Welcomed with Sledding and Cheese Fondue

Indescribable. That's how I would describe my first thoughts on Switzerland because words cannot begin to do this country and my home city of Geneva any sort of justice. My flight was from Boston to Zurich and then Zurich to Geneva. I was fortunate enough to land a window seat from Zurich to Geneva, on a clear sunny day, flying right over the alps! I was beyond exhausted during the flight but just had to keep my eyes open to see the stunning view. I have found that to be a common thing when traveling Switzerland, forcing yourself to stay awake because the views are too pretty to ignore. I could bore you about my school, orientation, my class, and all that jazz... or I could go straight into the fun stuff... fun stuff it is!

I signed up to join 50 other study abroad students in a trip to St. Cergue for some sledding and fondue!! Bittersweet to say the weather hasn't been too cold here. Sweet because it's bearable to walk outside in. Bitter because what is supposed to be snow everyday has been rain. Thus, the snow for sledding was denser than fluffy. Doesn't mean it wasn't a blast!! Of course, you only sled for half the time and the second half is a massive snowball fight. Safe to say I had a good amount of snow go down my shirt but that's alright. We had to take a train to a station about 40 minutes away to catch a mountain train heading up to St. Cergue where we got our sleds from the quaintest restaurant.

After sledding on a small hill that is often used by locals, we were freezing and ready for F O N D U E! Of course, you already know, cheese is part of my life! My happy food dance could not even begin to describe my excitement!

Brace yourself, I'm not sure if you're ready for what you're about to see...

F O N D U E F O N D U E F O N D U E F O N D U E F O N D U E F O N D U E

FONDUE IS AMAZING. So gooey, so cheeeeesy, so much bread. It was one pot shared between 4 people and unlimited bread!! I have to say, by far my favorite thing in Switzerland has been this cheese right here. The fondue was made with aged Gruyère and white wine. The flame under the pot kept the cheese at the perfect tempature between boiling and curdling. There were options to dip smoked meat in the cheese but I opted for the traditional bread and trust me, I have no regrets.

My table and I iked it so much that we ate as much as we could until we felt sick and then took the rest to go home with us. Definitely a smart decision on our part because late night fondue is pretty heavenly. After warming up with the delicious fondue and a bottle of wine, we were off to travel back home.

Everyone was exhausted and ready to sleep on the train, but as we descended down from St. Cergue, something gave everyone energetic excitement. The clouds finally broke and there we were looking at the most amazing view of the Alps.

This picturesque view could not even be captured by a camera through a train window. I was smart to pick my seat next to the window on the right side of the train. Every break from the trees or glimpse over a field was absolutely breath taking. It amazes me that I get to live in this beauteous country for 4 months and the idea of transportation is a way itself to give you the most amazing views. I cannot wait to see what the view is truly like when there are no clouds and blue skies finally appear!

Safe to say this trip was a great start to what is going to be an amazing and breathtaking 4 months here! Although

#Sledding #Fondue #Alps #StCergue