Students describe surprising facets of their Switzerland experience

Switzerland is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. It is every person’s dream to visit Switzerland at least once in their lifetime. When we, the students of Himali Boarding School, got an offer to visit Switzerland, Italy, and Germany, there weren’t any second thoughts. We jumped at this opportunity and here, we are writing a blog after being mesmerised by the breathtaking beauty of Switzerland. We kept pinching ourselves to see if we were only dreaming.

Swiss Chocolate Factory

Swiss chocolates are famous all over the world and we could not miss visiting a chocolate factory in Switzerland. The tour of the chocolate factory helped us learn about the different ingredients that go into making delicious Swiss chocolates. When we were told that we could taste a few varieties of chocolates, our excitement knew no bounds. We tasted all the chocolates that we could and almost went crazy when it was time for us to buy chocolates. After buying a few packets of chocolates from the factory, we went back to our hotel for some rest.

Mt. Titlis

The most exciting thing for us as students, who are mostly from the plains, was the feeling of touching and seeing snow for the first time. The ascent to the top of Mt. Titlis in cable cars was a feeling of excitement coupled with nervousness. As we ascended the mountain, the view in front of us enthralled us. When we alighted from the cable cars, we could not believe what we saw. We were stepping on snow for the first time and one of us nearly fell. The blanket of white invited us to play in it. It was really fun sliding down the snowy slope. We made balls of snow and threw at each other. We ran from one place to another playing with snow. We didn’t realise how fast time had passed and it was time for us to return from Mt. Titlis for lunch.

The Lion Monument of Lucerne

The wounded lion carved on the rock face at Lucerne was way beyond our expectations. The detailing that had gone into the carving was praiseworthy. This sculpture depicts the wounded Swiss soldiers who fought during the French Revolution. Designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen and hewn in 1820–21 by Lukas Ahorn, it is a monument one must not miss while visiting Zurich.

The UN Office at Geneva

After the UN headquarters in New York, the second biggest UN office is in Geneva, Switzerland. How could we, as students, who have an entire chapter in our history syllabus, miss out on visiting this place of utmost importance? We were instructed not to take any videos or record any audio. We were taken on a guided tour of the important rooms in the old and new UN buildings. The guide was very informative and friendly. Something that we find very boring at school was made crystal-clear to us by the guide. We ran from one building to another and from one room to the other gathering as much information as we could from our very energetic guide.

We sat in the rooms where world leaders sat and discussed issues, which have shaped the world. We were amazed to know that the International Labour Organization (ILO) had celebrated its 100th anniversary this year. The 39-ft Broken Chair outside the UN headquarters was a sight to behold. The chair with one of its legs broken symbolises opposition to landmines and cluster bombs. It acts as a reminder to politicians and others visiting Geneva.

We also had the opportunity to try the local Swiss cuisine, which consisted of a three-course meal beginning with a salad followed by chicken in creole sauce, baked vegetables, and rotis (patties made of mashed potatoes). The dessert was a very delicious apple cake.

We have returned from Switzerland much wiser, refreshed, knowledgeable, and very eager to go back to what seemed like only a passing dream. We just cannot wait for EdTerra Edventures to come up with another awesomely-planned educational trip.

Team Members: Aswaadur, Karma, Soham, and Zahin (Himali Boarding School, Darjeeling).

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EdTerra Edventures conducts various other programs for the youth. If you go to school and are under 17 years of age, ask your school to contact us to arrange a visit to your school for an introduction to “Italy-Switzerland-Germany” and other journeys under EdTerra’s Going Global Programs.

For queries call +91-11-48885800 or visit EdTerra Browse Journeys page to know more about the programs for school students. Visit our FB page by clicking HERE. Also, check our podcast page by clicking HERE.