What Students Say – Sports and Leisure

The following are quotes from students who were on the program.

 

Swimming: Geneve-Natation 1885 is a club swim team with elite swimmers, that practice twice a day but a flexible enough schedule that will fit into a work or school schedule. They practice at Vernets, a huge sports complex with ice skating, hockey games, and the pool is open too. There’s a weight room as well, but the hours are tough to schedule in. It’s 3 CF per day for students but you can buy monthly passes as well (I bought a membership to the team which was expensive)

Hiking in Lauterbrunnen, Murren, and Interlaken area is best bet by far

Running: there are marathons, 1/2 marathons, 10Ks, and 5Ks all over Switzerland! Big running communities are here. The best route to run is left across Paquis up to the Botanical gardens, so pretty.

 

Negotiate a price with California fitness (I talked them down to 250CHF/month)

 

The Lausanne 1/2 marathon was a lot of fun and the route was beautiful, all along the lake. They do a 10k and a full marathon as well. Take advantage of hiking season if you enjoy hiking! I also suggest for people who haven’t hiked before to try it – there are PLENTY of places to go with all different levels of difficulty – and it will always be beautiful.

 

Running by Lac Leman, taking the boat across the lake, the Botanical Gardens, the flea markets in Plainpalais, the food markets in Molard, shopping around Old Town and finding little cafes was my favorite thing, going into Carouge for different antique shops and feeling of Geneva. General weekend trips are great to France and to get out of Geneva as well. I found the California Fitness gym to be great because it is across the street. If you bargain with them they will give you a deal if a couple of people sign up. Skiing through the university is the best deal and a great way to see the mountains.

 

As it has been getting warmer, I love spending more and more time outside! I love walking around the city and old town, and running along the lake. Though I would say I recommend not running alone after sundown, but that is personal preference.

 

Soccer in France with Alex, tried the Geneva running group but that was mainly an older crowd, yoga on Tuesdays through my work

 

Renting paddleboats on the lake and playing soccer and relaxing in Parc des Eaux-Vives (Parc La Grange) on Sundays.

 

I ran basically every day around the lake which was super nice. And the park right by the residence was perfect for when we wanted to play a pickup game of some sort. I also took advantage of the University ski trips. It was a really good deal and I highly recommend it! Some mountains were better than others: Les Contamines was the best!