Well, so it has always been a dream of mine to go to Switzerland - mostly for the majestic Alps and lovely lakes, which look so awesome in photos. So hence why I chose to go with my friend Maria Theresa to Lausanne, a town on Lake Geneva in the French-speaking portion of Switzerland, this weekend. There we would be staying with one of her friends and fellow Georgetown-er Anna Marie.
I was not disappointed. Friday afternoon (after an excruciatingly easy test at the Institut), I headed straight to the train station and took the long, 2 1/2 hour train to Paris, where I had 3 hours before my connection to Geneva. I spent this time walking around seeing the sights I hadn't seen on my previous trip to Paris - Jardin du Luxembourg, Ile de Saint-Louis, Place des Vosges, and a bit of the Le Marais neighborhood (including a nice church named Saint-Paul). It was a nice walk - I was happy to see Paris again - but I am too eager to go back. It's not my scene, I guess? Too many people, too many tourists, too stressful, too many crazy drivers, too much everything.
Boy was it different in Switzerland - after a 3 1/2 train ride, I barely made my tight connection in Geneva (just across the border) and met MT and Anna 30 minutes later in Lausanne. After grabbing a quick bite to eat (6 francs was the cheapest thing in town), we walked around a bit and saw a bit of the night scene - saw some cool bars (but didn't really go in) and finally settled at a place for a quick drink before we caught the midnight train to the nearby town of Lutry, where Anna lived.
Switzerland is calm and welcoming - a great feeling and contrary to Paris. Walking through the quiet vineyards in Lutry, we finally made it to the Christiansen residence - an incredible house with an amazing balcony view and a complete furnished "basement" which used to be a wine cave for the previous owner. What a great place - and Anna's parents were lovely and incredible hospitable as well.
After eating a bit more, we headed to bed - I was planning to hike the next day!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment