Swiss Holiday- week 1

Although I have been here two months, I've had only two weeks of Swiss school so far! The first three weeks I was here, I was in a special language school, then I went to school for two weeks, had my social work week in the swamps, and then comes a three week vacation! Coming from Canada where snowstorms are the longest holiday of the year, the Swiss school system is a little different! Here they have one week of volunteering/social work, and then three weeks  break in October. So basically, I ended up having a month of no school.   

I spent my break discovering Switzerland. What better time to see the the country that I am living in for the year?  I made day trips with other exchange students and with my host family. 

Danielle and I in Konstanz

Danielle, (from saskatchewan) and I started off our vacation by making a day trip to Thun/Interlaken which was pretty, but tourist filled.

And the next day we went to Konstanz, which lies on the Bodensee lake and is on the border between Switzerland and Germany. We were stunned and amazed at the difference in prices between Germany and Switzerland! Even with the difference between the Swiss Frank and the Euro, things cost half as much in Germany! Needless to say, we took the opportunity to do a little shopping in Konstanz.

Me in front of Jungfrau mountain

For my birthday, my host family very generously gave me a home made "coupon" for a trip up Schilthorn mountain, and to Chateau Chillion. So later in my first week of vacation, my host mother took me to Schilthorn! It was a two hour train ride, then a series of different buses and special mountain trains before we arrived at the base of the mountain, and then we had to take four different gondolas before we reached the top! The whole was the view was very scenic, and the whole travel experience was an adventure! My host mom said that we came to Schilthorn because it had the best view of Jungfrau, Eiger, and Monch mountains- three of the most famous in Switzerland! Schilthorn is also famous for being the site where the 1969 James Bond "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"  was filmed. Rita and I ate our swiss cheese sandwiches while sitting on the rocks, looking out over the mountains. Afterwords, we went up the the rotating restaurant and sat down for a tea. The mountains and mountains in all direction as far as I could see were absolutely breathtaking,  and certainly different than  the gentle rolling hills of PEI!

  

Danielle and I met up on the weekend to go to Aarau's annual Fall Market. It was already chilly out, but we got to sample some great food (wood fired pizza, cheeses, crepes...YUM) and it is always nice to be out in Aarau. When everyone is out in the streets talking and chatting, it really reminds me of market day in Charlottetown!