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Published: August 22nd 2007
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So I finally did it. I managed to get everything organised and actually managed to arrive in Switzerland, after much nail biting as to whether I would be actually be accepted into Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg (the reason I’m in Europe in the first place) and as to whether I would be insured or whether I’d have to pay for the excess 7kilos I had (fortunately I didn’t, at least not for the first leg of my trip!). So it wasn’t until I was actually on the plane that I could breathe a sigh of relief...but even then it was short lived. I had three different flights to catch to get to my destination: Zürich, Switzerland. Malaysia Airlines from Perth to Kuala Lumpur, then a connecting Malaysia Airlines flight to Frankfurt, Germany, then a completely different, Lufthansa flight to Zürich. My first flight was delayed because of the late arrival of the plane from Malaysia. Fortunately it was only a 30minute delay and my luggage was checked through all the way to Frankfurt, so I was able to make my flight from Malaysia with time to stop and sit for a bit more (as if the 5 hours I had already
Lights in Kuala Lumpur
I was experimenting with my camera as we began our descent into KL and thought this photo actually turned out quite well! sat and the next 12 hours I was going to sit for were not enough for me!). The flight from KL was where things got interesting. The plane boarded right on time, but then we were informed that there were about four passengers missing, so we had to wait for them. We waited for about an hour before finally taking off, with one passenger still not there! I got a bit nervous, because the estimated arrival time in Frankfurt before the delay was 6:30am and my flight from Frankfurt was scheduled to leave at 8:20. So, in between dozing a little (by now it was about 1am Perth time) I did my usual panicking, praying that we would arrive in Frankfurt in time. Amazingly we still landed in Frankfurt at 6:30, giving me enough time to get lost, get confused about how to use etickets, and still get on the bus that took as to our plane just as it was supposed to leave! Then I was told that this plane was also delayed! And here I thought Germans were proficient! (No offense to any Germans reading this :P) Finally I arrived in Zürich, only a few minutes later than
originally scheduled, and was picked up by my best friend from primary school in Indonesia, Christina. Together we lugged my 27 kilo suitcase plus two 7-10kilo bags, a teddy bear and the final Harry Potter book onto two trains, a bus, and then walked the last kilometre to her home in Fläsch, Switzerland. Not to mention the many layers of clothing I had on, to try and cut down the weight of my suitcase! 😊 (I know it sounds like a lot, but I’ll be away for 8 months!) I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how grateful I was to finally reach somewhere I could just leave my suitcase for a while! A weight was lifted off my shoulders! (Quite literally - I was able to put my backpack down for the first time in about 25 hours without having to worry about picking it up again for a while.)
So I was finally here. I have been to Switzerland before, but I had forgotten how beautiful it is. Or maybe 13 years is a little too young to really appreciate it. There are mountains EVERYWHERE! Coming from flat Perth, it’s amazing! Every now and then I look
My plane from Frankfurt to Zurich
I thought it was really exciting having to walk on the tarmac to reach my plane! :P out of my bedroom window just to check they really are there and I’m not just imagining things! The last two days have been great, spending time catching up with Christina before she left for Arizona in the US on Tuesday for her studies, exploring a little of the surrounding villages and just generally relaxing. It has been great after the stress of getting organised to come here.
I also just popped over to Liechtenstein (as you do) the other night to see some annual fireworks that started many years ago to celebrate the birthday of the previous prince. They were supposed to be some of the best fireworks around, but they kind of just reminded me of Perth’s Australia Day fireworks, plus a castle and some mountains in the background. So really not ¬all that great, but still quite nice.
On the 18th Christina’s mum and I decided to take a trip to St. Moritz, a place known around the world for its skiing. Usually quite a popular tourist destination in summer, it was a little quiet, which I thought was nice. We walked around the lake, had a pizza and spent some time just relaxing
in the family apartment. Then on Sunday we took a gondola (like a big cable car) up a mountain called Diavolezza. At the top of the mountain there was a glacier, so it was also a little snowy. I was excited as it was my first glimpse of snow for the trip, although I’m sure I’ll see plenty more!
It was really beautiful up there, and the glacier made some really interesting designs, but I think I was actually affected by the altitude! I felt a bit weak and all I wanted to do was sit down! It didn’t help that I had caught a cold, so my nose was a bit blocked and hence I found it a little hard to breathe...but it was still unusual for me to feel that way. I didn’t feel dizzy or anything, just a bit lacking in energy.
It had been an overcast day, but had cleared up briefly once we got to the top, which was great! Then it started to rain again though, so we decided it was probably time to go. By the time we got back to Fläsch I was quite exhausted, but had to then pack
Chur
The old part of the closest 'city' to Christina's house again as I was leaving for Munich, Germany the next day. An early night helped me recover a bit and I actually felt better the next day than I had for the last 5 days! My nose had finally cleared!
Tune in next time to hear about my trip to Munich....
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Maree
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AmAzInG
Wow Alyssa! It is so amazingly beautiful! I'm going to love reading your blogs - it feels like I'm on the holiday with you hehe. hope you're having a great time. Don't stop taking photos either!! love Maree xxx