En Suisse

After an amazing long week of winter break I am back from vacation and in the swing of classes yet again. Here's a little re-cap of my past week's adventures...

The first stop on the way to Zermatt was Geneva, Switzerland where we stayed one night in a hostel. We unfortunately arrived a bit too late to tour the UN but we walked around the perimeter and witnessed a big strike going on outside for peace in Iran. In scouting out for a good place to eat dinner, we quickly realized that Geneva is an extremely expensive city and the cheapest meal we could find were burgers for $14 Swiss Francs (approx $12.50). Although Geneva was a really pretty city but we were glad to leave because we could see our money quickly disappearing...

Several train rides later, the next day we arrived in Zermatt! Our last train was called the Matterhorn Express and had huge glass windows making for an incredible ascent up into the Alps. It was lightly snowing and everything was like a beautiful winter wonderland. It didn't take me long to fall in love with the mountains...We stayed that night with our first couch surfing couple and right when we walked in the door we knew it was going to be a great stay. Claudia is Swiss and she lives with her Italian boyfriend Marco and their cat Mia. They let us stay in their spare room and provided us with bedding and Claudia even graciously let me borrow her snowboard. We were prepared to heat up some soup we'd bought for dinner but upon arrival they immediately ushered us into the kitchen and served us this fantastic Italian feast that Marco had cooked. At the train station in Visp about to head to Zermatt.

The lovely Chalet Arnica we stayed in the first two nights...

The next day it was a beautiful sunny day so we set off for the slopes. I had never snowboarded but through trial and error and help from my friend Maddie, I started to get the hang of it faster than I thought I would. Snowboarding is not very popular in Switzerland so I felt a bit silly falling all over the place, especially since even the young kids seem to be expert skiers. They grow up on skis so even kids who were probably half my height were tearing up the mountain! It was a bit intimidating...Regardless I was having a great time until I took one particularly big fall backwards onto my wrist. I knew right away that I'd probably seriously hurt it since I couldn't move my fingers, so as fast as I could I took my board off and walked down the rest of the slope...

Finding someone who spoke English and could help us find the medical center on the mountain was the next challenge. The trails in Switzerland are not clearly marked and there are no ski patrols like in the US, so we were relieved when a ski instructor who spoke English led us to where we needed to go. The doctor on duty was very nice but spoke only German and was rattling off sentence after sentence to us seemingly assuming we knew what he was talking about. It was quite comedic...He managed to get the words "broken" and "another doctor" through to us, so after he temporarily splinted my arm, we were off to the next doctor in town who fortunately spoke English. The doctor was really efficient and we were probably in and out of there in less than an hour. It turns out I did fracture my wrist but luckily it's only hairline so I only have to be in a brace for a month. It was actually a great experience and I'm glad I got to experience European healthcare. I'd never broken a bone and I figure since I want to go into sports medicine this was a very valuable experience for me.

The next few days we enjoyed vacation in the true sense and spent the time relaxing and being tourists. Zermatt is the cutest town and although I'm bummed I didn't get to experience other winter sports I wanted to try I am so grateful I got a little taste of mountain life. One of the best things had to be apres ski which is when skiers hit the bars at 5pm straight after the mountain closes. People go to the bars in their full ski gear; boots, helmets and all. Everyone is in the greatest mood and watching people dance in ski boots is hilarious...

Matterhorns made of Swiss chocolate!

Since they don't allow cars in Zermatt, if you need transportation these electric taxis take people around. I had to ride one from the mountain to the doctor. An "authentic" Vancouver 2010 Olympic bobsled! The beautiful Matterhorn called Mount Cervino to the locals.

The restaurants on the slopes have incredible views, not to mention some pretty good cheese! The next couch surfing experience was less than ideal as they had us sleeping on the floor, and with my broken wrist that wasn't going well for me, so we ended up leaving Zermatt a day early and exploring two neighboring towns of Tasch and Visp. All the towns in the Alps are so quaint and while Maddie went cross-country skiing I enjoyed exploring around and getting a taste of the local flavor. The last night we spent in Visp in an old convent that's still run by nuns. It was quite an experience, definitely relaxing and we were able to recharge for the next day in which we had to take 5 different trains to get home. It was a great vacation and I really do miss the mountains already. We did a great job at budget traveling and while all our other friends came home from the break completely broke, we're ready to plan our next trip! Couch surfing was really a fun way to make connections with locals and we'll definitely continue to do it throughout our travels in Europe. Speaking of upcoming travels, tomorrow I'm off to London! My dad is there on business and my roomate and I are going to go visit for a long weekend...ahh the life of studying abroad...I wish it could last forever!! Catch ya on the other side of the pond!

Lingering winter

Having grown up in coastal California, I have never really experienced true seasons, nor for that matter really known what they are. While it is much colder in Aix then any winters I have experienced in Santa Cruz or Monterey, I just assumed that with it being mid-Feb we should be about to get a break in the weather. I was wrong...A few days ago, I saw my first snow! Snow is fairly uncommon here so when it happens everyone freaks out. The roads were salted before the first flakes even fell and many of the fountains were shut off. The first flurries started falling while I was in class and when I finished for the day a small winter wonderland had set upon the city.

The snow didn't last long but of course I was jubilant at the site and managed to snap a few

photos...

This first glimpse of snow was a great prep because tomorrow I'm leaving for winter break to the Swiss Alps!

Tomorrow night we stay in Geneva and then it's

off to Zermatt,

Switzerland for a week of snowboarding, cross country skiing, tobogganing, ice skating, and of course some apres ski. It's going to be a fun

exhausting week and I can't wait for it to begin! I'll try to update via my ipod while I'm gone but if not, I'll be back in a week with lots of stories and pictures!

Liquoristerie and Marseille

After a week of relaxing in Aix, I had a semi busy weekend that began with visiting a Liquoristerie about 30 minutes outside of Aix. While they distill and manufacture many different liquors and spirits, their main specialty is the production and distillation of absinthe. Absinthe is a very strong spirit derived from a variety of herbs including basil, thyme and rosemary. Production takes 4-6 weeks and we were able to see the different steps of this process involving the pressing and straining of the herbs to create about a dozen different varieties of absinthe. It's pretty flavorless to drink straight, so a small amount is added to a glass, and then water is poured over a sugar cube creating a pale green looking beverage. With the addition of the sugar and water, the absinthe takes on a strong flavor of black licorice. Below is a photo of the traditional contraption that makes this beverage possible...

On Sunday, four friends and I took a day trip to Marseille, a port town about 30 minutes south of Aix. It's the second largest city in France next to Paris and has a very high population of North African and Arab immigrants and is notoriously known for pickpocketing so our expectations were low. Upon arrival at the bus stop however, we were immediately greeted with a gorgeous mini version of the Arc de Triomphe surrounded by a grassy park. We then meandered the streets and made our way to the Vieux Port (Old Port) which was surrounded by cafes, seafood restaurants and street performers. It was a gorgeous day so we dined outside for lunch enjoying a delicious spread of paella, calamari and provencal shrimp while being serenaded by an accordionist.

We then ventured up to the top of the town where the main attraction the Notre Dame sits overlooking the entire town. Le Mistral was blowing so the warmth of the day vanished but we still enjoyed breathtaking views of the city. As it was Sunday, mast was taking place inside the church and we were able to experience a little piece of the religious environment in Marseille. The painting detail on the inside of the church was incredible and vibrant, much different than the gothic cathedrals of Aix. There were even wooden antique boats hanging from the ceiling everywhere reminding you how much this city in influenced by their port life. Even though the church was packed, there were hundreds of lit candles everywhere maintaining a very powerful spiritual ambiance. The photos really don't do it justice...

I'm back now in Aix ready to start another week of classes before our winter break next week. My trip to Switzerland is now completely booked and I'll be there for 5 nights staying one night in Geneva and the rest in Zermatt. I cannot wait to go snowboarding and experience mountain life in the Alps, I'm just crossing my fingers that my box of winter clothes arrives on time! To close here's a photo of one of my favorite places in Aix, the biggest fountain at the end of the Cours Mirabeau called La Rotonde. Hope everyone has a great week! A bientot!

Hilary Clinton and the Matterhorn

Hello everyone! This past week has been fairly mundane, but due to many pestering requests, here's an update...

Classes have been going very well. My language/grammar courses are getting progressively more difficult however I am immensely enjoying my French professor's policy of no homework. Early morning classes are difficult and one of my professors likes to pick on me in the mornings when I'm being unresponsive by saying "wake up Hilary!" in English...This is quite endearing because he is hardly fluent in English. Despite this, I still think I am doing well in my classes and I'd like to say that I'm already making progression.

On that note, I had a successful encounter at a French pharmacy yesterday. In France, you can obtain many medicines over the counter that would require a prescription in the states. Due to this, being a pharmacy technician is considered a very respectable career in France. A few days ago, I came down with a cold and was in need of a decongestant. I managed to describe my symptoms to the pharmacist and a few minutes later walked out with the correct medicine in hand. This was a very daunting task at first, so although it may seem not difficult, I was very relieved that I walked out with the right thing! (At least I've been feeling a lot better since taking it...)

Now for something completely unrelated...The French are quite obsessed with Hilary Clinton. This being said, EVERY time I meet someone new who's French and introduce myself as Hilary they go, "Ooohhh comme Hilary Clinton! J'adore Hilary!!" One of my professors the other day even diverted our lesson for probably over 15 minutes to proceed to tell this long joke about Hilary and how she is more successful than Bill. (However the French also love Bill, just not as much.) So thank you Mom and Dad and also Hilary Clinton for giving me a good head start when meeting new French people. I think it makes them more forgiving when they proceed to find my language skills not quite up to par...

The most exciting thing I have upcoming is our week long winter break when a friend and I are going to the Swiss Alps. We'll be staying in a remote town/resort called Zermatt, home of the Matterhorn!! We're both very excited about this and plan to ski and snowboard as much as possible. I've never snowboarded before and think it's going to be the most amazing experience to learn in the Alps. The town is very environmentally conscious and they do not allow any vehicles besides electric cars (and you still must obtain some sort of permit to have) thus it's supposed to be very peaceful and quiet. We're staying at a hostel for three nights and then are possibly couchsurfing. Couch surfing is a great website that is very popular (and safe) in Europe where people offer their couches or spare rooms for budget travelers. Everyone I know who's done it has had the greatest experiences. It's probably the best way to become fully immersed in a culture. We've been emailing with a few prospective families so we'll see if any of them are the right matches...more later...

That's it for now. More pictures to come later when we clean our apartment and put up some decorations...Here's one photo of my newest and favorite discovery in Aix. It's unfortunately extremely expensive (about $6 for a bagel and cream cheese), but when in need, it can suffice my bagel fix.

A tout a l'heure!