Europe 2010: July 26-27, Neuchatel

Switzerland was as magical as I imagined - dramatic mountains, waterfalls, farm animals grazing leisurely on manicured lush green slopes. Paradise. I had a 'feast for the eyes' on my train ride through Switzerland. I left Menaggio in the morning by ferry and spent the rest of the afternoon traveling to Neuchatel by train. From Varenna, I traveled back to Milan, then onwards to Brig, Bern, then Neuchatel. The houses took on a distinct look. In place of the pale stucco houses with terra cotta roofs, Swiss houses had wood exteriors or exposed wood frames and A-frame or barn-shaped shingled roofs. Towns were harder to spot since buildings were on slopes and spaced much further apart. The landscape wasn't very 'wild' but the mountains, evergreen forests, and rocky streams reminded me of British Columbia and I felt an overpowering feeling that I was 'home', back in Canada!

I arrived to Neuchatel at 6pm, much earlier than I expected and decided to nonetheless bike up (actually walk!) the long hill from the train station to Laura's place. Neuchatel is a small university town, situated on the steep bank of a beautiful lake in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Laura was expecting me at 10pm, so I surprised her roommate & building manager by knocking at the door with no one home! Luckily, her roommate lent me her phone so I could call Laura, who was definitely surprised to hear my voice! After catching up, we walked down the hill and had a lovely stroll by the lake and through the old town center. At the end of the night, we took the 'feniculaire' or gondola back up the hill - now this is Switzerland! The next day, while Laura was sightseeing in Zurich with her brother Walther, I stayed at Laura's place trying to fix my credit card issues (thanks Mom & George!), making plans and booking hostels for the last three weeks of my trip. Finally, some relief after several stressful days! In the evening, I met Laura's roommates Monica (from Columbia, studying plant molecular biology!) and Jacqueline (from Bern, Switzerland) who were wonderful people. When Laura and Walther came back later, Jacqueline joined us for some Swiss hot chocolate and hazelnut wafer cookies at the kitchen table as we chatted in French about our summer adventures. Laura was so wonderful for letting me stay at her place - thank you Laura!!

The next morning, my emergency VISA card arrived in the mail (woohoo!... so I thought) so I biked back to the train station and continued my journey... to Luzern!