Switzerland August 3, 2012
Posted by Frederick Grimm in Travel Log.Tags: Alps, Sw, Switzerland, Zurich
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Though I have enjoyed seeing the beauty of the old cities in the countries I have visited, I was thrilled to see the natural beauty of the Alps in Switzerland!
Though we did not have much time here, we certainly were able to see alot! The adventure started in Interlaken. I did not do traditional ‘touristy’ activities like caving, skydiving, or vanyoning. Instead, I followed the advice of Miller Templeton and traveled to Lauterbrunnen. It is now tied with Fiji for the most beautiful place on Earth! The small town located in a valley beneath the Alps with waterfalls streaming on both sides was truly a sight to behold! We found a hiking trail and continued upwards until we could see the Jungfrau, the highest point in Europe! We pulled out our swiss cheese and chocolate and snacked for several hours while taking in the view.
The next day was spent in Zermatt. Zermatt was exactly what I thought a Swiss town would look like, complete with alpine homes and traditional swiss yodelers. We started the hike up to see the Matterhorn. After several minutes of hiking, its sharp top became visible. What a sight!!!! I was certainly taken back by its sheer scale. The hike was gorgeous and the mountain air was noticeably fresh. Here, I spent quite some time laying in the wildflowers gazing at the mountain. We all slept well that night after our mountain hike!
Our final adventure before heading back to GTL was in Zurich. I had no idea what was in Zurich, but we made the most of it! There had just been an Ironman triathlon competition the day before we arrived, so many people were wearing their Ironman shirts (I really would like to complete an Ironman before leaving college, so this was very cool for me to see!). We saw the large lake in the center of the city, and we were very surprised by the large fountain in the middle! We walked closer to the fountain, and we noticed several people taking laps in the lake.
From this, I put two and two together and assumed I could just swim out to this behemoth fountain. Though the water was freezing, it was completely worth it. I swam to the fountain and my friends took some very neat pictures of me under the massive shoots.
Looking back, I could not have predicted that Switzerland would have been this beautiful. I cannot wait to visit again!!
Ahhhhhh the Swiss Alps June 10, 2011
Posted by Senthuran in Travel Log.Tags: hiking, Interlaken, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, waterfall
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This past weekend (June 2nd -5th) I spent my time in Interlaken,Switzerland. Interlaken,Switzerland is a quaint little town set in the backdrop of the gorgeous Swiss Alps. There were opportunities for lots of pricey outdoor activities such as canyoning, para-gliding and even canyon-swinging. But the hiking was so incredible that one would not feel having lost out on not doing any of the outdoor activities. I managed to do 3 really good hikes with a group of ten people and I enjoyed every minute of it. Coming back toMetz was a sad day in that I simply did not want to leave. The hostel that we spent the nights had a warm and cosy atmosphere from which you could get great rest before beginning the next day’s adventures. I am eagerly looking forward to going back and being able to do another hike up in the Swiss Alps. This trip has been so far the most expensive but it was worth every Frank cent. The Swiss Alps are the outdoor lovers’ dream we were very lucky in that on the days we hiked it was nice and sunny. The day we left it rained but it was fitting and we were thankful the rain held off till then. Currently this trip stands as my most favorite trip this summer and the bar has been set high for the rest of the trips. The question is whether the degree of awesomeness has already peaked or is something better still to come? Stay tuned to find out! So long from France everybody or as they say in French au revoir.
We just got off the train and on our way to the hostel. Downtown Interlaken folks.
Standing along trail in Schinge Platte. 2000 meters elevation.
Lauterbrunnen known as the valley of 72 waterfalls. You can catch a glimpse of one just behind the tree.
One month, one program, and many fantastic experiences! June 9, 2011
Posted by Andy Barrenechea in Travel Log.Tags: france, fun, gtl, hiking, Interlaken, Metz, Paris, Switzerland
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Bonjour amis! (That’s “hi friends” for those of you not fluent in French)
So, just the other day I received my GT Career Services planner from my parents (because I can’t live without it and of course I left it at home), and was filling in my classes when I realized I’ve been in Europe for a whole month now! Crazy!?!? I arrived a week before classes began at GTL and traveled with my sister throughout Germany, Italy, and France and in the past weeks I’ve added to my repertoire of locations visited in Europe. For the first weekend (a 2-day) I decided to stay local and explore the city of Metz with my good friend, Senthuran. Turns out the decision was a good one because we learned where to reserve trains, figured out the bus system, and even got to see St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Check out some pictures below:
The Cathedral in Metz.
In case you get lost!
For the second weekend (a 3-day) I decided to visit Paris, a close, but yet exciting destination. We initially planned on going to the French Open, but soon found out that tickets had to be bought online (bummer!), but that turned out to be a good thing because we were able to see so much more – Eiffel Tower, Rodin Museum, Amaretto (best gelato in the world), Napoleon’s tomb, Versailles, and the Louvre. Check out some pictures below:
I'm underneath the Eiffel Tower!
Best gelato in the world 
Yeah, we wear ponchos!
And finally, this past weekend (a 4-day) the group decided to go to Interlaken, Switzerland and what a beautiful and exhilarating experience this was! When we arrived we went for a short evening hike just outside the town of Interlaken, the second day we went on a longer hike that culminated in a quaint little town called Murren, and on the third day I went Canyoning, which was the most adrenaline-filled 3 hours of my life!!! No pictures are available from the canyoning experience, so a YouTube video will have to do:
That day ended in a short hike to one of the lakes on either side of Interlaken and relaxing in a hot tub at Balmers (our hostel), so all in all an awesome trip! Check out some pictures below:
Lots of places to see!
Check out the vista!
There's snow!
Stay posted for more experiences, people, videos, and photos!!!
Au revoir,
Andy
Bern, Baby Bern August 15, 2010
Posted by nsondej in Travel Log.Tags: Switzerland
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This past weekend we visited Bern, Switzerland, partly on a whim, partly because it was the only place we could get train tickets to. After planning a bunch of trips for a couple of weeks out, we unfortunately neglected to plan a trip for the nearest weekend. As this was the case, we simply packed our bags and showed up at the Metz Ville Gare SNCF (the train station) after class and decided to let fate (or more accurately, the lottery that is the Metz ticket office) point us towards our weekend destination. It turns out that Metz, being simply a stop along a major rail route, has very little in the way of tickets or destinations. With this is mind, we took the first train to Luxembourg (which is a major hub) and found a much better offering of destinations at our disposal.
Drumfest 2010 June 24, 2010
Posted by Emi Leonard in Travel Log.Tags: Badge of Awesomeness, Interlaken, Switzerland, Tambouren und Pfeiferfest
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- The beautiful Swiss landscapes
This past weekend I went to Interlaken, Switzerland with Lexie, AJ and Dylan. We had a wonderful time canyoning and seeing the beautiful scenery, but the best time we had was completely spontaneous and unexpected.
It all began when we kept spotting people rather strangely dressed. It reminded me of Colonial Williamsburg. These people were often in brightly-colored and old-timey clothing, carrying drums and travelling in large groups. We constantly found ourselves wondering who these people were and why they had so many drums.
We were leaving a restaurant late Saturday night when suddenly (more…)
