The last few days have been action packed. Our group hit the ground running after arriving in our home base of Leysin, Switzerland. We got familiar with our new stomping grounds by taking a moderate hike around La Berneuse and nearby Lake Mayen, taking in the beautiful scenery and getting to know one another with some team building activities. In the afternoon we headed down to Parc Aventure, a local ropes course in Aigle, where the group tackled rope walls, cable bridges, suspended monkey bars, and one of Switzerland’s longest zip lines. We took in the breathtaking views of the local castle while on the way for some tasty pizza.

The next morning the group headed to Les Marécottes to meet up with Gil and the rest of his crew from No Limits Canyoning. Wearing multiple wetsuits and dressed up like marshmallow people, the group conquered their fears in the courses’ various zip lines, natural slides, and jumps into through the chilly river water. After a picnic lunch, we stopped in Martinique for some much needed sun and a quick dip in a lake.

Tuesday, we headed down to Montreux to check out Château de Chillon, a local castle built in the 12th Century and an integral defense for the House of Savoy. Later we saw some local jazz at Montreux’s very famous annual jazz festival. Our time in Montreux brought the group together and reaffirmed our commitment to teamwork and adventure during our European tour.

We had a relaxing Thursday in Leysin — some had personal time, while others visited some local thermal hot springs. For dinner, we ate world famous Swiss Fondue up on the look out, La Profondaz. Tonight, we’re packing up and saying goodbye to Switzerland as we catch an early train tomorrow headed to our final destination: Florence, Italy.

– Alicia, Tim, and Jonathan