Last April, I went on a school trip to Switzerland to learn more about science. We arrived at school at 12:55 in the morning (très early!) and began a very long coach ride to Heathrow Airport, where we caught our flight.
When we landed in Geneva at 9.15 am we went straight to the hotel to drop off our bags, then walked to Lake Geneva to see the famous Jet d’Eau – a giant water fountain that shoots water 140 metres into the air at 200 km per hour! It’s one of Geneva’s most iconic landmarks and was originally created by accident as a pressure release for a hydraulic plant. We also visited the History of Science Museum, which had fascinating exhibits on early scientific instruments and discoveries. Some of the displays were a bit unexpected, but overall it was an interesting look at how science has evolved over time. Later, we toured the United Nations Office, one of the four major UN offices in the world. We were so tired that many of us struggled to stay awake during the talk – but it was still cool to be in such an important international building. That evening, we returned to the hotel for dinner, which unfortunately didn’t sit well with everyone. The hotel rooms were a bit underwhelming – but they gave us a place to rest and recharge after our busy day.
The next day, after a continental breakfast (I had cornflakes), we visited CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. We had a guided tour and saw some amazing demonstrations, including one where a train floated using magnets! CERN is home to the world’s largest particle physics lab and the famous Large Hadron Collider. In the afternoon, we explored Geneva. At one point, one of our teachers accidentally boarded a train that left before the rest of us could get on, so she ended up back at the hotel while we were still in town! That night, we had dinner at a restaurant called Holy Cow, which was delicious.
On day three, we had another continental breakfast (yes, more cornflakes), then visited the Natural History Museum of Geneva, which had everything from dinosaur skeletons to local wildlife. We walked back to the Jet d’Eau and took a cruise on Lake Geneva, where we saw someone doing Titanic poses – classic. Afterwards, we visited the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, which tells the story of humanitarian aid and global crises. It was a bit dull at first, but we found a mysterious room with dramatic lighting that we jokingly called the “cult room.” We made up a story about summoning a character from a pizza box named Davida. For dinner, we went to Pizzeria La Trattoria, which was a great way to end the trip.
