The art/design class will meet in the afternoon from 2-5pm leaving mornings free for cycling or exploring the cities and countryside. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast and select from a list of activities I will provide for each destination or relax, stroll or sit in a cafe with your journal. I want to help you experience Switzerland and Italy in a way that won't just scratch the surface but get you inside for a closer look.
SAN DIEGO
The art/design class begins online where you can log in at your leisure to view maps, historical and background information and discover in-depth the people, art and culture of Italy and Switzerland. You can learn about keeping a travel journal, what to pack, language basics and see lists of suggested activities, restaurants and cultural experiences you won't want to miss. I want to help you get the most out of your educational and travel opportunities and will give you chances to contemplate yourself and this journey before the plane lifts off.
SWITZERLAND
Depart San Diego for Europe and arrive in Geneva the "city of peace" with free time the first day to explore on foot, practice your French or catch some rest. This city on the lake boasts a plethora of lush parks and villas, a medieval city center, world class shopping and cuisine with an international sense of style. From the city streets you can see the snowy peak of Mont Blanc or take a picturesque boat ride beside the famous Jet d'eau, a water fountain that shoots 460 feet off the Lake of Geneva. The United Nations, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum are located here as well as Reformation wall.
GENEVA
In Geneva you will receive a transportation pass allowing you to ride public buses and trams for free. You can participate in a morning walking tour that will take you through the winding cobblestone streets to St. Peters cathedral where John Calvin led the Protestant Reformation. From the tower of the church you can see the Jura mountains and then explore the old town, it's monuments, sculptures and charming shops and cafes as you adjust to a different time zone.
On our second day in Geneva we hope you will join an informal group gathering at Parc de la La Grange. This gorgeous green space is on the lake and you can savor the exquisite rose garden and historic mansion that dominates the hillside. There are also many lovely pathways to explore and the Crémerie has wonderful lunch items or you pack a picnic to sit outside and savor the park. Art/Design class will formally convene from 2-5pm at the Martin Bodmer Foundation where we have hired special docents to reveal this extraordinary collection on the shores of Lake Geneva. In a museum built by the legendary architect Mario Botta you will enter vaults that hold some of the most beautiful and important human endeavors.
I have been to many museums in my life but this one leaves me unable to find the words. The collection traces the intellectual progress of humanity with exceptionally rare works that represent history, politics, law, knowledge, faith, philosophy, religion, art, poetry, drama, music, novels, and fables. You will see the Egyptian book of the Dead, Gutenberg Bible and works by Aristotle, Beethoven, Chaucer, Dante, Einstein, Faulkner, Galileo, Homer, Julius Caesar, Luther, Marx, Newton, Proust, Rembrandt, Shakespeare, Voltaire and Wagner to name a few. I believe this experience is life changing and you won't believe it till you see it for yourself.
The next day enjoy a free morning and then board the bus as we wind our way around the magnificent Lac Leman or Lake of Geneva. On our way to Gruyère we will pass through panoramic vineyards and stop to experience the wine-making culture of Switzerland. We will then continue to the idyllic Swiss town of Gruyère who gave it's name to the creamy, earthy, salty cheese made from cow's milk. We will discover the traditional style of cheese-making and see where the cheese is produced and aged. Experience and unforgettable visit to Shillon Castle, an architectural jewel between the shores of Lake Geneva and the Alps. With 1,000 years of history, it has inspired artists and writers, from Jean-Jacques Rousseau to Victor Hugo and Lord Byron, from Delacroix to Courbet.
GRUYERE
In the morning there will be time for hiking if you wish to see this spectacular countryside. We will then travel by motorcoach to Interlaken so named because it sits between two lakes. There will be time to shop for chocolate, cuckoo clocks, watches and explore then we will board the motorcoach to begin our ascent up the winding mountain roads to Grindelwald.
GRINDELWALD
Located in the Bernese Alps this stunning alpine village is located at 3,390 feet above sea level. This is where climbers begin their ascents of the Eiger and the Jungfrau and is covered with miles of hiking trails across the Alps. In July you can pick wildflowers, see cascading waterfalls, ice-skate and make a splash in picturesque public pools with views of the mountains. There are a plethora of amazing hikes and I can't wait to share this region with you.
On our first day we will take the tram to Mannlichen and the hour long ride carries you through incredible vistas to a mountaintop where cows graze. You can stay and have lunch at the restaurant or join Candice for an hour hike to Kleine Scheidegg. During this poetic transformative walk you will see glaciers, mountain streams, hikers and the famous Swiss trains. Fill up your journal with wildflowers and I will teach you to identify them before our mountaintop experience. From this point you might choose to splurge on your own and travel by train to the top of Europe-the nearby Jungfraujoch and visit the glaciers and caves. You may want to relax and take in the festive atmosphere at Kleine Scheidegg and listen to the music of traditional alpenhorns. You can take the train back to Grindelwald or join me for another hour hike to the Alpiglen where we can hop the short train ride back to town.
The next day we will visit the Heimatwerk Museum and walk to the waterfalls as well as learn about the architecture and traditional handicrafts of a variety of regions of Switzerland. The cyclists will join us later that day arriving from Meirengen and we will celebrate with a grill party and talk about the amazing hiking and climbing traditions in Switzerland.
RAPPERSWIL
Our group will then travel by bus to Rapperswil in the Zurich Oberland for a picnic lunch with time to explore the medieval alleys of the Altstadt. The main sights of Rapperswil are its roses, Rapperswil castle, the reconstructed wooden bridge as well as a Capuchin monastery. There are 600 different kinds of roses that can be viewed between June and October. At this point we will abandon the bus and take the ferry along the Zurichsee to the city of Zurich.
ZURICH
Zurich is called the cultural center of Switzerland and in 2009 was named the city with the best quality of life in the world.
In the morning you will be treated to a walking tour featuring the Marc Chagall stained glass windows and see the largest church clock face on the planet at the Fraumunster cathedral. Experience the Bahnofstrasse, a center of financial activity dotted with banks and elegant shops. Across the Limmat River this city has an edge and you can explore the trendy boutiques and cafes. We will visit the private graphic design studio of Odermatt and Tissi who were originally part of the Bauhaus, Swiss School and International Typographic Style then through design innovations helped start the Postmodern Design revolution.
The following day we will visit the Museum for Gestaltung [yes...the graphic design museum] with plenty of free time to sample the chocolate Switzerland is famous for -LONG LIVE ZURICH!
No comments:
Post a Comment