It is now Sunday night, which means I have wrapped up my first weekend here in Bern. Saturday I went into town to shop because that is what everyone does on Saturday since the shops are closed on Sunday. There is also a big outdoor market, so downtown is very crowded. I found a big arts and crafts store, which made me happy, and I bought a memory card reader so that I can finally upload some photos (still working on that). I also found a movie theater in town. It only has one screen, but it is pretty big. The movie was expensive (16 Francs! Over $14), and you had to pay one extra Franc to have stadium seating. My ticket had a reserved seat number (odd), and then halfway through, they stopped the movie, showed a commercial for ice cream, and half the audience got up to buy ice cream before starting the movie again! The Swiss are weird. But, I got to see American Gangster in English, and the German and French subtitles were good for learning. For example, I now know the word for "gun" in German is Waffe.
Sunday, I did laundry in the morning. The washers here use very little water, so it takes at least one hour to wash one load of clothes, not including the dryer. Luckily, everything turned out OK, and hopefully my clothes are as clean as I believe they are. I didn't quite understand the diagram for loading the soap, but the little drawer was empty when I finished, so that leads me to believe I did it correctly.
The weather was very nice (chilly, but not a cloud in the sky), so I thought I would check out the small mountain in Bern (Gurten). I had to take the train into town, walk to a tram stop, take the tram to the bottom of the mountain, and then take a vernicular railway up to the top. I didn't think there would be many people there, but actually everyone in town with a child under the age of 12 was at that mountain today. Everyone was bringing sleds up to the top, even though there was only a couple inches of snow. At first, I saw a nice view of Bern from the top of the mountain. I followed everyone else to a spot where there was an incredible view of the mountains, especially because the weather was so clear. I took lots of pictures and will post them soon (I promise). Besides all the little kiddies sledding, there was also an awesome playground with snow-covered slides to sled down, and hills with mini-jumps to take the sleds over. It made me wish I grew up in Bern. I also found a tower with a spiral staircase that went up 4-5 floors (and definitely swayed in the wind at the top). It also had some awesome views. There were lots of little trails to explore, but I decided to save them for when people come to visit, and when I have on my snowboots and not tennis shoes.
Other than that, I started working in lab last week. It has been pretty boring so far, since I have just been watching a post-doc do his experiments. Hopefully this week I will be able to do some of my own. I have a whole room to myself, with a patch clamp setup and a brand new computer. Pretty nice.
I am starting German lessons on Tuesday night - luckily the University pays for international students to take language classes. I think I will be much happier when I know the language better. Right now I feel like a total alien, and it will be nice to not have to embarrass myself anymore by asking everyone to speak English.
I also found (via Facebook) some Americans in my dorm who are celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday and I asked to join in. I couldn't possibly miss a holiday based around sweet potatoes and green bean casserole. Hopefully I will also meet new people and maybe even make some friends!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Italia!
OK, so since this is going to be pretty long, I think I will break it up into each day of my trip, isn't that what bloggers do?
Day 1 (Thursday): This day is not very exciting, because all we did was sit in the car during the 10 hour drive from Bern to Rome. The only thing worth mentioning is that driving through the Swiss Alps is totally awesome. Very "majestic." For half the time we were driving right beneath these massive mountains, and the other half the time we were inside tunnels, including the Gotthard Pass, which is 17 km long. After getting through the Alps, driving in Italy is insane. People drive really really fast, and if you are in the left lane, they will come up right behind your car and flash their lights at you to get out of their way. Driving in Rome was not much better, the roads are even worse than those in Boston. Luckily my dad got the Europe maps added to his GPS, or else we probably never would have made it. When we got to Rome, we checked into our hotel, and found a little Italian place nearby for dinner. The food was good and the restaurant was luckily not touristy, but my mom knocked a full glass of red wine onto the white tablecloth and all over herself. Oh Joyce.
Day 2 (Friday): The day of the Vatican. This morning we waited in line for about an hour to get into the Vatican museums (and its not even tourist season), but it was worth it. Most of the museum collection is Roman and Renaissance art, but there was also some cool Egyptian stuff. There were entire rooms painted and decorated from the Renaissance, and of course the culmination was the Sistine Chapel at the end. Unfortunately, by the time you get there you've been looking at art for several hours, so it maybe doesn't seem as impressive. But it was still good to see, and one of those mandatory things to do in Rome. After the Vatican museums, we went to St. Peter's basilica, which is incredible. It is very impressive from the outside alone, but the inside is ridiculous. The church is huuuge and every wall and ceiling and column is extravagantly decorated. We also went into the crypt and saw the tombs of all the dead popes. The hardcore Catholics were sitting and crying in front of John Paul II's grave (Jeff, you should feel guilty). The tombs of all the popes were, of course, extravagant. After it got dark, we wandered over to the Tiber River and crossed a really pretty bridge into Rome before going back to the hotel.
Day 3 (Saturday): We spent today in Rome. Rome is a massive city, and we spent the whole day on our feet. We started the morning at the Colosseum (another mandatory Rome tourist spot, and we had a mandatory cheesy tour guide), which was OK. A lot of the marble in the Colosseum was pillaged to build St. Peter's, and the popes felt guilty about it later and rebuilt part of it with bricks. Totally lame. I did get a picture with a gladiator, though. We also walked quickly through some Roman ruins, but my dad thought they were boring, so we didn't waste a lot of time there. Next we walked through all the normal tourist spots: Trevi fountain, Spanish steps, Pantheon. The Trevi fountain was completely swarmed with tourists and all these really annoying guys trying to sell a bunch of crap that no one wanted. We went back to the Trevi fountain at night (because everything is better at night), and while my dad was taking a picture of me, a guy came up with roses and literally forced me to take one. We didn't want to pay him a euro, but he also refused to take the rose back, so we gave him 80 cents. Really annoying and rude. We also walked through the really expensive shopping area, but its not much different than Newbury Street, just a little extra snobby. The Pantheon was cooler than I thought it would be, its a huge ancient Roman building than is not in ruins but actually preserved. We went to a little mom and pop restaurant for dinner, which was deliciouso. We walked back to St. Peter's to see it at night again (because it was my dad's favorite) and there were these crazy flocks of birds when we crossed the bridge. I have never seen so many birds - there were several huge flocks that would follow the wind. It was actually really cool to see, until one of them pooped on my dad's hand. Then we had to leave.
Day 4 (Sunday): We woke up early this morning and drove from Rome to Florence. It was another beautiful drive - Tuscany looks just like it does in all the pictures (imagine that). After getting to the hotel, we went to the Uffizi art museum, which is the home to tons of Renaissance art. The building itself is really gorgeous, and the art collection is massive. My dad got really into it - we bought the tour book and he read the descriptions out loud to me and my mom. We walked around Florence at night and ate dinner at the place our cab drive recommended. Florence is quintessential Italy, but there are so many tourists, its hard to even believe its real. Sometimes it felt like Disneyworld.
Day 5 (Monday): We spent today walking around Florence. Of course, we went to the famous Duomo, which looks like "cardboard," as my dad says, because it is so perfect and flat. It is made out of white, pink, and green marble, so it has a very different look than traditional cathedrals. I was not impressed by the inside, but that might be because I was at St. Peter's three days before. We then walked across the Poncho Vecchio, which is a bridge with all these little stores hanging off the edges, held up by wooden posts. Unfortunately, all the stores are really expensive jewelry stores, so we were not allowed into any of them. Apparently a long time ago there were all types of stores, but the butchers smelled so bad, that the city only allowed goldsmiths to be on the bridge. We walked to the Boboli Gardens next, which was the best thing we did in Florence. The gardens were not crowded at all (which was a nice break) and it was good to see some green after being in cities all week. We walked up a bunch of hills to get to the top of the gardens, and the view was unbelievable. On one side, we saw a beautiful view of the Tuscan countryside, and on the other side we could see all of Florence. Awesome. We then went to another church (that I cannot remember the name) that has the tombs of Michaelagelo, Galileo, Rossini, Machiavelli, and some other important Italian dudes. Again, crazy extravagant Renaissance church and tombs. Randomly there was a leather school attached to the church, so we watched some guy make a purse. We found a hotel for that night at lastminute.com, which was probably not the best idea. The website listed a 4 star hotel for about 80 euro, which we thought was a deal, but the hotel was really more of a 2 star hotel. It was right on the river in Florence, but the toilet only flushed every once in awhile, and whenever it did, the whole room would smell like sulfur. Oh well. We went to an awesome Italian place for dinner, it was the best meal I had on the entire trip. And me, Tom, and Joyce finished off 1.5 liters of Chianti. Me and Tom were both a little drunk and Joyce was just herself.
Day 6 (Tuesday): Today we drove from Florence to Bern - another long drive, and another awesome trip through the Alps. We got back to Bern and thats when the electricity disaster happened (see my last post), but that is all taken care of now, and I have lights again :)
I took about a million pictures, but I brought the wrong camera cord, so I can't put them online yet. So I will just keep you in suspense until then!
Day 1 (Thursday): This day is not very exciting, because all we did was sit in the car during the 10 hour drive from Bern to Rome. The only thing worth mentioning is that driving through the Swiss Alps is totally awesome. Very "majestic." For half the time we were driving right beneath these massive mountains, and the other half the time we were inside tunnels, including the Gotthard Pass, which is 17 km long. After getting through the Alps, driving in Italy is insane. People drive really really fast, and if you are in the left lane, they will come up right behind your car and flash their lights at you to get out of their way. Driving in Rome was not much better, the roads are even worse than those in Boston. Luckily my dad got the Europe maps added to his GPS, or else we probably never would have made it. When we got to Rome, we checked into our hotel, and found a little Italian place nearby for dinner. The food was good and the restaurant was luckily not touristy, but my mom knocked a full glass of red wine onto the white tablecloth and all over herself. Oh Joyce.
Day 2 (Friday): The day of the Vatican. This morning we waited in line for about an hour to get into the Vatican museums (and its not even tourist season), but it was worth it. Most of the museum collection is Roman and Renaissance art, but there was also some cool Egyptian stuff. There were entire rooms painted and decorated from the Renaissance, and of course the culmination was the Sistine Chapel at the end. Unfortunately, by the time you get there you've been looking at art for several hours, so it maybe doesn't seem as impressive. But it was still good to see, and one of those mandatory things to do in Rome. After the Vatican museums, we went to St. Peter's basilica, which is incredible. It is very impressive from the outside alone, but the inside is ridiculous. The church is huuuge and every wall and ceiling and column is extravagantly decorated. We also went into the crypt and saw the tombs of all the dead popes. The hardcore Catholics were sitting and crying in front of John Paul II's grave (Jeff, you should feel guilty). The tombs of all the popes were, of course, extravagant. After it got dark, we wandered over to the Tiber River and crossed a really pretty bridge into Rome before going back to the hotel.
Day 3 (Saturday): We spent today in Rome. Rome is a massive city, and we spent the whole day on our feet. We started the morning at the Colosseum (another mandatory Rome tourist spot, and we had a mandatory cheesy tour guide), which was OK. A lot of the marble in the Colosseum was pillaged to build St. Peter's, and the popes felt guilty about it later and rebuilt part of it with bricks. Totally lame. I did get a picture with a gladiator, though. We also walked quickly through some Roman ruins, but my dad thought they were boring, so we didn't waste a lot of time there. Next we walked through all the normal tourist spots: Trevi fountain, Spanish steps, Pantheon. The Trevi fountain was completely swarmed with tourists and all these really annoying guys trying to sell a bunch of crap that no one wanted. We went back to the Trevi fountain at night (because everything is better at night), and while my dad was taking a picture of me, a guy came up with roses and literally forced me to take one. We didn't want to pay him a euro, but he also refused to take the rose back, so we gave him 80 cents. Really annoying and rude. We also walked through the really expensive shopping area, but its not much different than Newbury Street, just a little extra snobby. The Pantheon was cooler than I thought it would be, its a huge ancient Roman building than is not in ruins but actually preserved. We went to a little mom and pop restaurant for dinner, which was deliciouso. We walked back to St. Peter's to see it at night again (because it was my dad's favorite) and there were these crazy flocks of birds when we crossed the bridge. I have never seen so many birds - there were several huge flocks that would follow the wind. It was actually really cool to see, until one of them pooped on my dad's hand. Then we had to leave.
Day 4 (Sunday): We woke up early this morning and drove from Rome to Florence. It was another beautiful drive - Tuscany looks just like it does in all the pictures (imagine that). After getting to the hotel, we went to the Uffizi art museum, which is the home to tons of Renaissance art. The building itself is really gorgeous, and the art collection is massive. My dad got really into it - we bought the tour book and he read the descriptions out loud to me and my mom. We walked around Florence at night and ate dinner at the place our cab drive recommended. Florence is quintessential Italy, but there are so many tourists, its hard to even believe its real. Sometimes it felt like Disneyworld.
Day 5 (Monday): We spent today walking around Florence. Of course, we went to the famous Duomo, which looks like "cardboard," as my dad says, because it is so perfect and flat. It is made out of white, pink, and green marble, so it has a very different look than traditional cathedrals. I was not impressed by the inside, but that might be because I was at St. Peter's three days before. We then walked across the Poncho Vecchio, which is a bridge with all these little stores hanging off the edges, held up by wooden posts. Unfortunately, all the stores are really expensive jewelry stores, so we were not allowed into any of them. Apparently a long time ago there were all types of stores, but the butchers smelled so bad, that the city only allowed goldsmiths to be on the bridge. We walked to the Boboli Gardens next, which was the best thing we did in Florence. The gardens were not crowded at all (which was a nice break) and it was good to see some green after being in cities all week. We walked up a bunch of hills to get to the top of the gardens, and the view was unbelievable. On one side, we saw a beautiful view of the Tuscan countryside, and on the other side we could see all of Florence. Awesome. We then went to another church (that I cannot remember the name) that has the tombs of Michaelagelo, Galileo, Rossini, Machiavelli, and some other important Italian dudes. Again, crazy extravagant Renaissance church and tombs. Randomly there was a leather school attached to the church, so we watched some guy make a purse. We found a hotel for that night at lastminute.com, which was probably not the best idea. The website listed a 4 star hotel for about 80 euro, which we thought was a deal, but the hotel was really more of a 2 star hotel. It was right on the river in Florence, but the toilet only flushed every once in awhile, and whenever it did, the whole room would smell like sulfur. Oh well. We went to an awesome Italian place for dinner, it was the best meal I had on the entire trip. And me, Tom, and Joyce finished off 1.5 liters of Chianti. Me and Tom were both a little drunk and Joyce was just herself.
Day 6 (Tuesday): Today we drove from Florence to Bern - another long drive, and another awesome trip through the Alps. We got back to Bern and thats when the electricity disaster happened (see my last post), but that is all taken care of now, and I have lights again :)
I took about a million pictures, but I brought the wrong camera cord, so I can't put them online yet. So I will just keep you in suspense until then!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Back in Bern
I just got back in Bern after spending 6 days in Italy. Unfortunately, my dad was trying to help me set up my electronics (because I had already blown 2 power converters by this time), and when he plugged everything in, he blew the electricity. And not just in my room, but on half the floor. My parents also just left to drive back to Zurich to catch their flight tomorrow.... so now I am alone, in the dark, with only my laptop battery to save me. I will write about my trip to Italy when I am in a better mood, and have better lighting.
PS It is snowing!
PS It is snowing!
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
I have arrived!
That's right, I made it to Switzerland. I don't have much exciting to say, other than I am now living in a dorm room again and have been demoted back to twin bed status. Yuck. But at least I have my own room.
Other than that, it has been an adventure with my dad driving in Europe, especially in Bern, where the main road in town is under major construction. Joyce is also being a nutcase, walking behind me and Tom and snapping pictures of our backs because she thinks we will refuse to turn around and take real pictures.
OK I am really tired and going to bed, even though its not even 8 pm. Yes, jetlag! Tomorrow I will be running errands in Bern, including opening my very own Swiss bank account (oooh). Thursday I am going to Italy with my parents for a few days, it should be fun.
Other than that, it has been an adventure with my dad driving in Europe, especially in Bern, where the main road in town is under major construction. Joyce is also being a nutcase, walking behind me and Tom and snapping pictures of our backs because she thinks we will refuse to turn around and take real pictures.
OK I am really tired and going to bed, even though its not even 8 pm. Yes, jetlag! Tomorrow I will be running errands in Bern, including opening my very own Swiss bank account (oooh). Thursday I am going to Italy with my parents for a few days, it should be fun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
