Goodbye Europe!!

Shanell


First, let me say that I am sorry that this farewell blog is a little late. We had a very full day on our last day in Switzerland. By the time we arrived at the hotel everyone was trying to make sure that their luggage was taken care of.

May 28
(KKl)
On our final full day in Switzerland we began our day by visiting the KKL, Culture and Congress Center in Lucerne. Our tour guide, Ms. Fehlmann was extremely knowledgeable about the KKL and its architect Jean Nouvel. She was very enthusiastic about the building and the different aspects of designs that Jean Nouvel put into the building. Ms. fehlmann, passion conveyed the vision that the architect had. She discussed with us that Jen Nouvel wanted to create the illusion of a docked ship. Nouvel also created a roof top terrace with a roof that visually forces you to look at the beautiful city view. To wrap up our visit at the KKL, Ms. Fehlman took us into one of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra's practices. That listening session was truly beautiful and conveyed everything she tried to explain to us about the musical audio design of the room. I was in awe to listen to the symphony orchestra responsible for the music in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies that I admire.

Pictures inside the KKL are prohibited. However, the building is truly a magnificent sight to behold. My only regret is that we could not take pictures in the building.

(Jailhotel)
After leaving the KKL we followed Kyra to the Jailhotel for our second visit of the day. The building was built in 1862 and used as a prison. However, in 1999 te last of the prisoners were removed and the building was transformed in to a hotel. They kept all of the aspects of prison life and there's almost an eerie feeling f confinement conveyed as we walked through the halls. Our hotel tour guide allowed us to view two of the rooms which really gave us a feel of what it would be like to stay there.
     

 

Casino

On the way to the Casino we stopped for a bit to listen to a few street Performers play some music. They were nice to listen to and very good players. :)

When we arrived at the Casino we were greeted by our tour guide JJ. We were then checked into the casino using our passports. The casino just like the KKL had a no picture policy. However, JJ explained to us how American and Swiss casinos compare and contrast. The most interesting contrast was the Swiss casino's ability to deny entry based on financial papers.  It is part of their social responsibility to decided whether or not it would be in the guests best interest to gamble.

Farewell dinner
As a group we had dinner at the Wirtshaus Taub restaurant. We discussed our favorite places, what we learned and what we would take up from this experience.

May 29
We all received a wake up  call at 5am. Ater a long night of packing we had breakfast and then began our journey home.

• An hour bus ride from Engelberg to Zurich
• Hur and a half plane rided from Zurich to Paris
• Nine and a half hours from Paris to HOME

Dr. J - Still working hard even on the way home.

Lucerne!!

Shanell

Lucerne, Switzerland

For our first visit of the day we went to The Eichhof Brauerei in Lucerne. We were given a tour of the brewery along with an explanation of how beer is made and their efforts to use green practices. The Eichhof Brauerei has a system in which they reuse their bottles up to 60 times. The brewery uses the left over malt to feed pigs. They really use everything to its maximum potential which is very common here in Europe.

Schweizerhof Hotel
We left the brewery and went to our second visit at the Schweizerhof Hotel. Schweizerhof a fifth generation owned and operated hotel. The hotel is built on a lake that is filled in with dirt and tree trunks. The hotel has had various renovations throughout the years. Many of the rooms in the hotel are protected, which mean they can not be renovated without permission. Afterwards we ha FREE TIME!!

Mount Titlis!!!

Shanell

Mount Titlis
Mount Titlis is 10,000 feet in the air and you have to take THREE different cable cars to reach the top. However, once you reach the top of Mount Titilis the view is amazing and there's a lot to do. You can sled, ski, ride the sky lift, walk in the snow, eat at the restaurant, walk through glacier cave, and cross the steel bridge. Once we arrived at the Titlis restaurant we were served a three course meal and then we used our free time to explore the mountain.

          

       

Restaurant on the hill
After free time was over we met up in the lobby of hotel Belmont to head out for dinner. We ate dinner at Fluehmatt a 300 year old building up in the mountains of Engelberg. We had salad, Alplermaggronen (apple sauce, grilled onions, cheese, pasta, cream sauce) and desert. After dinner we walked down the mountain trail using torch light.

                                 

Goodbye Italy!

Shanell

Switzerland
We left Italy around 11 this morning and arrived in Switzerland about an hour later. When we arrived in Switzerland the scenery seemed to change. For starters, we came across waterfalls, rocky mountains and snowy hill tops. The air feels thinner and more chilly. The scenery is beyond breathtaking.            We were told that Switzerland was expensive. However, I don't think anyone was prepared for the kind of prices that we saw. I along with a few of my classmates found ourselves spending $7.00 on Pringles. Switzerland is very expensive!

 

Paying for a bathroom
I have heard that there are places in Europe where it is necessary to pay to use a bathroom. However, until today I hadn't really came across any of them. It was strange to be required to pay a Euro for the bathroom.

Engelberg
In Engelberg theres surprisingly a lot to do. In Engelerg you can go hang-gliding, zip-lininng, skiing, and rock climbing. You can also go to the monastery and watch people make cheese.

Lake Como Tour!! - Bellagio

Lake Como 
Today we went on tour of Lake Como with Daniella. Lake Como is over 1,000 feet deep. The entire lake is  surrounded by mountains and large private villas owned by various famous people such as Versache and George Clooney. Our tour guide, Daniella pointed out all the famous villas and locations - she showed us the location of John Legend's recent wedding.
As a group we crossed the lake and got off in Bellagio. In Bellagio we bought gellatto, sandwiches, lasagna, ravioli and items made of silk.

 The winery 

After the boat ride, we went to a beautiful winery near the top of a pretty high hill. I don't want to speak for everyone when I say that the hike was well worth it. However, in my opinion it was well worth it! There was a beautiful view topped with a three course meal and wine tasting.

           

Good bye France - Hello Italy!

Shanell

Eze, France

This morning, we woke up early and headed for Eze. For our last visit to Eze we toured the Fragonard perfumery. During this visit we learned about the process of making perfume. Our guide also touched on how the perfumery makes soap, Argan oil, anti-wrinkle cream and other cosmetic products. After our tour we left France on a six hour journey to our next location. We stopped twice along the way as it is mandatory for bus drivers here to take a break every two hours. At least that's what we we're told. There are many tunnels in Italy due to all the hills and mountains. Lake Como, ItalyWhen we first arrived at Lake Como I was amazed at how beautiful it was. I'm almost certain everyone else was amazed at the beauty of Lake Como as well. There are green mountains, snowy mountains and a lake that stretches on forever. The roads are narrow and the homes a large. It's very peaceful here on Lake Como.

Last day in France!!

On our last full day in France we visited a chocolate shop, a film festival and an amazing pizza restaurant.

Chocolate Shop
La Maison Auer is a family owned and operated fifth generation chocolate shop. They opened in the 1820 and interestingly enough they have preserved the original building and furniture. Everyone had an amazing time tasting the chocolate. We were in awe of the beauty of the store.

Cannes Film Festival

For the most part, we had beautiful weather in Nice. Except for the pouring RAIN during our free time!  However, the drive to Cannes was peaceful and dry. Cannes is famous for its annual Cannes Film Festival. We were lucky to be in Cannes during the 67th annual Cannes film festival. Some of us were lucky to view the celebrities as they walked the red carpet. We stood on ladders and snapped photos of celebs we know and didn't know - it didn't matter we were there. An experience we wont forget!

Free Time
In our free time we hung out downstairs, met street artists, ate pizza at La Pizza and just enjoyed France!