Switzerland Study Abroad

WOW! Never did I imagine Switzerland to be this beautiful. This past weekend three friends from the program and rented a care and took a road trip through Switzerland! It was absolutely perfect from the weather, the views, the driving, and the food. We started off going to Bern which is the capital and that was very pretty with a river and bridges and some older type architecture and cobblestone roads. Then we went to Lucerne to do what we thought was going to be a gondola ride up to Mnt. Rigi. BUT the lift was closed and then we found a train we could take up but that was just as expensive, nearly 50CHF to get up! So, we decided to just hike up! Oh boy, it took us over 4 hours to get up there but it was 100% worth it! There were amazing views of the Alps and a whole little city on the top with restaurants, souvenir shops and hotels. The next day we drove to Interlaken and used instagram to give us some idea on places to go and pictures to take. There was this really pretty shore line we went to called Oberried, Bern, Switzerland but it was in Interlaken! Then we went a little ways to Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen to see some waterfalls! Then we stopped at Neuhaus to have a picnic lunch near the lakes and finished the night up at Blausee which is a national park but totally underrated! It was so beautiful and the only place that costs us any money which was only 3CHF to get in! We ended up calling our trip a day short because out Airbnb was actually a fraud so we had no place to stay the last night! But we worked it out and chose to go back to Geneva and stay at Les Berge to do a day trip near by for last day. We chose to go to Montreux and it was sooo relaxing and peaceful. All locals there and simply breathtaking! I would highly recommend going there for a quiet day of just walking along Lac Leman and enjoying the mountains in the distance. The whole trip was nothing short of amazing and was surprisingly affordable! For the four days we spent about $40 on gas each, about $55 for the car and a couple francs here and there for parking too! And for food most days we would go to grocery stores or little markets to pick up foods to have a picnic beside the lakes.

This weekend was spent in Vienna!! My travel buddy, Julia, and I had planned this trip a month or so early so we found super cheap easyjet flights and an Airbnb, It was also pretty inexpensive there as compared to here in Genva which was very nice. Most castles and museums were less than 10 euros and meals were about the same too. Lately, staying in Airbnbs, we have been stopping at grocery stores the night we arrive to pick up some fruit and breakfast which saves some time and money! The grocery store, Billa, in Vienna were soooo great! They reminded me of home, they have such a great selection and so many brands than the Migros or Denner here in Geneva.

The first night we had a bit of a late start figuring out the transportation from the ariport to our Airbnb and what public transportation ticket we were going to need for the weekend. Luckily, the information desks are always super nice and ready to help! After we got that all squared away we realized we barley had anything planned for what we wanted to do or see in Vienna so after some searching on VisitACity and TripAdvisor we found the amusement park in Parate. It was really nice there and definitely worth going on a couple rides. It was great because you only had to pay as you go so we got to pick and choose which rides we wanted to go on. Each ride was about 2-5 euro, so not bad. There was also indoor skydiving which if I hadn't already done I would have taken advantage of for sure.

The next day we just walked around the city and came across many outdoor market that had sooo many delicious foods. We also did a walking tour and finished the night at Hotel Sacher which is famous for this cake who's recipe is kept within lock and key in only two restaurants, both in Vienna! We learned that we could have gone to see the opera in standing room only for just 4 euro! Or go see the horses training for about 13 euro! If we would have known earlier we would have totally done that.

The last day we rented a car to the green sea!! OMG totally recommend and the best way to do it is by renting a car for sure. The views were unreal and it was so great to get out of a city and enjoy nature. After a few hours hiking and picnicking in the mountains we spontaneously chose to take the car to Salzburg!! Again, totally worth it and so much run. Just the car ride there alone was amazing -watching the sunset in between the mountains and getting a glimpse of the country side in Austria. If we had more time we would have loved to see Salzburg during the day but at night was just as perfect!

Boy oh boy do I have so much to write about! Last week was spring break aka the best 10 days of my life! Me and two girls traveled to five different countries without any set backs or hiccups. We started with London, England then flew to Dublin, Ireland next was Copenhagen, Denmark then we spontaneously took a train to Malmo, Sweden, and finished up going to three cites in Belgium (Brussels, Ghent, and Brugge). I'll summarize what we did in each place:

London- of course we did the "hop-on-hop-off" big red bus sightseeing tour! Totally worth the money! We saw all the major sights: Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Big Ben (under construction for the next few years), Buckingham Palace, The London Eye, the Abbey, and more. We also went to Greenwhich, England which is where the Royal Observatory is and where the Prime Meridian cuts through! The first day was rainy as per usual in London so we mostly stayed on the bus and got a feel for the city so the next day we got to narrow down what we wanted to actually spend time seeing and taking pictures of.

Dublin- at first glance looks like any other city but once you venture out you get to see more of the locals, hear the live music, and experience a true Irish pub! The atmosphere was so cool and you really get a good sense of the culture in Ireland. We did a free walking tour of Dublin the first day (the best way to learn about the city, the monuments and history of important place and people) and the last day we went to the Cliffs of Moher! Highly, highly recommend! It was amazingly breath taking. No words can describe how at peace I felt being there. It was worth every euro and is a must see!

Copenhagen- this was our quickest stop! Only there one full day but it was just enough. There was not a whole lot to see but what there was to see was really pretty. We also did a walking tour which was a great use of the short time because we learned so much. That night we decided to take a quick and cheap train ride ($25 round trip) to Malmo to check another country off our lists! That was also worth it and again you didn't need a lot of time there. Plus both places are very very expensive. Unlike Dublin which was relatively cheap.

Belgium- this was our longest stay out of the whole trip. Which was really nice because it had the best weather too. OMG and food! We each had about 7 waffles each and were only there 4 days ... yikes ... so worth it though. Hahaha, since we had so much time we chose to venture out and see more of Belgium so one day we went hit both Ghent and Brugge and tried to do the walking tours there but we cut the time to close and just ended up walking around, exploring ourselves and eating breakfast/lunch in a new city. In Brussels we got to do two tours one of the city center and the other about the EU. Both we fantastic and super informative!

So for now its back to reality and the first day of new classes is tomorrow ... but I already have Vienna coming up this weekend!

I know I have said this a lot but this past weekend was the best trip yet! Julia and I went to Barcelona, Spain right when the first snow fall rolled in to Geneva! Wednesday night was the first time the snow stuck and classes were cancelled! We were all so confused that a city in the middle of the Alps can't handle a little snow! I mean public transit was shut down, the airport, grocery stores, and schools. So many flights were cancelled but luckily ours was just delayed an hour. Although this was one of the shorter trips we've done, Thursday night to Saturday night, it was the most smooth trip and accomplished the most! We used the "Visit a City" app which gave a 7 day packed itinerary from Barcelona and we did just about everything in two days!! Its safe to say I was exhausted Sunday and am still recovering. We saw the outdoor market, La Ramblas, we did two free walking tours we found through our hostel we stayed in called the Hipstel, we learned about Gaudi and the history of Bacelona, so many town squares, we also walked to the port of Barcelona where the monument of Christopher Columbus is, went to the magic fountain show, saw the arena of Barcelona, and had some amazing food! Thankfully, we had amazing weather too!

Week 8

And just like that first term in coming to an end. Finals are this week. So crazy ... I have been so busy getting all my work done, planning my trips and figuring out how I'm going to fit everything I wanna do for the second term! I can't believe how fast this term went and I know this second one is only going to go by faster! I haven't wrote in a while so I'm going to rewind to my trip to Amsterdam!

 

First off, the culture shock there was intense! From having more bikes than people, more "coffee shops" than cafes and their red light district- it was really something to see. I learned that although I may not necessarily value the same things they do in their city, there is still so much more to discover but, nonetheless, this is what traveling is about: seeing how other people live, experiencing other cultures and learning about their differences. Thus, we chose to be brave and walk the streets of the red light district and go to the museum of prostitution. It was nothing short of eye opening and brought about many conversations within the group. It was ironic to see the famous cathedral of Amsterdam towering over all the coffee shops and the red light district. We learned from the History of Amsterdam Museum that this is the city of freedom which is known for all their liberties. Coming from the USA we were taken back by how open and free the views of their city are but it was intriguing to learn about. They were the first city to legalize gay marriage and marijuana and prostitution are completely legal, publicized, and even encouraged. It's simply apart of their culture. At first it was hard to wrap our heads around but after putting ourselves in their shoes and really trying to understand their ways of life and how they see the world it was fascinating.  We found that the people here were by far the most accommodating, friendly, and welcoming to us and we felt the most safe here. I guess its true that with more freedom, there is less crime and people are happier!

Aside from all the differences, just like any other touristy city we took advantage of all the attractions and museums there are in Amsterdam which are a lot! The best places we went to were the Ice Bar, Heineken Experience, the A’Dam, and I Amsterdam sign! We also went to just about every museum we found interest in such as the history museum, diamond museum, Van Gogh, the royal palace, and so many more. Thankfully, our Airbnb we stayed at offered us free museum tickets before coming. So we had planned to go to as many as we could throughout our stay! However, we were unfortunately surprised that what our host was offering us were her husband’s and hers citizenship cards! Right away we were confused and new this was wrong. We were told you lie to the museums that were Dutch residents and to memorize their zip code. It was totally inappropriate and was not what were promised after speaking with the host about the museum tickets. Our host completely lied to us and made it seemed like we were getting physical tickets. While this totally threw a wrench in our spokes it was a learning experience and will help us the future. From now on we will be more careful when booking places, have a plan B for our traveling, and expect less so we do not get our hopes up!

All in all, Amsterdam turned out to be a great trip! We had great food, met really nice people, saw some amazing sites, and we learned so much about it’s history and their culture.

Hello hello! Last weekend me and a group of friends stayed in Geneva and were trying to plan a trip to Gruyere's Chocolate & Cheese Factories. Since its pretty expensive to travel within Switzerland and most of us didn't get the "Half-Pass" (you can purchase this pass for ~185USD and you can travel anywhere in Switzerland for half price regular fare. This is only worth it if you plan on going to many cities within the country.) Therefore, we chose to look into renting a van for the day! It turns out we spent a lot more than we should have on the rental but nonetheless it was the cheapest per person option we could find to get us to Gruyere. Since I was one of the few who knows how to drive stick I was the driver (there are automatic options but with a higher price)! It was a little nerve racking to say the least. New signs, different color lanes, french signs, different traffic lights ... But with a good copilot giving me directions we made it safe and sound! It was a great experience to rent a car for the first time and now we are going to start looking in to it more since if you fill the car you can divide up and then if you take it for the weekend you have it with you to go or stop anywhere at anytime! I would definitely recommend looking into it! Also, activate your ISIC card! It gives you discounts on many travel expenses: hotels, FlixBus, Car rentals and more.

We took the rental car to the Cailler Chocolate Factory and for Switzerland it was so worth your money! Only 9 francs which including a tour that ended with sampling about 10 different chocolates! It was a dream come true hahaha. Afterwards we went a little ways down the street to the Gruyere Cheese Factory that was a bit cheaper but only got to try 3 cheeses, which were very good, but the tour was short and not something you must do. However, we did get lunch at the factory- of course cheese fondue! Hahaha, that was very good but also very expensive! On our way back to Geneva we stopped at the Gruyere Castle and if it was a nice day it would have been amazing but since it was a bit snowy and cloudy we couldn't see much from the top. If I could go back I wait for this for Spring 2!

PS You need a credit card to rent a car! I just have a debit card and really only used it once so far when I was running low on Euros while in Italy. Of course I use it for all my online purchases of hostels, Airbnb, and transportation. However, mine is not an international card so I get charged some fees. I would definitely recommend looking into the cheapest option for travel cards because it seems that most people are using credit cards which may charge you less foreign exchange fees.

Another week has flown on by! Midterms for term 1 are already next week and I feel like I'm just settling in! I can't believe the first term is halfway through... Everyone has begun planning their spring break trips and I was thinking about going home since my sister is a flight attendant I would only pay a small fee to get home and I was thinking I would save so much money. However, a few of my friends found an AMAZING deal for spring break! So for ten days, going to four countries (London, Dublin, Copenhagen, and Brussels), and lodging they found it all under $400!! It is honestly a steal, but it is possible. We are mostly flying through Easyjet, but others we found through skyscanner.com Then we are staying in hostels for the most part which we found through hotselworld.com and staying in one Airbnb! If you plan ahead and do your research you can clearly find great deals! It is mind blowing how inexpensive it is to travel here. I thought I'd be saving money by going home and it basically will cost me just as much for one round trip flight than it is to travel across Europe for 10 days!! Who would've known?!?!

This weekend was my first time staying in Geneva! I've been go go go since I got here and haven't stopped moving. It was definitely nice to stay by home and explore the city I'm living in for a change. On Friday, me and few friends went to Mount Saleve, which is actually in France but only about a 10 minute bus ride! At Mount Saleve we did some hiking on the top and got to see gorgeous panoramic views of Geneva! We could almost make out exactly where we live hahaha. Saturday I stayed in to work on a group project for my management class which was so much fun. We had to watch The Devil Wears Prada and make a powerpoint about the management theories and practices that are applicable to the movie. Today, Superbowl Sunday, me and Megan went on a self-guided tour of Geneva and Old Town Geneva. I recently discovered this app "Visit a City" which is sooo helpful. You get to choose a city, how many days you are visiting, what you want to see, how long you want to spend and the app develops one or two itinerary ideas to follow! We got to see almost all of Geneva today such as the Jet d'Eau, the Flower Clock, St. Pierre Cathedral, The Reformation Wall, The Museum of Natural History, and The Russian Church. To end our night, a bunch of people in my program met up in the lounge and we live streamed the game. Everyone brought some snacks and drinks and we ordered Domino's Pizza. It was a well spent weekend; however, I am itching to visit a new city/country this weekend!

Weekend Trip to Italy

Last weekend I spent in Milan and Venice! This was such a quick trip but it was amazing. Milan was awfully touristy but definitely worth seeing for the Duomo and the shopping center. The Duomo is the third largest cathedral in the world and has taken over six centuries to build, we got to see inside as well as climb up to the top and see the sunset. It was an unreal experience watching the sun set on Milan from the top of the Duomo!! After taking the FlixBus from Geneva to Milan, we stayed the night and the next afternoon we took a three hour train ride into Venice. Both rides were so beautiful seeing the mountains, castles on top of hill, winery, and beautiful bodies of water. 

One we got to Venice, it immediately felt like we were in Italy. Everyone speaking Italian, small colorful buildings, stair bridges, pizzerias and gelato shops, small Italian cars, and gorgeous greenery around every building. That night in Venice we did a low budget wine tasting at a local restaurant and just "got lost in Venice." The city is so small you could walk from one side to the other in about an hour; however, there is a lot to do and see. It was the most cultural place we went so far, from the music on the streets, outdoor markets, and the best Italian food it was picturesque. For dinner we went to Resturante Dolfin Pizzeria which I highly recommend for the portions, taste, and price you can't beat it! The following morning we got up early for our gondola ride through the Grand Canal. Thankfully, that day was the best weather we experienced so we got to take such amazing photos on the water and of Saint Mark's Basilica. To wrap up the perfect trip to Italy, me and my friend went on a small shopping spree which consisted of 100% genuine leather made in Italy purses, a poncho, pom pom hats, Murano glass jewelry, and many souvenirs!! It was a weekend well spent, looking forward to another one this weekend!

Week 1 of Classes

My first week of classes was great!! At Webster they have two terms in the spring semester which are 8 week long. Most students, I learned, take 2-4 classes each eight weeks and have an internship. I on the other hand, am just planning on taking two each term plus an online class from SHU. I was originally in two the first eight weeks and three the next eight weeks; however, I decided to drop the french class I was enrolled in because it seemed to be going too fast for me and was a bit overwhelming. It was super easy to switch out of and into another one, the advisers are super supportive and helpful. It's also a plus that you don't have to buy books here at Webster! 

I absolutely loved all the teachers I met so far. It's awesome to have professors from all over the world, hearing their stories, and being taught by someone who has such a different prospective on the world than I am used to. My first class I'm in is philosophy which I was nervous to take because I've heard it so difficult; however, I have already fell in love with it. It also helps that my professor is super talkative, laid back, and personable- he makes the class so much fun! The next class I am taking is intro to management and this professor is just as great. The classes and professors are so comparable to SHU that I don't even feel like I'm at another school.