Interlaken

I have been completely horrible about blogging in the last few months, but I’m going to try and catch up with my posts before I leave for my weeklong trip to Sweden, Norway, and Denmark (SO EXCITED)!!  Things have been going really well, and I’ll write a separate post to fill you guys in on my life in Geneva.

Ok, post number one…

At the end of May, I went to Interlaken, Switzerland with the local Au Pair group called LINK. It was formed by an ex-pat American couple, and provides a great resource for meeting other Au Pairs in the area, and information about events etc. The group meets bimonthly, and goes on about four trips a year. For most of the girls it was their last trip with LINK, but we were all really anxious to see what Interlaken and our ‘extreme sports’ would have in store for us.

LINK Before Hike

Since it was easier and cheaper than the train, we took a charter bus to Interlaken, and arrived at the Funny Farm Hostel in the morning. It used to be a grand hotel but now offers some pretty nice hostel rooms for its patients, er uh… guests. Ours even had a huge terrace that gave us a wonderful view of a snow covered peak. I met a girl on the bus named Katie, and we became quick friends and roommates. The three of us, Shayna included, explored the town before our afternoon paragliding adventure. Because it’s in the German speaking area of Swtiz, it has a completely different feel than Geneva. There were chalets everywhere, with dark wooden walls that boasted intricate woodcarvings, old sleds and cow bells, and German writing. The sky was covered with paragliders everywhere you looked. I found out on a recent trip that Interlaken is actually one of the best places in the world to jump, so I guess that explains why. We also went to the grocery store to pick up some food for dinner and lunch the next day. In Switz, because everything is so expensive (a Starbucks latte around 7 bucks to give you some perspective), our meals while traveling usually mean PB&J….yay.

Chalet

Shayna and Emer

When it came time to go paragliding, we met up at Balmer’s Hostel and took a van ride on a windy road to the top of a mountain side. It was the most amazing view of the town, lake, and surrounding mountains. There were eight of us going and they had us go in two groups of four. Shayna went in the first group, and I have a video of her take-off on my Facebook for those of you who want to see what it’s like. Basically you run off a hillside until the sail catches wind and suddenly you’re flying!! It really wasn’t scary at all, you’re strapped to a guide and the parasail (or whatever it’s called) is already open so you don’t have to worry about it failing. We had perfect weather that day, which meant that we were in the air for about 15 minutes and could ride the thermal air ‘tornados.’ My guide offered to have us do corkscrews and these side swinging things, the latter made me feel sick though. I have a video of my takeoff and some air time. I’m sorry for the awkward dialogue (my guide was so awkward when we first met, which made me feel awkward, and led to me feeling awkward hanging out midair with him in silence…so ya...awkward).

Yay Paragliding!

Before Take-off

(Video doesn't want to upload right now, so I'll try again later)

After a somewhat bumpy landing, we grabbed some dinner and went to Balmer’s Club Metro for the night. It was so much fun!!  In the morning the group met up and we took a gondola up to Lauterbrunner. The view was just out of the Sound of Music, exactly what I pictured Switzerland to look like. Weathered chalets, cow bells ringing, and wildflowers. From there we started on a 10 mile hike back down to the village, which took a few hours. We passed farms, streams, and waterfalls along the way, it was absolutely gorgeous. Thankful to rest our feet, we left in the evening on our bus back to Geneva. I really enjoyed staying in Interlaken, even ended up visiting again with my brother in July.

Emer, Shayna, and Katie

Wildflowers

Shayna, Katie, and Emer During Picnic Lunch

 ~ Emer

Easter and Annecy

The day before Easter was my 23^rd birthday. My host family took me to Annecy, which is about an hour away in France. Although the city is large, it has the feel of a small village. Annecy is known as the ‘Venice of France’ due to the river that flows through it. Houses and buildings boarder the river, with entrances only to be reached by boat. There is an old jail in the middle of the river, kind of like a medieval Alcatraz, although the peaceful river would be a lot easier to escape from than the water in the bay...

The Jail

The family and I walked around and explored the different streets and shops.  We had lunch at a café, and I saw my first plate of frog legs, which my host dad eagerly consumed. We walked to a large park that surrounds the crystal clear lake, both overlooked by a beautiful mountain.  I found a music shop with a relatively nice guitar on sale, which I bought (Happy Bday Me!!).  We had dinner at a pizzeria back in Geneva and tiramisu birthday cake!  

The River

Lac d'Annecy

Frog Legs

This year my birthday fell in the middle of the Easter holiday, which takes up more than just a Sunday here. Before the entire city shutdown for the weekend, the stores and shops were busy with Swiss loading up on chocolate bunnies, eggs, truffles, pastries, and lilies. When I asked my host mom what the plans were for Easter, she said to stuff ourselves with chocolate- unsurprising because the average Swiss person eats 2x more chocolate than the average American! Hard to believe I know...In preparation for Easter, the boys and I dyed hardboiled eggs, and decorated them with crayons and paint. A little tradition of the family is to hide the dyed eggs in the yard, and in the night the Easter bunny will trade the chicken eggs for chocolate ones. We had a big dinner at the house, and Shayna was able to come. I was very thankful to have a friend help me celebrate my first holiday away from home.

Walls of Chocolate Bunnies

Biscuit Shop in Annecy

So I realize that this post is a little delayed, but hey, better late than never. I’ll try and get better about posting regularly, which will come easier as I travel more.  My next trip is to Interlaken, Switzerland with the Au Pair group that meets near Geneva.  Shayna and I are going paragliding (EEeee!!), and on hikes with the group. I’m so excited to see more of the Swiss countryside! I’ve also started my French lessons, which are two times a week for two hours each class. It’s taught in Immersion format, which means all French, and very little English. I’m finding that there are a lot of cognates between French and English, but learning French is a lot harder than I had anticipated. I’m definitely liking understanding more though-gotta learn how to ask people to speak more slowly…

~Emer 

Paris

Notre Dame

For my first major trip, I took a train from Geneva to Paris, which is only about a three hour ride on a high speed train. My travel companion rode a later train, and we stayed with my best friend's brother and his girlfriend in their apartment. 

After taking the screechy metro to their home and dropping off my stuff, we started a quick tour of Paris. At the Louvre, we saw the Mona Lisa and explored the different wings. I could easily see myself spending days there, just the architecture of the building was amazing. We walked along a bridge that had railings covered with padlocks, said to ‘lock up the love’ of the couples who placed them there. It was a popular spot for the locals, who drank wine and snacked on cheese and bread. So French : )

Gardens at Versailles

Saturday started with pain chocolat, a chocolate filled croissant, and a train ride to Versailles. Building began in 1687 and continued on for many years, especially under the guidance of King Louis XIV and Marie-Antoinette (until their assassination that is). It’s a massive property, with an elaborate château, and acres of gardens, fountains, and ponds. We were lucky to have arrived on a day where the fountains were turned on. We sat on the grass and watched the fountain/ music shows, and later enjoyed a picnic by the lake. Dinner was found at an Italian Pizzeria, after a few hours of shopping and the purchase of my mini tower keepsake.

Light Show

Every night on the hour, the Eiffel Tower lights up like a Christmas tree and at the risk of sounding cheesy, it was magical. We sat in the park just next to the tower, sipping champagne, and gazing in awe until after the last show, at which point we wandered home.

Because Versailles took up the majority of that Saturday, we had a lot to see before our evening train back to Geneva. We grabbed breakfast at a bakery and headed to the tower, where we were met with tour buses, crowds, and men bombarding us with offers of Eiffel Tower trinkets. The lines to get to the top of the tower were long due construction on one leg, and the breakdown of the elevator in another. We also didn’t get to go to the very top because of problems with that elevator, but oh well, it was worth the wait. Reaching the top was an incredible feeling, and with it came a check mark on my bucket list.

View from the Tower

We also saw the Arch de Triumph, Champs-Élysées, Notre Dame, and the Luxor Obelisk, ending with a daytime visit to the Louvre. There I took my first shameless tacky tourist photo (see below haha).  

Louvre

Louvre

The trip home wasn’t as easy as the way to Paris. The station was in complete chaos, no platforms were posted for departure, and no trains seemed to be moving. As our departure time came around and no platform was listed I got pretty nervous. Not knowing the language/ what’s going on was so stressful. But, after a while, a few trains were listed and their passengers tried to move through the mob of people, including us. We were bottlenecked in a corridor when security yelled out something about Geneva, and people scattered throughout the crowd yelled and waved their tickets. This happened a few times until I realized that they were trying to get the crowd to let the passengers of our train through. Well, eventually I made it to my train and it departed over an hour late. I later found out that the delay at the Gare de Lyon was due to protesters on the tracks, taking advantage of a peak travel time, to draw to most attention. Ugh.

I hope to make it back to Paris for New Years, when my sister will hopefully get to visit. :)

~Emer

Week-Aversary

 I can't believe I have been in Switzerland for a week now. My jet lag is finally starting to fade, and I'm beginning to feel more comfortable with my surroundings, the family, the job, and getting around Anières and Geneva. The girl I am replacing, Brittany, has been a great help to me, showing me the tricks of the trade, and some of her favorite spots downtown. I still feel as though I am living in a movie, it's hard to believe I've actually achieved my dream of living in Europe...

I love the area that I am living in, it's close to downtown and yet you feel as though you are in the countryside. There are fields of grape vines directly behind the house, and a panoramic view of the lake from the front. Two mountain ranges parallel the lake, so similar to the Cascades and Olympics from home. A girl could get used to this.

Brittany and I

So far I've been able to see the Jet d'Eau, the large water feature at the south end of the lake. We walked the stairs of the towers at Saint Pierre Cathedral, to catch the view from the highest point in Geneva. Calvin's chair can also be seen there. On Saturday we took the train to Versoix for the Chocolate Festival. There were Easter bunnies that cost 140 CF, and truffles the size of your head. They had live music and chocolate samples, which made for a fun trip :) After the festival, we went to Nyon for Brittany's going away dinner, and to a British pub for the night. They had a Canadian band playing old hits, it was really fun!

Chocolate Festival

Jet d'Eau

My first trip will be to Pairs a few weeks from now. I'm so excited to see the city of lights. :)

Emer

So I guess I'm a Blogger?

With my departure date quickly approaching, I felt the need to start more preparations for my move. For those of you that still haven't heard, I'm moving to Geneva, Switzerland to be an Au Pair. I'll be gone for 14 months, working for a wonderful Swiss family with two little boys. On my off days I'm hoping to see as much of Europe as I can!!