This morning I woke up and made my last minute packing preparations. Then, Beda drove me to Zurich Airport where I would be taking Swiss LX 40 return to Los Angeles. The airport was packed and I had a good amount of time in the terminal. After I finally boarded the plane and took off it was around 15:00. It was a good eleven hour flight and I was happy to be home. I thank everyone who took the time to read my blog this summer and I hope to keep it up to date every so often as well. Some additional statistics: I shot 15,010 frames this trip, the trip lasted nine weeks and four days including the EF Tour, as of this moment the blog has 787 views.
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This morning I started with traveling to Beda to CC. When we arrived at Cash and Carry, the restaurant supply store, I began my shopping. This included more than twenty five bars of chocolate and other Swiss specialties. I then got dropped off at the apartment to pack everything into my bags. I then finished up some housekeeping at the apartment before returning to the restaurant. Later at the restaurant, I helped prep some things and string up some lights outside. Afterwards Kevin, Beda, and I went out for dinner as it is my last night here in Switzerland. I am preparing for a long day tomorrow and need to rest.
Today was another day full of walking. After arriving down in the restaurant, I prepared to leave once again for the day. I arrived in Zürich Stadelhofen at around noon to meet a family friend of ours. She lives here in Switzerland and took the day off work. First we got some lunch at a local Bratwurst stand which is known for one of the best Bratwursts in Zürich. It was. We then walked down to Lake Zürich and ate our lunch along the lake. When we were finished we started walking along the side of the lake. It was a beautiful sunny day and I loved the beauty of simply walking and talking. Later after walking about two miles, we took a tram back into the main city part of Zürich and began walking around the old town there. This included the Grossmünster a large church in the heart of Zürich where I walked up one of the towers to shoot over Zürich . We then returned to the train station and I wished her goodbye before leaving to the Prime Tower. The Prime Tower is a skyscraper in Zuerich nown by many as the most technological building in Zürich. I took the elevator up to the top so that I would be able to take more pictures of the city. After returning to the restaurant later in the evening, I helped prep some stations for dinner and wash salad before going to the apartment and finally to bed.
Today was a very busy day. I woke up around 07:00 and got ready to leave with Kevin. After packing everything for the day, we left for Lucerne. In Lucerne there is a museum known as Verkehrshaus der Schweiz or Transportation Home of Switzerland. This is a museum all about the different forms of transportation and their largest exhibit, trains. Kevin and I explored the museum with exhibits like model railways to car shows. My favorite exhibit was the interactive flight simulator where both Kevin and I flew in a full motion flight simulator for a Northrop F - 5 Tiger fighter jet. After leaving the museum at around 14:30 we took another train to the other side of Lucerne where we arrived at a glass making factory, Glasi Hergiswil. This factory is actually makes all hand made glass products and has been there since 1817. After the museum tour which included watching the process for some different products, Kevin and I also walked through their Glas-Labyrint. This was a large room with one pathway to exit but, it where difficult to see where the difference between glass, mirrors, or nothing to continue walking through was. Both museums today were interesting and I am so delighted I had the chance to visit them before I leave.
Editor's Note: The Pictures from "Switzerland's Independence Day" have been added. Today was Switzerland's Independence Day and after waking up, Beda, Kevin, and I traveled to Uznach where we Beda's friend had invited us to brunch. The brunch was at a local barn where they had prepared a wonderful Swiss meal including traditional Swiss folk music and people who dressed up. After brunch we traveled to Beda's friends home where we spend the remainder of the afternoon. It was kind of nice to take a vacation from the vacation (if that makes sense) in the sense that I did not have to travel or go anywhere today. After returning back to the Villa later this evening we took out some fireworks which we had prepared and fired them over the lake. A few of the local lake side gemeinde (towns) also put together a large firework show which could be seen for miles in the center of Lake Zürich. Everything was beautiful and I am so excited to have been here on Switzerland's Independence Day.
This morning I headed down to the restaurant early in the morning to order my books for school. Last night I checked my email and after sorting through them, I found one from my school including which books I needed to buy. After ordering them, I went to see if I could help in the kitchen. When I got down there, I cleaned out a fridge before helping with the homemade truffle ravioli. I then had a chance at attempting making homemade pasta. I only rolled it and dried it although I found it pretty fun. Afterwards I worked on some more of the remaining homework I have this summer. This evening was also relaxing as there was not much to do. As I am writing this right now, I continue to hear fireworks as tomorrow is Switzerland's independence day. Many fireworks are going off now and I can't wait until tomorrow.
Today Kevin and I decided to travel to the airport. In Zürich flughafen (airport) there is a tour which one can take to learn about the functionalities of an airport as well as stand up close next to an active runway. I thought that it would be an interesting tour and it was. We arrived a little after lunch and the tour began. We got on a bus and drove to a viewing spot where the two major runways at Zürich airport intersect and I was allowed to shoot and watch the take-offs for 30 minutes. After we returned to the bus, we were driven around the airport which showed us everything including: the gate gourmet foot station, fire station, snow removal trucks, all the gates as well as the tower. At the end of the tour we were allowed to go onto an outside observation deck where I watched and Airbus A380 land. The A380 is the largest passenger plane in the world with two full decks and I was able to take some amazing frames from the deck. After the tour was over, Kevin and I returned to the apartment where we relaxed for the evening as this week had been such a busy one.
Seven Days. Seven days is the amount of time I have left here in Switzerland. This morning I woke up and got ready to travel to Bäretswil which is a small city also in the canton of Zürich. The reason I wanted to travel there is because it is where my grandmother grew up. After taking three buses and a train, I arrived in the village center at around 11:00. Once there, I began walking down Baumastrasse, the main road in the village. On this street I saw my great-grandmother’s house, their family workshop and town hall. I never had the chance to meet her although I have been told she was such a kind and generous person. After visiting the old home; per my mother’s request I brought flowers to her grave in the town cemetery. The cemetery was only about a mile away and afterwards watered some of the flowers nearby. I then backtracked a little and walked to the old Bäretswil train station. It is now only used for one vintage train every two weeks so I was able to take some interesting pictures of the tracks and station. I then returned to Stäfa to go shopping. I was getting some items to make a sushi diner with some of Beda’s friends. Later in the evening Beda, Kevin, and I met up with them and we all made some amazing sushi. This ended the last Friday night I would spend here in Switzerland.
Today I woke up in Adliswil to the sound of my phone ringing. One of my friends from California called to wish me a happy 16th birthday. I was so happy because this person had to stay up until about 22:00 in California to call. After I got off the phone, Kevin and I left to go to Winterthur. In winterthur there is a Swiss Science Center with everything from electricity to chemistry in the form of hundreds of expiriments. We arrived at the science center at around 9:30 and had to wait until it opened thirty minutes later. Then, Kevin and I spent the better part of five hours there. This even included some chemistry expiriments in a formal lab. I had such a great time. Later in the evening we returned home where a bag of Swiss Chocolate and a case of beer were awaiting my arrival. My uncle had bought something for my birthday. Now in Switzerland, the legal age for drinking alcohol is 16 so I was alright to have a drink. After eating a small dinner I headed up to bed because despite it being my birthday, I was dead tired.
Today when Kevin and I woke up, we got ready to walk. And this was not only the walk to the restaurant but, also a hike. After stopping off at the restaurant we went to his mom's home in Adliswil. When we got there we all got ready to walk and then hopped back onto another train to go to the Uetliberg. The Uetliberg is a small mountain in Zürich and we arrived there at around 14:00. Once there, we began our hike to the Felsenegg in Adliswil where she lives. The three hour hike was beautiful and had many views of the traditional Swiss countryside. When we arrived at the Felsenegg we had a fun ice cream snack before taking the cable car back down the mountain. All in all the entire trip took around four hours including the trains and was so much fun. After arriving back at their home we decided that we would stay overnight until tomorrow where we begin another adventure to Winterthur.
Today Kevin and I woke up and got ready to travel to the Rheinfall. The Rheinfall is actually a collective of small waterfalls which flow down and around a curve in the Rhein river. The falls in an of themselves are 150 meters wide, 23 meters high, and the flow in the summer is about 600,000 liters per second.We left at around 10:00 and arrived a little before noon. When we got there, Kevin and I started walking around the lower Rheinfall. There we had a wonderful lunch overlooking the bottom of the falls. After the lunch we got back on the train which took us around to the top of the Rheinfall. Up there, we walked around the castle Laufen and crossed the train bridge which reached across the river. After finishing with our walk Kevin and I returned home for the evening.
Today when Kevin and I woke up we began to clean the apartment. It was Beda’s birthday so we thought it was time to vacuum, wash, and scrub everything. After finishing at around noon we headed down to the restaurant. When Kevin and I got there all three of us decided we would travel into Basel today. We then took two trains to get to Basel. When we arrived in Basel, we first began walking around. Then we took some trams around the city exploring different places with no specific destination in mind. In that time we visited a huge park, walked around the downtown, and had an early dinner at a Japanese noodle place. After we had finished and we were taking the last tram back to the station, I checked my phone to see what track our returning train was on. Then, I put it back in my pocket, or so I thought. It seemed to have slipped out and I noticed it missing as the tram pulled away. After calling it multiple times and sending alerts to the phone, it ended up in the hands of the tram driver who would end up looping around in about fifteen minutes. I finally got it back about an hour later and we were on our way home. When we got back we went to bed to rest up for the week ahead.
Today my cousin downloaded the new Pokémon Go game to try it out. We ended up walking two miles on the way to the restaurant which is only about a half mile away but, I found it to be very battery and data consumptive. After arriving at the restaurant Kevin and I awaited the arrival of my mom’s other cousin and his girlfriend. They arrived at the Villa and the four of us had a wonderful Sunday Brunch. After the brunch we stayed by the lake and swam a little before playing some other games. The included table tennis, badminton, and fussball. Later in the evening Beda also came and we were all able to catch up before they left for home. When they left, we also got ready to go up to the apartment for the night.
Today I woke up to 500 blog views! Thank you to everyone who has continued to view my photos. After getting ready to leave for the day, I rode my bike about one mile from the apartment to the train station to buy Kevin and I tickets for the day. Then, I rode to restaurant. When I arrived I got Kevin and returned to the train station. We then traveled to Baden a city in the canton, or state, Aargau. Once there we met my mother's cousin and his wife. After greetings all of us rode the bus to a local sight viewing point on the Baldegg, Der Baldegger Wasserturm. While up there we could see all of Baden and all the way out to Zürich. After walking back down the to the bottom of the tower, we had a thirty minute hike back to their home. We then looked at some of the things Kevin and I had previously done this summer before having a steak dinner. This was actually the first time I have had steak in Switzerland I have been told their meat is not as good as in the United States. Nevertheless, it was very well cooked and it was wonderful to see them again. Later in the evening we wished them goodbye and Kevin and I returned to the apartment for the evening.
Today was a very busy day. Kevin and I started off the morning by biking down to the restaurant at around 08:00. After we arrived and got ready to leave, and travel into Lucerne. Beda joined us and the three of us left at around 08:30 and took two trains before we arrived in Lucerne. When we there we then immediately transferred to the ship dock where we boarded a ship on the Vierwaldstattersee (4 Canton Lake). The lake had lots of cloud cover yet the views were still amazing. About an hour later we arrived at the base of mount Pilatus. The cog railway ride up was interesting because I had taken this route earlier this summer and I knew I was hoping for better weather up top this time. When we arrived up top there were light clouds but the visibility was much better and I was able to see more than ten feet in front of me. After walking around the top and having a wonderful lunch at the restaurant we then took two cable cars down the other side of the mountain. When we were finished we also rode a bus back into the city where we picked up our train to go back home. We arrived back at the restaurant at around 18:00 and Kevin and I relaxed for the rest of the evening before going to bed and preparing another day trip tomorrow.
Today I woke up a littler later than usual as I was exhausted. For the past five days I had been traveling, hiking, walking, and I could not do any more. After waking up a little later than usual, both Kevin and I walked down to the restaurant. We then continued and finished a painting project where I felt like I did pretty well. Late in the evening I also called a friend to work on AP US History homework because I still have a fair amount to do before school starts in the fall. I did not really do much today and considered it a recess before starting again early tomorrow.
This morning I woke up and began today much like yesterday only earlier. This morning we had finished breakfast and were out the door by nine. After departing Adelboden at around a quarter before ten, my great aunt, Kevin, and I arrived in Bern, the capitol city of Switzerland, at around 11:20. I had asked to see the federal building so we began the walk there. When we arrived outside the building the streets were blocked off and left us all confused. Come to find our the Tour de France was to come through in about ten minutes. I quickly found a spot to take pictures from and waited. When they passed it was really neat to see how quick they actually traveled. I also found out that this was the first time in 103 years that the Tour de France passed through Bern and I found it even more interesting that I happened to be there. After the bikes all passed, we went to find a spot to get a good pictures of the federal building. I found a great spot and we continued walking around Bern. We then returned to the train station to wish her goodbye as she had to return to Adelboden for the night. Kevin and I then returned to the Swiss Federal Building where there was a guided tour. The tour showed me much of how their government system is set up and they claim to take part of it from the Legislative Branch of the United States of America. After the tour Kevin and I returned home for the evening exhausted and ready for bed.
Today was filled with lots of walking. Here in Adelboden the scenery is gorgeous and the one thing one must do when here is go hiking. Since my great aunt and uncle also live up here six months of the year, they know which paths are best. This morning we left at around nine after eating a traditional Swiss breakfast of bread, cheese, and jam, to begin our day. After walking out the door and walking across the street, our hike began. We first went on a short leg into Adelboden where we arrived at a gondola. Once there we rode five minutes up to the top. There began our real hike. It took about four hours and many beautiful views until we reached the bottom. Today I also realized how many other EF Tours there are. EF Tours is the same group that I had gone with to Berlin, Prague, & The Alps, and today I saw three different groups also hiking and from the United States. It was interesting to see how Adelboden is such an isolated place yet there are tour groups which travel so far to get there. When we finally got to the bottom, we took a bus back into the village. Later in the evening we ate dinner at a local restaurant where the food was fantastic. In the end, today I walked about thirteen miles or a half marathon, registered about 26,000 steps while walking, and had taken my 10,000th picture for this trip.
Today I woke up and got some things before getting on the train with Kevin. We were traveling to Adelboden in the Bernese Oberland. The trip took us three hours, three trains, and one bus. After arriving we greeted our great aunt and uncle. Or, my grandmother's brother and sister-in-law. I had not seen them in four years so we spoke for a while before getting on a bus. Kevin and I were not told where we were going and it was a fairly short twenty minute bus ride. When we arrived, we were much higher up at a sort of trotinett station. A trotinett is like a large scooter or bike without petals and goes by foot power or better yet downhill. This was the surprise. We each took a trotinett down the mountain on a ten minute ride. It was very interesting yet also a little bit scary. It went very fast and the road was a single lane which was shared with buses. Never the less, it was an amazing ride and brought us all the way back to their house. When we got back we relaxed outside on their porch and ate a wonderful dinner with sausages and salad. After dinner, we also played a swiss card game, Jassen. We then went to sleep as tomorrow is also busy and filled with activities.
Today I woke up and ate a traditional Swiss breakfast of Gipfeli (Croissant) with homemade johannisbeeren marmalade. Then after a quick drive through St. Gallen we arrived in the Appenzeller Alps. Once there a group of ten other people joined us. We walked through a valley known as Ofenloch where water has cut through rock to create a beautiful yet difficult hiking terrain. The walk to the Ofenloch Gorge was about three hours and once there we had a barbecue with a special lunch. At a metzgerei (butcher shop) in Wil they have a special type of sausage. They take the sausage, Cervela, cut it in half and stuff it with Swiss cheese. Then they wrap the entire stuffed sausage in bacon. This was the best barbecue and it was super cool that were were quite effectively in the middle of nowhere. I was able to shoot some beautiful pictures before having to walk another three hours back to the car. When I returned to Stafa, I also went swimming before turning in, exhausted, for the night.
Today I woke up early to pick up Kevin but, I did not go directly there. I scheduled time for a one hour layover in Zürich Hauptbahnhof. While there I attempted a time lapse video which is still in the making. After picking Kevin up, we took the train back to the restaurant in Stäfa. I then promptly packed the remaining items and left for Wil. Wil is a city in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen. I am going to take a little time today to talk about cantons as I have not really explained them well. In Switzerland there are twenty six [26] cantons which are like our states in the United States. Within each canton there are different gemeinde which are like our counties. Then there are towns/cities in the geminde such as our cities. [Swiss Example: Canton: Zürich; Gemeinde: Stäfa; Town: Stäfa / American Example: Canton: California; Gemeinde: Los Angeles County; Town: Los Angeles] When I arrived in Wil there was a family friend waiting in the train station. We then promptly left and stopped off to go shopping before going to her house. When we arrived I assisted in picking some Johannisbeeren, also known as currants, to make into a jam. Later in the evening we left to go to her friend's house where we cooked dinner and relaxed for the evening before taking on our hiking adventure tomorrow.
Today I started the day off with biking down to the restaurant. Once there, I worked on the final version of the magazine advertisement for the restaurant. I think it turned out fairly well and it is being sent to the Swiss Magazine Treffpunkt next week. After I finished the ad I started working on another presentation for prospective clients. It has a long way to go but has at least gotten started. In the evening I assisted in making baked potatoes, cutting up vegetables as well as preparing three different Crostini dishes. I finished early this evening though, as I will be picking up Kevin tomorrow morning.
Today I woke up and started working on some pictures for the restaurant. After they were sorted and edited, I walked down and began working down there. I used the pictures I had sorted to start on a new magazine ad for the restaurant. I did not quite complete it but it came along fairly well. After working on my laptop for a while it was nice to go down to the kitchen. There I learned how to make a traditional Swiss pasta dish, Spätzle. Spätzle is made by mixing together a dough of mostly eggs and flour and pushing it through a strainer into a pot of boiling water to cook. Once taken out of the water, it can be browned in a pan and served. After I finished the spätzle, I started to work on Panna Cotta. This white gelatin like dessert was quite time consuming to make with the ingredients to filling up all 120 little cups. Panna Cotta is not like other desserts as it needs to set in the fridge and cannot be served right away. Once it has set, Panna Cotta is usually served with berries and mint garnish. These two food dishes and the advertisement were how I ended up spending this rainy day on Lake Zürich.
Today I woke up rather late or should I say early. I did not go to sleep until around 04:00 because I was working on some other homework with one of my friends in California and so when I finally did wake up it was around 11:00. I then headed down to the restaurant to see how everything was going. The restaurant was eerily quiet though as there were no seminars, banquets, or apéros (Get together with light appetizers) and it was still raining. I left the restaurant at about midday to travel into Zürich by train. When I arrived in Zürich I took the tram from Zürich Stadelhofen to Burgweis Tram Stop where the Zürich Tram Museum is located. It is a quite small museum which holds the historical tram history of Zürich. There were multiple exhibits and activities including, putting together a map of the tram lines in the city, walking underneath an old tram, and model tram sets. On my way back to Zürich Hauptbahnhof, I met this kind tram driver who allowed me to take a picture of him through the window into the cab. It was a neat experience today to see the museum and kindness of others.
Rain, rain, more rain, and rain described how today went. I woke up and took some time resting up in the apartment because I knew there was not much to do. After biking down to the restaurant in the rain, I started working on some homework on an outside patio. It was covered and very relaxing to simply work outside. When I finished I went down to the kitchen to help prepare some appetizers for an event later in the evening. Today was effectively a calm day after the past busy week.
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Alexander KitanoAlexander Kitano is a talented photographer with a passion for photography. Here are some of his journals he has made throughout his carear. Archives
August 2016
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