Having had our two guests arrive on the Friday evening, and after all the catch ups and a quick tour of Konstanz, an early night was had as the next morning we had a bus to catch to Milan commencing Zoe’s Birthday treats.
The first funny moment of the trip happened almost immediately when we walked from Switzerland to Germany to get the Flixbus…Two hours later, we were still sitting at border control into Switzerland as the guards performed a thorough inspection on our bus, inspecting about 20 passports, bringing a sniffer dog on board and even taking people off the bus to search their bags. Finally when they appeared satisfied, we were allowed to continue (a great first impression of Switzerland for Andrew and Louis). Nevertheless, this did not dampen the spirits as we enjoyed a five hour journey and ceasing the educational opportunity to learn, we enjoyed a few rounds of a general knowledge quiz.
Eventually we arrived in Milan (Italy), a little later than expected. We still made the most of the late afternoon and headed straight to the central square, where we took in the incredible sights of Milan’s famous Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio.
After locating our hostel and dropping off our bags, we headed back out in search of the most Italian restaurant we could find. We settled for Da Willy, where we all had thee biggest pizzas I’ve ever seen! They tasted so good and it was a real struggle to actually finish the monster! We then enjoyed a night out in Milan soaking up the Italian atmosphere.
Sunday morning started early as we had yet another bus to catch to Lugano in Switzerland. With minutes to spare we made it, and enjoyed a relaxing day lakeside, watching the world powerboat races which just happened to be on that day. I think this is definitely one of the nicest cities we have been to so far in Switzerland.
Due to the expense of restaurants in Switzerland and a tight student budget, we went to our good old faithful friend; McDonalds. This was also probably one of the most impressive places I’ve ever ate a McChicken wrap as we sat on a summer bench soaking up the sunshine. Feeling satisfied, we headed out onto the lake on pedalo boats, giving Josh the perfect opportunity for a swim in the lake! Afterwards we got a cable car up to the highest point overlooking the lake for some stunning views and of course photo opportunities.
We arrived back to Kreuzlingen late on the Sunday night, but we had such a great weekend seeing a different part of Switzerland and Italy.
On the Monday we celebrated Zoe’s 21st Birthday by going out for dinner with a few friends from university and church. It was pretty cool to be able to sit outside and eat dinner without worrying about your food blowing off the table! Something I have noticed culturally different to home is that birthday cake is not really something people do over here. No supermarkets sell already made Birthday cakes, which is sad because as Child (2006) writes, “a party without cake is just a meeting”. This meant that Zoe had to make do with a random chocolate cake, but I’m sure when she gets home she can enjoy a real one.
Next activity in our schedules was a trip to Europa Park, near Strasbourg. This meant another early start of 5am to make the train in time. We had a great day trying out lots of the different roller coasters and water slides around the park which was sectioned into different countries. My favourite area was definitely Iceland, where the big, fast roller coasters stood tall and an adrenaline-junkie like myself got a kick out of a few loop the loops and turning upside down. We even managed to get Andrew onto a few scary rides resulting in him discovering a new found love for fast roller coasters!
To top off what has been a brilliant week, we spent the Wednesday chilling in the infamous Bodensee Therme (the place we all seem to take our guests), before saying goodbye to Andrew who was leaving that evening.
As I reflect on what has been a crazy few days, I can’t help but think how much fun and laughter we all had in celebrating Zoe’s 21st Birthday. Although she was far from home and in a completely different culture, we all tried to make it as enjoyable as possible for her.
From this experience I really have realised what a good group of friends I have made and the importance of having them throughout this adventure.
“We didn’t realise we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.”
{A.A. Milne}
LIVING IN SWITZERLAND 
Will miss reading the blogs – last one had an insight into kindness, this one had the importance of friendship. “Life is more enriched through giving and sharing and it costs nothing more than giving yourself” Thompson July 2016.
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Seems like you all had an amazing time as had we when out visiting you. So glad you had this opportunity. Enjoy your holiday now and keep safe. Your dad.
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