A Letter To My Love

Dearest Switzerland,

I owe you an apology. Over the last three months, we've been spending a lot of time together, and honestly I started to take you for granted. You've been nothing but good to me since we first met in early January. That first week in Lugano was magical. I will forever cherish how special you made my 21st birthday. Our first weekend together was one for the books. Skiing Zermatt was hands down one of the best experiences of my life. You certainly inherited Mother Nature's best traits. 

Since then however, we've drawn apart. I take full blame. I started seeing other countries. First it was Italy, drawing me in with its delicious food. Then Germany with its endless supply of beer. Then England and its irresistible accent. Ireland stole my heart. I celebrated Valentine's Day with France. I went on a second date with Italy, who continued to woo me, this time with pesto. Belgium made me the world's best breakfast. Hungary was a cheap date. I gave Germany a second go. Prague and I really hit it off. Italy was determined to show me the wonders of Rome last weekend. 

I realize this isn't the best apology, but rather a list of my recent conquests. Keep reading. 

It had been over two months since our marvelous weekend together in Zermatt. Honestly, I was slightly bitter you wouldn't show me the Matterhorn, but I now realize you were simply playing hard to get. We had only just met, you weren't ready for that type of commitment. Clearly, I wasn't either. 

I realized that despite how long we've known each other now, we hadn't spent quality time together in quite a while. This weekend changed everything. Italy was practically begging me to visit Cinque Terre. Frankly, Italy was getting a little too clingy. Instead, I stayed with you. It was just the two of us and you showed me the world.

My journey to Interlaken was beautiful. You continue to teach me that it's the journey, not the destination. We were finally starting to click, and Friday you proved that. 

I woke up early Friday morning excited for my journey ahead to Jungfrau, the top of Europe. With stops in Lauterbrunnen Valley and Kleine Scheidegg, I was already blown away. Jungfraujoch took the cake. Words cannot describe your beauty, Switzerland.

Getting to Jungfraujoch required a simple train ride. Getting to it's peak at Mönchsjochhütte however, was not. You challenged me and I accepted. After an hour hike up the mountain, I made it. It's there that I fell in love with you all over again. I enjoyed a terrific lunch and one of the most beautiful views in the world.

Just when I thought the day couldn't get any better, you did this:

Thank you, Switzerland. While our time together is coming to an end in a few short weeks, I want you to know how great you are. I promise to come back and visit you, if you promise to be nicer to my wallet. 

With love,

Con amore,

Mit liebe,

Avec amour,

Bijan

Muggles in London

Twenty-four of us left Lugano on Thursday February 6th for the first leg of our spring break. After taking a train, a plane, and a bus, we arrived in London nine hours later. We ditched our original plan to sleep in the airport, and made our way to a hostel for the evening.

On Friday morning, we took a walking tour of Westminster and became acquainted with the royal side of London. We heard stories of the security flaws of Buckingham Palace, and how Big Ben is not actually the name of London's iconic clock tower. Nick, MaryKate, Kaitlyn, Molly Rose, Cat and I spent the remainder of the day exploring London. They tried fish & chips for lunch and we made our way to the National Gallery. There are four major statues outside the National Gallery, each representing different aspects of British military tradition and history. One of the statues is replaced each year by a new statue of significance. This year, the square is home to a giant blue rooster that stands out among the other large bronze statues. According to a British man we met on the double-decker bus, the statue is highly controversial.

After a lovely dinner at a small pub we made our way to Piccadilly Circus, a part of London reminiscent of Times Square with bright lights and people everywhere. We enjoyed a night out and reminisced upon the good times we had and the good times to come.

Buckingham Palace

On Saturday we woke up early to see the changing of the guard. We followed the soldiers as they moved from Prince Charles' estate to Buckingham Palace. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant called Nandos. Nick and MaryKate were literally jumping and screaming in excitement when they found it. The primarily chicken based Portuguese restaurant was surprisingly vegetarian friendly and allergen aware. The menu included three different veggie burger options. I enjoyed a unique chick pea, pumpkin seed and lentil burger with mango-lime salsa and mashed sweet potatoes. Our next stop was the British Museum, home of the Rosetta Stone. The museum seemed never ending as we made our way through exhibits featuring Ancient Rome, Egypt, and Japan. I also enjoyed a special exhibit on ancient Persian currency as well as the exhibit on Iran which featured remains found in Persepolis.

The changing of the guard

The Rosetta Stone

We eventually found the Rosetta Stone, and made our way back across the city to the London Eye, one of the largest Farris Wheels in the world. The structure, which was originally meant to only be up for a year, has now been a part of London's city skyline for about a decade. The view from the top that night was gorgeous. The sky cleared just in time as our hour long walk from the museum to the wheel drenched us to the bone. Umbrellas were no help to us, as the wind blew in every direction.

We met up with the other eighteen Hokies for dinner before splitting up as most restaurants couldn't handle twenty-four customers entering at once. Nick, MaryKate and I enjoyed Thai food before we all met up again to go to the pubs. We ended the night at Chocco Matte, one of the coolest restaurants I've ever been to. It was a cross between a Japanese steakhouse, a bar and a neon light show. I felt incredibly underdressed for this James Bond-esque restaurant.

The walls inside Chocco Matte.

Sunday morning we jumped on our broomsticks to King's Cross to catch the Hogwarts Express into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter through Platform 9 3/4.

Hufflepuff didn't make it through the platform. Typical.

After an entertaining photo shoot and a few Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, we went to Camden Market. The market was my favorite part of London. Thousands of people crowded around to bargain and shop for all sorts of knickknacks. Lunch there was incredible. I couldn't decide what to eat. Seemingly every nationality was represented at the market. My Vietnamese noodle dish alongside a chocolate filled churro was a bizarre but divine combination. Somewhere along the way Molly Rose, Kaitlyn, and I got separated from Nick and MaryKate. We looked for them but finding them without cell reception was virtually impossible. We're fairly confident Nick and MaryKate ditched us, but they claim otherwise.

Molly Rose, Kaitlyn and I ventured to Abbey Road to attempt to recreate the iconic Beatles album cover. This was a far more challenging task than expected, as Abbey Road is still a working street with cars speeding by in either direction. Dozens of people were lined up to try to get a picture and drivers didn't hesitate to slam their horn when coming through. Regardless, we didn't leave until we got the shot.

Click Here To Hear the First Song on Abbey Road

After dark Molly Rose, Ashley, Kaitlyn, Susan and I went to Westminster Abbey in hopes of getting a peak inside the cathedral. While we weren't able to go in, we went over to the Tower Bridge. It was lit up beautifully. We had a fantastic dinner at the Bridge House before calling it a night in preparation for our early flight to Dublin in the morning.

Updates from Dublin coming soon. Too-da-loo!

München in Munich

Fourteen of us ventured to Germany this weekend after an exciting week that included another soccer game with the locals, and a snow day trip back to Bellinzona. It took over eight hours, but we finally arrived in Munich around 11:30 Friday night. We explored the town a bit before calling it a night. In the process we found Finespitz's Fine Quality Hot Dog and Eatery, a small establishment that indeed made fine hot dogs. I ordered a veggie dog topped with guacamole and sprouts. It ranks high on the list of best hot dogs I've ever had, bested only by the veggie dog I had in Sweden a few years back which was covered in mashed potatoes and caramelized onions.

We woke up early Saturday for a walking tour of Munich. Our tour guide noted that it was unusually warm in for this time of year, as the temperature reached the high forties. Regardless, I was still cold. Our guide took us through the city showing us all of the highlights, including government buildings, royal palaces, churches, and lots of beer halls. The architecture of the buildings in Munich makes the city look far older than it is, as the city was almost completely demolished during World War II. Very few structures in the city remained in tact after over three million bombs were dropped on the city during the war. Our tour concluded outside of the royal palace, which completed reconstruction just over a year ago. If you have a chance to visit Munich, I highly recommend making time for one of the free walking tours.

Following the tour we got lunch at Augustiner Bräu Munchen where we tried our first German beer. The beer in Munich is incredible. As I learned on the tour, by law Bavarian beer can only contain the following ingredients: water, hops, barley, and yeast. It was delicious.

We explored the city a bit more, passing a NATO protest outside of the Glockenspiel in Marienplatz, before venturing to the world's most famous beer hall, the Hofbräuhaus. About three thousand drunk people fit in the Hofbräuhaus at a time, making the atmosphere unforgettable (or forgettable depending on how much one has to drink). The lederhosen wearing band played German music and the locals stood and chanted as we got a taste of life in Munich, including giant pretzels and beer. Nick & I made a trip back to Finespitz's Fine Quality Hot Dog and Eatery on our way back to our hostel.

On Sunday we visited the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. Nothing I write can explain the atmosphere. Visiting the Memorial Site is an experience that cannot be described. As we took our tour, I couldn't help but think of the poor souls who spent countless days in the same spot being worked to the bone in the frigid cold air. I had read a lot about the camp in school, but being there brought on another level of understanding.

We returned from Dachau with about two hours until our train left. Kyle and I wanted to make the most of our time in Munich, and made a trip across town to another beer hall. We enjoyed a light lunch surrounded by FC Bayern Munich fans who were preparing for the team's 5-0 route of Frankfurt. Everyone in the bar was decked out in checkered red and white.

We caught the train back to Lugano in time for our first ever Super Bowl Monday! At midnight we went to Franklin College down the street to watch the Seahawks and Broncos play for the Lombardi Trophy. Our professor moved our usual Monday morning class to one in the afternoon knowing that we would all be up until around six watching the game. While it wasn't much of a game, it was nice to watch football again.

This week should go by quickly as we prepare for our Italian midterm and Marketing and Consumer Behavior final before getting on a plane to London Thursday night. Next week marks our first spring break during which I'll be traveling in London, Dublin, and Paris.

Ciao!