The SWISS-est Things

Gruyeres:

Last Thursday (September 9) was a holiday for the city of Geneva so we didn’t have school. I went with a friend from the program on a day trip to Gryeres – yes as in where the cheese comes from – in the lower Alps! Again Swiss trains amazed me… there we were basically in the middle of nowhere, close to no major city and yet it was all totally hooked up by rail. The little train was packed to the gills with middle schoolers commuting home on our way back.

This was possibly the most stereotypical SWISS day ever. Trains ABSOLUTELY on time – I took a bus, had 5 minutes to get on the train, switched trains with about a 4 minute transfer, and another similar transfer time at the next stop! The views were splendidly cow/farm/mountain/church/chateau filled, there was cheese everywhere. It was pretty hilarious.

The region surrounded Gruyeres has been under the influence of the flag of Gruyeres since 400 AD when it was first settled. Though it’s shifted hands between the Swiss cantons and French invaders, The Chateau de Gruyeres has stood in the center of the Old town since its construction in 1270. The castle has benefited from the patronage of rich art aficionados for centuries, so it has been marvelously kept up. For every century that the castle has stood, there is a room dedicated to the art of the period. Over time, new bailiffs and owners of the castle left old style intact while adding their own contemporary touch! So neat! My new friend from the program (Claire) was just as into the history and art as me so we had a lot of fun.

There are laws in Switzerland about cheese production. In order for something to be considered Gruyere cheese the producers have to follow stringent guidelines! OFFICIAL Gruyere cheese has to actually come from the area surrounding Gruyeres. I never knew there was so much to know about cheese. My host dad very, very seriously explained to me how to properly cut and eat a cheese at dinner the other night… Ask me in person sometime if you’re really curious J. I also learned that “Alpage” – cheese produced from cows that live and graze in the Alps – is considered more sophisticated than lower elevation cheese. That is because higher in the Alps there is greater variety of herbs and plants for the cows to eat, so the refined cheese-eater can identify a whole smattering of tastes. I THINK my host dad said over a hundred tastes, but that seems absurd and numbers in foreign languages are hard… I will investigate.

Becoming Legit….haha

I took a trip to the Thai permanent mission to the UN! They were closed. But, I found it, and that’s step one. I’m planning on doing some research involving the politics of aid distribution along the Thai-Burma border so I’m trying to get in touch with their embassy for interviews. I have one interview scheduled already with a professor who is well versed in modern Thai politics! Yeaaah! Just a twenty or so more to go J

Lower Alps!

Yesterday my host parents went to a Jazz concert in the lower Alps and I tagged along for the ride with a friend (the Jazz would have been nice bt, of course, expensive). We had no idea what to expect from this tiny town but my friend Emma is currently in a wheelchair due to an ankle injury and my host parents said it would be a wheelchair accessible day, so we thought we’d check it out.

WHOA. The most beautiful views I’ve ever seen! We took a little cable car from Villars (name of a big brand of Chocolate from the region) up to the base of bunch of ski lifts and just soaked up the views. WOW. We even had a glass of local wine on the terrace overlooking the Alps! Funny note – wine is one of the only things here that you can get at a reasonable price. Of course you can also get ABSURDLY expensive wine…. but you don’t have to! I’m sorry I talk about expensiveness so much, it’s a MAJOR part of living here. Sigggh.

Emma and I are hoping to make our way back to the area once she’s out of the wheelchair to do some Alpine yoga and hiking. Oh! There were loads of cows (of course) and one group of about 60 was herded not only by a couple people walking, but an SUV. That sort of broke the mood briefly, but was really hilarious.