My First Full Week!

Well, all in all, this was a fantastic week in Switzerland! On Thursday, I took a tour of the city with some other girls from my French class, and we got to go the chateau here. It is beautiful, and overlooks the whole city. It was the last sunny day of the week, but it was very nice. We ate yummy little buttery stick things (I have no idea what they are called), after being welcomed by a member of the government of Neuchatel. We did lots of walking around the city and through the little streets, so it was tiring, but lots of fun.

Friday was a bit chilly, and we wound up having thunder and lightening in the evening. It was a rather tiring week, with language classes and whatnot, so I took a nice long nap in the afternoon, and did a good bit of reading. I also started knitting my very first hat... so we'll see how that goes.

Saturday was cold, but very nice. I went with Anna and the family to this little garden/park outside of Neuchatel. It was beautiful, and quite unique. All of the materials used at the park were recyclable, so there were towers made out of rubber, and little streams of glass. But it was really fun. After that, we ate a wonderful lunch. I had my first little French pastry of the year! A raspberry torte that was fantastic! I got a letter from home, as well as a sweet CD (Thanks, Jaye!), so that was exciting. After another relaxing afternoon, we bid farewell to Anna. It was very sad to see her go, because it was so nice to have her around! She provided me with tons of information and advice, and was so very sweet and helpful. After dropping her off at the train station, we all went to the park that is close to the house. We came home to.... another delicious meal :)

Today (Sunday), I went to church in the morning. It was a little scary without Anna there, but I was warmly welcomed by everyone who I met last week. I got another little nap in today, as well as a good bit of reading. The rain continues, but it is still beautiful. It is supposed to clear up for tomorrow, so I hope to do a little bit more exploring around town. After a pleasant afternoon, we enjoyed more good food. I met Simeon and Baptiste's "grandmother" (who is really just a friend of Marie's, but a grandma to the kids), and she brought a hazelnut cake. It was... you guessed it... delicious.

So, that recaps the first week of my year here in Switzerland. It was slightly overwhelming and exhausting to do most everything in French, and a little lonely at times, but all in all it was a wonderful week!