Off to Château de Chillon!

Greetings from Geneva! Our last two nights have been spent seeing exquisite landmarks in and around Geneva, Switzerland. We have had the opportunity to see the St. Pierre Cathedral, the house where Mary and Percy Shelley lodged, but most importantly the Château de Chillon and a statue that resembles the Monster in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

For the first half of our semester, students in a Psychology and Literature class have been studying Frankenstein. Now, they have been able to see some of the famous locations that led to the development of the story as well as other masterpieces that have been inspired by Frankenstein. Walking through the area where the Shelley’s stayed and developed their stories was absolutely fantastic. We also saw a statue that was an interpretation of what the Monster in Frankenstein looked like. Students also read a poem written by Byron called “The Prisoner of Chillon.” The poem was inspired by the story of Bonivard, who was kept as a prisoner in the castle pictured. Students toured the castle and saw the area where Bonivard was imprisoned and the other parts of the castle. One of the images has blue footprints around a pillar that show the area in which Bonivard paced while imprisoned. Finally, students also had some time to walk around in Geneva. Some of our students climbed the tower that is part of the St. Pierre Cathedral and were able to capture some beautiful images. Switzerland continues to amaze us every day and our students cannot wait to see what else is in store for them.