The Life and Times of Ashley E... March Edition

March: what a month!

It started out warm, and sunny and then snowed. Apparently the locals say "March is the 'second start' of Winter in Switzerland"... which is just great; winter round two.

But beside the weather being a little cold and snowy, I have had an amazing time.

In the beginning of March I went with my new found travel buddy, Mirjam (she is Dutch) to the City of Luzern.



We first decide to go up to the great Mountain of Pilatus: the mountain of legend, saying that it is the final resting spot of Pontius Pilate, whose body is now guarded by Dragons that still live in the deepest part of the mountain to this day.

With thoughts of Dragons in our mind, and clouds all around, we headed up the mountain on the Gondolas. After about a 45 minute Gondola ride we reached it... the top. It was beautiful, and the heavy clouds just added to the mystery of the mountain. After taking the stairs to the magnificent cross standing at the peak of Pilatus, we headed back to the cafe for a little snack. Inside was the LARGEST PLAYABLE ALPHORN! I knew I wasn't in Midway anymore :)

After starting our way back down on the Gondolas we discovered a way to sled down the last part of the journey. Of course we couldn't pass up on this offer, so we grabbed these old school "sledges" (made of wood... and a little painful on the bum I do say). It was amazing! We rode down at full pace, swishing around corners, and dashing around bends. The scenery was beautiful, and after only about 3 wipe outs (thank goodness the ground was covered with snow, and soft) we made it to the bottom.

After the mountain experience we decided to go to the town of Luzern to Eat some of the local food (no... not Starbucks... real Swiss food: I got a sausage thing, with french fries... basically my perfect food) and then took a tour of the city. We saw the chapel bridge, and the lion on the mountain, and saw the other spectacular sites. Luzern is right on a lake, and the water is so clear you can see the bottom, even in the deepest part. It was a fantastic day, and as soon as 7 o'clock hit we headed home for free on the train (thanks to my nifty "free after 7" pass).




Other fun adventures in the month of March included my trip to Solothurn, Olten's sister city of sorts. It was just a fun city, full of Kebab shops, churches, and the continuation of the river Aare. It was a good time with my two roommates: Anni and Simone.

Another weekend my roommate Simone and I decided to go to the beautiful city of Zurich (and see more then just the airport!!). It was just spectacular: pictures and words don't do it justice. And not to mention the fabulous shopping... I actually saw Channel and Gucci! Of course I could not afford anything :(. But we ended up stopping at H & M, and I did buy a pretty nice scarf (it is the style here in Europe: everyone wears a scarf, I had to buy one to become fully European!)

And now... for the end of March, on the Easter Break I will be heading off to ITALY! That's right, land of Spaghetti and Pizza. I will add more as the situation develops, until then Ciao!