We enjoyed an extended ‘educational class field trip’ last last week. We left Geneva a few hours after class and traveled to Berlin via Basel on an overnight train, which let me tell you, was quite a tight fit. We were crammed into tiny little cabins in groups of six…

Thursday, July 31st
We arrived in Berlin on Thursday morning and rushed to drop off our stuff at Hotel Bogota, a hotel off the city‚Äôs biggest shopping street (our neighbors were Bulgari and Gucci). Next we were whisked around to see basically all of the major sites in the matter of one afternoon…

The Reichstag Parliament Building

Check Point Charlie

Monument to the Soviet Soldiers in Tiergarten

Memorial to the 8th Infantry (unofficially anyhow)

Monument to the Holocaust

Phew. Linda and I ended the night with a much needed burger and beer at Hard Rock Café…

Friday, August 1st
The next day we started off with an exciting lecture on business in East and West Berlin then headed over to the Sony Center.

Outside the Lego Land in the Sony Center

The absolutely gorgeous mall… aren’t those the cutest dresses ever?

You can see, my interest in taking pictures really waned fast.

Saturday, August 2nd
German History Museum all afternoon.

Painting of Maria Theresa

Goethe, Rousseau, etc. Pretty cool huh??

I don’t remember who they are… but I’ve decided it’s Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy !!!

On our walk back from dinner…

Sunday, August 3rd
The Berlin Wall… “East Side Gallery”

The famous painting of Breshnev swapping spit with some other political figure…

The ladies (at some point during the weekend)

What our teacher promised would be a leisurely three hour first day hike turned into an intense six hours up and down to see glacier! On the way though, we ate (somewhat sketchy) wild strawberries along the trail. The view was absolutely gorgeous – the pictures do not do it justice… nor do they adequately show how SCARY it was.

The next day we took a lift thingy up to La Flagere and hiked via l’Index to Col de la Gliere at roughly 8000 feet. Yup, 8000 feet! SO THERE to anyone who thought I wouldn’t make it! (you know there were a lot of you).

This past weekend… we took an ‘educational school field trip’ to Berlin. Details and pictures to come after my weekend in Rome…

Thursday, July 10th
Arrival at the Hotel Etap at 9pm, approximately six hours after leaving the Cite Universitaire
Impromptu trip to the Seine via the subway (where the ticket machines wouldn’t take our credit cards) !
Finding the Eiffel Tour around the corner and laying in the road to get pictures then almost getting run over
Buying chocolate crepes from the street venders
Walking away from the Eiffel Tour only to accidentally catch the midnight light show
Finally, after ten minutes of laying in the grass, running to catch the last subway back…

Friday, July 11th
Morning call at 9:00am!


Visiting the Musee d’Orsay (which was originally a train station) and admiring their impressionist / post-impressionist collections with Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Delacroix, etc.

And of course, finding the cutest picture that put a smile on my face for the rest of the day!

Riding on a carousel randomly at the Tuilleries Park

Walking by the ‘Guillotine’ Obelisk without even knowing it!

Climbing the 400 or so steps to the top of the Notre Dame only to realize I’m afraid of heights!
Giving into exhaustion after seeing the Mona Lisa at the Louvre

Saturday, July 12th
Morning call at 8:30am
Visiting Versailles and seeing the Hall of Mirrors

Finding a ’secret garden’ in the Gardens of Versailles

Enjoying dinner at the Deauville on the Champs d’Elysees served by men in sailor suits!!

Climbing the L’Arc de Triumphe

Ending the night with macaroons for dessert…

Sunday, July 13th

Visiting the Moulin Rouge… only to find it less amazing than expected (movie build-up, I suspect)
Shopping randomly at a street market!

Walking up to the Sacre Coeur finally, after seeing it in the distance from the Notre Dame AND the L’arc de Triumphe
Returning back to Geneva… only to do homework

Maybe it will make no sense to say it here, but I’m determined to live a life of no regrets. Act without regret and if you regret something, do something about it and if not, forget it. You’ve got to be happy with what life gives you… not complacent, but satisfied enough to enjoy everything.
Lol. So with that entry, I am off to take a nap!! More pictures on Facebook if you guys are curious :))

So Geneva is basically amazing. It’s beautiful and everything is expensive. Already, we’ve walked to or from Lake Geneva three times (it’s about a 45 minute walk).

And walked right up to the famous fountain along a walkway. The mist coming off of it is ridiculous!

And found a park where lots of people (old men) come and play chess!

Even so… I don’t think I’m ready to enjoy it just yet. I guess it’s so pretty and peaceful, I just don’t feel like I belong. Everywhere I look there are adorable dogs, couples holding hands, and women wearing the cutest - but most painful shoes ever.

Some things…

• Only Americans wear flip flops or tennis shoes
• Cocktails at clubs start at $25
• The Democrats Abroad are active! Republicans, what are you doing ??
• Seven weeks feel so long right now
• The sun doesn’t set until 9 or 10 every night

And now… I give you the view from the window in my room on the eight floor of the Cite Universitaire de Geneve!

Well not seriously - all the payments are in and with all the more money I’ve spent on tickets and hotels for Paris and Rome, I am sure my parents would kill me. Even though my brother insisted that if I changed my mind or ended up being too exhausted to go, I should just not go… I am absolutely sure it would make no difference on their reaction

Anyway, I’ll get back to packing now. I just wanted to set this up. I already know I’ll suck at updating this… but if I didn’t even start, now that would be sad. Toodles !!