Asha’s Swiss Miss Tour 2008

I was very ready to go home. It was a long and stressful journey but I was happy to meet the finish line. I skipped breakfast for some some extra sleep and met with everyone in the computer lab for confirmation of our tickets online. Once everyone was squared away, the professors discussed the leaving procedure in packing the bags and checking in. They also discussed the final that will be taken back at school on Tuesday of June 24 at 11:45am.

After the meeting we had lunch the dining hall which would be our last here at the school. After lunch we had a chance to run to the city. Elliot escorted Gia, Sarah, Shevy. Adele, Katherine, Lilliana, and myself to Cindy’s - diner imitation in the Chur rail station that had pretty good burgers and tasty hot wings. Everyone got their food and reached the bus on time. 

Once back at the the school, we ate and had some time to chill out and relax. I went back to my room and had a rousing conversation with a few of my classmates. After taking pictures and waving to Sophie one last time, everyone started trickling back to their room. I took a small nap until it was time for the BBQ. I went to the dining hall to enjoy the wonderful spread of the Swiss style cuisine. Once some of us settled at the table I noticed that  all the tables in the hall had two bottles of wine on the tables. I was enjoying the ambiance of everyone being in positive vibes when I see Prof. Garely walking to our table and silently removing the wine not only from our tables but from her own. I was stunned that she wouldn’t even allow us to enjoy our last day, even when we just had a wine tasting in my tour. I relaxed because soon we could eat and I could forget that moment.  Much to my delight – the wine was returned to our table..and we all had a glass to toast our Swiss experience.

The food was ready and it was incredible. They had veal sausages and pork sausages as well as pork ribs and baked chicken. They provided salads of lettuce aand tomato and onion. The spread was gorgegous. After eating we took some pictures and got involved in a game against the european kids. We played a game which involed racing around the school holding a tray with a full glass of water.

Our team of Sasha, Andy, Curtis, and Katherine didn’t win but they but up a good effort. Sarah, Lilliana and myself got involved in the next one. We had to guess which food was what and the was literally a piece of cake. I identified (blind folded) asparagus and sage herbs.  We won this time around and had a rousing game of soccer in the front. I bucked my toe about five times and was crucial for me to sit down for once. 

Later one, the Europeans students had a party in the disco and all of  us attended for the most part. We danced till the music was cut of at 1:45AM when we were promised 2 AM. I left and went to bed to get some shuteye before I leave the next day. 

Day 22

I see Curtis walking through my door calling me to wake, then I looked at my left to see it 4:30 AM. I pulled myself out of bed and showered. I groggily go through the motions of getting ready for trip to the airport. 

Adrienne helps me with removing my sheets from the bed and runs downstairs to see if everyone is there. Both Adrienne go through all the rooms to see how everyone is moving along. Eventually, we all are downstairs and we grabbed a packed breakfast  of the usual two sandwiches plus fruit and box juice. I was very tired and slept in the school bus after about 20 minutes. I woke up and took some pictures with my phone of my last ride in Switzerland. I slowly bite through my breakfast and contemplated on my trip in general. I see a lot of good time and very bad moments. I was just glad to be going home. 

We reached the airport, most of us had a very tired and drawn look but energized real quick once they  recognized the parking lot. Sasha, Shevy, and myself went ahead to find carts for the rest but only found one. We came back and everyone placed almost all of the luggage on carts that must have been just placed there. We pushed ourselves to the airport and  through gate 2 for the American Airlines departure. 

We all did four persons group at the check in and had a bathroom break before we entered the security gate for passengers. We walked passed the gate then reached the part where the tram took us to the other part of airport for the gate ticketing. 

Once all of us went through the screening, we reached our gate and waited for the plane to be ready for loading of passengers. I talked with Gia, Adele, and Lilliana about the return home and what would we do once we reach back. 

It was then soon time for us to load the plane round 10:45am. I got a window seat this time around and was happy about it. I watched the plane take off from Zurich airport swiftly and and start its journey to JFK in New York. I put on my headphones and went to sleep but woke up just in time for the meals which were not that bad for airplane food. The last meal was pizza and that brought a nostalgic piece of New York right to my mind. 

I was soon walking with Sarah after the plane landed and we were walking to customs. I reached practically bubbling with joy to see the ‘Welcome To New York’ sign. My number came up soon to have my  passport stamped and the officer teased me for not writing my passport number and said that I gave him work to do. 

I laughed  mostly because he spoke English with a New York accent. All of us reached the baggage claim and waited as our bags slowly came around. I hugged and kissed my short term family members as my brothers and sisters. I walked through the gate to give my card to the officer  and pulled my bags through to see my sister waiting for me. I gave her a hug and kiss and said waved bye to Prof. Garely. I was finally free. 

This was the last tour for the day. We had a lecture with Mr. Wicki for the morning. I was aware of the European students were leaving to and they were going back the day after us. We had an early breakfast then surprised Sophie with card signed by all of us plus gifts. She seemed a little surprised and happy about the situation but definitely enjoyed it. Prof. Garely asked her what is the difference between Americans and the Swiss and she didn’t seem to know what to say first. We all laughed but she eventually said that Americans demanded a little more flexibility than the Swiss and their timely and organized ways.

It then around 8:00am and time to see Mr. Wicki for his lecture on Sustainable ecology. He talked about the fundamentals of environmental sustainability and the objectives necessary for the us as human beings.

We should understand the elements of networking and the global relationship between ecosystems. I enjoyed it, but felt a little tired and under slept. We had two breaks and finally lunch came around. After lunch we had a chance to get our laundry done before we go back home. Sooner than later, we were heading to the GEVAG, Waste burning Plant, Trimmis. The drive was very pleasant and the radio was playing my favorite song of the moment. Soon all of us were singing Usher’s ‘Love In This Club’. We reached the plant in the school bus and took pictures of the statues in front of the entrance. Sasha had a picture with the female statue before we went inside for a brief introduction to Mr. Francois Bon.

He gave us a very thorough tour of one of the most energy conserving garbage plants in Switzerland. They tour around the plant started with a brief lecture and power point presentation. He said that we were the first to Americans to tour the plant facilities. He seemed proud to show off enough if his English wasn’t the best, but both Mr. Wicki and Sophie (she drove the second car) helped with some words.

Once outside he started with the trash that is picked and placed into a pile of garbage. As crane was pulling a way at the loads that were parallel to the chute outside for the trash to be dumped. We went to another area once the dust got too much. All the extra metal is picked up after the garbage is burned and cooled down. It was interesting to see the many levels garbage goes through to be partially broken down then reused for electricity. Even the water they used for the garbage is recycled to be released back into the rivers.

After the tour we had refreshments in the conference room with Swiss beverages like Rivella and Valsar. I had a sample of all four and liked one that tasted like grapefruit soda. We had a brief discussion about America’s trash problems especially in New York, we had 9/11 and the debris from the towers was a difficult task to accomplish.

We left around for Landquart water treatment plant which was worse than the garbage plant because it was smelly water that came form the sewage. Many of us had to sit out the tour because the smell was incredible. Mr. Herbert Vat was a manager at the plant, and one out of four employees that work the entire plant. Everyone has to do a little bit of everything. He told us about the many levels of cleaning that the water goes.

I was ready to leave but wanted to see after all the dirty water and stench when does it become clean. He took us to the back and we saw that after the bacteria eats the germs, the natural moss cleans tha water turning it a green hue. Then it’s released back into the rivers. We took pictures and felt better to be on our way to dinner.

We went to his neighborhood where we took cable cars to the top of the Fanas-Eggli summit to enjoy fondue in the Alps. One cable car took one then the second group went up. Once up I was taken aback by the beauty at the top. The view of the Alps and rippling countryside inspired me. We took pictures as usual doing silly thing and excited to be in the beautiful surroundings. I started  to sing the ‘Sound of Music’ and everyone sang along. It was Katherine, Sarah, Lilliana, Gia, Adele, Mark, Shevy, and myself fooled around with the camera.

We went back to see everyone seated at the table for the fondue, which I found to be very strong but tasty. It tasted like several cheeses with white wine, pepper, garlic, cinnamon and other ingredients I couldn’t pick up. Mark presented both Sophie and Mr. Wicki with shirts from BMCC from all of us. It was a nice gesture for all the hard work they accomplished to make our stay an eventful one.

As we descended back to the parking lot for the cable car, we hopped into van and continued the packing process. I went to bed feeling happy about the next morning.

I got up early for our trip to Lugano, a very Italian area in Switzerland. This the last tour from the students and it was Katehrine’s turn (Tour Guide of the day) and I was routing for her from day 1. the planning of the tour went through some changes yet she made it happen. We took the public bus from Passugg down to the town area to catch a bus to Bellizona at 8:10am. It was a the first bus drive to our destination yet was hindered by the weather. The rain was coming down very sporadically and helped cast a thick fog all over the valleys we passed.

Once at Bellinzona, we had to run for the train (like New Yorkers) to catch it as there would have been a longer wait for the next one. Fortunately we all made the train and clapped ourselves for making it on very tight time. The train took over 20 minutes, but once we reached, it felt like a different part of Swiss culture, the Italian version.

The rain was coming down pretty hard so anyone with a poncho or umbrella was putting them to use. We reached the hotel using a bus, but it dropped us less than half way to the hotel. We walked in the rain and reached the Grand Hotel Eden dripping with water and annoyance at the weather. Once inside the hotel, we were able to store our wet bags and be greeted by Mr. Maurizio Lieto, Assistant Hotel Manager.

I was already impressed with the hotel with it’s animal theme that ran throughout the hotel lobby. We took the elevator up to the suites. The hotel itself has 115 rooms and 14 suites. the first suite we saw caught me by surprise. The look of Italian luxury was all over the room with the furniture and style of the room. The bed looked very comfy and the view from the standard room was of the mountains. I was impressed by the glamour, even in the bathroom, the luxury continued with a wide bathtub and plenty of amenities(not for me but available) and robes and towels.

Mr. Lieto told us that there was the original building on the first site across the street, and there was a tunnel that leads to the adjacent building. In the earlier days of the hotel, it was used for shops for the guests. Present day, it still offers the gifts and products recommended to the guests. with only window displays.

We took the elevator up to the suites which were present only in the original building. We saw several suites in different setups plus terrace views of the lake. Despite the rainy weather, we could imagine the great view of the city captured through the summer days. One of the suites had a dry bar in the cabinets and all of the bathrooms had a phone near the toilet.

We went back up stairs to look at the gym and saw the lake view from the machines the customers use. The next area for inspection was the Eden spa. We had to place the blue shower caps on our feet again, then squeeze in a small elevator – I’m sure was made for only couples. Once inside, the pool looked like a blue grotto plus jacuzzi in the far right corner, a hideaway for the customers. They offered massages to guests in rooms behind the pool and elevator.

We moved towards a spiral stair case that led into the next building (the dining and bar area). We kept moving back to the hotel passing by a live business meeting in a conference room. They had a dining room with a great view of the lake and exposed the sushi bar on the bank of the lake. Mr. Lieto pointed out a guest in his yacht which looked anchored because of the weather. It became time for us to go and endure the weather, but not before expressing our gratitude and enthusiasm for the hotel.

We walked back to the bus stop and took a pictures of us getting wet, but enjoying each other’s company. We climbed back on and it led straight to the rail station. Katherine checked the time for the next train as we were early leaving the hotel. It was coming in more than a half hour so we had chance to eat lunch a the rail station. Elliot snapped some pictures of us eating lunch before the train came and swept us back to Bellinzona. We reached the train earlier than our itinerary planned for so we had a chance to do a little shopping in the southern region of Switzerland. It had such an Italian look with shops selling floral house dresses for women. I know about these house dresses because my mother and my aunts are from Jamaica and they all have worn them for the warm weather.

Sarah, Elliot, Katherine, Shevy, and Lilliana, and I walked along the street and saw the sale, then was saw a store that had a sale. I bought a Suisse tank shirt for 19.95 CHF and love it. We haaded back to the station with just enough time to reach the bus. It wasn’t there yet but we wanted to get some items from the rail station and Sarah came with me. I bought a bottle opener beer magnet.

Katherine met us halfway to the bus and we clambered inside to see everyone seated in the back. I took a seat near Katherine and we talked about our family. She told me about cousins she has never seen and I felt the same with my family. I said that with this trip I see the benefit of traveling more often. I’m more determined to at least travel twice a year.

I took a nap while listening to my ipod then noticed that the bus was taking the local route. I saw the change in scenery with the sun out bringing summer heat and winds. The neighborhoods had aged wooden cottages. Soon we reached the school and had dinner at 6:30pm with the other students. I was starting the packing process slowly but surely. I then went to bed feeling slightly excited about going home soon.

This was the last week of touring Switzerland and I was determined to make it the best one. We headed to St. Moritz for the day after the usual early breakfast at 7am and jet to the bus stop before 7:22. Once on the bus I was already writing down my day to get a head start on the blogging…before, Mark our tour guide gave us all assignments. I was one of the photographers for the day.

We reached the train station with no injury and caught the train at 7:58 departing to St. Moritz. I took some pictures for the ride. Soon I felt a little sleepy but tried to stay up for 2 and a half hour ride. Soon we reached St. Moritz and saw a taxi waiting for us at the train station. The group split among two vans and reached the hotel right on time for the site inspection.

We walked inside after an introduction from Andrea Kube, the assistant Front Office Manager of the hotel. We walked to the lobby that had a very old fashioned and slightly 70’s or 80’s decor and air about it. The bar was all pine wood with stools to complete the look. Soon someone else joined us, Stefanos Giannakis, the concierge manager gave us some history and brief background n the hotel which started in 1905. In the early stages of the hotel, it became a skiing lodge for the rich and famous and still is today. He had two keys crossed pins on both his lapels signifying the prestigious concierge organization which requires him to speak more than 3 languages. He has worked in more than four positons at hotels.

He was very nice and welcoming to us all. We started the tour in two of the conference rooms then moved on while he told us that usually the wealthy guests arrive in fur. This started with the British in the 1940’s making St. Moritz a very exclusive place for the stars. If guests do not know how to ski the hotel calls a skiing school nearby. The hotel is owned by a cultural corporation which is a non-profit. They open year round unlike big hotel’s with high luxury standards.

We moved downstairs to look at the restaurants and ski storage rooms for people to place their skis while enjoying a meal or inside the hotel. They have 4 restaurants in the hotel and we saw a pizzeria. It had a warm and cozy feel with pine furniture, low maintenance decor, and very Swiss style. It had a connecting smoking room available.

As we walked through the rooms, I noticed that they don’t really focus on the style of the bedrooms as they all were very family oriented and had similar old-fashioned style and feel. However, most of the rooms had a terrace view of the lake which made the rooms very much worth it. They have junior, double, and family suites. I noticed that all the bathrooms didn’t have any amenities like shampoo and conditioner inside which surprised me.

We visited the spa area which had a nice gym and massage room plus sauna. When in the gym, I noticed to the side outside of the window was several solar panels that provide energy to the hotel. It also provide a panoramic view of the lake and the homes that dotted along the lake coast.

We went back downstairs to cross into the next building which was built after the original site. They had halls for musicians to play a range of music. Soon the tour ended and we had a lovely farewell from the hotel. Then walked to the bus stop and waited for a quick ride to the tourist office in town. The bus driver seemed reminiscent of a city cab with no traffic so was a little shaky getting off the bus. We walked through the old town and noticed all the expensive shops like Rolex, Lamm, and other name brand store that were way out of my spending budget.

We reached the tourist office and took some pictures and had lunch outside on the benches available. It was nice enjoying lunch with everyone and feeling a little giddy about the trip and how well it was going. Soon, Mark gave us the option to take a bus back now or later to Chur. Almost everyone had a hand (or foot) against the notion of staying so we took the next bus back to the train staion. On the way back to the rails, I took a couple pictures from the bus of the mountain near the lake, it was a beautiful sight to see.

Once back on the train, I took a power nap because I felt tired and still unrestful. Once back in Chur, we had chance to shop in Migros or other shops for necessarry items. We meet back at 5pm for a bus back to the school. Dinner was served a little later than scheduled but I was okay with that. I was blogging into the night then got ready for the next to last days here in Switzerland. I went to bed feeling very bittersweet about my impending journey home.

Wednesday June 11, 2008 Day 13: Heidi House, Grand Hotel Quellenhof, and Winemaker of the Lambert Family

(How did you get from place to place? Who made the arrangements? What did you see/learn about the attractions? event?)

7am-7:20am Breakfast

7:30-8:45 am Academic exercises(blogging) optional

9am Meet in Lobby for visit to the Heidi House in Maienfeld by school bus

9:30 am Visit Heidi Village and tour Heidi House and Museum

11:30 am Leave Heidi Village to return to Swiss School

12:15-1:00pm Lunch in Dining Hall

1:30pm Leave school for site inspection of Grand Hotel Quellenhof

2:00pm Tour of Grand Hotel Quellenhof conducted by Human Resource Manager, Martin Hesti

3:30-3:45pm Leave hotel for winemaker in Heidelburg

4:00pm Arrive for vineyard in Heidelburg for Swiss School

5:30 pm Leave vineyard in Heidelburg for Swiss School

6:00pm Dinner in Dining Hall

Lessons Learned:

The lessons I learned for the day were several but necessary for growth.

•  Always give people options for convenience(or later wake up time).
• Be aware of your customers needs.
• Not all the best laid plans go the way you thought they would.
•  Keeping time management is a skill that everyone needs to learn.
• It’s not easy working with difficult people.
• Always be open for compromise

Since our tour was cancelled due to not updated blogs, we stayed in Chur for the weekend. I had the chance to sleep in for a change. I was actually happy about that, plus got to chill around the school for a change. Some of the other students went to Lugano so the school felt like a European ghost town. Adrienne and myself were in the computer lab blogging and chatting then decided to take a hike, literally. We invited Gia, Adele, and Shevarma to tag along and we all had fun. 

We took a hike trail near the school with our Gore-tex shoes as usual. The traction from the shoes really helped while keeping balance on the sloping hills. 

After the hike we went back tot the school for some takeout. Sophie recommended a pizzeria in Chur that delivers to the school. We ordered 2 pizzas, one with bolognese and peppers and onions. The other was plain ans we all devoured each piece easily. Lilliana came down later after we did our text book work and we ordered a next round of pizza plus chicken nuggets and fries. 

We talked about dating and past boyfriends and what life would be like here as opposed to New York City life. I liked both end of life so I wasn’t able to choose. I liked the quiet country side of living yet still like the night life if the city. Later on I did some blogging then called my boyfriend. I used a swisscom phone card which gave me more than enough time to talk. I went to bed ready for another chance to not get up early. 

The next day I woke up around 9:30 and cleaned my room. I went down to the computer room and checked my email. After a while I was by myself and continued blogging. Soon Adrienne came down and told me that the chef offered breakfast and wanted me to tag along. I was grateful for it because they served bacon and scrambled eggs which was the closet to an American breakfast I’ve had in ages. 

I didn’t realize that I did anything wrong when I told Prof. Blake-Neis about it and she told me that they weren’t contracted for breakfast that day, only dinner. I had a discussion with both profs. for not obeying rules again. I started feeling like the black sheep of the group. When they asked Adrienne to talk about it, I felt worse because I didn’t want to get her in trouble. 

Later on, I called my sister for advice and she told me to sit tight and just enjoy the trip for what it’s worth. I agreed with her and did some more blogging. Soon enough, everyone came down and was on the computer. We had to move to the other computer room designated for us to continue our work. While inside, Prof. Blake-Neis returned our textbooks, and I took a few of them to return them to the students up stairs. I felt too weary, physically and mentally to return to the lab so I wrote down my blogs until I turn in for the night. 

I got up early after a wake up call from Sarah around 6:15am. I waited for the shower then bolted in when it was my turn. I got ready then went down for the breakfast. Everyone met in the lobby for the walk to the bus. Once on the bus I could hear our tour guide, Sarah, tell everyone that the time we expect to be in Chur for our train. I was a little groggy but stil in a good mood for today’s tour. I connected with Sarah from the time we met in New York in the class meetings so I really wanted her tour to be excellent, and I told her that I would help for anything she needed.

After a rushed breakfast we headed down to the bus stop. Once at the bus stop, Sarah gave us assignments to do for the tour. I was one of the camera persons. Gia was her assistant and Mark was a note taker. We got to the station on time to catch our 8:16am train to Zurich. Once in Zurich, we headed to the tourist office for information and maps of the town. Once we had what we needed, we headed to the tram to reach Bahnofquai/HB. While on the tram, I noticed how many Starbucks coffee shops I passed and realized how much this was like New York City.

The tram hit our stop on time at Sihlcity Nord at 10:28am for the hotel inspection at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel. Someone must have got the entrance wrongg because I noticed that we walked in through the dining room area by accident. Then waited in the lobby while Sarah and Prof. Garely dealt with arranging the site visit. Later on, Mrs. Alexia Hungerbühler introduced herself. 

She showed us a few rooms as the junior suite executive suite, and standard room. The standard room was very comfortable with modern style with an Asian flair to the furniture. despite the small window view of the street that runs through the city, it had all the comforts of home, plus a flat screen t.v. Most of the rooms had similar furniture setups except the suites had a office area and dry bar included. She showed us a suite that had a view from the back of the hotel into the city life of Zurich.

After the rooms, she took us through a couple of conference rooms. One of the was sound proof and seated 14 people comfortably. The next room was being set up for a conference. As I passed a table a paper coaster nearly fall off. I placed it back – then saw Prof. Blake-Neis stormed towards me asking what was I doing (quite angrily). She sent me outside the room then came after to watch me. I thought it best not to react to a silly misunderstanding in front of the my classmates. 

We went back downstairs to get a formal introduction of the dining area. It serves mostly business men from Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Great Britain, and the occasional American group. The cuisine is is a wide variety of Swiss and French delights.

The next part was the Asia Spa which is apart of the Four Points Sheraton. They gave us blue shower caps shaped for shoes (of course) to reduce dirt and noise for clients inside. The aroma gave me a very deep perfume that gave the spa an even relaxing atmosphere. They had a lounge and sitting area with the latest magazine available. A big and wide fish tank in the other part of the room gave the dark wooden room a blue ambiance. There gym had it seemed to have a machine to work every single part of the body and specialized in massages including Thai massage therapy. 

After the tour, both groups met downstairs for coffee and tea in the lounge near the entrance. We had a talk with Ms. Hungerbühler about where were from and how we felt about Switzerland. All of us had positive raves about being here and what we appreciated about the trip. 

After the tour, we went back to the rail station – but not before taking a picture near the hotel. We took the tram back then walked to a park on the side of the museum to enjoy our packed lunch. We sat on benches near the river that ran through Zurich. All of us were watching a duckling fight against the tide trying to  reach it mommy. She was at least 20 feet away with the ducklings other siblings trying to keep up. It slowly lost the fight to keep up and was initially pushed with the the current. I felt sad about the incident but that’s the circle of life. 

After lunch we went inside the museum and enjoyed the collective cultural side of Switzerland at the Swiss National Museum. Using our swiss passes to get in for free, we saw pieces of the evolution of the Swiss family life. We all saw a 18th century female contraceptive which looked very deadly to me. The exhibits continued across the building using the a bridge several feet in the air. It saw displays of the evolution of fashion in the early centuries. We met back at the entrance round 2:15pm, then left for a little shopping in the Zurich mall areas. We were to explore the Old town but it got way to crowded because a EURO CUP fanzone was nearby. The people around us seemed very excited and Portugal fans were appearing from every corner.

So we headed back to the rail station for an earlier train back to Chur. Once back, Gia, Adele, Shevarma, and myself got some  good old fashioned McDonald’s while everyone else had dinner elsewhere. While receiving our food, And and Sasha come inside for their dinner. We initially met back on the same bus to Chur and went back to blogging for the night.

I got to sleep in today, I don’t know when that willl ever happen again. I got up after 7:30 to get ready for us to all meet up in the lobby for a bus to Chur. I skipped breakfast but was okay to go on without bread and ham, plus cheese for a day. We arrived in Chur at a quarter to nine and walked to the Sculpture Garden.

We saw these sculpture on the lawn of the outside of an Kulturforum Wurth Museum in Chur. I thought the first one looked liked a ball on a see-saw like machine that would have the ball moving fromside to side on a track to keep it in place. It was called Dolittle by Bernhard Luginbühl. The next one was a colorful yet bejeweled bear by Niki de Saint Phalle called Der Bär. It had pieces of cut glass to adorn the edgesand around the statutes. The last one was an woman like figure for on top of a glass globe. It called Le Monde by the same artist. Prof. Garely mentioned that her sculptures are use for cover art on perfume bottles.

It was then time to walk for about ten minutes to the Ratisches Museum stated on the itinerary. It seemed more like 20 minutes to reach our reach our next destination. Once at the museum, we all took a seat on front step or benches in front of the museum garden and shrub area. Soon the museum director Dr. Jurg Simonett appeared from the museum after Adele went in side looking for him.

After introduced himself and gave us a brief history lesson about about Chur and the Swiss people’s journey through time.

The actual site ot the museum is 400 years old and was donated then opened by 1972. It was difficult because of small rooms but a couple were opened up. We took the elevator(in turns) to the top floor then climbed stairs for the basement. Mr. Simonnett said the museum was set up so that the articfacts and collection start with oldest at the top. Then continues through the centuries as you work your way to the bottom floor.

The basement had pots and pans made from blacksmith. Also pick axes and othertools use for farming. I saw a cart that probably used to transport items from one place to the next. They must had some culinary skills because on display was butter molds. They also had a brace for the cows to grow their horns the right way. The next room below focused on weaponry used during the middle ages. There was two  types of knights armour as well as spears, swords, and long arms (guns). I never understood the strength needed to carry them much less use them in battle.

As we moved through the museum, there was a floor devoted to paintings and portraits Swiss figures in politicis from 1800’s to present day. Once he said politics, I wondered what type of punishment was used during their time periods. The next room held torture devices used such as the stretcher. Also chain and shackles used on criminals. We wrapped up the tour soon after so others could get some shopping done in town. So we took pictures with Mr. Simonett and split up. I walked of with Andy, Sarah, and Adrienne for some light food shopping but got distracted by Interio. It’s a Swiss version of ‘Bed, Bath, and Beyond’ and picked up some items for the family, spending only 20 CHF.

Soon it was time to go back to school, so Sarah and I rushed to Migros to complete our shopping. We reached back with group in record time. Once back at the school, we had a classroom discussions about our impending departure back to New York City. I was excited about going home, but I felt slightly ill and couldn’t concentrate. After we were dismissed, I decided to have a talk with both professors. This was meant to straighten out what they wanted of me in the class, but ended up feeling worse. I called my boyfriend to help compose myself so that I could carry on the rest of the day.

I had dinner and felt a little better, then did some blogging until I couldn’t see the computer anymore. I trotted off to bed hoping the next day would bring better results.

Since today was my turn to be tour guide. I had a chat with Sophie the night before to confirm our itinerary for the day. She was to accompany our tour around the area. We did not need to use the trains or public bus because our mode of transport was the school bus. The night before I set an itinerary so that we all can follow the tour at the same pace. I gave everyone a 6am wake up call, and a weather update round 6:30 to the annoyance of Prof. Blake-Neis. My itinerary was as planned:

Wednesday June 11, 2008 Day 13: Heidi House, Grand Hotel Quellenhof, and Winemaker of the Lambert Family

7am-7:20am Breakfast

7:30-8:45 am Academic exercises(blogging) optional

9am Meet in Lobby for visit to the Heidi House in Maienfeld by school bus

9:30 am Visit Heidi Village and tour Heidi House and Museum

11:30 am Leave Heidi Village to return to Swiss School

12:15-1:00pm Lunch in Dining Hall

1:30pm Leave school for site inspection of Grand Hotel Quellenhof

2:00pm Tour of Grand Hotel Quellenhof conducted by Human Resource Manager, Martin Hesti

3:30-3:45pm Leave hotel for winemaker in Heidelburg

4:00pm Arrive for vineyard in Heidelburg for Swiss School

5:30 pm Leave vineyard in Heidelburg for Swiss School

6:00pm Dinner in Dining Hall

After a rushed breakfast, I handed out the itinerary plus info on the hotel. Everyone had an hour to kill before we actually left the building, and was told by Prof. Blake-Neis that I should give others the option to sleep in. Our driver for the day was Maryann, to Elliot’s delight. Once our day started, in the school bus I gave a brief version of the story of Heidi and the author who created the story. Not everyone knew of Switzerland’s most famous children’s literature character, this was new to several. I remember the black and white version and the cartoon that came on in Asia. They had an animate version cartoon that was very popular.

The trail to Heidi house in Maienfeld.

Here’s the group listening to the tour guide Caroline.

An old fashioned Swiss bed in Heidi house.

Grandpa making tiles for the house.

The pantry area for drying food for the seasons to come. 

Fresh bread, it’s only just a couple centuries old. 

Kitchen at the Heidi House.

One the way, Prof. Garely needed to exchange money so we stopped at the Die Post station. It took a while before we saw her and a minute for Sophie to find the Marianne who went out for a cigarette.

Once at the Heidi house, we walked on the gravel path leading to the house and a great view of the village was visible. We reached the house and went inside to pay for the tour. Once everyone got their ticket, the tour guide Caroline gave us a brief background on the site known as Heidi Village.

She said that the story itself is based on a little girl who lived with her grandfather in the countryside of the Alps. The house isn’t actually Heidi’s but was similar to they way Swiss people lived during the late 1800’s. The actually home was owned by a farmer that lived in the home until the 1980’s where he donated the home to Stiftool, a private donation company. The home actually has electricity running in certain parts of the house.

The tour guide said that we could go inside the house and look at the artifacts, then ask her questions about it. However, my impression was that she would go through the house with us and explain what were looking at (which is what she ultimately did). The group had to break up in 2 so all of us could see the home without bunching up with each other. So I divided the group and waited with the others outside. While waiting at the door, a journalist from Italy inquired about our visit and where were we from. She said she wrote for OGGI magazine and was doing a story on Heidi house.

We waited for a while then decided to go inside. The tour guide finally returned and gave us the formal tour of the house. We started in a part of the house where food was stored and made. They had cheese baskets for forming the cheese and hanging sausages and meats. Then we moved to the hall opening to the an adult-like bedroom with an ancient bed warmer on a box-like bed. Then we walked into a room that had life size dolls that mimicked the lifestyle they had when no TV existed. They read and learned to write by practicing with each other or with help.

We moved to on to Heidi’s room which had a doll bed and a drawer and armour. Caroline(the tour guide) said that it was unlikely that anyone who lived like Heidi had only one and not both. If they did, they must have been rich.

 We continued through the house and saw how they dried fruits and how they made the necessary materials for house upkeep. They even had a wheel chair in the corner for little Clara, Heidi’s invalid friend that she stayed with during her year in Frankfurt.

Some of the books worldwide about Heidi’s adventures. 

I was fascinated by the kitchen and the wood stove they used for cooking food. Caroline mentioned that they had a potato dish that was boiled down, then toasted over the fire. This dish would take hours to complete but would last long as a staple for meals.

  There was bathroom that Caroline said didn’t exist during Heidi’s time but was added on for the use of the family that lived there. Before we left the kitchen, the Italian journalist wanted a picture of us holding a picture of Heidi. They took photos and we left the house to see the first group waiting with the goats.

Adele and the goats welcomed us back. 

On our way back to the school along the Heidi trail. 

Soon we all left for the school to return for lunch. We got there just in time, but the lunch service itself was late. I was hoping that everything would happen according to plan. I just wasn’t expecting Sasha to have motion sickness. I looked for the chef but couldn’t find him and asked Mr. Oliver for an alternative instead of lamb for her. It was Prof. Garely who found the chef and asked him to make some broth for her. I also saw Katherine looked green behind the gills but she seem to hold herself together as best as she could.

After the late lunch, we left for the next event which was the Grand Hotel Quellenhof. Once there a woman named Kathreen Berger-Personal Assistant to the CEO, gave us a gracious greeting and directed us to the other end of the hotel. While walking, you could tell that the level of luxury was very high with crystal chandeliers and red carpets all over the floor. We passed a smoking room that had a star filled ceiling giving the affect of night light.

We contiued to the next section of the hotel and was seated in a conference room. It had cushy chairs and provided a notepad, pen, and 2 bottles of mineral water with a bottle opener for each seat. I was very impressed at the level of attention and quickness they accommoadated us all.

She gave a very detailed presentation of the hotel, but other people also contributed a part. Mr. Pfister the CFO of the hotel gave us a timeline of events concerning the hotel. The hotel opened in 1869 and added thermal water as an indoor swimming pool. The area called Bad Ragaz was known for its thermal and mineral water that comes from the mouintains. The hotel has added extensions and expanded it grounds to provide a higher level of service for customers who are either sick ar just want a relaxing experience.

They also opened a casino in 2002 and a Heidiland 9-hole golf course, open to the public. She mentioned many plans for a neew Thereapy treatment center, a new business and event center. They also had previews of the room that will be in the future.

The the CEO Petert Tschirky, gave us a quick rundown of his career. He went from cook to the head of a contrustuion comapny. Then decided to work in hosting, now he’s the head of one of the most luxurius and famous hotels in Switzerland. I would have loved to have seen his resume. One thing Kathereen mentioned that if when the building (especially the old ones) is rebuilt it will look the same exact way, despite it’s dated look. She said that sincerity and integrity can’t be bought, because it the simple things such as a door opened are free.

They have 237 roms and will complete 57 suites apart of the contrustuion that we all witnessed before entering the building. She stressed that wellness is apart of the hotel’s objectives and that luxury is different to everyone. She than handed out forms she wanted us to fill giving what we thought was our emotional and functional needs.

The next speaker was Martin Hesti, the Human Resuorce manager, who also had an extensive resume. He mention working in America and enjoyed the experience. The hotel hasover 700-715 employees and 52 different job functions. Since he needed a visa to work in America, he gave us information foreigners outside of Switerland the type of visa that they needed. I took notes because I’ve been thinking of how to work overseas. Afterwards, Kathereen was kind to give us complimentary chocolate for our draining energy and had a nice for photo opportunity with her and Martin.

We were late and I hoped the winemaker didn’t get too impatient, but the drive from the hotel to vineyard was less than 10 mintues. It seemed since the hotel, everyone had a bathrooom break but could only wait to use it at the vineyard’s one restroom. Once everyone got there turn, Sophie translated for Mr. Lambert, the owner of Lampert vineyard. His grandfather started the business 25 years ago and he’s 3rd generation in charge of the business.

They provide 10% white wines, 5% specialty wines, and 85% red wines. There to small to export, but they sell wines on their website. In the fields, they have 5 hectors for the own growing and 2 hectors for the other companies. Once inside we saw a machince that juiced the grapes. For white grapes, just the just is fermented. For red wines all parts are used for color and flavor. Behind we saw big red tanks that hold 3000 to 4000 liters, are used to store the wine from October to December, then transfered them to bottles.

He took us to the next room which had massive barrels that store the wine for a year, even more to depending on the selection. It was then time for the tasting, I couldn’t wait. As a cook, it vital to know the best types of wines to pair with dishes. Our first wine was a Cuvee, which had a very nice fruity flavor and a hint of pear flavor. The next was a Pinot Noir that had a dry taste but was woody and herby. Not my favorite, but the next one I liked. It was a selection Pinot Noir that had a hint of rasberry, rose petals, and a lttle dry and acidic in flavor. He offered bread, cheese, and sliced meats to cleans the palate.

We all left a little refreshed and slighty giddy from the wine, but satisfied and comforted with a slightly full stomach. We got back to the school and I slightly glad that they day was over. Despite the sickness some people had from breakfast earlier, they seemed to perky for dinner. Thankfully, Sasha was feeling better and able to eat some food. I was ready for bedtime.

The lessons I learned for the day were several. Always give people options for convenience(or later wake up time). Be aware of your customers needs. Not all the best laid plans go the way you thought they would. Keeping time management is a skill that everyone needs to learn.

I had a late night the day, but was barely able to get up. We had an early breakfast then met with everyone outside at 7:22 for the bus. The tour guide for the day, Shevarma directed us to the train station below the bus depot. The bus was late but we still made our 7:58 train. While on the train I took some pictures of us and the scenery. I was glad that Curtis was smiling again since his terrible toothache last night.

Reaching Davos of the rail station. 

Walking up the step hill in Davos.

Passing the buildings apart of the Davos countryside.

I noticed on the way to Davos starz, that the train was going though an industrial area. While a country full of so many trees, wood must be used for construction in homes all over Switzerland.

Once we reached Davos, I noticed a difference in the air. Before the train ride ended, Shevy gave us some information on Davos. The name Davos mean sanitarium, and was a medical and therapeutic location for people with ailing diseases such as Tuberculosis also known as consumption. It is located 1500 feet above sea level and is the highest city in Europe.

We started trekking up the hill for the nearest bus to take us to the tourist station, but ended up walking because it was only a 15 minute walk away. (Plus the bus didn’t accept our Swiss Passes). Once at the tourist center, an attendant gave us some tips for tourism in Davos. He seemed a little annoyed at the amount of us that showed up, but gave us tourism information that really didn’t help. Some of the tourism spots he spoke of were either closed or we had to pay more money. We decided to look for something along the way to the hotel we planned to inspect.

Soon, we came upon a hotel called the Steinberger Bellevue. Prof. Garely spoke with the General Manger and arranged a site inspection. The general manager Sylvia Wyrsch, was an very nice and welcoming woman who was originally from Miami, my hometown. She gave us a grand tour of the hotel which was exceptionally beautiful. She told us that many of the guests for the World Economic Forum stay at the hotel and that security is very tight.

We took a look at the lobby which had a very old style regal with a bar between the section of the room. then showed a dining hall that was the original dining area in the beginnings of the hotel. The hotel itself was first built in 1875 with 30 rooms. Its now 127 rooms and at 242 maximum capacity. The summer staff is 85 employees while the winter staff is 130.

We inspected the suites and all of them were impressive, especially the luxury suite. Even the standard room had a great view with of the mountains. They provide superior, junior, and superior suites for the guests. When then descended to the spa are which she said also has a beauty salon, sauna, and does massages.

Katherine testing the soft bed and interior of the Steinenburger Hotel.  

All of us were impressed with the hotel, and left with business cards and for lunch in the park nearby. After a nice break, we went to the next hotel called the Arabella Sheraton Hotel Seehof.

Mr. Robert Attenberger, the Executive Assistant manager greeted us in the lobby. The first room he showed us was a room apart of the original hotel. It’s now a conference room. The interior of the room is made of pine wood from floor to ceiling. The smell of wood was still strong after many years of being of service. It is one of the oldest yet most modern hotels in the Alps. With their 118 spacious rooms and suites, 37 of which are non-smoking, are furnished in a timeless, style and offer several amenities.

I noticed how low the ceilings were in the several rooms, I guess Swiss people weren’t that tall back a couple hundred years ago. We moved on and saw a room with a ceiling molded in cement do give wide arches and romanistic designs. It had a fireplace that was still in use.

We moved on to the garage area that is next to the kitchen. Mr. Attenberger mentioned that the Sheraton has 3 kitchens, one big and the others much smaller. It then time to see the rooms. The first room we saw reminded me of Holiday Inn style. Not in a bad way just that it had the usual amenities, however the bathroom was very nice and modern. One of the suites had a spectacular view of the Alps as well as a terrace for some fresh air. Most of the rooms had the regular 32′ inch T.V. set. He said that they have a project to replace all of the T.V’s to flat screens, but are still gathering funds. I remember seeing nothing but flat screens at the Steigenberger Hotel, even a TV in the mirror in the executive suite.

Elliot and Katherine on the stairway of the Steinenberger Hotel. 

Looking for a place to enjoy our lunch in Davos.

 The area was the spa which I thught were excellent. They include 2 saunas, an open shower area, a tanning bed, and jaqcuzzi tubs within the level. The shower area reminded me of the Hotel La Claustra becasue of the openess and informality of co-ed showers. I liked the gravel stone walls for the showers but wasn’t interested in using them with others around. Mr. Attenberger said that the saunas were

The next part of the tour was the dining area which held over 100 diners easily. There was even a new part of dining area that they were planning to expanded further in the front of the hotel. They even have a Paulener’s restaurant in the hotel. Inside the restaurant, it had a very aged look and ski’s on the wall in front of the entrance. Mr. Attenberger said that back in the earlier years of the hotel during winter, they used to store bodies inside of the restaurant with snow to keep them from rotting. This statement sent several students running for the door. I’ve always been fascinated with ghosts so I was scared, but intrigued at the set up of the restaurant with the copper pipes that interlaced from the bar to the ceiling.

At the end of the tour, Mr. Attenberger told us of performance from his “hotel musican”. I didn’t expect him to pull out a battery operated beaver dress in a Swiss garment complete with drum to bang. It was a funny gesture from someone in such an important position at the hotel. I just goes to show that you need a sense of humor to keep ypur spirits up.

As we left for the train station we had a minute to rest before the train came. All of us headed back to the school, I felt a little more worn usual. I was ready to go to sleep before dinner. We sat for the formal dinner setting we have been graciously subjected to since the European students entered the school. They set the dinning table for formal dinning. I ate my leg of lamb with rice as soon as possible so I could do work when I had the chance. Once I finished I went to bed, ready for the next day.