Chocolate and Zurich

Getting ready to work

While the students (and chaperones) have been eating their fair share of chocolate here in Switzerland, today they had the chance to make some of their own.  Dr. Maggi was able to get us in contact with a pastry chef who owns his own confeserie, and he does two hour chocolate "classes" where people can come and try their hand at designing their own Swiss chocolate.







We took the train to Liestal, a little town about fifteen minutes outside of Basel, and made our way to the tiny shop.  The kitchen is two floors above the shop, and we all crowded around Mr. Aebischer.  We struggled at first to create our cones that were to be used for decorating, but with a little help from Mr. Aebischer, students were decorating and designing their own chocolate rabbit.

Folding cones for chocolate

 

Students started with dark chocolate and most wrote their names or initials and then used white chocolate to finish highlighting different features and designs.  The students then brought their molds over to a chocolate fountain of sorts where they filled the mold with flowing milk chocolate before carefully dumping the excess chocolate out.  The molds were then put in the refrigerator to cool, and then the process needed to be repeated one more time.  With bated breath, we watched as Mr. Aebischer carefully knocked the chocolate rabbits out of their molds, and the students were able to take home a once in a lifetime souvenir.

Designing the mold

Filling the mold

The chocolate hardens

We were then treated to some ice cream by Dr. Maggi, before bidder her adieu and heading to Zurich for the afternoon.

The finished product

Zurich is one of the most famous cities in Switzerland and its largest, located about and hour east of Basel.  Basel and Zurich have a rivalry in many ways, and their soccer clubs are akin to the Red Sox and the Yankees.  Zurich is a beautiful city that sits on Lake Zurich and has the River Limmat running through the center of it.  We strolled down the "most expensive street in Switzerland", Bahnoffstrasse, and then had a few hours free time to explore the streets, river, and lake of the beautiful city.  Students enjoyed a little shopping, although, as with most big cities, the prices were on the high end.  It was a relaxing afternoon after a very busy week of travel.

A lovely afternoon in Zurich

Only one more day left before our early departure Sunday morning.  Tomorrow is a shopping day for many before our farewell party in the evening. Hopefully, all are receiving chocolate and more upon our return!  

Bonjour de Lausanne

Lausanne

As you may or may not know, Switzerland is broken up into different sections based on their four national languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansch. Basel is located in the German speaking part, but we felt it was important for the students to experience a different side of Switzerland, so we headed south to the French speaking city of Lausanne.

If you have been keeping up with the news, you may have heard that Lausanne hosted Secretary of State, John Kerry, as he negotiated with Iran about nuclear peace.  Switzerland's neutrality has afforded it many of these types of situations, and Lausanne is home to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the same reason, because it has friendly relations with all nations.

Le Cathedral Lausanne

We arrived after a packed train ride with a few another school and some type of elderly outing (both groups were trying to take our reserved seats, but Dr. Maggi fended them off, what can't she do!).  The train was about a two hour ride from Basel.  We were blessed with another beautiful day though, and we saw some different terrain that was lush and contained farms and vineyards along the way.

Upon arriving, a few students enjoyed speaking en francais, although not always successfully.  There really is no better way to learn a language than to gain experience by trying to get around or order a coffee or meal, and the students seemed to enjoy the challenge.

Le Cathedral Lausanne

We walked around the old town for about an hour. We toured le Cathedral Lausanne, and strolled the streets before getting some lunch.  We then took the tram down to
Lake Geneva.

Lake Geneva offered even more picturesque views of the mountains, and students were claiming that they looked like a "green screen" because they couldn't be real.  We walked along the water, passing,  Le Hotel Beau Ryvage where Kerry recently conducted his negotiations. While the negotiations may have taken quite some time, I can see why, because I think Kerry just wanted to stay a bit longer in such an elegant hotel with one of the most beautiful views in the world.

We made our way to the Olympic Museum, one of the more beautiful museum locations I have ever seen. We learned about the history of the Olympics, how Pierre Le Coubertin re-

Micheal Johnson's spikes

founded the Olympics in 1896  in Athens, and moved the IOC to Lausanne in 1916, and saw many artifacts from Mark Spitz, Michael Johnson, Kerri Strug, and many more Olympic heroes.  After about an hour in the museum, students spent some time wandering along Lake Geneva, played a new Swiss game, muhlenspiel,  that is kind of a combination of Connect Four and checkers, and, of course, had some ice cream.

It was then a two hour train ride back to Basel, where many students occupied their time playing a variety of card games, and perhaps the chaperones did too.  It is hard to believe that we only have a few days left, but tomorrow is time for a chocolate experience and then an afternoon in Zurich.  Until then!

Carl Lewis's spikes and uniform

Winning the gold!

View from the museum

Lake Geneva

Le Musee Olympique

Olympic Museum

Flowers and Le Hotel Beau Ryvage

To the Top of the Mountain

Another beautiful day for us here in Switzerland.  No Swiss trip is complete without a visit to the Alps, and we had the pleasure of heading to the top of Mt. Titlis in Engelberg, about a two hours commute from Basel.

View from Mt. Titlis

It was quite the commute getting there today, as it was trains, buses, and gondolas that got us to the peak.  We spent about two hours on the top of the mountain  where we had lunch, explored the glacier cave, went over a suspension bridge, and enjoyed the sublime views.  We then headed back down the mountain the way we came up, and the students took some amazing time-lapse videos of our trip down.

We had a little bit more time in Lucerne, which students enjoyed by taking in scenes by the lake and enjoying some chocolate and ice cream.  I could say more, but I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Matt and Austin checking out the view

Chaperone Picture

Don't look down

More of the Alps

View doesn't get old

Still skiing in April

You can feel the altitude

Glacier Cave

Engelberg

Engelberg 

I don't know what's happening here

Back in Lucerne

A long day

Sunny Skies in Lucerne

I am afraid to write this since I have heard weather back home has not been to great, but, fortunately, we have been blessed with some fantastic sunshine again today.  Sunny skies not only mean that we are not looking for cafe after cafe to duck in to in order to stay dry, but they also mean breathtaking views of the Alps, which we were fortunate to see many times today during our time in Lucerne.

Lucerne

Lucerne is about an hour's train ride to the south of Basel.  One of the more picturesque cities in Switzerland, it is a great place to see all of what Switzerland has to offer, from views of the Alps, panoramas of the lake, and wonderful medieval, Renaissance, classical, and modern architecture. We traveled with the Swiss students on this outing, which was provided to us by Gymnasium Leonhard. We thank them immensely for their generosity and hospitality.

More of Lucerne

We met at the train station this morning, and once we left Basel, we were treated to many views of the rolling green hills littered with cattle and farmland  Fabian Hoffman's godfather, who is also a historian, greeted us by the lake and gave us an extensive walking tour of Lurcerne.  We went to the top of the concert hall and culture center, visited along the river Reuss, saw the famous Kappellbrucke (Chapel Bridge) and tower, toured Renaissance villas, and hiked to the old fort towers that provided some amazing views of the mountains, lake,

Enjoying the view

What we climbed

and city.

After our walking tour, we had about an hour for lunch before meeting back for our boat ride.  While we were waiting, many of the girls broke into some impromptu acapella, and we were all stuck with "Dancing Queen" in our heads for the rest of the afternoon.  Thanks ladies :)

Top of the Lucerne

We then enjoyed a short boat ride across Lake Lucerne.  The water was varying shades of blues and greens and crystal clear; it tempted one to take a dip.  We arrived at another part of the lake that housed the Verkehraus (Transportation Museum).  The museum was highly interactive and students took advantage of the many exhibitions and simulations that had them on television, in the air, on sea, and on the road. After a couple of hours, it was back to the train station for the ride home.  The train ride provided some interesting conversation between Swiss and American students about cultural norms and differences. While both cultures will never see eye to eye on everything, it is am important step for both parties to engage in discussion about these ideas.  It is amazing to watch our students grow right before our eyes.

Enjoying the ride together

Tomorrow, we head to the Alps, and, hopefully, more sunny skies!

Reception and Rheinfall

Dr. Inglin giving a tour

After a weekend spent with our new foreign families and friends, it was good to be back together as a group.  Students arrived at school this morning chatting about the various plans that had transpired, such as trips to France, Germany, the Alps, and more, and it was great to hear an exchange of so many experiences.

Ms. Herzog, Minister of Finance

This morning was an important morning for our group.  We headed over to Basel's state house/town hall, Rathaus.  we met up with another exchange group from Natick, MA.  Natick has an exchange program similar to ours, and the city of Basel was holding a celebration in our honor.  The Massachusetts state flag flew outside the Rathaus, and we were given a personal tour of the building by none other than the esteemed, Dr. Inglin, who is also a politician here.

After the tour, there was a ceremony where speakers talked about the importance of international exchange, and what these programs mean for our students.  Among the esteemed speakers was the head of the Ministry of Finance, Ms. Herzog, who also happens to be the mother of Fabian Herzog, who is hosting Austin.  There was also a diplomat from the U.S. Embassy in Bern, who gave a great speech about what these programs mean for America.  Dr. Maggi spoke about the importance of student curiosity and how students continue to inspire her to this day.  We also had two of our own students speak, as Matt and Nicole did a great job talking about their experiences thus far.  After the ceremony there was a reception where students were able to chat and mingle.  We did not stay too long, for we had other plans that included enjoying the beautiful day along the Rhine.

Matt and Nicole making RMHS proud

We headed along  the German border and took an hour's train ride to Schaffhausen, home to the famous Rheinfall, the largest fresh water waterfall in Europe.  These majestic falls were the perfect backdrop for our lunch.  Students enjoyed lying out in the sunshine and soaking in the the rays and the mist.  We then took a short boat ride to a rock directly in front of the rapids and climbed up for some breathtaking photos.

Group at the Rheinfall

Rheinfall

Rheinfall

Leto, Marykate, and Hannah enjoying the view

Emily is "King of the World"

After a long day, students were tired, but excited to see some of the beauty that Switzerland has to offer.  That beauty will continue tomorrow, as we head south to Lucerne.   

Rainy Day in Basel

We presented the school principal with his very own "High Five" shirt

We had a rainy day in Basel today, so we tried to stay dry by spending some time soaking in Swiss culture.  The morning began with a few other Swiss culture lessons from Dr. Inglin's "crash course," and students tried to identify different geographical regions of Europe and learn about all things Swiss, from education to politics. We also had a nice welcoming from the school principal, who we honored the best way we know how to honor someone at RMHS, with a "high-five" shirt. 

Swiss culture crash course

After the lesson, the students had a little bit of free time to explore the area around the school, and since it was only misting at that point, students were able to venture out for a coffee and a snack. 


We then met up at a former cathedral that has been transformed into a history museum.  They had an exhibit on display about how soccer is a "religion" of sorts over here.  Students were able to listen to information and answer quiz questions.  Unfortunately, we had some technical difficulties and were unable to see who answered the most questions correctly.  I will just assume that the teachers "won." :) 

Making paper

After the museum, we went to a nearby department store that also has a great cafe at the top of the story.  Students are still getting adjusted to the differences in foods, and some are liking it more than others.  As with anything new, sometimes it just takes time and that adventurous spirit to discover what can satisfy the palate.

Finish product

After lunch, we walked through a bit of rain to a paper museum.  A beautiful building that sits along the Rhine, the museum is very hands-on and students were able to make their own stencils, try their hand at calligraphy, and even do some old-fashioned type-setting and printing on a printing press.  The students seemed to enjoy the kinesthetic nature of the museum instead of just looking at the exhibits.  There is also a great gift shop there that the students enjoyed shopping.

It was then back to school to meet up with their Swiss hosts for a final lesson of the day before heading to their hosts' homes.  Students have some family time this weekend before all meeting back up on Monday morning for a reception at the State House.  Here's to a safe and happy weekend!

Printing and type-setting

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