Liddes, Switzerland [Post #18, Day 258]

My first stop after my trip to Germany was a stay with my friend Santosh in Copenhagen, Denmark. We both love photography so had a lot of fun going around Copenhagen and taking photos. We also made a trip across the water to Malmö, Sweden. We walked through a beautiful dahlia garden and visited the Turning Torso building which really looked like a giant hand had reached down and twisted the building from the top. Thank you Santosh for hosting me!

Next, I had a 5-day sprint through the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. I visited Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Brussels and Ghent in Belgium, and Paris in France. I had a nice catch-up with my friend Alessandra in Brussels, almost exactly one year to the day since we last saw each other at the Offshore Site Investigation and Geotechnics (OSIG) conference in London!

I loved Paris. I did the most touristy things of my whole trip so far I think by visiting the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. But I really loved them! I also made a special trip to visit the grave of Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette. Having graduated from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, I’ve always felt a connection with the Marquis.

Next I traveled from Paris to Geneva, Switzerland, on my way to my next Worldpackers volunteer position. I spent an afternoon and morning in Geneva and I really enjoyed visiting the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) site with Lennart from Germany who I met in my hostel. Without Lennart telling me about CERN and the free tours available to those who get there early in the morning I never would have gone and had such a cool experience. Thanks Lennart!

From Geneva, I headed into the Swiss Alps to start my two-week volunteer position at the friLingue St. Bernard Language Camp in Liddes. This is my last morning at the camp. I have had a truly amazing time and could stay for many more weeks. The team of volunteers, teachers, and staff here are such an amazing group of people, representing many nationalities. It has been so fun to work with them and do our best to make the camp a great experience for the campers. My job was to help with cooking and cleaning. I had a blast working in the kitchen with my fellow volunteers, led by our great chef Ilija. Working in a kitchen to prepare meals for 25 people was my first experience as part of a cooking team and made me think of my dad leading in big kitchens as a head chef. We had fun listening to music and dancing as we worked, and everyone even put up with my repeated high-pitched exclaims of “Dancer in the Dark!”. We also had a master baker in our midst, Janette from Finland, who baked the most delicious breads and desserts. The focaccia was my favorite, and the brownies and cinnamon rolls were a very close second. A big shoutout to Ilija, Janette, and the rest of the team, camp leader Eloi, teachers Clemens, Brice, Myriame, Alen, and Jess, volunteers Allie, Catherine, Lareen, and Meri, and Slavko our all-around camp helper. I will miss you guys and I wish you all the very best!

Our little home of Liddes nestled in the Swiss Alps.

Many nationalities represented! My memento shirt signed by the team 🙂.

We did lots of hiking and other fun excursions. We went trampolining and I really felt like a kid again! We visited the Great St. Bernard pass where the St. Bernard dog breed was originally bred for mountain rescue work. I saw some of the big doggies! I also feel a connection to this area because my parents spent time not too far away in Val-d'Isère, France, where they met each other for the very first time.

I also learned about my ancestral family ties to Switzerland by watching the great and informative slideshows prepared by my first cousin once removed Linda, one of which had my grandpa’s voice narrating too. Having just explored my roots in Poland and Germany, it was really cool to learn more about my mom’s side of the family and our origins in Switzerland. Our ancestors lived around the Zürich area, primarily in a quaint, little town called Hirzel. My 7th great-grandfather Johannes Landis (born in 1692) and his wife, my 7th great-grandmother Anna Musselman, left Europe and sailed to the U.S.A., arriving in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1717.

So this morning marks my 84th day in the Schengen region of Europe, and I have to be out by day 90! I am heading to Italy this morning with some of my fellow friLingue team members. We plan to explore the town of Aosta for the day, then I will board my bus to Florence this afternoon.