Switzerland: A Weekend of the Alps and Fine Swiss Chocolate

     Well I got my wish to visit Switzerland, even if it was only for three days. I'm very thankful that I got I little taste of the land of the Alps, and here is the story of my brief journey:

     My friend, Sarah, and I left for Milan Thursday night where we spent the night in a hostel. Coincidently enough, we ended up staying in the same hostel Gretchen and I stayed in the night before we left for Greece(I was the one who actually suggested it because of the convenient location near the train station). Luckily for us, we were given a privat room to ourselves even though we had payed for a six bed dormitory. We definitely weren't gonna argue with that! The next morning we took the train at 7:25 to Bern, Switzerland. That had to be the most scenic train ride I've ever been on. While we were going through the Alps we could see these intense green hills that were dotted with the cutest little houses you ever saw. The houses reminded me of German cottages I've seen in magazines. There were also dozens of cows, sheep, and horses grazing on the hills. Talk about happy livestock, they get these enormous green pastures all to themselves! The entire train ride was like going through a land out of a story book, I felt as though I had stepped into Lord of the Rings country or something. It was surreal.

     We arrived in Bern around 11 am and set off to find our hostel. Unfortunately we got lost for about an hour, getting way off track. We had to ask people several times for directions. We were amazed at how willing and eager people were to help us, most of them even offered to print out directions for us! Right from the start, I found the Swiss people to be warm, welcoming, and friendly. They are also very neat and orderly. One of the first things I noticed about Bern was how clean it is. I also noticed that hardly anyone drives like a maniac. Every time I cross a crosswalk in Italy, I always feel like I'm scrambling for my life since cars will not stop for you. Not the case in Switzerland, I was always shocked when a car actually stopped to let me cross. Another thing I noticed about the Swiss people is that time is very important to them. Everything must be on time, right on the dot. The trains, for instance, are very consistant with their arrivals and departures. A late train is an extremely rare event in Switzerland. In addition, just to show how important knowing the time is, there are these gorgeous clock towers just about everywhere. They are made with bright, stunning colors and golden hands so that they can easily be seen from down below. I must admit, it was lovely being in a country that cared so much about time since I myself am huge about being on time for everything.

The clock towers of Bern.

Amazing view from the Parliament building. Unfortunately, my insufficient point-and-shoot camera dosen't quite capture the true beauty of this place. 

     When we finally found our hostel, we discovered that we couldn't check in until 2. Having two hours to spare, we were able to put our stuff into a luggage room and head out to explore. We took care of our basic needs first; we found an ATM so we could get Swiss francs and then headed over to a grocery store for food. The grocery store was interesting because when you walk in, you don't immediately walk into the actual grocery store. We first walked into a huge chocolate store, and then we had to take the escalator to the lower level in order to get to the grocery store. I guess the Swiss know their priorities; chocolate first and then basic necessities. I bought food to last me for lunch and dinner. I also grabbed a few chocolate bars which were significantly cheaper downstairs than up. While we were standing in line for the cash register, I spotted something that made be extremely happy: gummy bears!!! I hadn't had gummy bears in ages since they are apparently non-existant in Italy. I was very excited, and the best part was that they were the original German kind, so I got to have gummy bears at their finest quality.

     Sarah and I ate our lunch on a wall overlooking the vast landscape of Switzerland. We could see the various German-styled houses, green hills, trees with their orange and yellow fall leaves, and of course the snow-covered Alps way in the distance. After lunch, it was time to check into our room at the hostel. After putting our luggage away, we set out once again to tour the city of Bern. The city was so cute, I could hardly stand it. Some of the places we saw included Einstein's House, the Parliament building, the Rose Garden(which has a fantastic view of the city), a beautiful gothic-styled cathedral, and even a bear pit with a mamma and two babies!

Albert Einstein's house.

The Cathedral 

The view from the Rose Garden

The actual Rose Garden(sorry folks, no roses this time of year)

The steep path we climbed up to get to the Rose Garden. 

Mamma bear...

...and her two adolescent babies!

     While touring Bern, we found it to be a quiet and not too busy city. Although well organized and on top of things, everyone seemed laid back and chill. We could see how the Swiss enjoyed themselves by playing and intense game of chess or by listening to a street performer. We watched one street performer playing the bagpipe, jamming so hard that he seemed to put his heart, soul, and body into his music.

Here's the guy jamming on the bagpipe(amazing performer, gave me chills)

The extremely competitive game of chess that we watched(forgot to mention that they play with oversized pieces)

     After a long day of traveling and touring, we headed back to our hostel and went to bed early to get some much needed sleep. The next morning, we checked out of our hostel after having a fulfilling breakfast and took the train to Luzern. Once again, the train ride was so gorgeous that it took our breath away. Photos are shown down below: 

     Luzern turned out to be another pleasant city with these incredible views of the Alps. After checking into our hostel(we didn't get lost this time!), we set out to do a half-day tour of the city. We walked along the river which had several beautiful bridges, went through Old Town which consists of several shops, saw yet another cathedral that had a cemetery to go along with it, saw a beautifully carved lion that was sculpted from a cliff, and walked along the city's wall where we could see more jaw-dropping views of the the Alps. Check out the pictures for yourself!

One of the bridges.

Random sweet-looking building that we saw in Old Town.

A swan on the lake(no pun intended)

The city wall.

     Exhausted from walking around all day, we basically just crashed at our hostel and slept until morning. The next day, it was pouring rain. Even so, I grabbed my umbrella and took a short walk through the city. It wasn't long before I headed back to the hostel though since the rain wasn't letting up and the bottoms of my pants and shoes were soaked. We left for Zurich around noon where we waited three hours for our train to Milan. Luckily for us, we had some entertainment while waiting in the train station since there was a wood-carving contest going on as well as a few random bands that would show up and play. These bands were dressed in these hilarious costumes with brightly-colored faces. I posted a few pictures down below(sorry, they're not the best quality). I also walked around to different shops, trying to spend the rest of my Swiss francs on food and Christmas gifts. 

     Once again, we enjoyed stunning views on the train ride from Zurich to Milan. I just can't get over how incredible Switzerland is, easily the most beautiful country I've ever been to. I felt lucky to get a little taste of that amazing country, and I can certainly say that I will be back. I feel like I can relate to the Swiss: I love being on time, organized, and clean, yet I also want to enjoy life. I want to go exploring, hike mountains, and maybe enjoy a nice game of chess while listening to the sound of a bagpipe in the background. I want to enjoy good, fresh food from the Alps and delicious chocolate. I can't get over how much I love Switzerland, I was so sad to come back to Florence. If I ever learn German or French, I might just pack my bags and live in Switzerland for the rest of my life.