The symbol of Bern is the bear, which is why they have 4 of them in captivity on the side of a hill in bearpark. I have never seen bears swim, play and run before so it was cool, but I can't be supportive of bears in captivity. Although they used to be in this dark, circular indoor space, so at least it has improved. Oh and they do run fast! The small bears anyway. Way faster than humans. I was really charmed by Bern's old town. It is immaculate- the buildings a...

There were no reservations necessary for my train ride to Switzerland so I locked up my luggage and toured Geneva for a couple of hours. First stop- United Nations. It's the 2nd largest UN building, biggest UN conference centre. They specialize in Human Rights, while the offices in NYC are geared towards security and defense. I took the hour tour of my future workplace (still dreaming). It was really cool. Of course there was security, then they took my picture ...

I know what my favorite memory from Lyon will be, and I've just barely left. The Notre Dame basilica de Fourviere is on the edge of a high hill, visible almost everywhere in Lyon. I was in the city on a Sunday, which means church services and choirs singing. And sing they did. I think the location of the church atop the hill allowed their voices to carry. I heard them crossing the bridge way below, at the Soane river! It was like being serenaded during my walk do...

Nice was the home of Matisse and used to be very popular with British vacationers who loved to walk the promenade. I stayed just off of Place Massena at Villa St exupery beach, one of two quite famous/ popular hostels. They have tons of activities including sailing- unfortunately all were cancelled or not full enough when I was there. The square has an art installation called "conversations" and consists of 7 meditating figures atop of poles, each representing a ...

In one day, I saw Angelina Jolie in Cannes and ate pizza in Ventimiglia, Italy. Cannes, Antibes, Nice, Monte-Carlo and Ventimiglia are all along the Mediterranean Sea and I, for some reason, thought it was a good idea to see them all in one day lol. Granted I'm staying in Nice so including it isn't really fair. I started the day in Cannes, because the film festival is on right now. I took pictures at the Croisette red carpet, walked past many areas in which I co...