Emme's Epic Adventure 2011

Milan, Milano, Mailand (English, Italian, German)

2011-11-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

What has thick crowds, great shopping, and beautiful architecture? The answer is Milan, Italy. I would describe Milan as the Italian New York; it has the beautiful old buildings that Italy is known for as well as huge crowds, immense diversity, and the best shopping!
Milan has ethnic diversity. In most busy, pedestrian-only streets or town squares, people from Northern Africa and the Middle East sell cheesy toys. If one of these people were to run up to you asking if you want to buy something, I’d suggest you ignore them, or say no while walking away. If you start talking straight to them even just to say “No thank you” they will most likely follow you further down the street than if you ignore them. With so many people, Milan is known for the pickpockets. My advice is that you should zip your bags all the way, and never carry bags that don’t zip. If you have to put something in your pant’s pocket, put it in the front. Make sure to keep your bags on your body at all times. It would be horrible to get the boots or cute shirts you just bought stolen!

Milan’s shopping is jaw dropping! Big designer names like Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Dolce and Gabbana have their headquarters there. Because of that, it’s no problem finding the cute, but extremely expensive 8,000 Euro boots you’ve always dreamed of having. Via Della Spiga, a street in Milan, is probably the most expensive street in the world, meaning all of the shops on it are very high-priced. With every designer name you could think of, I guarantee you won’t find anything under 200 Euros. Although they are very fashionable, and the label is an added bonus, there are also just-as-cute stores in Milan that are cheaper. I found heels for 10 Euros, skinny jeans for 15 Euros, and boots for 30 Euros. While outlets in America usually have lower prices, the clothes from outlets in Milan are still very expensive. The cheapest shirt I found at any outlet was 55 Euros. However, no shopping trip is complete without food!
With every restaurant, bakery, and bar in the second biggest city in Italy, it’s hard to know if a restaurant is actually good. Ask the clerk at your hotel’s front desk to recommend specific restaurants, not just an area to go. A must-have food in Milan is Gelato. It doesn’t really matter where you go to get it; I got mine from a street vendor and it was delicious! Gelato originated in Italy, so why not have some real Italian gelato? However, the real question is how do you get there?
Milan is huge! Even if you don’t walk everywhere you go, it is very easy to walk at least eight miles a day. Do you really want to walk that many miles in heels? That does not sound fun. I suggest wearing comfortable shoes. They don’t have to be tennis shoes. I mean come on, you’re in Milan, the fashion capital of the world! Boots or flats are okay, but heels are probably not a good idea. You don’t have to walk everywhere, though. There are also taxis and the subway. I’ve never been in a taxi in Milan and I don’t want to. They seem dirty and unreliable. The subway, however, is nice to use. You will hear the people in Milan call it the metro. The metro can be crowed and a little dirty, but they’re easy to use, cheap, and can get you across town fast. I’ve been on the subway, and I like it, but I like walking better, because I can see the beauty of Milan.

The structures in Milan are mostly made of old stone. If you walk anywhere in town, look up and you can see how pretty the buildings are. The Duomo, also known as the Cathedral of Milan, is breath taking. With it being right in the center of Milan, it’s a large attraction, and I can understand why. My art history teacher said it looks like a giant, Gothic drip castle. A drip castle is when you mix sand with water and drip it from your fist above. With the very detailed exterior, pointed arches, and an interior the size of nine football fields (three by three), he was spot on. When looking at the Duomo, it feels like you’re looking at a postcard. The Duomo isn’t the only amazing space, though. Castello Sforzesco, the castle in Milan, is beautiful. It has long hallways around an enormous courtyard. The park next to it is also gigantic! It has beautiful big trees with leaves that change color, green grass, and Arco Della Pace. Arco Della Pace is the biggest arch I’ve ever seen! I love that its name means Peace Arch.

With all of the shopping streets, bakeries, castles, cathedrals, and everything else to explore in Milan, I could spend a whole week there without getting bored. The fashion capital of the world is my favorite city in Europe.

Cars, cars, and... wait those are cars?

2011-10-04T10:51:00.001-07:00

"Be careful when walking through town. The cars are silent, and if you are in their way, they will run you over." KR, the headmaster at Swiss Semester, told us on the ride to Zermatt. When I first saw a Zermatt car, I thought, "He must have accidentally used the word car, because this looks nothing like one!" The cars in Zermatt are about half the size of the smallest car in the US. Besides Smart Cars. Zermatt cars are about two thirds the size of a Smart Car. Zermatt cars, or taxi's, fit eight, possibly ten, people. That sounds like a lot, but there are two people in the front, then two rows of seats facing each other in the back, and comfortably should only fit two people per row.

I have never seen a real car around town. The closet thing to what someone who's never been to Zermatt calls a car is a truck. The trucks seem huge, with the flat front, shiny white surface, and being the biggest thing in Zermatt. However, they are only about one third of a truck in America.

The cars are called taxi's because. truly, that's all they are. Only businesses have taxi's. Most people in Zermatt ride a bike or a scooter, or walk. The taxi's are for hotels, bars, some shops (only about two, though), and for transporting things like crates or food, animals (I've seriously seen a goat riding on the back of a flat-bed taxi once).

When KR said that the taxi's don't move out of the way, he wasn't kidding. The drivers are all very good drivers, but dangerous and impatient. The swerve a lot just for one person, the drive very fast down main street, and they do whatever they can to avoid stopping or slowing down. The Zermatt cars are silent, except for a little buzzing. My ears trained themselves to pick out the noise, even when it's very far away.

I actually like the transportation system through town in Zermatt a lot better than anywhere in America. Unless I stay at home all day, which is very, very rare, I get exercise just by walking though town. The taxi's are also run by electricity, so they don't use gas. The taxi's give off way less pollution than cars running on gasoline, and make it better for the Earth.
In America, cars are a representation of freedom. Kids grow up dreaming about their first car. Sixteen-year-olds count down the days until they get their drivers license. In Zermatt, cars are just something to dodge while walking through town, or exclusively used for business. For tourists, taxi's are targets for the pictures. Locals, or people used to the exercise, could care less if the cars were there. It would have no impact personally on their lives, unless their job has to use a car.
The businesses who own the cars decorate them how they want. The decorating includes seat covers, paint on the outside, objects on outside (I've seen deer antlers on the top of a car.) Some businesses are very creative with how they decorate it, while others just paint their name on the exterior and leave the rest plain.

Second day of hut trips

2011-09-28T12:26:00.001-07:00

Goats up above the boys on their way back to Zermatt. Looks like there's a couple baby goats.

I <3 WORLD. This was on the side of the trail from Tasch to Zermatt.

Some of the boys on a glacier that they had to cross. I would have been scared to walk on the glacier, for some reason. It seems like you'd fall though.

The girls had to hike for three straight hours in the pouring rain, with thunder and lightning. It was freezing! The trail had a lot on huge rocks and dirt, which turned to extremely slippery rocks and pure mud.

A waterfall on the way back to Zermatt. All of the girls got so excited and immediately stripped down to their sports bras, climbed up the slick rocks, and dunked their heads under the waterfall. The waterfall was so cold it seemed like it was from newly melted snow. Oh wait, it was!

The girls' hut trip to Trift

2011-09-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

At Trift, our hotel, snuggling, and waiting to hear the story of the first man to climb the Matterhorn. The story was actually really good, and if I closed my eyes, I could imagine the mountaineers up on the face of the Matterhorn, have snow and wind blown in their face, slowly trekking up.

Dinner at Trift was delicious! It was homemade soup with little oats in it, then spaghetti and meat sauce. We helped clean up. Some people washed dishes, some people dried them, some put them away, and the rest cleaned the tables.

I was so happy when i turned the corner after a steep uphill and found this ahead. A long, fun downhill with Trift at the end. Great way to spend a painful, tiring, but super fun hike.

All of us girls at our mid-way stop. We got so hot we ended up only wearing our sports bras on the hike. We were a rainbow of colors.

Ms. Tori, one of the English teachers, resting on on my favorite part of the uphill. I just loved walking up a huge meadow, looking down on Zermatt below, and talking about all of the problems with the Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief movie with my sister-from-another-mister, Maggie.

The boys' hut trip to Tasch

2011-09-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

My dad and brother on the hike! I love the valley that leads into the mountains!

One of the many rivers the boys had to cross. I heard it was very slippery.

The boys playing cards at Tasch, the hut they stayed in, waiting for dinner.

(Right to left) Andrew, Jakesy, Dj, Jordon, Chris, Hinkie (his rel name's Ben, but his last name is Hinkie, and it totally fits him, so that's what he's known as), Jack, and Max. Henry's kneeling. They're resting in a beautiful spot, on the way back.

It's hard, maybe even impossible, to find a place in Switzerland that's not beautiful. We keep getting told not to take advantage of the views we see everyday. It is easy to get used to the sights, and by the end, not see anything special. it is just as easy, however, to wake up everyday, look at the Matterhorn outside your window, and say "Wow, look at that!"

Hike to Eidelweiss

2011-09-28T11:23:00.000-07:00

The path that we were on went through a mini farm. It had a couple huge cows! They were so cute. One was scratching it's head against the ground. I also saw a little baby cow in the barn! It was super fuzzy and had the funniest little moo.

The view of Zermatt from Eidelweiss, the restaurant at the top. I didn't realize how big Zermatt really is, or compared to what it looks like in town. I bet it's a fourth of the size of Colorado Springs, maybe even smaller.

Mother-daughter picture at Eidelweiss! The restaurant had the best carrot cake, peach tart, and apple tart. Yum! It also had a great view, although I haven't seen anywhere that doesn't.

Margret, Margret, Sarah, and I at a waterfall along the train. It was one of the many melted glacier waterfalls, so it was freezing! It felt so good, though, because we were so hot!

First Geology Lab

2011-09-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

The lift we took up to the first part of the lab. It almost went straight up, it was so steep! It was really scary, but exciting.

"Woah! Sarah look behind you!" Those were the words out of my mouth when I saw the goat. I actually did a double-take. It ended up walking around me and practically tripping on my foot. Who gets to say a wild goat tripped over their foot?

Some of the students were standing on the rock when all of a sudden a different goat runs over and scares them off of it, claiming it as his. He was so proud when he had his rock, and people tired (it ended up they ran away screaming because the goat almost rammed them), but he would not give it up.

Me, Brandon, and Sarah working on the lab together. The view was magnificent! Look at the glacier right beneath us, slowly making it's way down the mountain.

We literally ran to the front of the lift, so we could look going down. It was, in one word, terrifying. Especially when another lift was coming right at us, both at the top speeds. Luckily, it switched tracks just before we crashed.

Dinner Time

2011-09-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

Our week one dinner table. It was such a fun table with laughter every night, and stealing extra desserts. I didn't want to switch the next week.

At a Swiss restaurant. A band was playing there, and they were actually really good. It was really cool. The waitresses got up and did a traditional Swiss dance, and the band was really nice. They looked surprised when we were taking their picture, but they looked ecstatic, too.

At the same restaurant. It was my dad's and mine night out. The food was delicious. We both had salad, veal, and rosti. Rosti is the German word for, basically, hash browns. They are very popular in Switzerland, and people put anything on top on them. I've seen eggs, fish, a ton of different sauces, even syrup, and more!

Meet Zermatt

2011-09-26T08:57:00.000-07:00

Horse drawn carriages wander town everyday. When I was told to stand by the horse I started laughing. Yeah, right, stand next to one of my frights? My dad was serious, though. This was the closest I got to the horse, and it's pretty obvious I was nervous.

After going to a cafe, my dad and I wandered next to the river on the street next to Main Street. Turns out, we had such a great view of the Matterhorn!

Paragliding is a very popular thing to do in Zermatt. Everyday I stand on my balcony and watch at least one paraglider land in the meadow not even a block away from our apartment.

The gorgeous mountain right outside my window! The Matterhorn. One of the main reasons people visit Zermatt, well that and skiing.

First hike.... continued

2011-09-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

Eating lunch after a very tiresome hike up half of the mountain. The group I walked up with are the girls smiling at the camera, Kate, Charlotte, Becca, and four more people not in this picture, MC, Tess, Nathan, and Andrew. They were fun, we sang hysterically on the way up. We sounded horrible because we were half laughing, half so tired we had a couple tears dropping, and we were trying to concentrate on our stepping.

A tradition for mountaineers is to make a stone sculpture at their destination, so wherever we end a hike, there are bunches of stacks like these. i've tried making one, but I find it very difficult and can never succeed.

At the end of our long trek that day. All of the students climbed up a big rock face onto a mini rock plateau, and posed for our victory picture.

First hard hike.

2011-09-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

Turns out, our first hike, while being very hard for everyone, was the easiest we'll do. Turns out, no hiking in Switzerland is easy. It's never all downhill (unless you planned it that way, but there still are a couple uphills going down the mountain) or flat, either.

Before the hike everyone gathered for our big Swiss Semester group photo. While waiting for the photographer, people played Ninja. The rules are to try and hit a person in one swift motion. They can move too. At least I'm pretty sure. It still confuses me.

The Oreo goats! They are so cute and very funny looking. They are all over the paths while hiking. I probably saw at least 100 on that one hike, up close.

Our long uphill, it lasted for... the whole hike! This was at the beginning, because people haven't spread out yet. We are quite a sight with all of our red Swiss Semester backpacks. I'm pretty sure I heard a British women on the trail tell the man accompanying her that we were intimidating.

My brother and I at the top of the mountain. Victory! We survived the first hike! It was so beautiful.

The name games

2011-09-22T02:09:00.000-07:00

As a team building exercise, all 41 people got on a sheet and we had three minutes to flip the sheet over without anyone touching the grass. We failed at it. We had some good ideas, though. We had some people get on other people's shoulders, as seen in the picture.

We played the name train game (I love that name). We would go to each person and say all of our names then practically sing the person's name. It was really fun we got really into it.

More name games...

2011-09-22T01:55:00.000-07:00

We were separated into groups and we all had to find one thing in common with the person next to us in the circle. Some of the things were as good as I have one brother and two sisters, while others were as obvious as we're both in Switzerland.

We were playing a game called (long name) Egg, Chicken, Dinosaur, Super Man. It was basically rock paper scissors, but when you lost, you moved down a level and when you won you moved up. We had to introduce ourselves before each match, no matter if we knew them or not (which was pretty weird introducing myself to my brother).

We all had to write down answers to three questions. The questions were 1) What are you most excited for at Swiss Semester? 2) What are you most scared about at Swiss Semester? I forget the third, but If I remember I'll post it. For question one I answered traveling with my dad. For question two I answered skiing because I haven't skied in at least two years.

Klein Matterhorn

2011-09-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

On our first little hike. Nobody really calls it a hike, because it was so small compared to others that we do. As you can see, I have my hiking backpack that Swiss Semester gave to us. The Matterhorn is right above me.

Our destination for that day. It was freezing! At the same time, though, it was also very beautiful! The first of the many wonderful views.

Just some of our "family" here at Swiss Semester. My mom, my brother, and I. There is also the English teacher, Dan, and my brother's best friend, and roommate here, Jordan.

First breakfast! There are six long tables in the room that the whole group fits perfectly. I love this room because it's so sunny and bright.

First day in Switzerland

2011-09-16T02:51:00.000-07:00

The first assignment everyone had was to find the supplies they needed for school. They were given a list and a name of a place, then everyone had to search for it. Everyone basically found it at the same time. It was in Migros, one of the grocery stores in Zermatt. However it is about half of the size of a King Supers.

This is our cute, little town that will be our home for the next three months. It's called Zermatt, and it's so small that the biggest cars I've ever seen on the road aren't even cars. They're more like shorter and longer golf carts.

A town we passed while driving to Zermatt. I love the architecture of the houses, with the wood roofs, and cream with wood sides. It's very European.

On the bus making our way from the airport. We were all so tired from the long flight! My mom's sleeping. I'm just lucky that my dad took the picture while I was awake. There weren't many times when I was.

Everybody on the bus! This was taken right after we all got on, so no one was sleeping yet. Everybody had to sit by someone that they don't go to school with or that they didn't sit next to on the flight over. On the table in the far left corner, is a coffee maker!

Switzerland

2011-09-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

After about 20 minutes of trying to hail a taxi that was big enough for our seven huge suitcases, and eight carry ons, my mom found a van that was emptying people from a tour of New York. Luckily, the driver said he'd take us to JFK. We drove for literally two hours. My mom timed it. Usually it would take us about 40 minutes to get to the airport, but because of the traffic, it took us double that. When we finally got to the airport, it took us another 15 minutes to check in our bags, and about 20 minutes to go through security. We got on the plane around 7:20 and left the ground around 8:00 pm. We got served lasagna for dinner, and warm croissants for breakfast. Yum! I actually slept a little. I first fell asleep on my brother's shoulder. I moved to the regular sitting position for sleeping, and woke up to find my brother's curly brown hair in my face. He fell asleep on my shoulder. I watched Super 8. I love that movie! I would totally recommend it, only if you are ok with seeing a couple gory parts. Also, don't let little kids watch it. It is too scary. Overall, the plane ride over to Switzerland was a good one.

2011-09-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

My mom and I coming back from the Metropolitan Museum, and my brother and dad met us in Central Park by the reservoir. It was humongous with a fountain in it. Central Park was gigantic, too. There were so many playgrounds. Some of them looked really fun!

Times Square and Lady Liberty

2011-09-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

My brother, dad, and I in Times Square. It was, in one word, breathtaking. The sky was never dark, even at 10 p.m. at night, because of all the lights in Times Square.

My brother and I in Times Square. Luckily, we went on a slightly rainy day, and a not very touristy part of the year, so it was not that crowded.

In Times Square, there is the M&M World. It was huge! Three floors tall, and half of that was filled with different colored M&Ms in tubes. This was the elevator, and I thought it was cool.

We went all the way to the ferry for Ellis Island, then realized that the last ferry of the day had left 10 minutes before we got there. This is my brother and I in front of the Statue of Liberty. It is very small in the background.

2011-09-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

My dad's cousin, Theresa, took us on the High Line. The High Line is an old train track that stopped running. People wanted to make it beautiful, so they paved it, put flowers and plants around it, and benches on it. It truly is beautiful.

While walking on the High Line, I saw this building and just thought it was the coolest thing! It has little ripples in the metal, and all of the sides are big curves.

This is another view from the High Line. The tall, silver building that is in the clouds is the Empire State building. The brick apartments were in such a straight line and were so vertical that It looked really cool.

Diner Number Two

2011-09-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

On our second day in New York, we went to another diner for breakfast, also recommended by our hostel. The owner was a little Greek man, who was very welcoming. On the third day, he knew us by name and saved my dad and brother his two "best spots" in the diner. He had a very cool accent that made whatever he was saying interesting.

2011-09-12T13:58:00.000-07:00

My brother and I in front of a Michelangelo sculpture (I can't find which one!) across from the cathedral.

2011-09-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

(To the left) My family and I wet to Rockefeller center. The sculpture Prometheus was huge! It's eight tons of bronze. Wow that's a lot!

(To the left) This is the rain coming down a glass roof. I thought it was so cool, and such a great picture.

(Left) We went in a place called the Sony Experience. It shows you how email works, teaches you about pixels, shows you how songs are made, and much more! We got and ID and had to take a picture for it. Here is my dad's picture. We could not stop laughing.

This was my picture that I took for the ID. I took about five before I was content with the picture.

This was my brother's picture. It was probably the best out of all of us. One was scary, two were blurry, and the other was just not a great picture, unlike DJ's.

2011-09-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

This is my dad's cousin, Theresa, who now lives in New York. We met up with her and had her show us around Manhattan. She showed us how to use the subway, how to walk like New Yorkers, and other tips and tricks. She also showed us the High Line, which was beautiful!

In the Sony Experience, DJ and I got to act like news reporters. here we are on "set." The news story was about polar bears and how their habitat is melting. I did not chose the topic, it was just coincidence, and I thought it was pretty funny because my favorite animal is a polar bear, and when I say favorite, I'm under-exaggerating.

My mom and Theresa played camera women for the news report DJ and I did. They each had a camera. Theresa filmed me while my mom filmed DJ.

In this room of the Sony Experience, we got to make our own music. We each had a station of the air-hockey-like-table. The table was touch screen. We had about nine different instruments to chose from, ranging from bongo drums and hand bells to a beatbox and electric guitar. Next we chose the style of music. There were about nine again, and it was from hip hop and pop to Salsa and classical. Put together it made one whole song, that didn't sound very good.

This was our surprisingly nice room in the hostel we stayed in. When I thought of hostel I thought of cement walls and floors, metal headboard, not very clean or pleasant. I, however, was surprised, and very pleased I must say, to find that our room had beautiful dark woods, red paintings and pillows, and it was very clean.

2011-09-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

This is the view when I first walked into the famous church that seems so out of place in New York. It is called St. Patrick's Cathedral and it is gorgeous inside!

One of the many parts of the church that have candles to light. My mom lit one for her dad who died while she was in college. The candle in the middle by itself is the one she lit.

My brother, Dj, standing in the entry of the Church. There are a lot of people that explore the church everyday. It is very hard to miss while walking past it. The outside is very different from the tall, silver skyscrapers surrounding it.

2011-09-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

My brother, my mom, and I snacking on trail mix at DIA (Denver International Airport) waiting for our 1:30 am plane to start boarding for New York. We are already tired!

In JFK (New York airport) right after our red eye flight landed. None of us really slept at all, so we're a little tired and spacey.

In the first diner we went to on Tuesday morning, our first day in New York. My brother and I both were so tired, we literally fell asleep at the table multiple times and had great naps.

Here I am, again at the diner. I had enormous banana pancakes and a too watery hot chocolate. The diner was recommended by the hostel we were staying in. The food that we ordered was made (or based on the time, probably just put in a microwave and heated up) and brought to us in less than ten minutes.

Night Flight

2011-09-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

My advice: red eye flights(flights at midnight) are great to take to get through security and baggage check quickly. Just make sure you are prepared for the drowsiness that awaits you the next day.
At 9:15 pm on Monday, September 5th, my family and I left for our three month adventure. Baggage check and security, usually the hardest parts in flying somewhere (in my opinion) were the easiest. The hardest part was actually sleeping on the plane without my back or neck hurting. I brought my mini pillow pet, a unicorn named Prince Fredrick, thinking I could lean up against the window and be fine. Boy was I wrong! The pillow pet kept slipping, so I ended up moving positions every five minutes and not getting any sleep! I guess I can't do anything about the curse I'm stuck with for not being able to sleep on planes.