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Okay! I'm back. I had some internet issues in the last couple of cities so i wasn't able to post without having excessive wait times. So i decided against wasting my time.

I will soon post a lot of pictures and information regarding the last leg of my trip and how my overall feelings of it were.

Till then.

Tyler

Paragliding

Switzerland!

Image via Wikipedia

It is the night of our second day in Switzerland. The internet isn't very good here and uploading my photos is becoming very difficult.

But we arrived in Switzerland yesterday after about a 6 to 7 hour bus ride from Paris. We arrived at the Hotel Alpha-Palmiers. It's a very cool hotel, modern, but not too modern. Rooms are the biggest yet, best yet, and same goes for the bathrooms.

As soon as i got settled i headed down to Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) to find The Hotel Royal Montreux to find out information about renting a boat, since they have a Mastercraft they rent out to people. This is where my night begins.

So I walked around for a while by the Lake; this is where Google had told me the hotel was. Not True! So without knowing that I hopped in a cab, said "Allez a La Hotel Royal Montreux", he said OK!.... 25 minutes later i was in Montreux, Switzerland an entirely different city..haha i laught at it now.

So i got dropped off at the hotel and headed towards the pier to check out the boat, the guy wasn't there, so i go back and forth from the concierge to the boat, the guy finally shows up, but someone beat me to the punch and as time passes i never get to him and the boat leaves so i'm just stuck enjoying the view (Which wasn't bad). So i'm like whatever, i should go back. So after waiting for a bus for about 20 minutes i said "Fuck it!" (sorry mom!) and went back to the hotel bar and grabbed a heineken. This is where i met Anthony Meyer. A 20 year old of Swiss nationality and whom is half Salvadorian and half Swiss i think. Anyways I just wanted to know how to get back to Lausanne and it ended up me joining him and a girlfriend of his Estelle for a drink. So we drank for a couple hours and met up with Anthony's other friend Camille. So the four of us walked around the lake side and drank and talked and had a good time.

So time passed by and when Anthony took me to the train station, and it turned out that the last train had already left. So he offered to take me back to his place to crash. So i said thanks and we went back to the lakeside had some more drinks (well Anthony didn't, he had to sober up to drive). We asked a guy to take a picture and he ran off with my camera, and i ran after him and got it back. And while walking to the car i inadvertently knocked Camille into a fountain so he was soaked, but it was pretty damn funny.

So Estelle parted the rest of us headed to Athony's home and crashed. He has a pretty sweet setup he has the basement to himself with a pretty sweet recording studio. We had a baguette of bread (to sober up) and watched "How I Met Your Mother" before we went to sleep, Anthony really likes that show lol.

So we woke up at 9:30, they drove me to the Cailler Chocolate factory to meet with the rest of my group and things couldn't have been better. So far my best night on the trip!

To Anthony, Camille and Estelle you guys are fantastic!

The Chocolate Factory was pretty cool, pretty much the same thing we saw in Brussels. I was chocolated out by the 5th free sample. After that we headed to the Chateau Gruyere, which is a little castle down on a hill not to far from the factory. It was a really neat little village but very small. They gave us 3 hours to blow but i was done by after an hour. I took a little hike around the Chateau and enjoyed the views. So not much more went on after we left and i just took it easy.

Going to Geneva tomorrow to the World Trade Organization to get some peace talks going..that's what we were called in for. So I'll talk to you later!

~Tyler

Leaving Paris to Lausanne in the morning!

Okay, so just a quick recap about some previous posts and the end of Paris.

So, the video below is of the band that opened for Plants and Animals, and i have an email in to the band to figure out what their name was, i'm interested because they were quite good.

The next day i headed over to the Musee D'Orsay, where under this post you can see some pics of a sculpture and of the famous Vincent Van Vogh painting "Bedroom in Arles".

The Musee D'Orsay was quite impressive and I enjoyed it more than the Louvre, as i could actually get through the entire museum in less than a years time. After that I wondered for about an hour trying to find a metro station, but finding some really cool places along the way. I some how ran into the street where i'm pretty sure the French Elite shop for their furniture and decor because it was pretty damn expensive stuff.

It was then off to La Grand Arch, which you can see in the photos below where i got some spectacular views of the City and Le Champs Elysee.

That night we went on a river cruise on the Seine (which i've done before) but it was still good and i got some cool pics of me holding up and hugging the eiffel tower, but they're on Casey's camera so i still need to get them and will post once i do.

Today was my Laundry day and my work day, so i got a lot done and an happy i did. I also got a very delicious baguette at a local bakery.

So early tomorrow morning we say goodbye to beautiful Paris and head out Lausanne. I'll update you then!

Bon Soir!

Tyler

More Pictures from Paris!

Plants and Animals Opener (more coming)

1st Night in Paris + Cold War Kids

So my first night in Paris was a blast. I found out that Cold War Kids were playing at Le Cigale right by Sacre Coeur, so i was able to get a ticket and the show was great. I even met a guy named John who just graduated from NIU and lived in the NW suburbs, he said he went to Holy Cross high school. And he was with a chick he met at their hostel, who happens to go to ASU. So Underground Railroad opened up for Cold War Kids, and they were pretty good. So we parted ways after the show and I had to get up early b/c the next day we had meetings with Graham Brown a traveling MBA professor who does consulting as well and with BETC Euro RSCG Advertising.

I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Brown's lecture. Since i don't have my notes in front of me i can't quite remember what he all talked about, but he made us think, and that's the most important thing, right?

After that we headed to BETC EURO RSCG advertising which was very cool. I forgot how much i love marketing and things that are related to trying to sell a product. The offices are what you'd expect of an ad agency, full of creativity.

So that night I went to Le Point Ephemere, a bar/restaurant/theatre to see plant and animals. they were great! But the weirder story is that i stopped for a beer by a hostel nearby, and the girl (Andrea) who i had met at the Cold War Kids concert was there. The band that opened for P&A was really good actually, and unfortunately i never got their name, but i will do my hardest to try and find out.

More to come!