Journey to Switzerland Day 7

The magnet exhibit


The largest Plasma Ball in Europe

Day 7 : August 5th

We visited Technorama, the Swiss Science Center in Winterthur today. We hopped on the train around 9:30 in the morning after eating a simple bacon and pancakes breakfast at the house, and we arrived at the center as it opened at ten o'clock. For a small admission price of $19.11 per person, we were able to experience the interactive exhibits. There were over 500 exhibits that were dispersed over the three floors of this enormous building. Some topics included magnetism, eletricity, water, nature and chaos, and automation. In the first few hours we were there, we didn't even make it to the second floor. We knew right then that this was going to be an all day trip.

At noon, we stopped for lunch at McDonalds (yes, they have them in Switzerland too). We all shoved down double cheese burgers, eager to get back to the Swiss Science Center. Those exhibits were fascinating! Katie Stanton was the only one in our group who despised science with a great passion, but even she had a great time. The hands-on activities really made the learning experience thoroughly enjoyable.

We had a blast at all the exhibits, but we all had to agree that one outshined all of the rest. The Light and Vision exhibit was fantastic. There was one activity in the Perception section where you would stand in front of a wall where a light was cast. We all turned around, expecting to see a dark shadow, but in its place were shadows colored in bright reds and greens. In this section there were many mind blowing optical illusions as well. We were able to use our hands to attract crazy beams of light with the largest Plasma Ball in Europe. Today's unlucky event for Katie Burnet was that she was hanging around the eletricity exhibit too much and developed temporary side effects. On the entire way back to the house, Katie's hair stood on end no matter how many times we furiously tried to pat it back down.

When we were finally finished "oo-ing" and "ah-ing" at everything in the Swiss Science Center, we traveled home by train. Because of this experience, we now see science in a totally new way. We were just in time for dinner, and Mr. Carter had hot roast beef sitting on the table. It was delicious!

Journey to Switzerland Day 6

Cowbells

Wall of Cuckoo Clocks

Day 6 : August 4th

Since many museums and attractions are closed on Mondays in Switzerland, we decided to sleep in today. We had experienced so many exciting sights, sounds, smells, and tastes that we were completely exhausted. It took Kaitlyn, Katie, and Lindsay to arouse Katie Burnet out of her warm bed around 10:30 this morning. Even with the sheets flopped in a pile on the floor, she still wouldn't get up! As our last resort, we each took a limb and literally dragged her out of bed until she finally gained consciousness. The expression on Katie's face when she realized she was sprawled out on the floor was priceless. After a nice breakfast of oatmeal and eggs, we took a leisurely swim in Lindsay's uncle's pool. The weather, being in the upper 70's and low 80's, made it perfect weather for being outdoors. We could see the incredible landscape from the pool lounge chairs, and it emphasized how lucky we were to be in Switzerland. All of us felt this way except Katie Burnet, who had constantly been having serious cases of bad luck. She even fell into the pool two times today! The first time was pure bad luck, but the second time the ambitious Kaitlyn tripped her.

After a few hours of relaxing and eating lunch, we started getting cabin fever. Even though we loved the house, we had to go explore more of Switzerland. Since we knew that none of the museums we were interested in were open, we decided to commit the ultimate female crime. We went shopping.

First, we took a train to Zurich and traveled to the small antique and souvenir shops we hadn't seen yesterday. Since shopping in Switzerland is actually more expensive than shopping in the United States, we tried to limit our spending. Lindsay had to almost tie Katie Burnet up with duct tape in order to keep her from buying the cutest pair of Itilian shoes. They made quite a scene, and someone almost called security. At one shop, Heimatwerk, Kaitlyn bought a cute cow bell, and the rest of us pulled our money together to buy a cuckoo clock. Cuckoo clocks are famous in Switzerland for their delicate carvings and mechanics. We can't wait for tomorrow when the museums are open again even though we had a blast today.

Journey to Switzerland Day 5

The view from Üetliberg of Zurich and Lake Zurich


The breathtaking sunset while on the pedal boats on Lake Zurich

Day 5 : August 3rd

Today we got up at the early hour of seven o'clock in the morning. We ate breakfast at the house and packed our own lunches. Katie Burnet, being the extravagant person she is, packed herself a bologna, Swiss cheese, turkey, mustard, and strawberry jam sandwich. We have learned over the years not to question her taste in food. Like yesterday, we traveled to Zurich, but Mr. Carter gave us a ride. This time in Zurich, we went hiking. Lake Zurich is located in Zurich, and there are 6-hour hikes available that lead up to a look out tower where you can see a panoramic view of Lake Zurich, Zurich City, and the Alps of Central Switzerland. We went on the mountain called Üetliberg, which is in the Swiss plateau. We ate our lunches at the peak and admired the beautiful scenery. While we were at the top of this lovely hike, we had a small misinterpretation. Lindsay, the aspiring botanist, wanted to dig up some sample roots to take back to study. Because she didn't want to ruin her perfect little nails, she made Katie Burnet do the work. While she was digging up the plant, Katie noticed something slither away. She screamed at the top of her lungs, and all of the other hikers glared at us. She quickly pulled her hand out of the ground to find a puncture wound resembling a bite mark. Thinking it was a snake bite, we all rushed down the mountain at top speed to the First Aid Center only to find out something completely ironic. Instead of being a deadly snake bite, Katie Burnet was told she merely had a splinter!

After this disaster, we went to the Ötiker Haab in Stäfa where we rented pedal boats right on the shore of Lake Zurich for $16.61 an hour. The boat held four people. Kaitlyn and Katie Stanton sweated away at the pedals while Lindsay and Katie Burnet had the intense task of sunbathing on the front of the boat. Don't worry, we switched at the half hour! Ha-Ha! The calmness of the water was a great way to relax after the previous stressful series of events. As the sunset dipped into the tranquil trees, we admired the peacefulness of life here, wishing we could stay forever. Of course, we had to catch our ride from Mr. Carter back to the house. By the time we got back, it was well past eight o'clock. For dinner, we simply had chicken noodle soup and reminisced on the events of the day. We can't wait to see what's in store for us tomorrow!

Journey to Switzerland Day 4

Museum of Fine Arts


The amazing restaurant where we had lunch

Day 4 : August 2nd

Today we traveled to Zurich, which as you remember from our airport traveling, is only 15 minutes away. We rode the bus and arrived in the city around ten o'clock. We decided to sleep in a little after the excitement from yesterday. We traveled to two interesting and educational places today. We visited the Fine Arts Museum and had a wonderfully delicious meal at a restaurant nearby.

For a small admission of $18, we were allowed entry. The Fine Arts Museum was mostly devoted to 19th and 20th century artwork but also contained ancient art as well. It is considered one of the most modern and sophisticated museums in the world. Its largest collection was that of Edvard Munch but also had works of the famous artists Picasso and Monet. Once again, bad luck seemed to follow Katie Burnet around everywhere. She slipped on an untied shoelace, reached out in front of her to grab something, accidentally touched one of the ancient pictures, and set off the alarms! She must have some seriously bad karma. Security rushed to the scene of the "crime" immediately, and it took Katie Stanton at least 15 minutes to explain to them in English that Katie Burnet did nothing wrong. We all felt bad for her embarrassment, but we couldn't help laughing. Finally after three hours of looking at over 3,000 paintings and sculptures and 48,000 drawings, photographs, and films, we were ready to leave.

By the time we actually left the museum, it was almost two o'clock in the afternoon, and we were hungry for lunch. We discovered a nice restaurant nearby called Bierhalle Kropf. It's a local place, and we had the time of our lives. The locals were pleasant, welcoming, and always made sure our glasses were full! The restaurant was decorated with stain glass windows, chandeliers and hunting scenes with stag horns on the walls. The food portions were spectacular for the prices; Lindsay had to take some of hers to go. The rest of us ate like pigs, but who could blame us? Katie Stanton remarked that she thought it was amazing that Swiss people weren't fat! Our favorite item on the menu that is indigenous to Switzerland was definitely the meat pie. It's a delectable pie made out of puff paste filled with meat with a mushroom cream sauce and served with rice. Kaitlyn even asked the chef for the recipe. For dessert, we tickled our taste buds with a dish called Palatschinken. It's very similar to a chocolate crepe and was just as delicious as the rest of the meal. We finally said our goodbyes to our new Swiss friends around seven o'clock. We made it back to the house around 7:45 in the evening.

Journey to Switzerland Day 3

The Clock Tower



A fascinating fountain

Day 3 : August 1st

It's Swiss National Day! Today, all of us got up rested, excited, and anxious to celebrate the independence day of Switzerland. We woke up at eight and grabbed a quick bowl of cereal before gathering our backpacks, maps, and granola bars before heading out. What better place to celebrate the independence of Switzerland than its capital, Bern? We were going to rent a car, but apparently it would be cheaper and faster to use public transportation. We bought the Swiss Saver Pass which gave us access to use all of the trains, buses, and boats for eight days for a small cost of $282.02 per person. First, we rode a bus to the Zurich train station. From there, we caught a train from Zurich to Bern and made it there in a little over an hour. It was our first experience with the locals; they were surprisingly nice even though their heavy accents made communication tricky. They were always willing to aid the helpless Americans. Yet again, bad luck decided to follow Katie Burnet, and she spilt water all over the front of her pants! Luckily it dried by the time the train reached our destination.

Once we arrived in Bern, we borrowed scooters for free from the organization, Bern Rolls. We have to give the credit to Kaitlyn for finding it, and we were so thankful. Having the scooters made it extremely easy to explore all of the wonderful sights of Bern until it was time for the fireworks at nightfall. First, we decided to check out the famous Clock Tower. This historical landmark was an ornate, astronomical, calendar clock that was created in 1530. We learned that it was the town's main source of time, and the rest of the town set their watches by it. Resonating through the streets at every hour is the sound of the Clock Tower's bell. Also, while we were on our scooters, we stopped to admire a couple out of the hundreds of fountains in Bern. Many date back to the early 16th century and are depictions of famous heroes of the city.

Also, while we were on our scooters, we were able to experience a major holiday celebrated throughout Switzerland. Swiss National Day is a lot like July 4th in America but without the hot dogs and hamburgers. Extravagant displays of fireworks and bonfires were on the hillsides. The country gathered to listen to speeches about the independence of the country from the Austrian rulers, which started with the Grütli Pact of 1291. This pact stated that the three Alpine cantons swore an oath of confederation. We saw children walking the streets with Chinese lanterns, and it was an overall relaxing, insightful experience. At 8:30 we made our way back to the train station and arrived at Lindsay's uncle's house around ten o'clock with the images of fountains and clocks still within in our heads.

Journey to Switzerland Day 2

Mr. Carter's house in Pfungen


Lindsay's view from the plane

Day 2 : July 31st

We're here at last! Lucky Lindsay, who was the only one of us four to have a window seat, took some pictures of the breathtaking view of the beautiful country. At noon, we finally arrived at the airport in Zurich. All of us were starving since the only item we had for breakfast was the peanuts given to us on the plane. We stopped by Bruegger's Bagels and split three bagels between us.

While we were retrieving our luggage from baggage claim, we were greeted by Lindsay's uncle, Mr. Tom Carter. He was nice enough to pick us up at the airport with a smile and exclaimed, "Freundliche Grusse!", which means "Friendly Greetings" in German. He's allowing us to stay with him in his business house that he is renting in Pfungen, a town fifteen minutes from Zurich. We pulled into the elegant driveway and let out a gasp in unison. His house, with beautiful architecture, had a fantastic view of lush, rolling hills dotted with farms and small cottages. The visual was incredibly breathtaking as you can see from the pictures posted. Mr. Carter gave us a tour of the house, which included an outdoor pool, huge windows in all of the rooms, a warm fireplace, and an enormous kitchen. We dropped our luggage off into the roomy bedrooms and plopped onto the beds, exhausted from travel. We will definitely be going to bed early tonight! Switzerland is six hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, making it eight o'clock right now. We all have to be up and ready for our first day of adventure tomorrow! Goodnight!

Journey to Switzerland Day 1

Packed and ready to go!


Katie Burnet falling down the escalator at the airport

Day 1 : July 30th

Right now we are packed onto an airplane headed for Europe! We are so excited to have the opportunity to travel to Switzerland! We packed all day and were antsy with excitement when we finally left for RDU airport at three o'clock this afternoon. Once we checked and rechecked to make sure we had absolutely everything we needed, we hopped in the car and set off for the time of our lives. Parking was easy, but Kaitlyn hopes we remember where her car is! Katie Burnet set off the metal detector several times because she forgot to take her gold earrings out! Poor Katie also fell down the escalator, causing a domino effect of angry people with flying bits of luggage everywhere. We all laughed so hard that let's just say we had to make a mad dash to the bathroom. Other than those minor complications and the fact that we were all split up on the plane, travel was pretty smooth. Lindsay is the only one with the window seat. Katie Burnet is stuck in the last row and seat, 45E, which is the loudest place in the entire plane since it is located directly beside the engine. Because of this loud noise and unknown claustrophobia, Katie filled up her barf bag and the bag of the unsuspecting passenger next to her! Life wasn't liking Katie too much today.

We had two stops. The first one was at JFK airport in New York. The first thing Katie Burnet did when we arrived was gargle with mouthwash at least seven times. Also while we were there, we decided to eat dinner. Katie Stanton had medium pizza from Pizza Hut. Lindsay had a sandwich from Chick-fil-A. Katie Burnet had a salad from Panera Bread. Kaitlyn had a turkey sandwich from Subway. We also each bought a water bottle. Dinner was deliciously filling, and we then boarded our next flight to London Heathrow Airport. Tomorrow, after crossing the Atlantic Ocean, we will be in Europe!