Friday, May 25, 2012
Switzerland: Day 2
So, this place is pretty nuts. I know going into the trip, whenever anybody asked me about the Olympic Odyssey, I always responded by saying "Oh, I'll be in London, Paris, Athens/Olympia and some place in Switzerland." But, after two days in Lausanne, I can say that this is my favorite place so far.
The hotel is right on Lake Geneva, with the unreal scene of the mountains right behind it. After seeing the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the International Olympic Committee yesterday, today is a lighter day. We have just gotten back from the Olympic Research Library which is located in the Olympic Museum just down the road from the hotel.
One thing I found that kept me very occupied was the proposal for Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics. The proposal detailed all the funding and preparation the city had already put forth in anticipation of the games and even had a map laying out the new arenas and areas which would be used during the games. As we all know, Chicago did not win the bid, but it was cool to see some of the things that were introduced to help Chicago's chances continuing to be used even though the Olympics won't be there.
I'd like to take this time to introduce a new portion of the blog that I'm going to call 'Plaut-isms'. A Plautism is a trademarked expression that has either brought great joy to the group through its hilarity, or great pain through its absurd redundancy. Here we go:
- 'Bold' (Example: Jordan barely made it onto the train, Plaut cackled and yelled 'BOLD!')
- 'Poor' (Example: James dropped his glasses, Plaut yelled 'POOR!')
- 'Special' (Example: At the Eiffel Tower, Plaut said 'That might be a little special')
- 'You think so?' (Example: Plaut's response to anyone saying anything is cool)
- Bringing up a concierge named Abbun
- Following up any sneeze with 'ah' (Example: "achu-ah"
- Preempting the buzzer announcing the closing of train doors with a last second sports call.
And what many of us might consider the best line of the trip thus far:
- "Is this umbrella waterproof?"
That's all I've got for Plautisms, I'm sure there are and will be more as the trip continues. That's all for me this afternoon, now it's beach time.
-- Tyler
The hotel is right on Lake Geneva, with the unreal scene of the mountains right behind it. After seeing the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the International Olympic Committee yesterday, today is a lighter day. We have just gotten back from the Olympic Research Library which is located in the Olympic Museum just down the road from the hotel.
One thing I found that kept me very occupied was the proposal for Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics. The proposal detailed all the funding and preparation the city had already put forth in anticipation of the games and even had a map laying out the new arenas and areas which would be used during the games. As we all know, Chicago did not win the bid, but it was cool to see some of the things that were introduced to help Chicago's chances continuing to be used even though the Olympics won't be there.
I'd like to take this time to introduce a new portion of the blog that I'm going to call 'Plaut-isms'. A Plautism is a trademarked expression that has either brought great joy to the group through its hilarity, or great pain through its absurd redundancy. Here we go:
- 'Bold' (Example: Jordan barely made it onto the train, Plaut cackled and yelled 'BOLD!')
- 'Poor' (Example: James dropped his glasses, Plaut yelled 'POOR!')
- 'Special' (Example: At the Eiffel Tower, Plaut said 'That might be a little special')
- 'You think so?' (Example: Plaut's response to anyone saying anything is cool)
- Bringing up a concierge named Abbun
- Following up any sneeze with 'ah' (Example: "achu-ah"
- Preempting the buzzer announcing the closing of train doors with a last second sports call.
And what many of us might consider the best line of the trip thus far:
- "Is this umbrella waterproof?"
That's all I've got for Plautisms, I'm sure there are and will be more as the trip continues. That's all for me this afternoon, now it's beach time.
-- Tyler
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Some new Pix
I hope you are enjoying the student Blog posts. We have had over 1750 hits on the Blog so far.
P. Ry
The Narnia of Sports
Hello!
We had a very full and exciting day today. Hopefully I will be able to portray the full experience through my blog as my peers have been able to do in their previous blogs. Today was our first official day in Lausanne, Switzerland and arguably the most important day of our trip. We had a great opportunity to visit the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). After a delicious breakfast, we made our way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for our meeting. At CAS, we learned that the Court of Arbitration for Sport was founded in 1984 to specialize in specific sport- related problems and to produce results in a timely manner.The average case takes about 3-6 months to be handled as opposed to the two years it would take a national government court.
A few things I personally found interesting were: the majority of the cases CAS handles are football (soccer). Before our meeting, I would have expected for most of their cases to be drug related. I also found it interesting that during the Olympics, CAS will be on site at the Olympic Park and available 24 hours a day in case a situation happens.
After a great meeting with CAS, we took the tram back down to Ouchy for our meeting with the IOC. On the way, a few people grabbed a light snack from a local cafe to settle the sounds of upset stomachs. We had to ride the tram, take a bus, and walk ten minutes to get from CAS to the IOC. No one mind because it was a beautiful day and we all were enjoying the sun that was no where to be found since we departed from JFK. Once we arrived at the IOC, we immediately met with the Vice President of Marketing and Representatives from Television and Marketing Services (TMS). They gave excellent presentations including several videos and clips from memorable Olympic moments. The main points of the presentation was broadcasting rights and the Olympic brand. I would have to say visiting the IOC and listening to how passionate they are about maintaining the tridations of the games has been one of my favorite aspects of our trip so far. I would say it is right next to visiting the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Once our meeting was over, we walked around and took pictures. The building was not too far from the ocean, so instead of riding the bus back to the hotel, we walked along the coast. The view was breath taking. All we could see were the Swiss Alps and sailboats. A few of us plan on going sailing or renting paddle boats before we depart for Greece on Sunday. When we finally reached the hotel, everyone was starving, so we decided to try a hamburger place Professor Ryan told us about for the only hamburger place in Switzerland. By the time we arrived at the Sports Cafe, Charma, Sydney, and I decided we wanted pizza instead. The rest of the group was not excatly thrilled with our decision. We had a delicious pizza and fantastic ice cream for dessert. Our timming was so perfect that we met the rest of the group at the tram stop on our way back to the hotel.
Today was an awesome day and packed full of adventures. I anxiously look forward to the rest of our time here in beautiful Lausanne.
Stay tunned until next time,
Delana W.
We had a very full and exciting day today. Hopefully I will be able to portray the full experience through my blog as my peers have been able to do in their previous blogs. Today was our first official day in Lausanne, Switzerland and arguably the most important day of our trip. We had a great opportunity to visit the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). After a delicious breakfast, we made our way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for our meeting. At CAS, we learned that the Court of Arbitration for Sport was founded in 1984 to specialize in specific sport- related problems and to produce results in a timely manner.The average case takes about 3-6 months to be handled as opposed to the two years it would take a national government court.
A few things I personally found interesting were: the majority of the cases CAS handles are football (soccer). Before our meeting, I would have expected for most of their cases to be drug related. I also found it interesting that during the Olympics, CAS will be on site at the Olympic Park and available 24 hours a day in case a situation happens.
After a great meeting with CAS, we took the tram back down to Ouchy for our meeting with the IOC. On the way, a few people grabbed a light snack from a local cafe to settle the sounds of upset stomachs. We had to ride the tram, take a bus, and walk ten minutes to get from CAS to the IOC. No one mind because it was a beautiful day and we all were enjoying the sun that was no where to be found since we departed from JFK. Once we arrived at the IOC, we immediately met with the Vice President of Marketing and Representatives from Television and Marketing Services (TMS). They gave excellent presentations including several videos and clips from memorable Olympic moments. The main points of the presentation was broadcasting rights and the Olympic brand. I would have to say visiting the IOC and listening to how passionate they are about maintaining the tridations of the games has been one of my favorite aspects of our trip so far. I would say it is right next to visiting the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Once our meeting was over, we walked around and took pictures. The building was not too far from the ocean, so instead of riding the bus back to the hotel, we walked along the coast. The view was breath taking. All we could see were the Swiss Alps and sailboats. A few of us plan on going sailing or renting paddle boats before we depart for Greece on Sunday. When we finally reached the hotel, everyone was starving, so we decided to try a hamburger place Professor Ryan told us about for the only hamburger place in Switzerland. By the time we arrived at the Sports Cafe, Charma, Sydney, and I decided we wanted pizza instead. The rest of the group was not excatly thrilled with our decision. We had a delicious pizza and fantastic ice cream for dessert. Our timming was so perfect that we met the rest of the group at the tram stop on our way back to the hotel.
Today was an awesome day and packed full of adventures. I anxiously look forward to the rest of our time here in beautiful Lausanne.
Stay tunned until next time,
Delana W.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
"Stairs on Stairs on Stairs"
It was a short lived stay in Paris that ended sooner than anyone wanted it to. Today we woke up just in time to pack and head for our train to Switzerland. The trip to get to the train was an adventure itself. We all got great workouts in as we lugged our suitcases up and down numerous staircases while trying to aviod being in everyones way. We were promised by Prof. Ryan that there would be no other stair cases and sure enough after the next subway ride there were two more waiting for us, but we will let that slide.
We surprisingly arrived early to the train station where we sprawled out on the floor waiting to board the train. Mike Lennon and I got a taste of what traveling in France is like when we had to pay 50 cents just to use the bathrooms. We finally boarded the train and settled in to relive all the great stories from the night before. The Jon Bigel call to Prof. Ryan on his birthday, the late night food fun incident, and I'm sure everyone's favorite the Plaut v. O'Hare bet. The ride to Switzerland was long but it was sparked by a fierce game of dots in the legendary 400 dot board battle of Lennon v. Haggerwonder. Although the dispute of whether or not dots is a good game is still in the air, it is clear that Lennon proved to be a clear champion, even though the game was canceled due to a "lack of hustle".
Finally arriving in Switzerland 3 hours later we were faced with a few more staircases that we were previously told did not exsist. We fought our way through them and took the subway to our hotel in Ouchy. The hotel is already amazing with a beautiful waterfront and comfortable pillows. Now that we were in Switzerland it was finally time to do the laundry. With over a week of dirty clothes in our bags we took over a small laundramat to wash clothes. After the laundry was done it was time to sit down and enjoy a great group dinner at Le Pinocchio's where the night before was still being discussed. Dinner was great besides the classic meal mix up when Jon P ate some of Delana's salmon. All in all it was a great day and we are looking forward to the rest of our stay in Switzerland. Let's just hope Prof. Ryan makes good on his promise and there are no more stairs.
-Carlos
We surprisingly arrived early to the train station where we sprawled out on the floor waiting to board the train. Mike Lennon and I got a taste of what traveling in France is like when we had to pay 50 cents just to use the bathrooms. We finally boarded the train and settled in to relive all the great stories from the night before. The Jon Bigel call to Prof. Ryan on his birthday, the late night food fun incident, and I'm sure everyone's favorite the Plaut v. O'Hare bet. The ride to Switzerland was long but it was sparked by a fierce game of dots in the legendary 400 dot board battle of Lennon v. Haggerwonder. Although the dispute of whether or not dots is a good game is still in the air, it is clear that Lennon proved to be a clear champion, even though the game was canceled due to a "lack of hustle".
Finally arriving in Switzerland 3 hours later we were faced with a few more staircases that we were previously told did not exsist. We fought our way through them and took the subway to our hotel in Ouchy. The hotel is already amazing with a beautiful waterfront and comfortable pillows. Now that we were in Switzerland it was finally time to do the laundry. With over a week of dirty clothes in our bags we took over a small laundramat to wash clothes. After the laundry was done it was time to sit down and enjoy a great group dinner at Le Pinocchio's where the night before was still being discussed. Dinner was great besides the classic meal mix up when Jon P ate some of Delana's salmon. All in all it was a great day and we are looking forward to the rest of our stay in Switzerland. Let's just hope Prof. Ryan makes good on his promise and there are no more stairs.
-Carlos
The Tale of Two Birthdays
Tuesday- May 22
Today was a special day on our Olympic Odyssey trip, because we are celebrating two birthdays; Professor Ryan's and Jordan's, and it was our last day in Paris. We began our day at 10 am, as we left the hotel in hopes of visiting 9 tourist attractions in one day. The weather was beautiful and we were all excited that it had finally stopped raining in Paris.
Within 6 hours we were able to see St. Michel, the Roman Ruins, The Sorbonne University, Saint Sulpice Catholic Church, Luxembourg Gardens, the Eiffel Tour, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champ Elysees, Place de la Concorde, and the Madeleine.
It was a very long day, however I was very impressed that we were able to get in every attraction that profressor Ryan had planned for us to see.
My favorite attraction of the day was visting The Sorbonne University. The Sorbonne is the builiding were the concept of the modern Olympic Games was founded by Pierre De Coubertin, in 1896. This may have been one of the most important stops on our trip.
After touring Paris, we headed to a quaint restaurant down the street from our hotel. As usual I was very nervous about eating at the restaurant, because I am not a big fan of the food in Paris. Thankfully Professor Ryan persuaded me join the rest of the group for dinner. This was the best meal that I had in Paris and the 2nd best meal that I had on the entire trip. Not only was it delicious but it was also inexpensive. Props to P. Ry for such a great dinner recommendation.
Following dinner we all headed back to the hotel and celebrated with the birthday boys.
.......Next stop Switzerland
"Mind the Crack"(Inside Joke)
Today was a special day on our Olympic Odyssey trip, because we are celebrating two birthdays; Professor Ryan's and Jordan's, and it was our last day in Paris. We began our day at 10 am, as we left the hotel in hopes of visiting 9 tourist attractions in one day. The weather was beautiful and we were all excited that it had finally stopped raining in Paris.
Within 6 hours we were able to see St. Michel, the Roman Ruins, The Sorbonne University, Saint Sulpice Catholic Church, Luxembourg Gardens, the Eiffel Tour, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champ Elysees, Place de la Concorde, and the Madeleine.
It was a very long day, however I was very impressed that we were able to get in every attraction that profressor Ryan had planned for us to see.
My favorite attraction of the day was visting The Sorbonne University. The Sorbonne is the builiding were the concept of the modern Olympic Games was founded by Pierre De Coubertin, in 1896. This may have been one of the most important stops on our trip.
After touring Paris, we headed to a quaint restaurant down the street from our hotel. As usual I was very nervous about eating at the restaurant, because I am not a big fan of the food in Paris. Thankfully Professor Ryan persuaded me join the rest of the group for dinner. This was the best meal that I had in Paris and the 2nd best meal that I had on the entire trip. Not only was it delicious but it was also inexpensive. Props to P. Ry for such a great dinner recommendation.
Following dinner we all headed back to the hotel and celebrated with the birthday boys.
.......Next stop Switzerland
"Mind the Crack"(Inside Joke)
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