Day 11, part II
After a long series of trains and buses, we were picked up in Unterlunkhofen---a small town just outside Aarau, Switzerland---by our Harvard Club contact and longstanding host, KJ. At KJ’s house, we happily reunited with Elio #267, who had been trapped inside the Eliot tunnels since Commencement. We feasted on fresh strawberries, flammkuchen, and apricot pie while rehearsing a few new pieces for tour. After dessert, we gave “limelights”---shoutouts for being especially kind or helpful on the previous stop---and Ethan #237 was named the MVP of Luxembourg! It was a relief to just set down our bags and relax for the first time in a while. By the time we went to sleep, I felt rejuvenated and ready for the next part of tour.
Day 12
The next day, we headed to Alte Kantonsschule Aarau, where we ambushed a geography class with singing. To our great surprise, we weren’t immediately kicked out and banned from Switzerland. With the class’s teacher, Michael, as our guide, we went to the top of the school’s high-rise and walked around Aarau’s old town.
Later that afternoon, we returned to the school to perform in their auditorium. The packed audience of students, parents, and staff/faculty was great, and we even sold a few posters at the door! Afterwards, we all went to Michael’s house for what may have been the best grilled sausages in Europe. There, we met our homestay hosts, who were all local students between 16 and 20 years old. Rich cultural exchange ensued: geography (convincing everyone that Texas was the #1 state), linguistics (attempting to pronounce the longest German word), and even advanced sociology (rehashing relationship drama). What surprised me most was how similar the Swiss students were to high school students in the U.S. Mostly, they were concerned with the same things we were in high school: sports, music, grades, college, friendships, dating, esoteric Internet jokes. The instant connection we were able to form warmed my heart.
Day 13
After a night spent at individual homestays, we met up again in the morning to embark on our first day trip. First, we took the train to Lake Lucerne, where we saw what was apparently the longest covered wooden bridge in the world. Then, we took a boat ride onto the lake. Although it was a little cloudy, the views of the snow-covered Alps and dense, hilly forests were still incredible.
We docked at the base of Mount Rigi and took a tram up to the top of the mountain. From here, the view was even more spectacular. We sang “Edelweiss” for a totally non-captive audience and ate lunch with our hosts!
Despite most of us being ready for a nap, we continued to the Lindt chocolate factory, where we took a guided chocolate tour and sampled way too many sweet treats. Finally, we took a short walking tour of Zurich before heading home.
Day 14, part I
On our last day in Switzerland, each of our hosts took us on individual outings depending on our shared interests. My host, Stefan, took me and Mattheus to visit his beehives, which were located on a nearby farm! We learned about the Swiss style of beekeeping, which involves accessing special frames through the side rather than front faces. This was a highlight for Mattheus, whose nicknames include “bee man,” “B Train,” and “like Jerry Seinfeld in that movie, you know, the one with the bees.” Finally, we took a short walk to a cliff overlooking the entire town of Aarau, where we pointed out everything we had seen (and grown to love) over the past four days.
That afternoon, we departed by train for Budapest… which we’ll save for another blog post. :)
DST,
Kieran #280
