Europe Update! 6/18 – 6/22 The Final Days, Zürich, and Flying Home This is the last one folks! After spamming everyone with Europe pictures over the course of summer I’m finally wrapping it up since I managed to slack enough that it’s the new school year. I don’t have many pictures from our final few days, I guess I was just so caught up in soaking everything up before I had to leave. So as a result I’ll keep it short and sweet! After leaving Aunt Gina and Uncle Steve back in Italy (and the bottom of my wine box giving out and shattering my bottles on the Vicenza sidewalk), my friends and I mainly just hung around Bluche. Everyone was just relaxing and I think soaking up the final few days of the program. I myself spent a lot of time on the windowsill in my friends’ room just chatting and soaking up the sight of the beautiful mountains. Over the next few days we went back up the funicular to Crans-Montana where I made sure to buy plenty of chocolate, and just enjoy the tiny town. The next afternoon we had our final kitchen day were we made cold pea soup, sushi, desserts galore, and a million other things I can’t quite remember because I didn’t work on those particular dishes. Getting to learn to roll sushi was pretty cool though! After lunch Fern and I squeezed one more ride up to Crans-Montana where we rented a paddleboat and paddled around the lake for a while. I kept us steady (thanks dad for the boating skills) and Fern played photographer. We reluctantly descended down the mountain only to be caught up in the frenzy of prepping for the big farewell dinner! Every dressed up their best, we took group photos, and ate an amazing dinner of fondue where the chefs melted the cheese off the wheel to order. I must have gone through like a million lactase pills though. After the official celebration was over and we bid farewell to some of our group members who were headed to catch late-night flights, the rest of the program congregated in the nearby flower field for one last hurrah. The next morning everyone parted ways and I traveled to Zürich with a few program mates where we explored a bit of the downtown scene, grabbed some authentic vodka pasta, and I’m just drooling thinking about it, and stumbled down it’s medieval streets to happen upon the local police band. We stayed for a few numbers before picking up a bottle of rose and heading back to the hotel. We had gotten lucky and my friend and I spent our last night in Europe in an upgraded hotel suite in bathrobes and sipping wine while trying to figure out what time was best to hit the airport. Eventually it was time to return home and so we went our separate ways. A plane ride and 5 movies later I was back home! To say this trip changed my life would be ironic, but also completely true. I got to experience so many things, go so many places, and meet so many people, and really I found out more about myself along the way. No one comes back from studying abroad and says they wished they hadn’t done it, and it’s true!
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Europe Update! 6/16 – 6/17 52 Tunnels and Venice, Murano, and Burano Wow, if I had to define ‘travel whiplash’, I think it had to be the events of these two days. To start it off, Aunt Gina and Uncle Steve took me along with them on a hike of the Strada delle 52 Gallerie, or road of 52 tunnels. It was a breath-taking hike uphill through 52 tunnels built by the Italian Army during World War 1 because their normal supply road was within range of Austrian guns. So instead of the exposed vehicle road, a Navy engineer conceived a mule trail that wound along and through the mountainside that was shielded from fire. One of the coolest part of the trail was Tunnel #20, which wound through a stone spire in a corkscrew path! Afterwards we relaxed with some fresh cheese at a nearby farm, and after a nice glass of wine- crashed into bed for the night! The next morning, I didn’t realize I was going to live out every girl’s Instagram dreams! With much anticipation we took the train into Venice, which I had never seen before! However, we ended up spending very little time in Venice proper (really just Piazza San Marco), instead visiting the islands of Murano and Burano. Burano was like a photographer’s dream come true. Every house was a beautiful, bright, pastel color with fabric door covers floating dreamily in the breeze. Clothes lines were strung across alleys and the canals were filled with boat on stripped poles. It was truly a picturesque fisherman town. The fabrics in every door and window held special significance, as Burano is heralded for their work with lace and fabrics. There were so many stores selling table runners, handkerchiefs, shirts, and doilies that it was shocking almost. While we were there we enjoyed an amazing fish lunch and some prosecco before heading off to Burano’s sister island. Murano was the second island on the water boat stop, and it is renowned for its century-old traditions of glassmaking. As we walked along the canals, the plazas were adorned with beautiful glass sculptures, and sparkling knickknacks hanging from every window. I did a bit of shopping and made sure to cradled my breakable purchases very carefully in my hands, on trains, in suitcases and on planes until the I made it back to the USA- with all glass still intact! We took a quick jaunt through Venice and Piazza San Marco before heading back to the train stop and heading home for the evening, since unfortunately our feet were killing us….but what a day! Europe Update! 6/13 – 6/15 Italy: Vicenza and Verona It’s family time! Continuing my whirlwind trip, our program let off for our longest break yet! Since we were already in Italy and I’d already seen a good chunk of the mainstream stuff a few years back, the logical thing to do was visit Aunt Gina and Uncle Steve! Newly moved back to Vicenza in Northern Italy, they welcomed Ginger and I into their new home with open arms despite their furniture having yet to arrive! That made 4 of us living out of a suitcase! After a long train travel cross-country we were treated to an afternoon aperitivo, where I tried Prosecco for the first time, and I fell in love. Not only was it light and bubbly, we had the best view in the city since they took us to the super-secret local hangout- the roof of the basilica! It was such a unique experience and definitely a great way to relax after a long travel day. Throughout the next few days we visited a few places around Vicenza. We wandered through the local market which seemed to go on forever! There were stalls selling anything and everything you could imagine! We also saw “La Routonda”, a famous building by architect Andrea Palladio, and inspired Thomas Jefferson’s home of Monticello. To add on to the abundance of breathtaking views I saw this trip, we were taken to Monte Barico which sits on a hill above Vicenza where we could see the entire city! Another cool first experience I had on this trip was I got to attend my first wine tasting at a beautiful vineyard! I thoroughly enjoyed the tasting at Villa Sceriman, where I fell particularly in love with their Novello red which was very light and fruity. How special to get to do that with my Aunt, and in Italy no less! Of course after all of that lovely sightseeing, Ginger and I spent the evening watching Letters to Juliet, because in the morning we were headed to another bucket list item of mine, Verona! The place where Romeo first met Juliet…or so Shakespeare says! The first thing you notice when you pass through the arch into the plaza, is the Arena di Verona, a smaller and better preserved version of the Coliseum! When we were there they were setting up for an Opera, imagine that! I also had a perfect chance to swoon dramatically on some steps which Ginger managed to capture perfectly. We stopped for a quick lunch on the go and followed the crowds to the courtyard that housed all of the Romeo and Juliet hullaballoo. There in that courtyard is the Balcone di Giulietta, or Juliet’s Balcony. There was also the statue of Juliet, where lore has it if you rub her breast, it will give you luck in love. Though, I think most important to me was the mailbox to Juliet, where you can write the Secretaries of Juliet (a club of women who respond to love letters worldwide and sponsored by the city of Verona), and you will actually receive a response! How cool! With that accomplished we wandered around and took in Verona’s markets where I bought a beautiful ink sketch, and we treated ourselves to a gelato and aperitivo before heading home! (Many of these photo credits go to Aunt Gina, she was always happy to snap photos of us!) Europe Update! 6/10 – 6/12 Lausanne Switzerland, Evian France, and Sienna Italy The last adventure we had during our first few Switzerland days was visiting Lausanne. It was a quick trip where we quickly toured a restaurant, then were sent off on our own. Deciding to be adventurous a few friends and I caught a steamer across the lake to Evian, France. Yeah, like the bottled water. That’s where it comes from! Since it was such a rapid pace I missed out on seeing the Olympic museum they have, because Lausanne is the “Olympic Capital” due to it hosting the International Olympic Committee. Regardless, it was still a beautiful city, and it was a clear sunny day on the lake! Following our lake adventure, we traveled a few hours by train into Italy the following day. A fellow NAU Italian professor met us at the train station in Sienna, Italy. I had been there before this particular visit, but it was still just as charming and historically awing as before! We stayed in small hotel along the city wall, and embarked later that afternoon on an expansive scavenger hunt! Halfway along my group realized that that we felt like we were rushing too much to enjoy everything we saw so we slowed down and stopped for delicious limoncello and meringue gelato! We also passed by a drummer for one of the contrade practicing by his district’s fountain! We saw the famous Piazza del Campo, the shops, and cathedrals! The best however, was a very intimate tour we had of the Noble Caterpillar Contrada. Siena is divided into contrade, or neighborhoods since the medieval times, and to this day they uphold their rivalries they have as neighbors and participate in the Palio horse race each year. The energy and passion surrounding the Palio for the people of sienna is like hardcore Super Bowl fans times 100. To go along with the bareback horserace itself, there are parades with drummers, flags, and costumes/uniforms. Our guide stressed how important it was to recognize that the contrade are not “reenacting” these events, but living it- these traditions have only not been held a handful of times since they started in the 15th century, mainly due to the World Wars. We were let into their private chapel, got to see their headquarters, previous uniforms, flags, and even some of their Palios (the ‘trophy’ a contrada wins is a hand painted cloth banner). It’s too much to write about honestly, but it had to have been one of my favorite experiences from the whole trip! While we were in Sienna we also took an amazing handmade pasta class. I got to make potato gnocchi, and cantucci which is like a biscotti! Both nights we were there we had very long, very European style dinners with so much food and wine I was done by the end of the first hour! The food however was absolutely amazing, and I can say I left Siena slightly bigger fan of red wine than when I had arrived! Europe Update! 6/6 - 6/9 Rotterdam, Bluche Switzerland, and Hotel Weisshorn I know it’s been a while and I’ve got to finish these posts so I can finally be done with them. I’m kind of throwing a few days together here because it’s easier! For our last day in Holland we visited the large port city of Rotterdam. While there we took a wonderful tour of the amazing Hotel New York, an old office for the Holland America line. The rooms are each uniquely furnished, and their level of attention and detail and just overall hospitality was amazing. I walked away from the tour really wanting to work for them. After that, we walked across the canal to the Fenix Food Factory, which was a collaborative where different vendors set up shops within all specializing in a food or drink of some sort. On top of a presentation on how all the venders work together, I got to snag a warm, rosemary caramel stoop waffle- so I was a happy camper! Following that we later got a guided tour of the SS Rotterdam, one of the cruise ships of the Holland America line- the S.S. Rotterdam! The next day we all boarded the train to Amsterdam and flew to Switzerland where we traveled on the most gorgeous train ride I will probably ever have the pleasure of experiencing. We passed snowcapped mountains, crystal blue lakes, and rolling green hillsides. We were staying in the very tiny town of Bluche, where the Les Roches hospitality school is. It sits right below the ski resort of Crans-Montana. This time we stayed in their dorms (they have housekeeping?!?!?) and just were able to rest and relax. We spent the next few days just exploring and relaxing in the fresh mountain air. The next trip we took was down the mountain, across the valley to Saint Luc, where we did an amazing hike to the Hotel Weisshorn, an old Swiss chalet-style hotel nestled on the peak of a mountain. It was a lengthy, yet ambling, hike across multiple waterfalls and through misty trees. I felt like Heidi practically every second of it. Europe Update! 6/5 NHTV Kitchen Day Another day we actually did cool stuff was this day. In Breda, our sister school here in the Netherlands was NHTV. On this particular day NHTV’s school for hotel and facilities management allowed us to have a day to use their kitchen. Their chef walked us through a variety of recipes, including shrimp croquets, lava cake, crème brûlée, ratatouille soup, and a bunch more delicious dishes. There was only one real difficulty in creating all the masterpieces and frankly it wasn’t much of an issue. We had a difficult time converting the measurements in our heads from Imperial to Metric. If my phone just had signal in the kitchen.... that aside it was a great experience! I got to help make the ratatouille and it started off good until we encountered the problem of ingredients. The supplier had forgotten to bring bell peppers and zucchini! Luckily with the help of the chef we substituted cauliflower and celery, and the soup was saved! Was it traditional ratatouille? No, but was it still delicious? You bet! After the cooking was done we ate ourselves silly before heading to a classroom to learn about different beers in the Netherlands and European area. After suffering a bit through that, (I am not my fathers daughter) and I'm not a beer fan, we headed home before retiring for the rest of the day. Europe Update! 6/4
La Trappe Okay, I’m not going to lie- this day wasn’t the most interesting, so I won’t bore you with all the nitty gritty details. Every few days I’m reminded that I’m actually here for school and I have to do relevant things to my major. Don’t get me wrong but when you look at it in comparison to some of the other fun things we’ve gotten to do in Europe, it definitely pales in comparison. We started the day off by receiving a tour of a Dutch restaurant wholesaler. Basically it ended up being a Dutch version of Costco. We saw all the stuff they had to sell, for in the way of a few shoppers accidentally, and marveled over the types of pastries they sold. Once we were done with that, (and I had eaten a cricket sample, mmmmm flakey) we headed over to La Trappe Brewery. As the name implies, La Trappe was a Trappist brewery located in the Netherlands. For a Trappist brewery to be located outside of Belgium is rare so it was an interesting experience! We learned all about the history of Trappist beer brewing, and how it is all handled by Trappist monks. The three rules that must be followed to make a beer a true Trappist brew are 1. The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery, either by the monks themselves or under their supervision. 2. The brewery must be of secondary importance within the monastery and it should witness to the business practices proper to a monastic way of life and 3. The brewery is not intended to be a profit-making venture. The income covers the living expenses of the monks and the maintenance of the buildings and grounds. Whatever remains is donated to charity for social work and to help persons in need. I though the last part was a wonderful addition, and is a great way to give back also. The beer I had there, the White Trappist, was okay, but it almost had a frothy feeling to it which almost all the beers I took a sip of had. Interesting is the best word for it I think. The whole concept was cool, but like I said earlier, it wasn’t my favorite day. Europe Update! 6/3 Amsterdam Day 4 Now, if I had to choose one of the best days of the trip (besides perhaps my last in Paris) this one would definitely be up there. After breakfast I got the opportunity to borrow an electric bike from my host’s mother. I was a bit apprehensive at first, because I was thinking it was going to be like the motorized bikes you sometimes see around. To my surprise, it was a lot subtler than that. Riding an electric bike was a lot like riding a regular bike, except it was less work to pedal, and it seems like you coasted after and farther. I’m not going to lie but I’m a bit sad to go back to my regular bike. My tour guide for the day was the lovely Merel who put up with spending her day dragging around an American instead of hanging out with her friends. She took me on one of the most enjoyable bike rides, through the sand dunes along the coast of the North Sea. It was a beautiful day, warm in the sun, cool in the shade, skies of blue, etc. after just soaking it all in, saying hello to some cows, loving on the flowers we passed, we headed back. When we went to return the bikes, I got to meet some of my hosts’ extended family who were at the mother’s house. They were all very nice, and when we left Merel let me ride on the back of her bike. Initially I was a bit worried- I was thinking about how hard it was for me with Ginger on the back, but Merel made a good point of reassurance- she’s been doing this since she was little, and that she can drive the bike with someone on the front AND the back! I’ve decided she’s a superhero. Once back, Monique and Carel cooked Ginger and I a lovely BBQ lunch / early dinner, which we ate outside in their backyard. There was an array of delicious food provided, and Carel cooked the chicken juuuuuuuust right. Not too soft, not too crispy. I also got to pick and taste the second cherry ever from their new cherry tree! It was a neat little experience for sure! After all of that, the only thing else I can say is that their family has an amazing sense of hospitality. Ginger and I felt so welcomed and it really just showed me how much of a difference it makes to stay with someone you know rather than a hotel. You get a perspective, especially in another country, of what a place is at its roots. What the locals do, how the culture is in a home vs the downtown tourist area. You get to see the real place, and I can attest to the fact that I absolutely fell in love with Holland because of the Hilferink family. Europe Update! 6/2
Amsterdam Day 3 As is the trend, this day was another amazing day! After a yummy breakfast and a train ride into, you guessed it, Amsterdam- my friend and I split up for the day with the promise of netting at the train station at 6pm. She headed to the Heineken Experience, and I few blocks away to a bike rental shop. One thing I constantly kept hearing was that the best way to experience Amsterdam was by bicycle. So armed with a yellow bike I headed down the flower-lined canals to the Rijksmuseum. It is the biggest museum in Holland, and boasts the famous work of art, De Nachtwacht, or to us Americans, The Night Watch by Rembrandt. To my great surprise it was much larger than I was expecting, though it’s size made sense considering the others of its type created during that time period. I guess it just didn’t actually register the size when learning on it in art history. Another thing I didn’t know was that it had been cut down from its original size to fit into a former hanging place, and as a result its missing two figures of the guild. The other cool thing I learned was that a crazy guy actually slashed it with a knife a few years back, but the restoration was so good the only place you could see was by the dog, and only if you knew what to look for as the light reflected off it juuuuuust right. After falling in love with art again and again, I rode off to the De Gooyer windmill, located with a local brewery on the east side of town. On my where there however, I let myself get lost, just wandering along back canals and quite neighborhood streets, the ones away from all the hustle and bustle of the tourist areas. In doing this I came across the Skinny Bridge, a landmark said to have been (according to legend) commissioned by two sisters who lived on opposite sides of the river and wanted to be able to easily see each other. I rode across it and felt very fulfilled and a little elated.....because of a bridge, ha. But after seeing that and the windmill I was happy. I made kind of a mad dash of a ride to the other side of town where the bike needed to be returned by 6pm. Which I found unusual considering it didn’t get dark until 10:30pm most nights. After turning the bike in I met up with Ginger and the two of us headed to the famous Red Light District. I’m not going to lie, I was a little disappointed. It wasn’t nearly as flashy as I assumed it would be, in fact it was almost low-key enough that we almost missed parts of it. Granted the Red Light District isn’t the most savory place to be, but if you’re in Amsterdam it’s one of those things they say you have to see. Meh. Once we did a walk around of the district we headed back towards the train station, stopping for pizza along the way. Once we gobbled up the pizza, we set out on a slightly misguided attempt to find meringues. I had passed a few stores where they had these big beautiful ones stacked in the window and I really wanted one. After some twists and turns and a little getting lost, we found them! Ginger and I emerged victorious with a hand-sized meringue in lemon and one in candy floss! It’s safe to say I scarfed those down pretty fast! After we bagged our sugar bombs we headed back by train and had a lovely evening at home. Europe Update! 6/1 Amsterdam Day 2 Our second day of Amsterdam was arguably better than the first! After a lovely breakfast of toast, butter, and sprinkles (isn’t that so interesting? Sprinkles are a breakfast food for them!) Ginger and I got a quick crash course on how to ride a bicycle Dutch Style. I drove while Ginger sat on the back, and we definitely had a shaker start. After a few hundred yards I had it down for the most part. I can testify that I was so tense the entire ride that I can still feel it in my shoulders, weeks later. After riding into town, Ginger and I visited Alkmaar, which is a site of a huge cheese weighing festival of sorts? According to our lovely hosts, even the Dutch people have no idea what it is Alkmaar is doing. It was an interesting reenactment thing, and there were a fair amount of craft stalls to browse as well. We shopped around a bit and I got a cute ceramic mouse and cheese ornament and local artist was making. After that festival we headed for the train station where we idiotically realized that we had forgotten our Eurail passes, so Ginger found a small cafe and I hopped on that bike and called up every ounce of “like father like daughter” and zoomed back to the house to grab them. I’m proud to say it didn’t take me more than 15 minutes one way! Luckily it all worked out and Ginger and I caught the train into town. That day while we were in Amsterdam we hit a bunch of the big hitters. We saw the floating flower market on the canal, the Begijnhof courtyard which had an interesting history. It was originally a grouping of houses for Beguines, members of a lay Catholic sisterhood during the 14th century. Since they were worshiping in their private homes they were left alone, and to this day only women can live in the courtyard! We also stumbled across an old book and records market, and we visited the Albert Cuyp Market, which is a traditional street market where you would expect to see everything from fish, fruit, flowers, furniture, clothes, shoes, and crafts! I had a great time wandering up and down it! I also bought my first, fresh and warm stroopwaffle which I had been waiting all too for since I had my first prepackaged one on a KLM flight. It was a borderline spiritual experience. To this date it’s one of my favorite foods I’ve in encountered in Europe so far. In fact, I loved them I picked up a package of them from the lady, who was selling them in these charming, hand painted cookie jars. Now the key is to get them home in one piece. After walking almost, the whole city and taking a million pictures, we headed back to Heiloo. We were created by warm Dutch-style Pancakes where I got to try them with a line of sugar as recommended by Ruben- and I think that was my favorite way to eat them. I guess Dutch Pancakes are like the grilled cheese dinner equivalent for the Dutch. Quick, easy, simple, and anyone can make it! Afterwards Carel and Monique took me to the beach, where we let the dogs run amuck. It was misty, but it was a nice feeling after the general muggy humidity I’d experienced in the weeks and days beforehand. After the beach and a quick walk around the downtown area, we stopped by Merel’s dance class where they let me sit in for a while- I wish I could dance as well as her! After a full day I followed the previous night’s pattern and conked out for a good rest! |
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