"Ah, Swiss air. You can smell the neutrality." -- Me

WOW!

On Wednesday, we went hiking in the Swiss Alps. I had been to Switzerland once before, but all that trip involved was an hour layover in the Zurich airport and a bar of Toblerone.

I woke up bright and early on Wednesday morning. We had to be at the entrance to our dorm area at 7:50AM to be picked up by the bus, so I scrapped my plans of making bacon and eggs for breakfast, and had a bowl of cereal (which you all should know, bowls of cereal are an institution in my 21-year career as an eater of breakfast). The bus came, and we all clambered on. The bus ride took about 3 hours, and we were dropped off in a parking lot in the town of Grindelwald. Grindelwald is in the Berne canton (roughly equivalent to an American state), which is near the Italian border. We divided into groups, my group being the one to go on the most strenuous hike. We boarded a cog-train bound for Kleine Scheidegg, one of the smaller Alpine mountains. It stands in the shadow of two gargantuan Swiss Alpine mountains, Eiger and Jungfrau.

After about a 20-minute train ride, we began to descend the mountain. Now, I thought Pennsylvania’s countryside had nice views. I thought Tennessee had nice views. Switzerland trumps them all. I have never seen mountains and valleys so beautiful as those of Switzerland. Enormous rock formations, capped with snow, overlook lush, green valleys dotted with villages. Switzerland is probably the most beautiful country I have visited so far. Sure, Italy has ruins and Mediterranean landscapes, but Switzerland’s majesty is untouchable.

Anyways, the hike wasn’t so bad. The first stretch was mostly downhill, which is more difficult than one would think. Gravity forces you to walk faster than a normal pace, and your knees have to absorb the shock of not walking on flat ground. After hiking for what seemed like an hour, we stopped for lunch. After consuming the sandwich I packed for myself, I took in the amazing view of the Grindelwald valley. Meanwhile, people were parachuting off higher cliffs down into the valley. Don’t worry Mom, I don’t plan on going parachuting. Yet.

We resumed the hike, and finally started going uphill. Yes, I’m aware of the paradox of going uphill to hike down a mountain. That’s just how the mountain path is.

It was intense at first, but that might’ve been because my stomach was full of mystery German meat and Holländer cheese.

As the temperature fluctuated, we ascended the mountain path. The landscape changed from rolling hills to rocky climbs, from green forests to steep cliffs. The entire hike, I was astounded by the beauty of the views. Our hike also took us to a glacial canyon, where I filled up my water bottle with cool, delicious glacier water.

We even met some goats along the way.

The return to civilization, illustrated by clotheslines and Spongebob Squarepants balloons, signaled the end of the hike. We had hiked for 5 hours.

Sore, yet imbued with a newfound reverence for nature’s beauty, I boarded the bus back to Germany. Shortly thereafter, I joined the Green Party.

Just kidding.

We returned to Freiburg, and I cooked a small dinner and then went to bed.

Thursday’s classes were interesting, but nothing you all want to hear about. For our Model European Union simulation, I will take on the role of Prime Minister of the Netherlands. My policy areas are security and E.U. enlargement. I also made a boast during one of my poli sci classes, regarding our upcoming soccer game against the IES staff. Our professor, who will be playing goalie, said that he will see me on the soccer field on Sunday. I replied “Yes, I’ll see you on the soccer field…as I’m kicking the ball right past you.” He replied “Ah, okay. For every goal you score, you drop one letter grade. Now, which position do you play?” I said, “Usually midfield, but if my grade depends on it, I’ll play defense.”

Today, we went to Staufen, which, as elaborated by my history professor at Penn State, is “one of those cute little German towns.” She hit the nail right on the head. We took a regional train from Freiburg for about 20 minutes and arrived in Staufen. The weather was very foggy, but it wasn’t particularly cold or rainy. After splitting up into groups, we climbed a hill of grapevines to an 11^th century castle that was built by the dukes of Staufen as a defensive measure. While some people pretended to besiege the castle by climbing up the walls, the rest of us took the easy route by walking through the gate and climbing up the stairs.

We then walked into the town itself, which was like a smaller version of Freiburg. There were a few restaurants, some wine-tasting shops, and a town square (no McDonald’s!). We then learned that it was in Staufen that the historical Faust, the medieval alchemist who sold his soul to the devil, lived and died. At the top of the Rathaus (town hall) there is a footprint, supposedly that of the devil when he came to claim Faust’s soul.

Also while in Staufen, we were assaulted by a gang of 3 children on bikes. They followed us on the tour, yelling and whistling at us, and encircling us with their bikes. Eventually, they warmed up though. They began talking to us and took us to their favorite place in town, the church. We started walking back into the town, and one kid fell off his bike and hit his head. We bought him some chocolate-covered pretzels to cheer him up.

Tomorrow, the student activity coordinator’s country music band is playing in town. I’m quite anxious to see the German take on an American musical style. And Sunday is, of course, the students vs. staff soccer game. I’ll give you a score report, as well as a report of how much or little my grade drops as a result

Also coming up is the second big academic field trip. We are going to Krakow in Poland, Budapest in Hungary, and one of my favorite cities in the world, Prague in the Czech Republic.

I slept poorly last night, so I think I’m going to take a little nap. I hope you have enjoyed this entry.

This is me being excited to be in a field of grapevines, by the way.