It's hard to believe that December is here and that the holidays are just around the corner. I've been taking more time to walk around Bologna lately just to watch all of the Christmas decorations go up and catch some of the holiday spirit. I decided to bring the Christmas spirit to the apartment as well and splurged on a 1 Euro Christmas tree! Doesn't it look fantastic?! :) And yes, it is sitting on the kitchen table and is slightly less 12" tall...
This city really does seem to come alive this time of year, and you can't help but smile as you walk around town. There are vendors on the street corners roasting chestnuts, a make-shift ice skating rink has been put up on the north end of town, there's a Christmas market around the corner with homemade crafts and cioccolata calda, store windows are covered with garland and snowflakes, shoppers are searching for the perfect gifts, and a giant Christmas tree is now standing in the middle of Piazza Nettuno. The city is full of porticoes that cover all of sidewalks, and there are various decorations hanging in all of them lighting up the streets. These stars are one of the many variations, but so far have been my favorite.
Another wonderful thing about the holidays is that ski season officially begins! And this year Niraj and I did something we've always dreamed of... skied the Swiss Alps!!!
This past weekend we hopped on a bus with 42 other Johns Hopkins students to Zermatt, Switzerland for 2 days of fun in the Alps. A fellow student who is from Switzerland was kind enough to organize the entire thing, so we really did get the locals perspective which made the experience even more special.
Zermatt was an amazing town and the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. Everywhere you look you can see the Matterhorn towering over the town, and you can't help but stop and stare. We stayed at this huge house on top of a hill (literally, we had to do 30 minutes of switchbacks in the snow just to get to the house!!), and when you stepped out of the front door you were looking over the entire village of Zermatt and staring right into the Matterhorn. Our first night in the house everyone hung out in the huge common room (keep in mind there were 44 of us) and had food, talked, danced, and let all of the stress of school melt away.
Once we hiked back down the switchbacks (or slid down as we often ended up doing instead) and ventured into the city, it was just as stunning. There is a river running right through the village, lots of shops and bakeries, and skiiers everywhere. There were white Christmas lights and stars on every building (the Swiss don't seem to like colored Christmas lights), and I even saw a large tower that was transformed into a gigantic Nutcracker!
As for the skiing, it was incredible. After conquering the 90 minute lift ticket line and finally making it to the gondola, Niraj and I were both amazed at how gorgeous the mountain really was. The Matterhorn is in full view the entire time you are skiing, and the trails are all wide open and vast due to the lack of trees. It was still preseason which meant limited number of open slopes, but it also meant a limited number of people which everyone enjoyed. Throughout the resort, you can move around by chairlift, gondola, cable car, T-bar, and even train! I can't even describe how incredible everything was up there.
After skiing, our trip organizer had arranged for a full 3 course meal at a local restaurant. We had salad with famous local meats, bread with cheese fondue, white wine, dessert, and coffee with schnapps. The food was amazing!!! Our table of 4 polished off the cheese fondue and even learned all of the traditions of what to do when you drop your bread in the pot. Our group took over the entire restaurant, and stayed there for hours talking, eating, and enjoying the entire experience. It was the perfect "apres sci" meal!
All in all, our first trip to the Swiss Alps was unforgettable. We got to know many other students here better and were so fortunate to have a local show us around and enhance our experience by teaching us about the culture and the lifestyle.
So, that's been the big news from our end lately. Next week is Niraj's last week of class before the holiday break, so everyone is getting antsy to have some time off. I'm heading back to Denver for Christmas while Niraj travels around here, and then we are talking about going to Slovenia and Croatia for New Years. There are already lots of things being planned for the New Year, so we are always thinking about the next trips and adventures!!
We hope everyone back home is doing well and enjoying the start of winter. Arrivederci per ora! Bye for now!
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