I’m still searching for my Paolo after my weekend in Rome, but after being in that city for the weekend, Paolo was the last thing on my mind. I went with two of my friends, Iyana Jones and Deanna Weech, and I think I can successfully say that we conquered Rome in one weekend. In just the first day alone, we saw the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and the Colosseum.

On day two, we walked to Vatican City and spent the day there. We even saw the Pope at a mass when we first entered the city! This was also the first hostel we had ever stayed at, and, maybe it was luck, but it was actually pretty nice. It was a great weekend, and I would love to go back if I can find the time during the rest of my stay in Europe.

The sad part was that the weekend did have to end eventually, but I had another trip I could look forward to which got me through the school week. This past weekend, I went to Geneva, Switzerland with Deanna and wow—was that a trip to remember!

Switzerland is known for being on the expensive side; but luckily, we found some really cheap round-trip flights, and the hostel we stayed at was decently priced.

We got there Friday with basically no game plan, so we just wandered around the city. We found the river and there was the Jet d’Eau, which is this stream of water that can go as high as 100 feet.

We also walked around Old City, which is the less modernized part of Geneva and found Swiss chocolate. It was, hands down, the best chocolate I have ever had, and I don’t usually like chocolate. To top it off, we went to a restaurant, where we were served fondue and there is no better kind of fondue than Swiss cheese fondue. I honestly don’t know if I have ever been happier than in that moment eating fondue in Geneva.

The next day was even better. Geneva is right next to France, where there is a mountain (Mount Saleve) that overlooks the city and all of Switzerland. On Saturday Feb. 6, Deanna and I literally just walked across the border into France and climbed the mountain from bottom to top. Deanna and I are not experienced hikers, so we had our work cut out for us from the beginning, but after two and a half hours, we made it to the top. The hike up was filled with so much beautiful scenery and the view across Switzerland made those two and a half hours well worth it.

We ended our trip on Sunday Feb. 7, but not before we visited the Palais de Nations (United Nations). It was a beautiful, but expensive, trip and it was totally worth it. I can’t wait to see where the rest of my adventures take me, but for now, back to school!