I can’t believe I have already been here for 3 weeks! I am definitely feeling a bit more settled and have started to get into a routine. My practice schedule is a lot lighter this season, and I mean A LOT lighter! We’re talking 3 nights a week with a game on the weekends. So that leaves me with a lot of free time, and right now I’m happy I get to fill it with a French class (Merci Geneve Volley). Yay, no more Rosetta Stone! Yes, it was a great program, but I’m happy to have a teacher and am even happy to be back in a classroom setting. It’s only 2 times a week for 2 hours but I make sure to take some time out of my oh so busy schedule to do some homework during the day. And while the sun is still shining, I do my best to work on it outside (I really do love all the parks scattered around Geneva).
So besides practice, workouts and French class how do I spend the days? Well I hope you’re ready to hear how small this world really is...this past Sunday I met up with an old teammate and fellow Buffalo, Ana! I can’t tell you how excited I was when I found out she would also be here this year. I played college volleyball with Ana at CU and now she is in Geneva getting her masters. We decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and go for a hike...in France. For those of you who aren’t geography majors, Geneva is right on the border of Switzerland and France. We actually took a bus (which only took 20 minutes) all the way to the border and just walked across to hike Mont Salève. And boy was it a hike. At one point I actually had to use my hands to climb up to the rest of the trail. Needless to say, it was a good workout and well worth it (awesome views of Geneva from the top). Up until it started raining on us...so much for beautiful weather. Instead of running down (which probably wouldn’t have gone as well as my previous trail run) we decided to spend the 6 francs and take the lift to the bottom. I’m sure there will be plenty of other opportunities to run down when the weather is on our side. So what’s up next? Surprisingly a trip back to America! Wouldn’t want to miss one of my best friend’s weddings :) Well, until my next adventure! À bientôt.
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So what to do on my first weekend in Switzerland?? Road trip please! My teammates Kelli and Tanya invited me to join them and Kelli’s husband in Interlaken...Interwhat? Honestly I had never heard of it and after this past weekend, I have absolutely no idea why not. One of the most beautiful places I have EVER been! Basically it’s a city in between two lakes nestled in the Alps that’s very famous for extreme sports: paragliding, canyoning, hang gliding, ice climbing in the winter, really anything! Since we’re not really making the big bucks yet we decided to keep the weekend cheap. We first rented some scooters and drove up into a couple little mountain cities. Lauterbrunnen has over 70 waterfalls (Lauterbrunnen literally means "many fountains" in German..yay for Deutsch speaking Switzerland!) and the views were unbelievable! There was always something breath-taking around the corner and when you didn’t think it could get any better...it did. After a day full of sitting we decided to take a little walk into town and explore. That didn’t last too long when we found a giant landing field (where all the paragliders come down) and decided to just lay down and take it all in. Clear skies, sunshine, beautiful mountains and paragliders all around...not too much to complain about here. We finished off the evening at our hostel with a game of giant chess and my new favorite card game: asshole (hey I didn’t name it). The next morning we headed toward the mountain for a hike up Harder Kulm. We knocked it out in an hour and a half and let’s just say our hard work was well rewarded. From the top you could see the entire city, both lakes and mountains for miles. Hands down the most spectacular views I have ever seen! Looks like Colorado has a bit of competition. Instead of taking the funicular down the mountain like my teammates, (15 CHF! Really?!) I decided to run back down the trail and save a bit of money. Plus it’s rare that I pass up an opportunity for a workout :) Thanks for the adrenaline high Interlaken!
Now after a good hike, I’d say a good lunch was in order. We grabbed some things at a nearby store and headed towards the lakeside. We kicked off our shoes, pulled out our snacks and just enjoyed the scenery before heading back to Geneva (working in a nap and a quick swim of course). I would have to say it was a pretty successful road trip and I can’t wait to see what else Switzerland has to offer! So it’s that time of the year again...the start of a new volleyball season! This year I’ll be playing in Geneva, Switzerland. Only the 4th most expensive city in the world. A fitting place for my dirt cheap personality. And of course it’s in the French speaking part (the northern part speaks German..just my luck right??) so that means it’s time to learn a new language. I’d like to hear my Mom tell me I’d never be able to use my high school French now. Five years of Spanish has definitely come in handy ;) I arrived on Tuesday afternoon and after a little bit of unpacking, headed over to the gym. Just in time for my first practice! Surprisingly enough, I wasn’t all that tired so it was good to stretch out my legs and boy did it feel good to play again. I’ve got quite a bit of work to do to get back into volleyball shape and get my touch back, but I’m sure happy to be back on the court. So far everyone has been super welcoming but I definitely have to work on my French pronunciation. Yes, I remember most everyone’s name but saying it correctly, well that’s a whole different story. Good thing I’ve got 8 months! The first thing on my to do list after working out? Well I’m sure you could probably guess it...grocery shopping! And when I found out my favorite grocery store from Deutschland was in Swiss land I could barely contain my excitement. Lidl here I come! Sure was a relief to be in at least some familiar territory. A couple things to get use to…
No oven..no microwave (looks like I’ll be eating a lot raw foods or cooking at my neighbors) Twin bed (thankfully I’m not over 6 feet like my teammate) French (Have to learn some new “go to” phrases...and get into the habit of saying merci instead of danke) A couple things I’m thankful for… A shower tub! (at least I fit in my shower this year) Living within walking distance from the gym A small apartment (yes, I am thankful for this. Less to clean!) And most importantly...I’m thankful for a new season, in a new country, with new opportunities. Ready to take Switzerland by storm! |
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