Discovering More
Disclaimer: This blog post is diary-style, recounting what I've done the past few days (i.e. less reflective). Also note that you can click on the smaller images to make them larger and view captions.
The past two days I have been able to travel outside the usual Nyon bubble. On Friday, the entire program plus a sister program, visited Lausanne, a city above Nyon on the coastline of the lake. It is quite special for its layout; it's a very steep city on a hill. So steep, in fact, that it has levels with an underground metro that takes passengers up and down this great slope if they do not want to hike the steep streets. Against the backdrop of a low, grey sky, the city still managed to dazzle me. The narrow, cobblestone streets created an old-time atmosphere that overcame the city's modern establishments. On our walk in the morning, we visited a church on a high point of the city, where we could overlook the rooftops and see the lake. We all had lunch on our own and later regrouped to visit the Olympic Museum.
While none of us could quite figure out why the Olympic Museum was located here, we all had an incredible time. The museum covered the history of the olympics, staring in ancient Greece, moving through the ages to today. There was one part of the museum where you could pick a year and a short film would play about the global events and politics at the time and how they influenced that year's games. Another section described the Olympics's efforts to become sustainable in recent years while another part showed a compilation film of recent opening ceremonies, surrounded by mannequins dressed in some of the most exciting costumes worn at these performances. One room presented every Olympic torch, while another room displayed every medal. The entire museum was very modern in its use of technology and interactive aspects. In one of the last rooms was entirely interactive; visitors could play games to test skills vital to an Olympic athlete such as hand-eye coordination or balance. Although I did not have time to try it, one interesting element of this exhibit was in an empty corner where visitors could sit in a comfortable armchair and listen to a recorded voice guiding them in mindfulness and meditation in order to reveal the mental challenges of being an Olympic athlete and how important calming the nerves is to each athlete's performance. Mindfulness is something I am quite familiar with but it is still not a practice that is widely normalized, so it was reassuring to me that the Olympic Museum included a small bit on mental health. Needless to say, we all had a blast at the Olympic Museum!
After our museum visit, some friends and I set off to find what our guide and program employee had told us was the best ice cream in Switzerland: Mövenpick ice cream. The flavors were not exceptionally wild or complex like Ben & Jerry's but wow, wow, were we impressed! I had the classic Swiss Chocolate ice cream in a cone and although it sounds so simple, it really was amazing. The ice cream was somehow incredibly rich, but not overwhelming, while also a very light texture. In addition, it had chocolate flakes in it - broad, thin slices of chocolate that really added to the texture. My friends and I decided we have to return to a bigger Mövenpick (the one we went to was practically a kiosk stuck on the side of a building) throughout our trip in order to try every flavor. I thought this was a brilliant idea.
On Saturday my friends and I took a day trip to Montreux. It is a small town at the opposite end of the Lake from Geneva. When we arrived, we first went to Chateau de Chillon, a castle built in the Bronze Age in the 1200's. If you want to know more about the castle's history, you can read more here, but I will only cover the highlights in my post. It turns out that Lord Byron wrote his "Prisoner of Chillon" about François Bonivard, who was a prisoner in the Chateau for about six years because of his opposition to the Savoyards. The castle tour (self-guided thanks to the pamphlets we picked up) was packed with history about the eras in which the Chateau was active. Most of the rooms were decorated with wall paintings - either scenes or patterns - and I yearned for the ability to experience the rooms in their full, colorful glory, since most of the rooms' frescos had faded almost entirely. The Chateau overall was very intricate in its many passageways and staircases, so we wound in and out of every room, eventually leading us to a vista-point where we could see far and wide. I am forever in awe of how clear Lake Geneva is - it looks as if it is from a beach in the Caribbean!
Our next adventure was to take the old train up into the mountains to Rochers de Naye, which is a mountain inland from Montreux from which, on a clear day, you can see across Switzerland and into France. The entire train ride up the mountain, as nerve-wracking-ly steep the ride was, my friends and I were constantly exclaiming "Wow!" "Oh my god!" and various other noises of awe at the incredibly scenery. We could see rocky mountains, snowy slopes, tall pines, tiny villages, and we could see all the way back down to Montreux and across the Lake. Neither my amateur photos nor my amateur writing do these scenes any justice. All I can say is that it was simply breathtaking and my passion for vista points was certainly satisfied. Throughout the train ride, I was astonished to discover that it seems like people are free to ski down and around the mountain to their heart's content; there are small lifts periodically throughout the mountain and people also seemed to make their own paths as well. Even though there were some low clouds around the French shore of the Lake, we truly could see far and wide from the top of the mountain. The peak also had a few ski lifts (only T-bars and the kind you can stick between your legs to pull you up) and a ski school for very young kids. After taking many photos and nearly losing a few fingers to the cold, we dipped inside the small restaurant there to have some hot drinks. I was ecstatic to discover they sold biberli! I quickly purchased one and insisted that all my friends try some. A Swiss family friend used to always bring it back for my brother and I when we were young and although this biberli was prepackaged and a slightly different texture, it still tasted like my childhood. On the train rides up and down the mountain, we saw many small houses perched into the mountainsides, which were incredibly charming, but there was no indication as to how one got into them besides skiing or walking up to the front door. It looked out of a wintery fairy tale. I was caught up in whimsy about what it must be like to live in or weekend in one of those houses in a tiny mountainside village.
Once back in Montreux, my friends and I wandered around the town a bit more, discovering the concert hall and small park of music-icon-sculptures, all related to the annual Montreux Jazz Festival. Despite its touristy elements and modern stores, the town is truly beautiful and has an incredible view of the French Alps across the lake. The houses in Montreux were beautifully quaint, some with colorful shutters, other with elaborate roof tiling, and I adored every one of them. I cannot wait to explore more of the beautiful country (especially as the weather improves!).
I have realized through these adventures that this area of Switzerland seems to be modernizing quite rapidly and efficiently. Before I arrived, I imagined the area consisting of mostly quaint, old towns that transported visitors back in time. The architecture and cobblestone streets certainly ground the towns in their old roots, but the efficient and modern transportation systems and the sleek, new buildings definitively proclaim the area's modernization. Yet, this modernization is not loud or "in your face," but rather subtle and natural-feeling. This all strikes a very pleasing balance, in my opinion. The fact that the area is an international hub yet preserves its unique history and culture is really amazing. I think it is a testament to the fact that people, just as well as cities, can build strong relationships with others and appreciate the contributions of others while still remaining unique and independent.
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