Sarah’s Swiss Exploration

I woke up to a gorgeous day with the beautiful clouds and mountains, later in the morning around 9:30 am. I felt well rested and I got ready to meet everybody at the computer lab at 10:30 am. Me and Shevarma came down together. We all was printing out the a copy of the registration with our flight # and the bar code for check-in. After printing out the paper, Prof. Neis made an announcement that whoever is going on the cruise that we had a meeting. So we all met together and had a discussion about the cruise.

After the meeting we went to have lunch at 12:15. This is our last day to have lunch and dinner together at the school. When we were having lunch Mr. Wicki presented us with certificates that we had attended the Tour Management course. I was a happy and grateful for everything. I felt that I have accomplished my work.

For lunch, we ate salmon with lettuce, and duck with sauce and carrots. I really didn’t like the duck very much - it is an acquired taste. The desert was my favorite ice cream with a wafer cookie on top. After lunch Katherine, Adele, Gia, Liliana, Adrienne, Shevarma, and I went into Chur to do some last minute shopping. It was so hot that the jacket that I took with me was not needed. We stayed in town for about 2 hours and had fun. Then we went back to school and I went to blog for awhile and then for dinner (we had a barbeque). The chefs cooked the food and it was delicious. This was the last day of school so we made the best of it. We ate all together and enjoyed it.

It was taking awhile before the desert came so we packed the car with the luggage to have a head start for the next day for when it was time for us to go to New York. Then we went inside and had desert. It was good and some from the group participated in some activities that they had for us and I was in one of them. I was blindfolded and I had to smell, touch and figure out what the object was- it was fun. The BMCC team won and we got Swiss candy. I was happy to participate in the game.

Then I went to my room to relax for awhile and went to party. I also went to the computer lab to write to my friends that I was coming home. Then I went to sleep late and had to wake up very early in the morning to get on the flight to go home.

Wow, the process of coming home is the joy. I woke around 4:30 in the morning took a shower to open my bright brown eyes. The water was so refreshing to me, I got ready, organizing my stuff to go down stairs to meet everybody in the lobby to leave for Zurich airport. We were all together at last, and we all went into the bus and Maryann drove to the airport. As we left I was saying bye to Chur. During the ride to Zurich airport I was looking at the mountains and the trees- it was beautiful. I slept awhile when we was the on the road. The ride was about an hour and half.

When we arrived at Zurich airport we worked as a team to get all the luggage out of the bus and a couple of us went to get carts to put the luggage on so it could be easier to roll into the airport. Even until the end we worked as a team. We went into the airport and we found American Airlines check-in. It took awhile to find it but we figured it out.

We checked-in with our bags, the security agent asked me a couple of questions (if the luggage was mine and if I left it with somebody to hold). So I answered it and it went well. I was so grateful for Gia because she helped me with my luggage. Then after we all checked- in our luggage we took the air train to terminal E 35 to wait for the plane to arrive.

As we waited I started to eat my sandwich and banana – it was good. I took some pictures at the airport to kill time because it took awhile before the plane to arrive. We boarded the flight around 10:00 am and didn’t leave until 11:00 am to go to New York from Zurich airport. When the pilot was greeting everyone on board, I heard them announce that BMCC was on board we all shouted and we were very happy with the greeting. I felt that we were acknowledged. I want to give thanks to Prof. Garely for all the hard work she has done and all her efforts. The flight to New York was nice, I enjoyed it even though I slept half the time.

During the middle of the flight, the flight attendants went around serving food and I picked the penne with chicken and pesto sauce, on the side was coleslaw, and a apple square. I enjoyed the penne with chicken and pesto sauce, it was good and tasty. I didn’t like the apple square or the coleslaw so I left it to the side. I drank tomato juice to give me energy (it was cold and refreshing). Then I want back to sleep to get some rest. Then we ate again during the flight and I noticed we were almost near New York, I was so happy. We were served a pizza and I was surprised because I thought I was going to get a croissant with jelly like the last time when we came going to Switzerland - but I guess it is always different. But the pizza was good and I ate the whole thing with tomato juice on the side.

Then we arrived in New York at JFK airport, on American Airlines. I reached to get my bag and left the airplane with everybody. We all started walking to the luggage area waiting for our bags to come. We all helped each other get the luggage and I purchased a cart because I couldn’t carry all my luggage all by myself. I learned my lesson to never pack so much clothes, because I couldn’t handle it. We all said bye to each other. I headed to leave and I showed my passport to the officer and he stamped my passport and asked how long I was in Switzerland and if I had any food on me. I answered him and he let me pass. I called my brother and he came and picked me up from the airport and I was overjoyed to see him.

When I reached home I saw my mother and sister I was so happy (I missed them). I spent time with my family and we caught up on things. I was just happy to be home but I still enjoyed being in Switzerland….

A cloudy day. I jumped out of bed when I heard this big knock on my door by Andy the tour guide of the day working with Sasha as a team. I got dressed and was on my way down to have our last breakfast together. I had the usual croissant with butter, jelly and fruit - with orange juice this time – it was good. After breakfast we waitied for Sophie in the lobby. When she arrived we presented her with a wedding gift and a card. She was in shock - surprised and we said thank you for all the work she did for us. Then we took a picture with Sophie as a group. We all headed down stairs for class to have a 4 hour lecture by Mr. Wicki. It was the longest lecture ever, thank god we had breaks in between because I was dozing off a couple of times.

Mr. Wicki lectured about sustainable ecology. He was talking about the understanding of elements of the networking of global relationship between ecosystems. Also, to realize the influence of daily business on the environment, and to be aware of how our environment influences our business.

Topics that Mr. Wicki covered in class:

Swiss Waste Management recycle, Energy Management, Water Management, Food & Beverage and Ecological Constructing

Swiss Waste Management recycle: The waste plants are located in industrial areas, and Mr. Wicki showed us a percentage pie graph of the waste recycle and it consist of 4% cardboard, 6% minerals, 16% paper, 4% glass, 3% metals, 18% compositions, 15% plastics, 3% textile, 2% Biological, and 2% others. Its by law that you have to recycle and the community is responsible for recycling their waste products.

Energy Management: Changing the environment and landscape. Global warming is causing flat areas on the snow and it is dangerous because the cable cars are built in ice and the ice is melting. This is affecting the well being of the society.

Water Management: The main use for water is shower/bath, toilet flush, dish washing, and various washing. Some statistics- Switzerland has more than enough water, 20% used for taking a shower, and 1/3 of water flush. Recycling is very important in the world.

Food & Beverage: Quality in the food, energy use in production. Food is made slower, time and work goes into the food department. The working power is a cost issue because since it takes time people will want more money to produce products to turn into food.

Ecological Constructing: Involves natural environment and air pollution. A statement, when you are selling tourism projects you are selling nature. It is so true because nature is a part of the surrounding and if it is a beautiful scenery people will come for tourism. Air pollution -cars and fuel has a lot to do with the environment but using a bike as a tool of transportation helps the environment.

So this a brief summary of the Mr. Wicki lecture, after this we had lunch in the dining hall. Everything was arranged beautifully, the tablecloths, utensils and all in between. We all ate together and I enjoyed the food. After lunch, we all met up in the lobby for Mr. Wicki and Sophie to take us to visit the GEVAG, Waste Burning Plant, Trimmis. Mr. Wicki droves us and when we got there we met Mr. Francois Bon the (General Manager). Mr. Bon greeted us and took us around the Waste Burning Plant. It was amazing how the system works - they recycle raw materials, metal, sliver, zinc, aluminium and steel etc. We saw where they keep the waste and where the waste gets burned- it was cool but of course it smelled like any other waste plant would.

Then we went back inside and Mr. Bon showed us a short DVD video about the Waste Burning Plant. At the end of the tour through the Waste Plant he provided us caps, bags, and brochures of the waste plant – thank you GEVAG Waste Burning Plant.

Then we were taken to Sewage Works, Landquart. When we arrived there we met Mr. Herbert Vat. Mr. Vat didn’t speak English so Mr. Wicki translated for us. Mr. Vat took us around to see the Sewage Plant and we saw where the water was coming from. For the water to be clean from the bacteria that is in the water it goes though a process and it takes 20 days – its amazing how the process works. Mr. Vat took us to the control center unit to see how the process works- it was cool. They have different color control panels, and it takes a lot of experience to know how the system works. The Sewage Plant has an alarm system if something does go wrong – in 15 minutes 2 workers will be there to see what have happened- I think that is good.

After, seeing the Sewage Work, we said thank you to Mr. Vat for showing us around the facility. Then Mr. Wicki took us to a farewell dinner. He drove us to the cable car and we had to take it up to the mountain. The restaurant was on top of the mountain, (when we were in the cable car going up it was gorgeous). When we reached the mountain, we had to walk up a little hill to get to the restaurant. I was just looking at the awesome scenery and the mountains surrounded all around me. We had some time before dinner so a couple of us went walking around and exploring nature. I felt free, happy, joyful with the nice cool breeze that was flowing through my hair. We was taking pictures and having a nice time together before dinner.

For Dinner we all went inside the restaurant and sat down, and was waiting for the Fondue – it is a pot of all different kinds of melted cheeses, it was good. We all had big long forks and we ate it with bread, potatoes, and pineapple. I didn’t really like the bread with the cheese that much so I ate it with the potatoes and pineapples. After we ate this delicious meal we thanked Mr. Wicki and Sophie for a great day and for everything that happened that day.

So we waited outside for the cable car to leave and only 9 fit so two trips were made. I had fun going down on the cable car, it was great and awesome experience. When reached the ground level, we waited for the other cable car to appear- it took awhile so we was just conversing and relaxing- it was just a nice moment.

When the other cable car came, we were on our way back to the school. When we reached school, I went to my room and then went down to the lobby and we had a group meeting about the schedule we was going to have tomorrow so we could get prepared for our trip home – it was a refresher. Then I went back to my room and went to bed. It was a long day….. Good Night…..

Misty rain, chilly day, I woke up with a chill and a knock on my door - but it wasn’t my door being knocked. It was my next door neighbors, but the knock was so powerful that I heard it and said that I am up. It was Katherine the tour guide of the day. To me it was funny, and I was laughing. So then I started getting dressed and went to breakfast. After eating breakfast in a rush, we met in the lobby and went down the hill to the bus stop. We all was prepared with our ponchos and umbrellas.

So the bus came and we are on our way to Chur. When we got there, we waited for the 8:10 bus to Bellinzone. Then Katherine went to confirm the bus departure and found out that we could take the direct bus. It was better because we didn’t have to make stops. The bus came and everybody entered. The bus ride was about 2 hours and we arrived at Bellinzone at 9:53. We got off the bus are started running in the rain to the train with my Gore-Tex shoes, they came in handy. I was happy that I had my trusty shoes on. We caught the bus right on time, hooray hooray, we made it because the train was leaving at 9:54 am on track 2.

We were on our way to Lugano. I was a little hungry, so I ate a cheese sandwich with a slice of tomato it was good. Then I realized we was already at Lugano train station. We got off the train and took the #2 bus to Grand Hotel Eden. When we got there we had to walk 2 blocks to the Hotel in the pouring rain.

We reached the Grand Hotel Eden safe and sound with all the traveling we have done. When we entered the hotel it looked gorgeous. The Hotel had leopard chairs, it was very Italian. Katherine and Prof. Garely went to the front desk and ask for Mr. Maurizo Lieto (Assistant to General Manager). Mr. Maurizo Lieto came to us and introduced himself with delight. Mr. Lieto gave us folders with information about the hotel. The Grand Hotel Eden has 115 rooms including 14 suites. Mr. Lieto showed us a Deluxe Suite, it was really nice, it had a Italian style look to it. Then he showed us a Junior Suite, very elegant and it was separated into sections, by living room and bedroom and the bathroom was decorated so nice with amenities. Mr. Lieto also should us the bar/restaurant it was very high class and stunning.

After Mr. Lieto showed us around the Grand Hotel Eden, we picked up our bags and we thanked him for the tour- it was fabulous. When we left the Hotel it was still raining, so we took the bus back to Lugano train station and that’s where we ate lunch. The train arrive dand we were on our way back to Bellinzone, when we got there we had time to walk around and shop before the next bus arrived to Chur. We split into groups and strolled around the area in the rain. I was happy I had my umbrella to keep me dry. So me, Elliot, Shevarma, Asha, Katherine, and Liliana were together- shopping. It was fun just walking around the area to me. Then we all met at the bus stop at 2:10 pm to load on the bus from Bellinzone to Chur. To me this day was an adventure, I enjoyed it. So at 2:30 pm the bus departed and we were on our way to Chur but this time it was not a direct bus so we made stops on the way back. I fell asleep on the bus because I was so tired, it was a long day.

We arrived at Chur and waited for bus. When the bus arrived we were on our way to SSTH to have a gourmet dinner with all the students. When we got here we ran up stairs to drop off all our stuff and went to have dinner in the dining room. The dinner was good, we all was having conversations and I was enjoying the last few days we were going to be there. After dinner, I went to blog away and then I was off to bed… bye, bye…..

This morning I woke up by hearing my alarm ringing. I put it on snooze so many times and then I saw it was 6:05am, I jumped up so fast. Then I received a phone call around 6:10 am by Mark the tour guide of the day. I got ready like usual. I opened my window to see the view, it was cloudy and nippy outside with a cold chill. It looked like last night it had rained because the ground outside looked wet.

I started to gather my belongs to go downstairs for breakfast. At breakfast I drank chamomile tea to settle my belly. Also a croissant with jelly and two slices of pineapple. It was a quick breakfast because we had to catch the bus at 7:29 am. I ran to fill up my water bottle, and we headed outside to the bus stop. The bus arrived and we was on our way to Chur. I was announcing to everybody that track 10 was the train to go to St. Mortiz. So we got on the train, and we waited for it to leave.

It started to feel very dry and I couldn’t really breathe properly. So I opened the window to get some fresh air and I felt better. During the process, I got reprimanded by the professors because I didn’t know that I had to ask the whole car to open one window so I could catch my breath. So then I started to recollect all my thoughts and started to write to get off that subject.

Then Mark was going around and was telling us a brief overview about St. Moritz and the Hotel Laudinella. He was saying that St. Moritz is a place where famous people go for vacation. Its known for its location: the peak spot in the winter. I thought it was fantastic - because I was going to be on the grounds where celebrities placed their feet on like Jennifer Lopez, Chris Tucker, etc.

The Hotel Laudinella has 190 rooms, 120 are superior rooms, 70 are standard and basic rooms. After Mark gave the overview I started back to writing my thoughts. As I was writing I glanced at the window looking at the beautiful scenery of St. Moritz.

We arrived at St. Moritz around 10:00 am and we walked outside the train station. There was 2 buses waiting for us to take us to Hotel Laudinella that the hotel provided for us. It was really nice of the Hotel Laudinella to do that for us as a group. We got there and the Hotel Laudinella looked like a lodge to me. It was not upscale - not  what I expected. I thought it was going to look glamorous and high class like the (Grand Hotel Quellenhof). We went inside the Hotel and we met with Andrea Kube (The Assistant Front Office Manager)- she was really nice and delighted that we were there too see the Hotel Laudinella. Mrs. Kube introduced us to the Concierge. The Concierge talked to us about the Hotel and he showed us to about 4 rooms. We saw a normal room, double superior, and from the rooms it was such a beautiful view from the window. The rooms are small but it has a cabin look to it. The Hotel caters to all the needs of their guest. If the guest needs to be picked up from the train station they have a free car service. I think that is great because it shows that the people at the Hotel cares about their guests and shows hospitality.

After the Hotel site inspection we took a picture with the Concierge. We left the Hotel Laudinella and our original plan was to walk to Lake St. Moritz to have lunch but since it was too cold we took the next bus to the train back to Chur. It was a better choice because it was no picnic in the cold weather. So we got to the train station and we had time to relax and eat lunch. On the train ride heading back to Chur, I was looking out the window and I finally saw the pig farm. It had so many pigs - I was amazed on how many there were.

We was back at Chur and the Professors gave us free time to go shop and to meet up at a certain time at the bus station. I was pleased with the opportunity because I did some last minute shopping for friends and family. Then we met up and n our way back to school to have dinner.

When we got to school, we went to dinner, it was great. Every time I eat in the school, I feel like a queen because we get served elegantly with table cloths and everything is arranged so nicely everyday. Later on after dinner, I went to my room to relax for awhile and right back to blogging for a couple hours. Then off to bed to get some sleep so I could have energy for the next morning.

Well today, I woke up around 11am. I am a happy camper. Yippee hooray. I felt energized and refreshed. I washed up and started to organize all my clothes to do my laundry. When I got to the laundry room, I saw it was packed! So I left and had a shower instead. Then I went downstairs and warmed up my pastry in the microwave and enjoyed my breakfast with a bottle of cranberry juice. It was delicious. Next I went back to my room and rested for a while. Then I got my notes to start my blogging for today. I went to see Adrienne, and she helped me type my blogs that I had already written on the train rides because I do not type as she does.

Then I went downstairs to put in my itinerary for day 15 down, and added three lessons that I learned that day. Then I went back to try and do my laundry again, but it was full. And so was the laundry room on the first floor. Since I couldn’t do laundry I went to the computer lab and was working more on my blogging because I had to be up to date. I blogged for a couple of hours and then went to dinner with the Professors and Adrienne. It was a nice dinner, they had soggy rice, spinach, vegetables in sauce, and stuffed spinach chicken. The food was ok but I didn’t eat the rice being that it was not appealing to me. For desert it was apples, bananas, and oranges. We all took one of each it was fresh and good.

After eating, the Professors and I had a nice conversation for awhile and than I was off to the blogging mode. Finish, finish, finish…… Have a nice night…….

Friday, June 13,2008 : Chur- Zurich:Site Inspection of Four Points Sihlcity Hotel and Excursion of Zurich

6:00am (Wake up Call to everyone)

7:00- 7:20am Breakfast

7:20am Meet in the lobby

7:22am Group departure for bus station

7:29am Bus departs for Chur

Arrive at station @ 7:42am, Platform # 9

8:16am Departure from Chur to Zurich HB

9:47am Arrive @ Zurich HB

Visit Tourisms Office for Information and Take bathroom break

10:05am 7min walk from Zurich HB to Zurich, Bahnhofquai/ HB

10:16am Departure from Zurich, Bahnhofquai/ HB by Tram 13

10:28am Arrive @ Zurich, Sihlcity Nord

Then walk to Four Points Sihlcity Hotel and rest for a while.

11:00am Site inspection Starts with Mrs Alexia Hungerbühler

11:45am Site inspection Finish

11:45- 12:30pm Lunch time

12:30- 2:30pm Zurich Excursion: Swiss National Museum

3:00- 4:15pm Street Parade

5:37pm Depart from Zurich main station

6:52pm Arrive @ Chur

7:00pm Dinner in Chur TBD

9:00pm Take a taxi.

Lessons Learned

1) When I was doing my itinerary it was not easy: I put a lot of effort into organizing everything. I called the hotel to confirm the appointment and to get directions of the place.

2) As a tour guide, I learned that working as a group was productive and it helped me through my learning process.

3) My experience taught me to start work earlier, and not wait for the last minute.

Yippee – I am the tour guide of the day. I woke up really early this morning – at 5:45am. I went to a couple of peoples’ rooms to wake them up, and some I called to remind them to wake up. I also reminded everyone to bring their umbrellas and to take out their linens from their rooms. When I went to Sasha and Shevy’s room, I saw an interesting letter on the door. I thought it was so cute. It said, “wake us up last.” Then I went back to my room so I could get ready to be in the lobby by 6:55am.

Then we went to breakfast and everybody was arriving little by little and I was getting worried, so I was going to call them, but the professors told me to eat and get my energy. So Gia, my assistant, went to get them instead. I was happy that she helped me. Then Sasha and Gia assisted me in getting our lunch bags from the kitchen. It was very helpful of them, because it was 15 very heavy bags that we distributed to everyone at the tables. I went to finish up my breakfast and we all met at 7:20am in the lobby so that we could reach the bus at 7:29am. I gave everybody a brief overview about the Four Points Sihlcity Hotel, where we were going for a site inspection.

So the bus came on time, and we took it to Chur, to catch the train to Zurich HB, on track nine. The train arrived around 7:55am, so I thought it wasn’t our train. We asked a porter and he said yes, it was the train to Zurich. But of course, I confirmed this with another person before we entered the train. We found seats and waited for the train to leave. The train left at 8:16am on the dot. Me of course, always giving an update on the stops and time of arrival. We were on our way to Zurich!

We reached the city at 9:47am and then went to the tourism office to pick up brochures and maps of Zurich. We walked to the trolley station for transport Zurich, Sihlcity – our first destination. We reached the hotel. When I entered the hotel it looked so modern and beautiful. Since I was the tour guide, I went to the front desk with Dr. Garely and told the man at the front desk that we had an appointment with Alexia Hungerbühler. He said that he didn’t know who she was, and acted like he didn’t want to help us. He wasn’t very polite. But then he found out and we waited in the lobby for her because we were early.

As a tour guide, I was kind of nervous because I didn’t know how everything was going to turn out today. In the morning I thought I was doing things wrong. But then I was thinking that this is all a learning process. Before today, I never handled a group of 15 people, especially not on a tour! This was a very new experience for me, because whenever I have traveled before it was always by myself, or just me and my mom. This tour was different, and I am glad it was because we all worked as a team and everybody cooperated. I wanted to say thank you to everybody, and I appreciate all the hard work that was put in. I am grateful and I couldn’t have done it without all the team work.

So let me go back to the hotel setting. Ms. Hungerbühler arrived and presented herself in a professional manner. Then she gave us a tour of the hotel. We went in the elevator to the first floor. She showed us around a “Deluxe” room – it was very beautiful with a colorful design. I was impressed because it was so modern and up to date. This type of room would cost 460CHF per night. Following that, we went to see a “Junior Suite” – it was so fabulous. The bathroom was stocked with amenities. The suite would cost 600CHF per night. The view of the river was amazing.

Then we went to see the spa. It was gorgeous, very big, and had a lot of room for different treatments. We saw three pools. One was a whirlpool, one a jacuzzi, and one a regular pool. The aroma in the air was nice. They had a lot of equipment to exercise with. I was thinking that my body’s muscles needed a relaxation moment. After being guided through the spa we saw the bar and the restaurant. I was so delighted when Ms. Hungerbühler asked if we would like tea or coffee. I felt so honored. I was also getting worried because the time was going and I thought the site inspection was only for a half hour and had passed its limit. I kept looking at the time constantly, but realized that the tram back (number 13) was running regularly, and we were not in such a rush because our next stop was not a scheduled appointment.

So I relaxed, enjoyed my peppermint tea, and everybody shared their background about who they were and where they came from to Ms. Hungerbühler. We left the hotel and took the tram back to Banhofstrasse. Then we went through the park and had lunch outside. We sat near the beautiful scenery of the city of Zurich, with a view of the river. After lunch (about 1:15pm), we went to the Swiss National Museum, using our trusty SwissPasses to get in for free. We were given tickets and pamphlets about the museum.

I was excited because we could explore the cultural history of the museum. I was touring with Dr. Garely and she was explaining to me the translation of the Italian words in the exhibits. I was happy for that because I couldn’t understand what the descriptions were saying. We walked around the museum and saw all the interesting things they had.

We all met up at 2:15 at the entrance to the museum and headed out to see the Old Town, but all plans changed. Because of the Euro cup, it was getting very crowded in Zurich, so we compromised and took an earlier train back to Chur. Then everybody split into groups for dinner at Chur. Curtis, Katherine, Lilliana, Adrienne and I went to a restaurant to eat together. I ate a beef burrito, it was delicious and and nice change of pace. We all shared from our plates, so I got to taste other varieties. Then we went back to SSTH and I started blogging myself away!

This is my intinerary……

Friday, June 13,2008 : Chur- Zurich:Site Inspection of Four Points Sihlcity Hotel and Excursion of Zurich

6:00am (Wake up Call to everyone)

7:00- 7:20am Breakfast

7:20am Meet in the lobby

7:22am Group departure for bus station

7:29am Bus departs for Chur

Arrive at station @ 7:42am, Platform # 9

8:16am Departure from Chur to Zurich HB

9:47am Arrive @ Zurich HB

Visit Tourisms Office for Information and Take bathroom break

10:05am 7min walk from Zurich HB to Zurich, Bahnhofquai/ HB

10:16am Departure from Zurich, Bahnhofquai/ HB by Tram 13

10:28am Arrive @ Zurich, Sihlcity Nord

Then walk to Four Points Sihlcity Hotel and rest for a while.

11:00am Site inspection Starts with Mrs Alexia Hungerbühler

11:45am Site inspection Finish

11:45- 12:30pm Lunch time

12:30- 2:30pm Zurich Excursion: Swiss National Museum

3:00- 4:15pm Street Parade

5:37pm Depart from Zurich main station

6:52pm Arrive @ Chur

7:00pm Dinner in Chur TBD

9:00pm Take a taxi.

Lessons Learned

When I was doing my itinerary it was not easy: I put a lot of effort into organizing everything. I called the hotel to confirm the appointment and to get directions to the place.

As a tour guide, I learned that working as a group was productive and it helped me through my learning process.

My experience taught me to start work earlier, and not wait for the last minute.

Day 14

I woke up this morning to a cold and chilly day. I received a phone call by Adel the tour guide of the day. She told me to bring my umbrella because their was a chance of rain. So I started to get dressed and met up with everybody at breakfast around 7:00am. We all ate together and headed to the lobby to get the 7:29 bus to Chur. When we reach Chur that’s when our journey really began.

We walked about 15 to 20 minutes and that was a challenge for me but I survived it – thank you God. We reached the Kulturforum WürthMuseum and saw the Sculptures outside. We saw two Sculptures of Niki de Saint Phalle ( “Le Monde” and “Der Bär”) , Jean Tinguely (”Fontaine pour Joesph Siffert”) and Bernhard Luginbühl (”Dolittle”). The Sculptures were very fascinating. The one that I like was the Der Bär because it me the round ball represents the world and the structure shows the industrial revolution. It was such a piece of art. When we was observed the “Le Monde” Dr. Garely said that it reminded her of the cosmetic product and I through that was cool that the symbol represent that. 

After exploring we left to our next destination it was the Raetian Museum. We walked all the way there going up the hills and down the hills. What an advanture that I had that day. Since we arrived early we sat down to relax on the benches. Then Dr. Jurg Simonett the director of the Museum came outside to greet us. We remained outside for a while because he was talking about the history of Chur which is a very old town. Then he took us inside the Raetian Museum. He took us up stairs and we took the elevator to the 3rd floor. When we got there it looked like an construction area than Prof. Neis was looking around and found a back door - hooray… that was leading to the other side where the room was completed we were happy. Then  explored all the different artifacts that they had in the Museum. It was cool and exciting.

Then we were running on a tight schedule becasue we had to get back to school to have lunch at 12:15. We left the Raetian and got on the bus to SSTH. We made it on time and had a great lunch. Then we went down stairs to blog for a couple of hours. Following that we had dinner and I enjoyed it and then right back to blogging again. I went to bed around 12:00 in the morning what a long day. Have a nice night!!!!!

Buzz, buzz, waking up to a day with clouds on the mountains, and fog flowing through the sky.  The sun was not even out, just a foggy look over the earth in Switzerland.  Knock, knock – wake up reminder from Asha (the tour guide of the day).  I stretched my body (with all the aches and pains I was going through) and washed up.  I went down for breakfast still wanting to be in my cozy warm bed, catching up on sleep.  Well at breakfast I finally had tea to settle my belly, along with jelly and butter on a croissant and melon and pineapple.  I am getting tired of the same food every day because my body has not adjusted to eating the same food for breakfast. 

Well, to get off that subject, I had some time to make a phone call to the Four Points Sihlcity Hotel to ask for directions, but the call went to voicemail, and I left a message.  I hope they call me back today, or I will call again…  Then I was getting ready to meet up with everybody in the lobby at 9am.  Thankfully, Marianne and Sophie drove us (no trains today) to our destination to visit Heidi Village to tour the Heidi House and museum.  While we were driving there we had to stop at Chur so Dr. Garely could exchange currency to pay for the visit.  Sophie called the Heidi House museum to let them know that the group was running late (because our appointment was at 9:30am).  When we were on the road again and I started to feel lightheaded – it was not too good for me.  We arrived at Heidi Village at 10am.  I went inside the gift shop and I wanted to buy something, but I didn’t have time because of the schedule.

As a group, we were waiting outside for the tour guide from Heidi House, and she told the story of Heidi and how it came to be written.  The tour was conducted unprofessionally.  It looked like she wasn’t prepared to give an efficient tour to a group of fifteen people.  Therefore the price that was paid (60CHF) was not worth it. While Caroline the tour guide was talking to us about the story of Heidi an annoying hedge cutter was making so much noise that we couldn’t hear Caroline. So Dr. Garely asked her if she could stop the hedge cutter - he did stop. Then we went to the house where Heidi lived and it was cool and fascinating. We looked around in the house of Heidi and I explored all the different artifacts displayed. We stayed for awhile at Heidi house and then walked up the hill to meet with Sophie and Maryann to take us to lunch (at the School) and then to our next destination, the Grand Hotel Quellenhof in Bad Ragaz.  

                                              Walking up the hill from Heidi house me and Elliott with our Gore-Tex shoes…. 

When we reached the Grand Hotel Quellenhof it was beautiful. It had a fountain splashing with water right in front as we entered, I was amazed how glamorous the hotel was when I laid eyes on it. As we was going in the Hotel – Katherine greeted us and was excited to meet us. Katherine took us to a conference room where she and a couple of her colleagues spoke to us about the Grand Hotel Quellenhof, but before they spoke to us Asha the tour guide of the day represented us a group. Then Katherine gave us a brief overview about the hotel and that Switzerland was found in 1241. Also, that in 1869 it was the opening of the Hotel Quellenhof. We saw a power point presentation of the Hotel and Patrick the (CFO) was talking about how he became who he is today. After the presentation – as we were leaving – they provided us with Swiss chocolate from the hotel – it was very nice of them.  

Then we were on our way to a Wine Tasting. When we got there Sophie had to translate because the person spoke German. We went inside and he showed us around and we saw where the wine is processed. Also the wine is stored in huge barrels that hold 3 to 5 thousand liters. After, he showed us all around we all sat down to actually taste the wine. It was a new experience for me because I never did a wine tasting in my life. First, we were served cheese, tomatoes, salami, and pickles to drink with the wine. The first wine we had was Pinot Noir- red wine, 2007, second was Pinot Noir “selection” 2006 and third the Cuvée (Syrah/Cabernet/Merlot) 2005. Each wine was different and I had fun trying them all.  

After that we went back to the school to have dinner in the dinning hall and it was great. We all went to blog in the computer lab for awhile and then I went to bed. Good night….

I woke up about 5:55 in the morning and Shevarma (the tour guide for the day) called me at 6:00 to remind me to be at breakfast at 7am.  So I was getting ready and my stomach started to bother me.  I got to breakfast late and I was rushing to eat and drank hot chocolate to calm my belly.  I felt better after that.  I got organized and we all headed down the hill to the bus.  The bus arrived like 2 minutes late.  I laughed out loud because I felt I wasn’t the only one running late.  We all got on the bus and reached Chur, where we could take a train to Davosplatz.  At Filisur station we got off the train to get another train (on track two) to finish our route to Davosplatz.

Davos was a medical and therapeutic location (with many sanitariums) for people suffering from tuberculosis (also known as consumption).  Also Bill Clinton is involved in world conferences at Davos.

We got off the train and a good samaritan showed us to the bus stop.  It was up this steep hill (you can’t get away from the hills in Switzerland).  The bus came but our Swiss Pass couldn’t be used for the busses in Davos.  So we all walked to the Tourism Office, picked up some brochures, and Cédric Kienscherff of the office gave us a quick overview of the attractions and museums they had around the neighborhood (but we were unable to visit any of them because they all open at 2 in the afternoon).  It was not convenient for us at all. 

So we left the Tourism Office, started walking, and explored the neighborhood.  Then we saw the Steinberger Hotel Belvedere. Dr. Garely presented herself and explained that we were from Borough of Manahattan Community College in New York on a study-abroad program at the Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality.  With Dr. Garely’s expertise, we spontaneously had a tour of the Steinberger Hotel Belvedere given by the general manager herself – Silvia Wyrsch!

I felt delighted and glad to have the opportunity to see the hotel that Bill Clinton stayed at when he attended a conference of the World Economic Forum.  Silvia Wyrsch talked to us about the hotel and also the history as she showed us around.  I was so amazed by her because it was an unplanned site inspection.  Mrs. Wyrsch acted in a very professional and friendly manner. She showed us around the hotel and we saw a couple of beautiful rooms. It is luxurious and very nice. After the tour of the hotel Mrs. Wyrsch gave us directions to the park and that’s where we ate lunch. I was walking around and enjoying the view of the park – gorgeous.

We only stayed for a while and then we headed to see the Arabella Sheraton Hotel Seehop for a site inspection. Our appointment was at 2:00 so we were on the move. We got there and Mr. Robert Attenberger the Executive Assistant Manager greeted us. He showed us around the hotel. It has 118 rooms and the hotel has low ceilings in many rooms. I was amazed that the building was 700 years old and still standing – this is what you call historical alright. Ater seeing some the rooms (some were made out of wood)  there were very old fashioned – I learned that they are termed – classic. Meeting rooms hold about 20 people -  very small. The hotel gets many guests from Europe and Canada.

Then we finished the site inspection and Mr. Atlenberger took us back to the lobby. We all said thank you and we left to get the train. It was not far from the hotel – only 4 minutes by walking. So we arrived at the train station to take the 2:30pm bus back to Chur. We got on the train and I was looking at the stunning mountains on the way back from Davos. We did muliple tranfers on the trains so when we got to Landquart station we which to platform 2AB to catch the train to Chur and than took a bus to SSTH. It was a mission today but we all made it through.

When we got to SSTH, we had a few minutes to go up stairs to put our bags away. Then right to dinner at 6:00pm. Everybody was gathered downstairs in the lobby waiting for the doors to be open. We all went inside and it was nicely set up with a tablecloth for fine dining. We ate dinner and I went to my room to gather some notes to work on my blogs for the night. Then I was off to bed ..the end…