Lake Como and Switzerland

My trips to all these places just keep getting better and better! Well, better in their own way. Switzerland was definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, and I hope that sometime in my life I will go back.

It started off, of course, as a super early Saturday morning. We left around 6AM, made a stop somewhere at 8:30AM, and then finally arrived at Lake Como a couple of hours later. This lake is in Northern Italy, with lots of cute little towns around it. It's a huge lake, surrounded by picturesque mountains. We had some free time around the town Como, in which my friends and I hung out by the lake and enjoyed some refreshing orange juice. I bought a postcard or two. Then we all jumped on a ferry that explored another cute town, called Bellagio.We saw the area where apparently George Clooney has a house. We took some beautiful pictures, and I did enjoy myself, but I will admit I am a little tired of lake towns and the touristy stuff around it. Much like going to many museum or cathedrals in a vacation, I am a little tired of seeing vast amounts of water and beach life. I am still having a hard time grappling the concept of water here. Being from Kansas, you don't have views of water that extends far beyond the eye can see, so I still get a little freaked out when I'm around it. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it and the place was relaxing and pretty, but I had another destination in mind. After all that nonsense we were back on the bus, heading off to the real location for the weekend: Switzerland.

Switzerland is a very unusual country. It's very small, and it borders Germany, Italy, France, and Austria. Because of this, it has 4 official languages which every citizen must know: German, Italian, French, and a mix of all three called Romansh. They have declared themselves a neutral country since 1200 something, and have not been involved in any major wars. Because of this neutrality, they didn't join the UN until 2002 and are not a part of the European Union. They have their own currency called the Swiss Franc, which apparently is extremely strong at the moment. Switzerland has a great economy, and is a country known for it's extreme sports. I don't know much at all about Swiss history, and I don't think there is too much because of their neutral status. Nevertheless, it's one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to.

Once we crossed the Swiss border, we were attacked by endless mountains, green grass, purple clouds, and so many trees. I couldn't stop staring out the window, just in denial that a place like this actually exists. We made a quick stop at an extremely beautiful site, and it was perfect timing because the sun was setting over the lake, the Swiss alps had a pinkish purple tint, and the air was cooling and getting fresh. I managed to take great photos, which I will post on here. After that, we got back on the bus and headed to our city, St. Moritz. This is a quiet little town, mostly full of old geezers that come here to retire. Apparently it's an extremely expensive place, and the cost of living is through the roof. The town has 3,000 residents, and December is the biggest tourist season, in which 20,000 people come to visit. Talk about huge increase!

We had dinner at the hotel, which was an interesting mix between American and Italian food. It wasn't the best food I've had here in Europe, but it was enough to feed me and make me happy. The girls and I called it an early night, mostly because we were all exhausted and getting over/suffering through colds. I shared a room with Jeanette, and we were so excited to have comfortable beds, a porch overlooking the mountains, and ENGLISH TELEVISION!! It's nice to know what's going on in the world.

The next morning, we woke up around 7:45AM and got a delicious breakfast at the hotel. It was about 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit, and we all were so happy to have cold, crisp fall weather (Florence is still in the high 80s, it's insane!!). We then went on a 3 hour walking tour around St. Moritz and got more beautiful photos. The tour guide spoke very good English and informed us about important buildings and fun facts about the town. We also saw the location where George Clooney parks his Lamborghini...again, what is with the George Clooney stalking on this trip? The garage door was open, and our tour guide said "Oh, it looks as if though Mr. Clooney is out today." Interesting. We stopped at an extremely expensive chocolate shop, and I bought probably $45 worth of chocolate (Christmas presents, get excited!) and some Swiss hot chocolate...oh my god that was amazing! Definitely hit the spot. After the tour, we hopped on the Bernina Express.

The Bernina Express was definitely my favorite part on the trip. This is train line is the highest rail crossing of the Alps, helping to make it one of Europe's outstanding train journeys. It goes from St. Moritz to Tirano (Italy) and "boasts countless jaw-dropping views from bridges viaducts and tight bends as the train climbs ever higher and higher, until, sprightly as a mountain goat, it goes through the Bernina Pass at 2553M." That is a quote from my itinerary, and it is unbelievably correct (and funny, no?). It reminded me and my friends of the Hogwarts Express or Polar Express. Let me just say that I have no words to describe this. Endless snow top mountains. Bright blue water. Vast untouched land. Natural waterfalls. Trees everywhere. My friends and I listened to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack and cried. I hung my head out the window and felt the cool breeze hit my face. I wondered how things like this exist, and how lucky I am to see it. I don't think I have ever been that overwhelmed by nature, it really is a powerful thing. You all can see my pictures on Facebook or this blog, but it's sad to say they don't do any sort of justice for what I saw. Yet again, I don't think any picture does any sort of justice in that country, Italy, or Europe in general. You have to see it to believe it.

After the train ride, I was depressed to get off and head back to Florence. I wish I could've spent more time in Switzerland, but I will come back someday. We spent about 45 minutes in Tirano, and then hopped on the bus to head back to Florence. It was a terrible bus ride. Why? For some reason, we got stuck in horrible traffic (stupid Milan) which set us back THREE HOURS. I was asleep during this traffic and had no idea, so when I was told how far behind we were, I wasn't happy. Not to mention my iPod had died and my butt was sore. I also was missing out on NFL Football night at Red Garter, and I was so excited to get some wings. With the combination of all those elements, I was indeed a cranky Najim. Because of these delays, our ETA went from 8:30PM to midnight. Needless to say, I am sick of riding buses. But the trip was worth it, and I would do it all again just to see Switzerland.

Pictures!!

Lake Como

Town of Bellagio on Lake Como

Alps at sunset in Switzerland 

Me at the sunset

Me and my girls early Sunday morning before walking tour in St. Moritz

St. Moritz and lake

Danica and me

Best Swiss hot chocolate ever.

Bernina Express

Me and girls on train ride!

Hanging head out of window

Sigh

Such blue water

Endless mountains

So many trees

Small village. Is this real life?

Lakes, mountains...

Natural waterfalls

Clouds

See what I mean? Wow. These next couple of weeks I am staying in Italy and doing things around Florence, because four amazing people are visiting me this month: Jake Bauer this weekend, Nathan Riley next weekend, and my mom and sister the weekend after that!! I am so excited to see people from home, and my family. 

Ciao!