A Comedy of Errors

On Sunday, after we went up the Aguille du Midi, we took the cable cars back down and spent the remainder of the day/night walking around the charming town. However, like all good stories, our night ended with a comedy of errors. When we had first gotten to the apartment, I tried to connect to wifi but the access code was not working, and thus we could not connect. So, after dinner, we went towards a McDonalds (since Starbucks and McDonalds are the only two places you can rely on for free wifi in Europe) to leech off of their internet and access our emails. My dad decided to go get the car and pick us up while my mom and I finished using the internet. I figured it wouldn’t take him more than 20 minutes to get the car, pay for parking, and pick us up. But it did. After about half an hour, I started to get a bit concerned as to what was taking so long. Then it was 45 minutes. Now my mom was worried. We had rented a black audi and at one point I saw a black audi pulling up and I got so excited and started screaming “Daddy!!”….there was a woman in the car, it definitely was not my daddy. I left and went to a souvenir shop because we thought that obviously the second I walked away he would come. It did not help.  Now what was supposed to be a 20 minute trip had turned into an hour. Finally, my mom looked down the street and saw my dad running and screaming at us to get our attention. He was fine, he had not gotten mugged or had a heart attack, but clearly there was something wrong and the car was not with him.

We reached my dad as he was stressed and tired and he explained quickly what was going on. Apparently when he went to get the car he paid for the parking ticket in the automated machine, but the machine malfunctioned and never gave him his ticket back. But, in order to get out of the lot you need to insert your paid ticket. As a result, there was no way to drive out, and because it was late on a Sunday night, there was no one working at the lot. My dad had tried asking someone to use their phone, but no one would help. He tried using someone else’s ticket, but it came out void. Now he was in search for some way to contact the police to see if they could help. After giving up, he had come running to find us and tell us.

A cop car drove by us and we flagged them down, trying to explain the situation. Next problem: none of us speak French. The police had no idea what we were saying but eventually understood the gist after extensive hand gestures in an attempt to illustrate what had happened. We ran back to the parking lot (about a mile away) and met the police there. My dad, who is skeptical about everything in life, was certain they would never come and that they had no intention in helping us. But, to all of our relief, they eventually figured out exactly what we needed and were able to call someone to open the gates for us. I know the French are generally very condescending and unhelpful to Americans, but for now, I am taking back that stereotype and just being thankful for the extreme help and consideration the cops gave us.

But the comedy of errors does not stop there. I hadn’t done luggage in about 3 weeks (each load cost ~6 euros to do in St Genis) before my parents came because I anticipated doing it at our apartments. So, when we got back to the apartment Sunday night, I began my laundry. The first load I accidentally had on delicates, and then switched the cycle after an hour, making the washing cycle time in at almost 2 hours. For the next two cycles I figured out how to use the express cycle. We searched the apartment and contacted the owner and realized however that although there was a washer, there was no drier. So I hung my clothes. No big deal. The next morning I finished the rest of my laundry and hung the rest up to. The laundry from the night before was still sopping wet and we had to bring the drying rack inside because it was an overcast day. Fingers were crossed that everything would dry.

When we got back to the apartment Monday night, my laundry was still wet. Glen had told me about the time he went to Camaroon, just before his year abroad, when the driers at Yale were not working and he had to pack his damp clothes. Swiss air lost his luggage and by the time he got it back his clothes were moldy and had to be thrown away. We were flying out the next morning on an airline that I have been warned loses luggage frequently and I was positive that the same thing was going to happen to me. So, my mom and I spent hours up at night ironing all of my clothes in the hopes that they would dry. Success.

We got to the airport the next morning and went to check our luggage; we collectively had 4 bags to check between the three of us. My mom had purchased 4 bags, however we had not realized that regardless of the number of bags you purchase, each person only gets 20 kilos to check, and each additional kilo costs 20chf. We had over 85kgs. So there we were, in the middle of the airport, opening all of our bags and readjusting our entire luggage to put things into our backpacks and smaller bags. But we did it. We got three of the bags to be exactly 60kgs, and were able to check the smaller bag in for free. I have officially decided that I hate flying and I really dislike having this much luggage to carry. Trains beat planes any day. 

Gruyères

View from atop Gruyeres

My parents arrived in Geneva on Friday afternoon; it didn’t feel like we had been apart for 10 weeks, in fact, except for the fact that we were in Europe, it felt like very little had changed since I left Miami.

After settling into Geneva and unloading our luggage, I took my parents to CERN to give them a taste of what my summer has been. Unfortunately, when we got there, the one exhibit that CERN has for tourists--“The Universe of Particles”, an interactive display of the LHC—was closing for the day. As such, we were only able to walk around the buildings and see the few outdated detector and accelerator parts that CERN has on display as you walk between buildings. It was not the most exciting tour of CERN--though to be honest, no CERN tour really is that exciting--but my parents both seemed to thoroughly appreciate seeing where I worked and spent countless frustrating hours this summer. We ended our first day together with a short walking tour of Geneva; we meandered around Lake Leman, wandered up to Cathedral San Pierre, and ate at a pizzeria in the center of town.

On Saturday morning we woke up early and departed for our day trip to  Gruyères. The trip to  Gruyères consists of a series of 3 trains, for a total travel time of ~2 hours, leaving from Geneva and arriving in Gruyères. However, this is not just a typical 2 hour train ride; the ride itself consists of a spectacular view of Lake Geneva and the Swiss/French country, thus granting the journey its name “The Golden Pass.”

The Chocolate Train!

We began our time in  Gruyères with a tour of the cheese factory, Le Maison du fromage, at the foot of the town. The tour included a sampling of three types of Gruyere cheeses made on the premises: 6 month, 8 month, and 10 month aged Gruyere. An interactive guide led you through the factory with information about the cows that produce the milk and the process of turning the milk into Gruyere cheese. Did you know that on average a cow eats 100 kg of grass and drinks 85 liters of water to produce 25 liters of milk a day? Or that it takes 400 liters of milk to produce a 35 kg round of Gruyere cheese? There was a huge vat of milk that was being fermented at the beginning stages of creating the cheese and we were able to see the milk being churned and tempered before it solidified.

Fake Gruyeres cow.

view from Gruyeres

Churning milk to make Gruyere cheese

The basement of Gruyere cheese rounds in the Maison du Gruyeres

We left the cheese factory and climbed up to the village center: a darling little Swiss country town complete with cows, small boutiques, mountains, and a castle. I have seen lots of small Swiss and French town over my time here, but this was one of the first for my parents, so it was really exciting to get to explore the mountain village with them.

Real Gruyeres cows!

view looking down from Gruyeres watch tower

Mom and me on the watch tower

Dad, Mom and me at the top of Gruyeres 

chateau d'Gruyeres

view from the chateau 

In the afternoon we took a short trip to a neighboring town Broc-Fabrique. This is where the Callier chocolate factory (the first Swiss chocolate ever) is located. One is able to take an interactive tour of the factory that delves into the history of Callier and chocolate making. It then shows you modern chocolate making techniques and production and you are able to watch one of the typical Callier chocolate candies be built in a machine from start to finish in their wrappers (and yes, we were able to eat and pocket these finished products).  There were also rooms devoted to educating the consumer about the chocolate making process, the quality of ingredients used, how the ingredients are processed, and why, in moderation, chocolate is an edible form of pure happiness.  Undoubtedly, the best part of the tour was the final room—the chocolate tasting. We tried so much chocolate I could barely move by the end. But every piece was just too incredibly tasty to let pass and its perfect melt-in-you-mouth texture made it even harder to say stop eating.

Giant chocolate candy statue!!

Mommy and me at Cailler

Decorations lining Callier factory

This cow makes chocolate milk. I wish. 

the machine we watched make chocolates at Callier

final step: wrapping each candy in its wrapper

After the factory tour, I can honestly say that Callier (which is partnered with Nestlé) is one of my favorite chocolate companies. Not only does their chocolate reflect the top-quality ingredients used and the care and diligence put into production, I am very impressed by their efforts to enforce sustainability. In 2009, Nestlé and Callier implemented ‘The Cocoa Plan’ which promotes sustainability by training and educating farmers in Africa and South America (the prominent leaders in cocoa beans) directly in more efficient ways to grow crops. The program also educates to decrease the frequency of HIV/AIDS outbreaks in the regions and to eliminate the existence of child labor and poor labor conditions. By working directly with farmers and reducing the middleman, the Cocoa Plan is working to grant farmers a maximum income. I always find it extremely encouraging when large successful companies invest in improving food quality and worker’s conditions.

We finished off our day trip by returning to Gruyères for a traditional fondue dinner. We indulged in two types of fondues: a chantiere mushroom fondue and Gruyeres’ traditional half-and-half Gruyere and Vecheron fondue. Our restaurant was on a terrace that overlooked the mountains—it was the perfect dinner that combined culinary excellence with a gorgeous view.

Daddy in front of a fondue restaurant in the shape of a cuckoo clock

fondue dinner!

sunset over Gruyeres

While Gruyères may be a very small town with little to do, its attractions are the exact things that I love most. I adored learning about the processes for which the factories make cheese and chocolate, learning more about the history of these companies, and hearing about their role in sustainable farming and education that expands outside of Gruyères and the company itself. More importantly, it was a wonderful, relaxing and beautifully sunny day in the countryside that I was able to share with my parents. All three of us thoroughly enjoyed the visit, each of us with different favorites about the day, and unanimously agreed that it beat a day in Geneva.

In front of a fromagerie in town

So Long Sweet Summer

Tomorrow is my last day at CERN. I've been here for almost 10 weeks now, yet it feels like just a few days ago I was scrambling to get my Spanish visa and figuring out what I needed to pack for the next 7 months abroad. I have had such an incredible experience here over the past 2 months and am extremely pleased with my summer--I have traveled all around Europe, learned particle physics, experienced living in a small foreign town, enjoyed nature, eaten delicious food, and formed friendships that will, hopefully, last long into the future. The past 10 weeks have gone by extremely quickly but have left me with unforgettable memories. They have also encouraged me to think deeply into my future and what I want out of it. Despite occasional workplace frustrations, I spent my summer researching at an international collaboration and the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. I went to numerous lectures led by the top names in particle physics, saw and worked with the largest particle detector ever built, and experienced scientific collaboration at its finest. Regardless of how I choose to shape my future, this experience was extremely valuable both academically and personally.

The title of this post may be a bit misleading. In fact, I still have 2 weeks left of summer, and possibly the best 2 weeks, before I begin orientation in Madrid. My parents fly into Geneva this Friday afternoon and are spending the remainder of my summer with me travelling. We are spending the first 2 days in Geneva (with a day trip to Gruyeres on Saturday), then driving to Chamonix, France on Sunday and spending 2 days near Chamonix and climbing Mt. Blanc. From there we fly to Bordeaux for another 2 day visit, transfer to Barcelona for a four day stay, fly to Granada for three days, and then end our time together in Madrid.  I am really looking forward to seeing my parents and spending a decent amount of time with them. Skype and texting is great, but the time difference makes coordinating difficult and technical difficulties via internet connection always persist. It is definitely not the same as picking up the phone to call whenever I'm walking, or giving them a hug when I am home. It's going to be a great trip. I can't wait.

My time in Switzerland/France may be quickly coming to an end, but I still have over 4 months left in Europe. I had an online pre-departure orientation yesterday and my fall semester away really started to feel real. It is undoubtedly going to be a much different experience abroad than my last two months have been. I will be living with a homestay (which I am very excited for), I will be completely out of the "Yale bubble," not know anyone in my program/at the university at first, and, probably the greatest difference, English will be next to obsolete. I am very excited for this next part of my abroad experience, but needless to say, I am beginning to get a bit anxious. But for now, I have two weeks with my parents to look forward to and enjoy to the fullest!

A Visit with Jeanni and Nic

One of my friends from YSC at Yale, a rising TD senior, spent the last 2 months studying in Paris. Jeanni studied abroad spring of her sophomore year in Geneva, at which time she met her current fiancé, Nic. So, Jeanni spent her last weekend here in Geneva before she flew out back home to the States this morning. As such, we were able to have a French meet up, thousands of miles away from our homes and from Yale. 

Jeanni and Nic picked me up from St. Genis Sunday morning and brought me with them to their church in Geneva (this is where Jeanni went when she was studying here...and where they both met!) Even though it was a foreign church and definitely was not my home church, it was so so nice to be there. Having traveled nearly every weekend since I have been here, I have always been away on Sundays and thus have not been to a real church in almost 2 months. The sermon was the third and final in a series on Jeremiah; it was extremely scripture based and an overall strong encouraging message of God's power and provision as seen through Jeremiah's journey. Even as a visitor, the church's strong and genuine community was evident. It was such a blessing and so refreshing to hear the Word in a true church setting after so long. 

After church, we drove to Nic's house. Nic lives in the French countryside right across the Franco-Swiss border (only about a 10 minute drive from me in St. Genis-Pouilly). The three of us made lunch together--an incredible meal consisting of an array of fresh Swiss cheeses and tomatoes and herbs that we picked from Nic's garden. Nic lives right on the foot of the mountains in a very small country town that is completely embedded in undisturbed nature. Nic told us about how he can see God's grace and glory every time he looks at it and spends time outdoors and observes nature's beauty--he truly is a man whose love for Christ is evident in all he does. 

After lunch and our time at Nic's, the three of us stopped by Nic's sister's house to visit with her and her family. Nic has three nieces and nephews, who were absolutely adorable and so much fun to hang out with. His entire family is just so sweet and loving--it was also so nice to be able to get away for a day and spend time with a family and children. I miss that.

Apart from family-time, I didn't realize how much I missed fellowship until I spent time with Jeanni and Nic. They are just such an incredible couple whose relationship really radiates Christ's love and keeps Christ at the center of all. I am so incredibly happy for the both of them and the life they have ahead of them.

Conquests and Conquerors: Fêtes de Genève

Fêtes de Genève, a free 4 week festival complete with carnivals, concerts, and performers sprawled over the Old Town of Geneva, concluded this Saturday with its annual fireworks display. Last Saturday, August 3rd, was the first round of fireworks: a 20 minute display behind the jet d'eau. August 1st in the Swiss national day (the equivalent to our 4th of July), so these fireworks were meant to celebrate the national holiday. It was a pretty typical fireworks display, but the presence of the jet d'eau in front of it was absolutely spectacular.

The jet d'eau and the Jardin Anglais before the show

Fireworks behind the jet d'eau

"Mini" carnival & amusement park lining Lake Geneva

While fireworks behind the jet d'eau may have been magnificent, they were nothing compared to the following weekend's show. Geneva is known for this annual show, which consists of a one hour 360 degree firework display above Lake Geneva, choreographed with accompanying live music. The press release this year predicted over 500,000 spectators. Fireworks were shot from 33 firing posts by 30 "international pyrotechnicians," issuing over 4,000 firing commands synchronized to 1/10th  of a second. The displayed rockets ranged from 50 mm in diameter weighing 40 g and ascending to 45 m high to 300 mm in diameter with a weight of 17kg and a 250m ascension.

The show's theme of the year was "Conquerors and Conquests," and as such the music that played reflected this idea; for instance, the music from opening battle scene in Gladiator was played. The event was much more than a display, it was a complete and interactive show. Every 15-20 minutes there would be a pause and a story would be told in relation to the theme, such as Cortes' conquests or Columbus' discovery of the New World. Every aspect of the show was perfectly coordinated and methodically planned out--this was definitely a Swiss event.

Despite this methodical planning and Swiss perfection, you can never account for everything. Forty minutes into the show the fireworks were paused and a voice came on the speakers to announce that there had been "technical difficulties" and that they would need to delay the end of the performance. A quick glance at the lake informed everyone that "technical difficulties" was actually in reference to a fire that had sparked atop one of the firing platforms. All of the platforms were on the lake, so it was only a minor mishap. Within 10 minutes the show was back on and the sky was lit up in every color once more.

The show's finale consisted of more fireworks than I had ever seen in my life, Bastille Day included. The finale began with fireworks being shot on the lake itself so that sparks and explosions were directly on the water. The show then moved overhead to the sky to finish off the finale. Fireworks were shot out everywhere above your head to the point where it sounded like a battle-field, thereby further creating the Conquerors and Conquests environment. By the end of the show, so many explosions had been shot off that debris was raining from the sky, thousands of feet away from where the fireworks were even being shot off. By this point almost all of the platforms had caught fire from the sheer intensity and frequency of the explosions.

After my first weekend into Geneva, for fete de la musique, I wrote about how I had conquered Geneva and finally found my way around the city. As my time here comes to an end, it seems that Geneva and I have come full circle. This show was the perfect reminder of conquering new territories and celebrating success. 

Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève

This may be my favorite flower picture from the day...tell me which ones you like best!

This weekend was my first home based weekend in a while, and I was actually quite excited to have the opportunity to explore Geneva in greater depth. Our first, and main, stop was Geneva's botanic gardens. At home in Miami, one of my family's favorite pastimes is wandering around Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens, so this was a nice reminiscent trip. The overall gardens in Geneva may not have been as lush as Fairchild's, but they definitely had more sections and themed greenhouses. Hands down the best part of the botanic garden though was it's price: everything was completely free. For a city as expensive as Geneva, which some argue to be the most expensive in the world, it is quite refreshing to have free nature exhibits. 

The gardens were filled with varying sections, including rose gardens, vegetable gardens, cotton fields, medicinal plants, an arboretum, a farm animal section, and multiple greenhouses. The greenhouses ranged from climates including temperate, winter, and tropical. All of us agreed that the tropical greenhouse was by far the best part of the botanic garden--it strongly reminded me of a mini-Fairchild, too! Still, it was really wonderful seeing so many different plants and flowers that I had never seen before. All of the flowers were such vibrant colors and some of them were of the most interesting formations. 

I may have gone a bit camera crazy, but I hope you enjoy the strong colors and various plant shapes. I would love to hear which ones you like best!

garden goats

lawn chairs and sand in front of a pond in the gardens.

The arboretum: equipped with pine trees and spruce. It was really difficult holding back the urge from climbing some of these.