As a child, growing up in Cairo, I read about faraway places. One of the most fascinating things to me were how the villages communicated with each other by Alphorns. It was something that I wanted to do every since and finally, during the YES course , our group was taken on a walking tour of Switzerland villages.
Just being in Switzerland was amazing in itself not mention taking a walking tour! Coming from a city such as Cairo, where walking tours are unheard of, I was in awe of this freedom. I have not been on many tours my entire life, and this was the most fun I believe I have have ever had.
At our first stop, our tour guide talked about the mountain and it’s size. The view was so breathtaking! It reminded me of time I had spent in New Zealand. It was like being a part of a story book, almost fairytale like.
After a bit, we stopped and our tour guide passed around chunks of Swiss cheese. Sampling a taste of the local fare was amazing. A little later, as if sharing the Swiss cheese wasn’t enough, he gave each of a family sized Swiss chocolate bar! Swiss cheese and Swiss chocolate in this beautiful countryside was so wonderful.
At our final stop, I saw my childhood dream – an Alphorn! Then when they asked our tour group who would like to try tit, I ran up the hill as quick as I could! It was apparent that our tour guide’s son, a normal kid, loved playing it.
The Alphorn is such a different and weird instrument. Compared to the typical flute that most of us are familiar with, it is much heavier. It sound is so mellow and I could almost feel reverberated sound it carried for long distances.
This was such a thrill for me for the opportunity to play an instrument that I thought were only in the books I read as a child. This will be a memory I will have always and forever.
