ADVENTURES AT FRANKLIN

Welcome to a new installation in this series! My Spring 2021 Academia Travel gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to get to know this sustainable yet tourist town, Zermatt, inside and out. This is definitely my favorite article to write so far, as now Zermatt has a special spot in my heart.  While spending a week there with my classmates I was able to experience snowshoeing, sledding (though I.. lasted a minute), hiking to village towns such as Zmutt, and even more hiking after that. We got to visit the Julen farm and a local dairy factory as well that contributes largely to the hotel and food industr y in Zermatt! I’ll have to tell you more, as a summary does not do the city justice! A Brief History of Zermatt I was able to visit the Matterhorn Museum, which contained the entire historical development of Zermatt, including a real-size house that was made back in the 1800s, antique hiking equipment from past climbers, and the rope that broke in the tragedy of the First Ascent of M...

It’s time for a new installation in this series! As my first time publishing for ‘Swiss Cities in Depth,’ a portion of this article will be dedicated to my experience at Bellinzona. The personal touch alongside an overview and some sites to visit seem exactly up my alley. I mean, you could google the entire history of Bellinzona in your free time, right? So, let's get straight to why this picturesque city is worth the visit! Brief Overview of Bellinzona Bellinzona is the capital of the Swiss canton of Ticino and was situated in a strategic location. The city surrounds the Swiss Alps and is on the Alpine foothill, meanwhile, the ‘Tre Castelli’ surrounds the city! The Castles of Bellinzona, which are also the symbol of Ticino’s capital, consist of three castles: Castelgrande, Montebello, and Sasso Corbaro. These giant fortifications act as walls surrounding the city, and since 2000 have been acknowledged as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Culture and Castles: Things to do Bellinzona wa...

" Switzerland  is a small, steep country, much more up and down than sideways, and is all stuck over with large brown hotels built on the cuckoo style  of   architecture" - Ernest Hemingway,  American Journalist, Novelist, Short-story Writer, and Sportsman. Welcome back or welcome to Adventures at Franklin! This week, we have the fourth post in the "Swiss Cities in Depth" series! Check out the first post of Lugano , the second post on Bern , and the third post on Geneva . Geneva is the 2nd largest city in Switzerland (by population) so I think it is only fitting that I now cover the largest city in Switzerland.  I'll look briefly at Zurich's history and some sites to visit! Brief History:  Early Beginnings: The first mention I could find of Zurich as a city was from 15 B.C. The Romans established Zurich, which was then called Turicum. Turicum was a military encampment. Roman rule ended around 400 A.D. and this coincided with the arrival of a Germanic tribe,...

"I love  Switzerland . It's so clean and cool. We don't get much snow where I live so I get real excited in Lausanne and  Geneva . I'd like to buy a house there when I'm older and settle down" -Michael Joseph Jackson,  American Singer, Songwriter, and Dancer. Welcome back or welcome to  Adventures at Franklin! 4 years ago, a wonderful series on this blog called "Swiss Cities in Depth" began. Check out the first post on Lugano here  and the second post on Bern right here . Today, I'm so happy to be able to continue this series, and write about a city very close to my heart. For those of you who may not know, I am from and grew up in Geneva. I lived there from 2002-2009, and then from 2012-2017. In 2017, I moved to Lugano to study at FUS but I return to Geneva multiple times a semester, as well as for winter and summer breaks.  I also chose to write this post because usually around this time of year, the "FUS visits Romandie" or "Swi...