The most memorable attraction!

     Hi everyone!


     Looking at our trip at a whole, I would say Lake Zürich was the most memorable attraction(20). It was so nice to experience such a beautiful area free from pollution and the craziness of Houston. It was also fun to spend time with Alexa while wake-boarding, sailing, and windsurfing! I don't know about Alexa, but I will never forget that part of our trip!

Who: N/A
What: Lake Zürich
When: N/A
Where: Zürich, Switzerland

The Attractions of Switzerland!

          Hey guys!


         Throughout our trip we have experienced Switzerland's many attractions. It has many attractions to offer, but we thought you guys would like to know our favorites!
           Our favorite religious attraction was the Cathedral of St. Peter(13). The architectural details of this building are just stunning. In this very church, John Calvin gave his moving sermons in the mid sixteenth century(13). When the church did in fact become a Protestant one, it was removed of gaudy things such as statues, paintings, and furniture(13). It was really such an experience to be in a place with such deep history.

Who: Where John Calvin from 1536 to 1564
What: Cathedral of St. Peter
When: Cathedral itself was built around 1000
Where: Geneva, Switzerland


         Once we explored the Mt. Matterhorn, we knew it was one of the highlights of our trip(15)! Mt. Matterhorn is absolutely breathtaking. It stands at 4,478 meters and is on the border between Switzerland and Italy(15). It is also one of the highest mountains in the Alps. It was 100% a once in a lifetime experience to see Mt. Matterhorn!

 Who: N/A
 What: Mt. Matterhorn
 When: N/A
 Where: On the border between Switzerland and Italy



        During our stay in Bern, Ava and I we were told by our hotel clerk that a popular cultural attraction near by was Bundesplatz and it 26 fountains. We were both confused by why there were specifically 26 fountains, but once we arrived to Bundesplatz, we discovered that the number 26 represented the 26 Cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the Swiss Confederation. (14) After examining the beautiful fountains, we toured around the Bundenhaus, which houses the Swiss federal assembly and Federal council.

Who: N/A

What: Bundezplatz

When: Began to be built in 1255

Where: Bern, Switzerland

   

   

Switzerland's current event!

           Bonjour Switzerland lovers!



           While in Zurich, we discovered that on November 18th, the city was ranked in the top 10 of most inspiring cities in the world, beating Paris and Barcelona. (18)  We now knew that Switzerland was impacting the world just because of how inspiring the cities within the country were! This is so because now hearing this it gets people’s attention on Switzerland, most likely improving tourism from around the world which then helps the Swiss economy(18). This made Ava and I extremely excited. We decided to extend our stay in Zurich by two days so we would get the chance to see more of the inspiring city.

http://www.thelocal.ch/20161118/zurich-named-one-of-worlds-most-inspiring-cities

(HINT: This is the link to the news report)

What the U.S State Department travel advisory says...

             To all of our followers!!!



             We would like everyone to know that despite all of the danger that is said to be going on in Europe currently, Switzerland is very safe and there is no reason why someone shouldn't go! In the U.S State Department travel advisory there are zero travel alerts and or travel warnings(17). It also states that you do not need any vaccinations to go to Switzerland and that you simply just to need to have had a passport for at least six months(17). So, if you can go, GO! Don't let anyone or anything hold you back! 

Swiss history and historical attractions!

            Hello my fellow Switzerland lovers!

Myself, being a huge history buff, made Ava follow me around Switzerland visiting historical places all over the country. We learned so many interesting things while doing this as well. Back in 1798, Switzerland was taken over by Napoleonic France and then in 1812, ironically the same year as the British/America mess known as the War of 1812 broke loose, Switzerland drafted a statement of neutrality. (5) I also made Ava go to the historical attraction of Augusta Raurica, a preserved Ancient Rome site in Switzerland(16). It was founded in 15 BC and used to be a prosperous colonia of 20,000 people(16)! We learned so much Swiss history I had written it all down on a notepad to make sure I would remember it all. Ava may not have enjoyed learning the history as much as me, but she sure was amused at how I was so invested in something like history.

Who: Was a place for the Romans
What: An Ancient Roman colonia
When: Founded in 15 BC
Where Near Basels in Switzerland

A pass time for tourist and citizens in Swizterland

           Hey Everyone!


Ava and I were super excited to participate in one of Switzerland’s most popular activities, skiing (19). We booked a room at the Hotel Saratz which was near a popular ski mountain. We took a few skiing classes to enhance our skills since it would be harder to communicate with the French speaking Swiss if one of us got injured. We had been skiing for hours until we realized the mountain would be closing soon. We bid farewell to our rented skis and went back to the hotel to prepare for our next day in Switzerland.


Who: Alexa and I
What: Us skiing in the Swiss Alps
When: During our Switzerland trip; during the day
Where: Zürich, Switzerland

The society/people of Switzerland

          Hey from Switzerland once again!


 

         As Alexa and I have traveled through Switzerland we have noticed many differences in society based on that of America's.Take their cultural taboos for example. For instance, simply pointing your index finger to forehead is considered a very rude and insulting gesture(3). Also, buying extravagant gifts is considered tacky or as some sort of bribery(3). When finding this out, Alexa and I were shocked at how different this was from what we were used to. 
       We saw so many good things coming from Switzerland, but we also saw pollution coming from it too(2). Due to all the tourist, such as ourselves, Switzerland is polluting the natural land from industries, farming, and creating transportation(2). Cars emit gases, forest are cut down for more "useful" purposes, and pollution continues(2). Luckily, Switzerland is not a huge contributer to the pollution problem the world faces today(2). 
        One thing we really enjoyed was learning about all of the major celebrities in Switzerland! We had been so accustomed to our American celebrities that it was actually really cool to us to learn about of these Swiss ones! One celebrity is René Baumann A.K.A DJ BoBo (6). He is most widely known as a singer, but he also is a song writer, dancer, and producer(6). We were grateful enough to actually get tickets for his concert!


Who: DJ BoBo
What: Him performing at one of his concerts.
When: N/A
Where: In Switzerland at the location of his concerts