, however, I understand that some of you would still like an overview. Thus, here is a cliff-notes version of my two weeks of travel. Details to follow.

29 Aug: After an all night journey, I arrived in Regensburg, Germany. Meeting my Oxford friend, Madeleine, we toured around the city for two days, visiting the sights and even taking a boat tour on the Danube. I had the benefit of staying with her family, who cooked fantastic savory Bavarian dishes and encouraged me to try Bavarian Klosterbrau ('monastery-brew').

31 Aug: Hopping on the train, I settled in for a nine-hour journey to Geneva. There, I met my Aunt Carolyn from the US and a close friend of hers. The first day was spent wandering around the windy city, looking through fresh open air markets, tasting local cuisine, and investigating old town. On the second day, our successful (ambitious) plan was to find the UN, travel out to CERN, and then return to town for a bit of afternoon sailing on Lac Lamer.

3 Sep: Parting from Aunt Carolyn's friend, we hopped on the Golden Pass Panoramic train en route into the Alps. Five hours later, we arrived in cloudy Wengen, perched 700 m above the valley floor. While our expedition on the following day began with elusive cloud-enshrouded glimpses of distant peaks, the mid-day sun opened up a broad blue sky - and the most incredible vistas - for our afternoon of hiking. Thanks to the return of some clouds before we returned to our hotel, we were not able to take advantage of our hotel balcony view until sunrise the following morning, when the Alpine peaks waved a majestic farewell.

5 Sep: Taking a scenic route back to civilization, I finally parted company with my aunt in Bern. She headed back to Geneva to rejoin her friend, while I continued east to my next destination, Zurich. Now staying with Justin, a friend from NC State and studying at ETH Zurich, I took excursions to Liechtenstein and Lucerne, and wandered around the city on my own. A highlight was discussing NC State as compared to ETH Zurich and Oxford from a tower overlooking the suburbs at sunset.. and taking the cool Seilbahn up and down a hill.

8 Sep: I bid farewell to Switzerland by barely crossing the border into Constance, Germany. Pippa, a friend from the Oxford dance team, let me crash at her new apartment while she continued to settle into the town herself. The weather was the best it had been all trip, so I happily wandered around the harbor and up the Rhein, clicking pictures of the boats in the blue water while soaking up the warm sunshine. I also got to go swimming in the Bodensee (Lake Constance)... perhaps my only chance in 2012 to go for a swim! I also bought a book... out of which I have read 2 pages in 2 hours. It's a long term project.

11 Sep: On the penultimate day of my trip, I relocated to Munich. In the afternoon, I traversed the busy city before meeting up with another Oxford friend, Sebastian, for dinner. Although I realized that there was way too much to take in in my limited time (thus requiring a future return trip), I checked out two very different sites on my last day: Dachau and BMW world. The pouring rain and chilly temps which I had evaded all trip had finally caught up with me, seemingly with the purpose of sending me back to autumnal England.

With that, I thus end this overview. Hopefully between this, the perhaps $60 of postcards, and the ensuing anecdotes, you will all have a pleasant glimpse into the amazing trip from which I have just returned.