Switzerland: Lausanne

On Sunday we decided to just have a relaxing day in Lausanne before we were set to fly out of Geneva that night. Jordan was busy catching up on some homework so us five decided to wonder around Lausanne and see what it had to offer. We walked down to the beautiful lake Geneva and took some pictures. We ended up staying down there for about a few hours just relaxing and enjoying the boardwalk like atmosphere down by the lake. There was an olympic fair going on at that time down at the lake where people could participate in various events, with my favorite being a booth where they would time your bobsled start by using a real bobsled and about thirty yards of open area. Another cool thing about Switzerland as a whole is that they had fountains all over the cities that constantly poured fresh water out (picture below) which was very convenient to us since we enjoy being cheap and don't want to spend money on drinks.  Also, I found it cool that just across Lake Geneva we could see France, and while I was on top of the Swiss Alps I could see Italy, so technically I saw three countries in one weekend. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the nice Pepperdine house just relaxing and playing ping pong. Matt and I's flight was set to take off at 9:45 PM and land around 10:15 in London due to the time difference. We were going to have around exactly an hour and a half to get to the train station from the airport to get on a train back to Bath or we were going to be stuck in London for the night. Well of course our flight got delayed so we got stuck in London. It wasn't awful purely because Matt and I's attitude. We were determined to make the most of it so we walked about an hour or so from train station to train station since the tube's were closed and got to see some of the sights of London at two in the morning which was actually cool. We relaxed the rest of the night the best we could in the train station and hopped on the train at 5:19 getting into Bath at 7:00, just in time for our nine o'clock class. 

the fresh water fountain.

Switzerland: Zermatt

We got to Zermatt on Friday night and we could already tell a noticeable difference in the weather. We then had to look for our hostel which all we knew was that it was close to a golf course. We started walking down the road in hopes of finding the hostel stopping once or twice to attempt to ask the locals where it was. About ten minutes into the walk we started to get a bit discouraged when all of the street lamps were gone and the sidewalk had disappeared. However, we continued and eventually walked up on the only thing with lights and it happened to be our hostel. It was a small restaurant that had about five bedrooms on the top floor, and the best part of the hostel or really the hotel was that it was located in between the alps (Picture below of our view). Saturday we decided to take a ski lift up to the very top of the Alps. The unique thing about this lift is that it is the highest ski lift in all of Europe reaching the height of around 13,000 feet. When we got to the top it was around -4 degrees Fahrenheit which is by far the coldest temperature I have ever been in. My toes felt like they were going to break off at any moment, but the view was worth it. It didn't seem like I was looking out at a real mountain range. It was the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen and I honestly don't think it will ever be topped. The town of Zermatt as a whole was awesome. All the buildings had the same style of architecture and the town had an inviting vibe about. We had some time to spare so we stopped and had a cup of hot chocolate at a local pub which was the best cup of hot chocolate I have ever had (probably because of how cold I was.) Overall, my time in Zermatt was a great experience, and although it was pricey I highly suggest it to everyone. Enjoy the pictures.

Our view from the Hostel

Switzerland: Broc-Frabrique & Gruyere

Thursday night Matt, Allie, Sarah, Mary Kate, and I landed in Geneva, Switzerland. I was a bit nervous because this was my first true experience in a place where they didn't speak English fluently because I have been spoiled with England. We went to Lausanne, Switzerland on train where I had the privilege of meeting up with my long time friend Jordan who is studying there through Pepperdine. The next morning we set off for Broc-Frabrique where the chocolate factory for the famous Callier chocolate is located. We took a tour which I found interesting because it showed us the evolution of chocolate and how it spread across the world, but the best part was yet to come. At the very end of the tour they show you how it's made and then you get free samples of chocolate and you can eat as much as you want. After about 15 pieces I had to call it quits, but Matt on the other hand was smart enough to bring a plastic bag in which he filled up for later, discreetly of course, and we snacked on it the rest of the trip. We then got on the train for another thirty minutes and went to a small town called Gruyere for the sole reason of having some Swiss fondue. I have never had fondue before so I can't be the judge when it comes to comparing it to others, but I can tell you my first experience with it was a good one. We then spent the rest of the afternoon looking at the beautiful Swiss country side and taking in the smaller side of the Alps. At the time we thought the mountains we were looking at were the big, but little did we know what we were about to see the next day in Zermatt. More to come tomorrow, enjoy the pictures.

London on Sunday

Sunday, right when I landed in Bristol I hopped on a train to London in transit to my third Tottenham match. I met Matt in London and we started heading to White Hart Lane. On the way, I stopped and visited Arsenal's stadium, another team in London, and took a quick walk around. After that we went to the stadium. Tottenham was playing West Ham this time, a team they should have easily beaten yet little did I know I was about to watch one of the worst performances from them I have ever seen. The final score was 3-0  West Ham, and honestly the whole game was miserable. We just never showed up. I'm determined to come back though because I don't my last game at that stadium to be a 3-0 loss. There's a chance I can make it back, but I won't get my hopes up. I'm heading to Switzerland tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited. I'm meeting up with my friend, Jordan Mastalerz, who is studying there through Pepperdine so it's going to be a great time. I'll update it on Monday. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Galway

During our time in Ireland we went to a city on the east coast of Ireland called Galway. It is primarily known for the tourist attraction called the Cliffs of Moher, but I was pleasantly surprised at what else the city had to offer. We got there Friday night by bus and started to walk around the small town. On our way to the hostel we probably walked by about 30 pubs during the five minute walk, and the thing is they were all packed with people. The thing about the pubs is they had one for literally all ages. There was a pub of all old people, young people, adults, a mix of adults and young people, etc. My favorite we walked by was the older person pub because of what I heard. Traditional Irish music was just blaring out of the pub and inside everyone is just enjoying each others company. The town had such a great community appeal to it that I have never experienced before and I loved it. It made me a want to carry that atmosphere and sense of community back over to Nashville. On Saturday we took a bus tour to the cliffs I mentioned earlier as well as other historic sites along the way. The Cliffs of Moher were beyond beautiful and I am thankful I got to see them in person. For those who care here's a fun fact about the cliffs: one of the last big scenes in the six Harry Potter movie was filmed there so that was cool to see. We eventually made it back to Dublin late Saturday night where we spent the night listening to the second half of the UT Georgia game and causing a scene of celebration and anger in the hostel common room. Also, I forgot to mention I had my first ever shepherd's pie during my time in Dublin and I loved it. But to wrap this up I had a great time in Ireland, and I loved the country as a whole. From its community aspect, friendliness, and beautiful landscape, it exceeded my expectations plus more. I hope to come back to Ireland one day and I highly suggest it. Until next time.

 

Dublin

This past weekend some of us went to Ireland starting on Thursday night. We didn't really know what to expect about Dublin and Ireland as a whole other than what we have heard about it such as Guinness, nice people, and beautiful country sides. Well within the first five minutes we found out two of these stereotypes weren't just stereotypes but we're dead on accurate. Our taxi driver was an extremely friendly person and of course mentioned Guinness during one of his first statements. We got to the hostel and then walked around and took in the night life scene in Dublin. It was awesome getting to walk through the streets and here traditional Irish music playing in all the pubs around. Dublin as a whole just gave off an extremely positive and happy vibe by the night life atmosphere and we all loved walking around in it. All day Friday we explored the city of Dublin and hit all the main tourist attractions such as "The Book of Kells", Christ Church, Dublin Castle, Guinness Factory, and the Kilmannan Gaol jail. The jail was my favorite part due to the history lesson of Ireland I got from it. We learned about the original prisoners and their stories, and how they affected Ireland during their fight for independence and Civil war. It was an educational experience I am thankful for and I don't regret spending a lot of time there. We went to Galway on Saturday, but I will make a separate blog post about it tomorrow. Dublin is now a close second to London in the early race for my favorite city in Europe, and I would love to go back again one day. Until next time.

Quick Update

The last few days we have had a lot of good bonding time with everyone on the trip. The fellowship aspect of this trip has been one of my favorite parts and this group of people are feeling more and more like family every day. We have a house church that meets every Tuesday in one of the apartments to just talk about our spiritual experiences, read, and praise together. I have never been more out of routine church wise but it has been a nice change of pace. I enjoy the more intimate service time we have together and look forward to it growing more and more as time goes on. Also, a few of us guys go to a park about a mile walk away and play soccer about two times a week. Normally it is just us playing against each other but last week we met a group of swiss teenager girls and boys who wanted to play with us. It was an awesome experience bonding over something as simple as soccer and I hope we can play with them again. We are heading to Dublin Thursday night, so I will try to post something this weekend about my Ireland experience. I hope all is well.