Our first month of travel included many famous cities in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany, but probably the least well-known city on our itinerary was Sils-Maria, Switzerland. Despite its more remote location, it was a highlight of the trip for many of us. Sils-Maria is surrounded by the vast, enchanting Alps and is at the base of Piz Corvatsch, one of the highest peaks in the mountains. When we arrived the first evening, half of our study group went to a hotel and the other half went to live in the Nietzsche House. It was an extraordinary experience living in a famous philosopher’s home, not only because we had Nietzsche’s ghost watching over us, but also because it gave us a first hand opportunity to understand his works from his background. It is understandable why Nietzsche chose to spend his summers in Sils-Maria, because if this is what the atmosphere was like in the winter, the summer must be unbelievable. The cold weather was a minor drawback; however, we did have some benefits from the snow. On our first full day, some students had the incredible chance to ski in the Alps while others took in the sweeping mountains from the top of the Alps on Corvatsch. The weather was beautiful, the sky was clear to see the surrounding landscape, and the slopes were perfect. Sils offered us a change of pace on the trip as well. After our first busier days in the cities of Freiburg and Zurich, we were able to sit down as a group and have classes again. Sils offered us a chance to reflect on our trip so far, as well as time to get to know the people in our group better. The communal living spaces allowed us to get closer to people we were living with, as we all were able to cook meals and practice our German skills together. After our four days in Sils-Maria we left with stronger ties to each other, incomparable experiences, and an eagerness to explore the next city, Salzburg.
