I sit here drinking my bottle of Evian (The film, Superstar, incessantly creeps into my mind! MRod can identify).
OH, THE LIFE OF A SWISS IN AUTUMN. I arrived in Ginebra (Geneva) at 11 AM and, despite my fatigue, we did not stop until I really needed to rest. With three varieties of Chocolate Products made in Spain (as if they are comparable to those in Switzerland), I met my uncle (actually my Dad’s BEST FRIEND from childhood), Mauro, and his adorable 9-year old son, Massimo (kind of like Maximus, in English. GREAT name) at the airport. I can not even describe how elated I was to finally meet the man my father has always incorporated into his crazy stores of his younger years, or joventud. Mauro (who I maintain looks exactly like Mike Myers!) is a bundle of joy.
OH, THE LIFE OF A SWISS IN AUTUMN. I arrived in Ginebra (Geneva) at 11 AM and, despite my fatigue, we did not stop until I really needed to rest. With three varieties of Chocolate Products made in Spain (as if they are comparable to those in Switzerland), I met my uncle (actually my Dad’s BEST FRIEND from childhood), Mauro, and his adorable 9-year old son, Massimo (kind of like Maximus, in English. GREAT name) at the airport. I can not even describe how elated I was to finally meet the man my father has always incorporated into his crazy stores of his younger years, or joventud. Mauro (who I maintain looks exactly like Mike Myers!) is a bundle of joy.
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| Massimo & Tio Mauro (MIKE MYERS) |
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| Compare now, please. |
After spending an entire day with him, I think it is fair to say that he may be one of the most caring, generous and fun loving individuals I have yet to meet! He’s a Swiss/Mexi, is married to a sweet, beautiful and very modest Swiss woman, Jocelyne. I am fascinated by the fact that Mauro (native Spanish speaker) speaks perfect French, though he is committed to speaking to his son in Spanish. (It’s cute. Massimo always initiates conversation and responds to Mauro in French). Mauro also has another son, Anthony, whom I met when we returned from my first tour of the city. [Yes, Tio (Uncle) Mauro has an itinerary for the next few days! Yes, he is amazing.] Anthony is 25 and is currently serving for the Swiss Army (it is compulsory). Oh yes, he owns a Saltillo Blanket – made in Mexico – (it serves as a sheet atop his bed) that I plan on purchasing the MINUTE I arrive to Abuela’s Esther’s house)
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| Look at those colors! |
Tio Mauro wasted no time when I returned. He gave me a tour of their beautiful, colorful home and prepared a delicious lunch for us. After assuring him that I was more than ready to do some exploring (yes, I was EXHAUSTED and still a bit nausea from the previous night at the airport), we were off to experience Geneva! We hopped on a bus so Tio could show me the myriad buildings that civilians are blessed to pass on a daily basis! It's exciting that Geneva is the home of:
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| The Palace of the United Nations (Place de naciones unidas) |
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| Our Tour Guide |
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| Really neat, Water Jet! |
Rising majestically from the lake is the Jet d'Eau (Water Jet) shooting water 460 feet into the air and is one of the largest fountains in the world. Check out this youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsslMiIw-8U
World Health Organization (Organizacion mundial de la salud)
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| Want BREATHTAKING Mountains? Look no further (Colorado may not even be comparable) |
The Broken Chair
A Monumental sculpture in wood by Swiss artist Daniel Berset, constructed by the carpenter Louis Genève. (5.5 tons of wood and is 12 metres (39 feet) high).
It is, indeed, a giant chair with a broken leg and stands across the street from the Palace of Nations. It symbolises opposition to land mines and cluster bombs, and apparently serves as a reminder to politicians. (Wikipedia is our friend.)
The most lovely autumn weather. The trees are majestic and the weather during the day is PERFECT. The sun is beaming, the air is crisp. It pleasantly reminded me of Autumn in Connecticut. =)
- The “Center”: Aside from the Hundreds of Stores Common to All (i.e. Gucci, Prada), I did not realize how many popular products sold in the US are from Switzerland (Chocolate products, Swatch, RICOLA, Swiss Army Knives, Cheese)
- MANOR Shopping Center (Corte Ingles on stereoids! I am infatuated)
Musee International of the Red Cross
(Tio even treated me to the Museum. This is by far my favorite part of yesterday’s tour. Fascinating and inspiring)(http://www.micr.org/e/exhib/explore_permanent_e.html) Oh yes, The pictures are FAR better than mine (naturally)- Organization of International Telecommunication (Organizacion Internacional de telecommunicaciones)
- Le Lavaux
-Chateau de Gruyeres (Oh, you shall see!) Noteworthy: Gruyeres is INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED for its cheese products (FONDUE lovers heaven)
I am very impressed by the overall cleanliness and organization of the city. It is very well maintained and a very safe environment. The main religion practiced here is Protestantism (Calvin influence, anyone?), though there is a beautiful Orthodox church and Synagogue nearby. Indeed, I saw the most adorable Jewish family (I was honestly just staring at the 3 children: 2 boys and 2 girls) walking in the street on our way to the bus. Tio says there are a significant number of Jewish families in the area. It is also worth noting that Geneva has the high standard/cost of living in the world! There are homes here that cost 30,000 Franks per month!
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| I am infatuated with this Orthodox Church |
The following day..
In the meantime, I just can NOT get enough of this beautiful family with whom I have had the HONOR of spending my weekend here in Switzerland. They are unbelievable. I am having SO MUCH FUN with these four. Massimo and Anthony are like the brothers I never had. The former is so outgoing and spontaneous and the later is so timid. Perfect pair if you ask me! We spent the entire day in a lovely city called Gruyeres (internationally known for their cheese products, mind you). The drive from Geneva was breathtaking, as you can imagine. I have never seen mountains like these before! Indeed, I probably said “Oh my gosh!” over 75 times (easily) within an hour and one half. Of course, to the boys these gorgeous products of nature were no big deal – you know, just the norm!
I took a “nap” the minute I returned from my first day in Switzerland, or Suiza. It has now been TEN HOURS since I laid down to rest! Perhaps I needed to recuperate from the 9 hour Airport visit and weeklong bug that left me “quarantined” (which, according to Senor Prosper, is not an appropriate word to use because 5 days is no where close to the 40 days involved in the actual process).
Ah yes, how could I forget? HAPPY HALLOWEEN. Yes, it is officially October 31st (Happy Birthday, Elisa!) Interesting, I will be spending Halloween in both Swizerland and Barcelona. I will be leaving in approximately 3 hours for Barcelona where I will spend the day with fellow Fulbrighter, Ted, and his lovely wife! It will be my first time in Barca. I hope it goes well.
Again, Halloween is a bigger deal here than I thought! My school celebrated Halloween this Thursday and my Tia Chelo (native Valenciana) recently e-mailed:
“HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!! Dressing up? Enjoy, there will be lots going around in Valencia, as I assume you already know about!! Well, all over the country, it wasn´t popular years ago, not a tradition to dress up, but it´s getting big!! Enjoy!!”
“HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!! Dressing up? Enjoy, there will be lots going around in Valencia, as I assume you already know about!! Well, all over the country, it wasn´t popular years ago, not a tradition to dress up, but it´s getting big!! Enjoy!!”
In the meantime, I just can NOT get enough of this beautiful family with whom I have had the HONOR of spending my weekend here in Switzerland. They are unbelievable. I am having SO MUCH FUN with these four. Massimo and Anthony are like the brothers I never had. The former is so outgoing and spontaneous and the later is so timid. Perfect pair if you ask me! We spent the entire day in a lovely city called Gruyeres (internationally known for their cheese products, mind you). The drive from Geneva was breathtaking, as you can imagine. I have never seen mountains like these before! Indeed, I probably said “Oh my gosh!” over 75 times (easily) within an hour and one half. Of course, to the boys these gorgeous products of nature were no big deal – you know, just the norm! It was really such a treat! We made a few stops on our way up to Gruyeres. I learned several neat things about the history and the geography of Geneva these past few days – Mauro and Jocelyne are so knowledgeable about Switzerland. It’s a pleasure listening to them. It is fantastic; Tio speaks in Spanish and Joecylen speaks both English and Spanish! It is amazing how close we are to France (2 hour drive, more or less, depending on your destination!).
Today is a new day! We are off to the Mountains (Chateau de Gruyeres) and to the “Old Town”. (Please see album. There is a PLETHORA of photos for you all).
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| Satiating our Appetites before Show time! Check out that FONDUE. |
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| "Adaliss, remember the story I was tellling you!" Tio was very excited! Minutes before he had shared his nugget of knowledge with me re: the cow migration to the mountains during the summer. Go to: http://www.swissworld.org/en/switzerland |
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| First time exposure to a fondue fork! I can not take how adorable you are, Massimo. |
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| Time for some Swiss Cafe. Note: the cream and sugar! |
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| View of Gruyeres from the Castle! Can you imagine living here? |
"Gruyères stands in the midst of the Fribourg green pre-Alpine foothills. The castle, one of the most prestigious in Switzerland, towers majestically above the medieval town.
The tour of the castle offers a walk through eight centuries of architecture, history and culture."
Extracted from the official website: http://www.chateau-gruyeres.ch/e/index.html The tour of the castle offers a walk through eight centuries of architecture, history and culture."
Please do take this 2 minute tour of the town! : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmgmNxEvAgM
Unfortunately, I took only half the photos I wished to take (See Album, my dear friends). I took over 200 photos in 2 days. Does this surprise you…at all? Perhaps I am just an excitable person. OR maybe Switzerland is one of the most phenomenal places you will ever experience (particularly in the Fall and loving/generous family friends)!
Tio's Famous Hot Sauce
For 3 servings:
- Chile morita (5)- Red Tomato (1/2)- Peanuts or Mixed Nuts (Salt Already added / in Sea Salt) (12-14)- Garlic (3 cloves)- Onion (1/2)1. Take Chile Morita. Roast in olive oil with half of onion, 3 cloves garlic, halved (bad part of the garlic found in the center; dog stomach cause problems)2. Add tomatoes3. Add a bit of water4. Put all in the blender5. Finally add lemon drops of green (fresh lemons Are preferred)
Next Stop...Barcelona
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