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

When in Rome...

I arrived in Rome late in the evening on Thursday March 20, and stayed with my cousin Sam. As you may remember, I ran into him in Paris. I woke up early on Friday morning to explore the Vatican City. First stop was the Vatican Museum, where I met up with Nick, CJ, and RH. The museum was massive and held some of the most beautiful and elaborate works of art I have ever seen. From sculptures to rugs to paintings, the museum had it all. We spent about three hours in the museum before making it to the Sistine Chapel. The interior of the chapel is incredibly detailed. I am so glad I got a chance to visit the Vatican Museum.

We then made our way to St. Peter's Basilica. The St. Peter's Square, the plaza in front of the church was massive and chairs were set up to host thousands of people for Mass on Sunday. The church itself was absolutely breath taking. The interior appeared to be made entirely of gold and marble. At this point, I have been to a lot of churches in Europe. None lay a finger on St. Peter's Basilica. We easily spent an hour admiring the beauty of the church before venturing to the top. We climbed over 500 steps to the interior of the dome and had a view of the entire church from the inside. After climbing through a very narrow spiral staircase, we reached the outside. The view from atop the most powerful church in the world was inspiring. The world's smallest sovereign state, is also one if the most influential.

Following a great day at the Vatican City, I met Nick, Audris, Carmen, Kristina, Kyle, Morgan, and Ashley at our apartment. We struck gold with AirB&B yet again. The apartment was lavishly decorated, perfectly located, and very spacious. It was easily within walking distance of both the Vatican and the Colosseum.

Once we were all settled went around town for an early dinner. I enjoyed a delicious Penne Arrabiatta. Later in the evening we made a stop for gelato at Della Palma - home to over 150 flavors of gelato. I enjoyed a large cone of Chocolate Strawberry, Banana Mango, and a soy chocolate gelato. Delicious is an understatement.

After our sweet treat we made our way to the Trevi Fountain. I tossed a coin into the fountain, as per tradition, to ensure a return trip to Rome someday. An estimated 3,000 Euros are thrown into the fountain each day, and are used to subsidize a supermarket for the needy in Rome. We all took our obligatory photos with the fountain, and Kyle decided to take a swim.

On Saturday, my final day in the ancient city, we rushed to the Colosseum. We got a full tour of the facility, which was home to gladiator fights way back when Rome was an empire. We also got a tour of the Roman Forum and the ancient ruins.

Following the tour, I explored the ruins a bit before heading to the Pantheon. I only stopped in briefly, as I had a train to catch, but the Pantheon can't be missed. Unlike most of Rome's ancient architectural wonders, the Pantheon remains very well maintained.

While Rome wasn't built in a day, I saw a good bit of it in just over a day. A beautiful city indeed, I can't wait until I return. Ciao!