Writing these updates is interesting, on one side you really start to see how time flies and on the other hand you have to recall what happened during this time. Last time I started to write a bit earlier and only had to do some final adjustments but this time I`m a bit behind so without further ado here are my experiences from April:
April this year had some really warm and already summer like days and fortunately the best days did match the weekends while the weekdays where more often cloudy and with rain. But first I used a fortunate break in my school schedule to make a quick trip to Germany and back to pick some last stuff and visit some friends. This is the last planned trip until my exams are done.
With reaching the half way point I also had a shift in lecturers. Most of the courses are taught by two different instructors, who change midway through the semester. This is interesting on the one hand, but tricky on the other, as you have to get used to a new and different teaching style and different expectations for the exam. So far I would rate all the lectures as pretty good, with challenging theoretical math topics. But after I got used to it (and put in the effort) I was able to follow the topics taught.
But back to traveling. On the second weekend I hat a friend come and visit. To travel around we used the offer by the SBB to buy a day pass and companion ticket for cheap. With this offer you are allowed to take (almost) any train in Switzerland and go wherevery you want to go. So we used this to go from Rotkreuz to Bern, to Fribourg, Zurich, Winterthur and back again all in one day.
In Bern it was market day, so we were able to browse through the various marked goods on offer, then we walked through the beautiful old town and over the Nydeggbrücke to the other side of Bern, where the brown bears are that give the city it’s name. After some strolling around we decided to head to the next city, the city of Fribourg. Here we walked around a bit, visited the St. Nikolaus-Cathedral and had some glace. Later we visited the botanical gardens. The real strange thing is that you can take one train, travel for some time and all of the sudden people speak a completely different language while all in the same country.
In the end we decided to go back via Zurich, thanks to faster train connection this detour was not adding much delay to our trip. In Zurich we decided to visit the Uetliberg, one of the mountains in Zurich. Special here is that there is a S-Bahn train from main station directly on top of the mountain. So if you want to go for a hike you can do this without using any car, directly from the city center. RMTransit has a great video about this trip.
Winterthur was just a final detour to visit my cousin who was spending the time over there.
On the next day we decided to do a day trip to the Aare Gorge (Aareschlucht). This is a river ridge carved by the river that can be visited by taking the PE (Panorama Express) line from Lucerne to Meiringen. Already the train ride is a treat and deserves the „panorama“ title quiet well. Using the train you can really focus on the great view down the Valley and up the mountains.
But also the gorge is worth a visit. You start at the river exit (the river entrance was closed during our visit) and from there you can explore the cave on wooden path. Thanks to being early in the season the place was not too crowded and with the good weather it was not to cold in the shaded caves.
In the beginning the path is quiet narrow but gets broader later up the river. At one point there is a constant waterfall that caves more and more down into the rocks.
On our way back we decided to spend some time in Lucerne. Here we climbed on the city walls. This intact part of the former city protection can be explored free of charge with it’s four different towers and a great view of the city and the surrounding mountains.
After this long weekend full of traveling, the next opportunity was already on the horizon, a city trip to Zermatt. This event was organized by the Erasmus Student Network (ESN). With the offer of the student network, you can travel to Zermatt for a cheap price. Normally, the cheapest way to get to Zermatt is to purchase a Swiss day pass as the cheapest option which totals at around 70 CHF but thanks to the student network one could travel for only 20 CHF. The train ride took 3 hours, so I was able to connect with my fellow students and play some card games. In total, we had to take three different trains from Lucern to Zermatt, connecting through Bern and Visp. From Visp we had to take a ratchet train fitted with panoramic windows, which gave us a great view of the surrounding mountains, streams and valleys. As we climbed higher and higher, the snow got closer and closer until we were completely at snow level.
Zermatt itself is obviously very touristy focused. Many hotels and restaurants that are cater to tourists. Some of them were already closed as the ski season was coming to an end, but there were still many people going up and down the village valley towards the various ski lifts. One thing I really liked was, that Zermatt does not permit the usage of regular gasoline powered cars. The only traffic in town were small silent electronic taxis and the occasional bus for public transportation. This made the town very quiet. As group we started to explore the village and ventured out to a spot where you could have a vista towards the city and later towards the Matterhorn. Sadly the mountain on that day was covered in thick clouds most of the day, so that we were unable to take any proper pictures (in the end you can find them online anyway). Nevertheless, the weather was generally sunny and not too cold.
For lunch we decided to go to a typical Swiss restaurant and have a traditional cheese fondue. Compared to the fondues I have had at home or with friends in the past, it was not as good, but still a tasty meal we enjoyed. One less thing to do on my bucket list.
After lunch, I decided to split off from the group and explore the nearby area by hiking up the mountainside. Using my hiking app, I spotted out a trail leading up to the ski slope and began my walk through the thick snow. Up the mountain, where some newer, modern build cabins for vacation directly at the slope, and a bit later some pretty old looking huts with dark wood exteriors. After reaching the middle station of the gondola, the trail got worse, before it was clearly marked and there was a path along the slope, now there was only the ski slope. So I decided to treat myself and take the cable car back down.
Back in the village, I explored the town some more and reconnected with my fellow students. Tired from all the hiking and with new experiences we took the train back to Lucerne.
On the next weekend I helped my cousin move houses and to settle into the his new flat. During the week and after class I used my fee time to explore Zurich a bit more. This time I went up to the botanical gardens. The gardens have several areas dedicated to different plants and areas of the world. A small pond with frogs and ducks and three greenhouse domes for different climate zones. One dome had attracted a local Amsel (Common Blackbird, wonderful English name) that had set up camp inside one of the domes. A sign at the entrance informed visitors about this bird and its behavior. The bird deliberately crashes into the glass to scare off any other birds that might want to challenge the spot.
Other activities included cycling around Lake Zug. This is the closest lake to Rotkreuz. Most of the way the bike paths are good, but about a third of the way you have to share the road with fast car traffic. Still a great trip and one less thing on my bucket list.
In the last week there was a get-together planned with all other local exchange students in Rotkreuz. Here we had breakfast together and later we were invited to try out the VR gadgets of HSLU. After using some known VR gadgets I was lucky enough to try out the new Apple thing. It was an OK first experience. Definitely not something I would consider right now, especially with the price tag and wired design choices.
Last weekend was spent at my cousin’s birthday party, which was a fantastic BBQ party and interesting for me to meet some of his friends. He will probably read this so post so 👋¹.
To have some outlook. The next moth will be spent with the final lectures, there are some projects to finalize and submit and then the exam phase starts. Still some trips are already planned and there is still the open topic with finding a suitable thesis position. This will be an eventful month, I’m sure.
1: Side note, this emoji caused my setup to break and me to update my database scheme, hope you are happy.