Hit or Swiss

I will say hello to you in Swiss now:

Bonjour, Guten Tag, Ciao.

Yeah.

Switzerland, bordering on Germany, France, and Italy, has been linguistically influenced by its neighbors.  Therefore, while I was disappointed not to discover a hidden Swiss language in the Alps, I was comforted in that I would continue not knowing things in French.

Kinda like not knowing what the hell this thing is.

I started my Switzerland experience in Geneva, as in planning my journey it was a good bridging point between Paris and Nice in Southern France. 

The funny part was how I almost didn't get to Geneva. Having mixed the date of the trip with the actual time, I had anticipated leaving Paris at 19:10 (which was really 19/10). I gave my ticket a cursory glance while unwinding with a glass of Fine French wine before departure.  And lo, discovered I had 10 minutes to pay my bill and get on the train at 18:11.

THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT FINE FRENCH WINE.

Thankfully, I made it. As I spent the first hour of the ride recovering from extreme heart palpitations from a near miss, I got to muse over exactly what I had sprinted for.

Geneva Convention, Neutrality, Cheese, Chocolate, UN, and the Alps. This is what my encompassment of Switzerland was.

 And fairly much, still is.

Expectations= fulfilled.

Some other famous organizations I had half- forgotten about also had their respective HQs being located here:

Are you listening America?

And of course,  Swiss Army Knives. Swiss Army Knives everywhere.

I wanna kill somebodaaaay....

For this post, I will talk about what I liked, and didn't like in Switzerland.

Switzerland, to wit, composes of peaceful, scenic countryside. 

I MEAN LOOK.

Accompanied by gorgeous mountain chains.

Beautiful Chateaus.

And very happy cows
.

California? No, Happy Cows come from Switzerland.

There was just one thing missing. Study this picture. 

Hear the silence? This blog has gone from 2D to 4D. RADICAL.

Reflecting on my last day in Paris, I had felt slightly overwhelmed with the sheer size and activity of the city. I then spent my last afternoon in a peaceful cemetery to take a break. Had I known how quiet and peaceful these three days were going to end up being, I might have spent my last Paris day in a club.

AIN'T NO PARTY LIKE A VERSAILLES PARTY.

Switzerland is a destination for those who want peace and quiet. My first day was spent in Geneva. Despite it's city exterior, it was the quietest city I've been in. While I hadn't seen all of Paris in 4 days, I easily saw Geneva in 1. 

For the next two days I decided on the Swiss town of Gruyere (like the cheese) and Annecy...France. 

Sorry Switzerland, I just keep going back to France. I just wanted a break from our relationship the bread. 

NO ESCAPE.

Gruyere was the definite highlight of the trip. Sweeping mountainsides, picturesque farm towns, and of course, my personal favorite:

CASTLE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gruyere you may have heard of, solely based on the cheese:

The cheese factory was located right next to  the train station, so Gruyere knows what's up when it comes to tourism.

After seeing the processing of Gruyere cheese, I spent the morning exploring the nearby town and then the Medieval City of Gruyere. Small shops and restaurants clustered near the beautiful castle I had seen from town below, and I was anxious to explore the area. Oh, but not before making a trip to the bizarre HR Giger Museum. 

HR Giger? You, know the guy who designed the Alien?

What a great movie.

Let me say this: If for any reason you end up in Gruyere, and decide to go to the HR Giger Museum, be forewarned: It is not for the faint of heart. I myself, someone who regularly enjoys the unnatural, felt creeped out. This guy's mind is terrifying. I would be worried locked in a room with him.

The nearby themed bar. This picture does it no justice.

After the museum, was the castle, or in French, Chateau.  Chateau. Ah. Seriously, I wasted my life learning English. What a pretty word.

Chateau....

After contemplating a scheme involving a hostile takeover of a European castle for my residence, I took a small tram ride over to the the Cavalier chocolate factory. 

Never heard of them? You might recognize their merger name: Nestle.

The tour itself was ok, (had a bit of a Disney-vibe) but it was interesting watching the conveyer belt spit out chocolate. The best part was the end, where you got to try several different variations of chocolate. Can someone say, choco-coma.

Now Annecy, a different story.

Having been painted a picture of elegant waterways and old buildings, I was expecting a bit more:

I mean, it had those things...but....

It was a very, very small town. It clearly thrives on tourism, however, I came in their off season. Meaning, the highlight of the area only ran once a day, for 1 hour. 

Which was the boat tour.

It was nice, but, it a.) would have been nicer if it had been the full 2 hour boat tour that runs in-season. b) earlier in the day. As Annecy was so small, I was easily done walking around the city within 2 hours. Interestingly, the place shuts down around 1200, and doesn't re-open until 1430.  I haven't seen that kind of 'we're closed' mentality since Spain. So basically,  you're spending time wandering around trying to think of stuff to do.

I have an idea.

Annecy is easily a half-day tour in the off-season. In summer, I have a feeling this place is really kicking, in terms of activities and hotels:

I WOULD STAY HERE.

Overall, I enjoyed SwisserFrance for about two days, but on the third day I was getting restless. Switzerland clearly has a lot to offer in terms of quiet, nature, and snow.

Next stop is Nice, (Monte Carlo, Cannes) and Turin, Italy.I hadn't planned on going to Italy until December, much less for only a day. However, a direct flight connection to Romania flies outta there, so hence my brief trip. I'll touch upon those on my next update. 

Brief PR: My photography has caught up with my writing, so if you're curious on a (visual) view into my travels: IntPhotography

See you in the South of France. FRANCE!!!!!! I MISSED YOU!!! let's be together again