Monday 3/30 | Picking up from where I left off before. This is the day that we left Venice and took a bus through Italy to eventually get to Milan. On the way we picked up three Luxottica HR employees (as a sidenote this is a sunglass retail company and I will be co-oping for them this summer). We then drove out to the small town of Sedico to visit their Packaging and Logistics center. We then drove to Agordo to visit their primary manufacturing center. Both of these locations are centered in scenic towns nestled in the Alps. Finally, we drove to Milan where we found our hotel and then were taken to a very late, but authentic, Italian meal by the Luxotticans accompanying us. Fairly soon after that we all headed to bed.
Tuesday 3/31 | For our first full day in Milan we had a presentation at Luxottica's corporate HQ in the center of the city. After this we had the rest of the day to ourselves. I stayed with a group of girls and went to see the Duomo, shop, eat authentic Gelato (they filled the bottom of the cone with Liquid chocolate here), and eat something called a Panzerotti. We finished the day by eating dinner at a great Italian place where we tasted some wine, and had a variety platter of pastas. Our waiter was wonderful- he brought our whole table roses which was super sweet.
Wednesday 4/1 | This day began with a visit to Ratti- they manufacture silk scarves for all of the most high end brands. We listened to an Italian man's translator and saw all of their manufacturing facilities. It really was a cool process to watch. Also the bus ride out was beautiful- lots of mountains and grape fields. After a break for lunch we had a visit at Bosch. I will admit that it was arguably one of my least favorite visits because we listened to 5 very Italian speakers present on not so interesting subjects. After Bosch, Paige and I split up from the group and went to stay with the family that hosted her when she worked in Milan. They had a beautiful home and family with two little girls, and they served us an amazing dinner of pasta, mozzarella, cheeses, meats, and breads.
Thursday 4/2 | We woke up in our room very early in order to meet our group the next day for our company visits. We sat with Francesca and had cookies and tea for breakfast and then she drove us to the metro. We met up with our group, sat through another slightly boring visit with a legal firm for the paper industry called Asocarta. Next we toured Brembo- they make brakes for fancy cars like Ferarri etc. We finished this day by resting in our hotel, packing, and then eating at an American bar next to the canal.
Friday 4/3 | Paige and I woke up super early, packed, and went to a gelato place for breakfast haha. Soon thereafter we were on a bus, and then a plane to Riga, Latvia. Skipping ahead, we arrived in Riga; a very small old town. We had Indian food for dinner. Our hotel was awesome- basically like a dorm building and we had it all to ourselves.
Saturday 4/4 | Day 1 in Riga was spent sleeping and catching up on email/showers/blogs. I am pretty sure this day ended eating food with friends at the Kiwi bar. (This was a great rest day)
Sunday 4/5 | Day 2 in Riga as well as Easter Sunday. Woke up and met with people to go to a Latvian Mass..... I didn't understand anything. We then had brunch at TGI Friday's. Soon thereafter I walked around the entire town with Paige. I can't describe how small this place was. We saw as much as we could and ate at a Latvian bakery called Regnsis or something like that.
Monday 4/6 | First day of company visits in Riga- we drove out of the town about 1.5 hours to a bakery that is apparently very successful. We had a lunch of potatoes, chicken, beef, some kind of vegetable salad, and lots of bread which was fantastic. It was a very short visit in which our host, Matt Mezinzkis (a graduate of my business program) talked about his experience in Latvia and the business culture there. At the moment I cannot remember how this day ended.
Tuesday 4/7 | This was our last day in Riga. It started out pretty early with company visits- first McDonalds (Baltics Region), then Omnium Properties, followed by an amazing lunch at a nearby restaurant that ended in apple cobbler. Afterwards we headed over to the Latvian Central Bank for a presentation. We then heard from the Lithuanian Free Market Institute and a speaker from the US Embassy stationed in Riga.
Wednesday 4/8 | This was the day we left for Geneva. We took 2 short flights from a connection in Stockholm. We got in very early and were able to grab lunch at a local cafe (crepes). I spoke to the waitress in broken French which was fun. Took a short nap, did my laundry, watched some Netflix, played some euchre, and went to bed.
Thursday 4/9 | Everyone had a relaxing morning- our breakfast buffet had/still has amazing pastries, fruit, and tea. Since our company visit wasn't until 2pm we decided to play ultimate frisbee in a park across the street. Afterwards we got ready to visit the WTO (world trade organization). It was riveting. Afterwards we got food from a local grocery store and relaxed- I may have watched more Netflix.
Friday 4/10 | This was an earlier day, but it was okay because we had a bother beautiful bus ride to Vivet, France to visit the global HQ of Nestle. We had plenty of free time to explore the lake and eat lunch before the visit so we got paninis and gelato and absorbed the fantastic views. The company visit was very informative with presentations on branding and corporate sustainability. I think we finished this day by playing in the park again and possibly grabbing McDonalds for lunch... I am not proud.
Saturday 4/11 | This may be one of my favorite days ever. I woke up early, had my awesome breakfast, and left with a group to go to Annecy, France. It has a beautiful old town, a lake, a park, wonderful shops, and everyone speaks French!! We explored, toured an old jail, had crepes for lunch, took a boat out on the lake, and had a short nap in the sun. It was amazing. By the time we got back that evening we were all exhausted.
Sunday 4/12 | Yesterday I slept in, and decided to join a group of guys and my friend Claire to go hike Mont Salève, and then head over to a volleyball court to play. The view was spectacular of the surrounding mountains and the valley of Geneva. After volleyball we headed over to lake Geneva where we watched the guys jump in the ice cold water. Not long after we headed back, got some McDonald's (it was too late to go to the grocery) and soon thereafter headed to bed.
Monday 4/13 | Today we visited Honeywell and Givaudan. Both were very interesting visits (one works with aerospace and much more, the other is a flavor/fragrances manufacturer). After we got back I grabbed some food from the grocery and joined people at the park for frisbee/ping pong. After that I watched the Lizzie Maguire movie with some girls and now I am up to the present where I am typing my blog in my dark hotel room. Tomorrow we will have our last company visits and then we will all set off on our separate paths to enjoy our free 10 days!!
I love you all. As always, keep me in your prayers! You can always reach my through whatsapp, viber, and facebook messaging! :)
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