500 Miles High

We're back in France! We are just arriving in Aix en Provence from a 7 hour bus ride. We all got in substantial napping time, and we also enjoyed the 'Useless Fact' tradition on bus rides. - Twice a day on the bus, someone will share a completely useless fact with the group. The only rule is that the fact cannot be relevant to any situation whatsoever. Long bus rides can be grueling, but they are very enjoyable when you're with 25 of your closest friends.
     On Friday we visited the Cailler chocolate factory in Switzerland! It smelled delicious as soon as we were in the parking lot. We went on a tour through the factory-by far the greatest chocolate tour I've ever been on. It went through nine different rooms, and each room had a display and aural explanation. Afterwards, we got to sample the chocolate-and then, of course, we went crazy in the shop. No offense PA, but Switzerland definitely tops Hershey's. Here's a picture of the group taste testing a lot of chocolate:)

        A side group of four science students visited nearby CERN. Organized by recent graduate Matt Murray, this group took a train about an hour away from Montreux while the rest of the group went to visit the chocolate factory. They had a lot of fun and learned a lot on a private tour of the facility given by one of the researchers there.
        That night, we performed our first show at the Montreux Jazz Festival. For those of you that don't know it, Montreux is the second largest jazz festival in the world, right on the shore of Lake Geneva. During one of the pieces, I looked behind the audience and saw huge mountains and a gorgeous lake...and then a sailboat floated by. Not bad scenery for an outdoor concert. The crowd really enjoyed the concert as well. After the show, there was some to relax in the beautiful environment. Some students went out on the town, I  enjoyed some delicious local fondue. After dinner I went out with a few friends to the local jazz cafe for a free show. The joint was hopping and everyone enjoyed themselves. The enjoyment couldn't last all night, however, since we had to get up early the next day for more adventures. Here's a picture of the band playing at Montreux.

          On Saturday, we got up early to board a train to Rocher de Naye- an Alp summit about an hour away. We arrived to (once again) breath taking scenery. We all hiked through the Alps, literally on the edge of cliffs. (It was terrifying for those afraid of heights.) There were also cages of Marmuts all around the area, so we enjoyed seeing them as well. After a few hours of picture taking, hiking, and camaraderie, we boarded the train back to Montreux.
             We played at the festival again on Saturday at 3:15pm. We had a really great show, and the audience was more receptive than on Friday. Some highlights include toddlers dancing to our music in front of the stage, US musicians from a Dixieland group based in Denver cheering us on, and some faster tempos to keep things exciting. After our concert, we rushed to a boat for a naval tour of lake Montreux.

            Saturday night we enjoyed sitting on the terrace of our hotel, watching the heat storm around Lake Geneva. The lightening above the lake was incredible. Later on, we all headed to our rooms to pack our things and go to bed. This is the view of Lake Geneva we saw from the hotel.

           Now, we are officially back in France for the remainder of the trip. We have one performance tonight at the Domaine de l'Etang des Aulnes venue near St. Martin de Crau. On Monday and Tuesday we will do more relaxing, and enjoy two full days without concerts. For now,  we will be enjoying two days in Aix en Provence!