Day 15 and 16: The Swiss Alps
Ah Switzerland... the land of chocolate, clocks and knives. An extremely beautiful but expensive place to live. I was right in my prediction about the scenery - its the best on this trip! Neither words or photos can do it justice. Its so green and rocky with many beautiful little lakes and streams.
We drove through a few small towns along the way, most notably the capital of Lichenstein ("Sir Orlik" from A Knight's Tale anyone? ;) and Lucerne in Switzerland where we admired their clocks and knives as well as their chocolate. We finally stopped in a little town called Lauterbrunnern near the Janfrau mountain for the night.
In the morning, we took a train 3265 ft up the mountain to "The Top of Europe" where I spent the day walking through their ice palace (made up of a series of tunnels carved into the side of a glacier) and partaking in a variety of winter activities (such as snow boarding, skiing, throwing snowballs, tubbing and sledding). I had some difficulty catching my breath at times due to the high altitude but it was still very fun. The best part of it all was seeing the reaction of several Australian girls who were experiencing snow for the first time. Hilarious... The only downer of the day was that I forgot to apply sun screen before leaving so my face got pretty burnt.
Its hard to believe that my tour is nearly over - only 4 days left. Tomorrow we're heading into the Rhine Valley and then onto Amsterdam.
Monday 23 August 2010
Thursday 19 August 2010
Bryan's Further Adventures in Europe
Day 12-13: Austia Tyrol
Ah Austria! Where the hills are alive with the sound of music... well maybe not as (aside from the ol' Ipod) I haven't heard so much as a peep. But its a nice image nevertheless. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous - the most spectacular thus far. In case you haven't noticed, I just adore mountainous terrain! Here also is where we went white water rafting and tandem paragliding (and biking, but that's not nearly as interesting is it? ;).
Ok, so white water rafting: we went down grade 3 rapids (can't remember the river at the moment) which were fun, but I would've liked something a bit more rougher (you know me and waves). That being said, I did over-extend during one of my strokes as a wave hit and ended up in the water. The worst part is that my partner didn't even notice and it took the guide yelling "Man in the water!" for him to pull me out. No damage done though (actually it was the best part of the trip lol). We als had a guy who got motion sickness and of course he sat behind me... luckily he managed to lean over-board.
Paragliding was cool - we had our guide strapped to the back of our seat who controlled our decent (and performed a few ariel acrobatics). To start, we had to sprint down the side of the mountain until we built up enough speed for the wind to catch our parachute and pull us up. It was a good thing we were able to go too - the good weather had deserted us and we didn't find out if it was on or not until 1:15pm that afternoon.
On another positive not, those persistent flu-like symptoms seem to have disappeared :).
Day 14: Austria to Munich
Today we had a drive through the German countryside to Munich. It was nice enough I suppose but it just couldn't compare to the Austrian landscape. One of the "problems" of a whirlwind trip like this is that you see so much so quickly that you can become a bit jaded. For example, in Munich I walked through two Lutheran churches, Peterplaz and Frauenplaz. In the beginning they would have rated their own entry, while now they are simply a footnote. Thy were beautiful to be sure, but I've just seen so many beautiful churches that they don't seem special.
During the drive we stopped at the Dauchu concentration camp. Like the Anne Frank museum in Amsterdam, it was moving in its starkness. One moment really stood out for me though - I was walking through the gas chambers when I passed a girl (no more than 2 years old) walking with her father, happily gurgling in that cute, toddler way. The contrast between "then" and "now" just kinda made me think: 75 years ago this was a place of great suffering and dispair while now it is a place for little children to walk with their familes. How things change...
In Munich of course we went to a beer hall where we feasted on pork knuckle, saukraut and dumplings while being entertained by dancing bar wenches playing bells. Life was good... and it was some cracking crackling ;)
Ah Austria! Where the hills are alive with the sound of music... well maybe not as (aside from the ol' Ipod) I haven't heard so much as a peep. But its a nice image nevertheless. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous - the most spectacular thus far. In case you haven't noticed, I just adore mountainous terrain! Here also is where we went white water rafting and tandem paragliding (and biking, but that's not nearly as interesting is it? ;).
Ok, so white water rafting: we went down grade 3 rapids (can't remember the river at the moment) which were fun, but I would've liked something a bit more rougher (you know me and waves). That being said, I did over-extend during one of my strokes as a wave hit and ended up in the water. The worst part is that my partner didn't even notice and it took the guide yelling "Man in the water!" for him to pull me out. No damage done though (actually it was the best part of the trip lol). We als had a guy who got motion sickness and of course he sat behind me... luckily he managed to lean over-board.
Paragliding was cool - we had our guide strapped to the back of our seat who controlled our decent (and performed a few ariel acrobatics). To start, we had to sprint down the side of the mountain until we built up enough speed for the wind to catch our parachute and pull us up. It was a good thing we were able to go too - the good weather had deserted us and we didn't find out if it was on or not until 1:15pm that afternoon.
On another positive not, those persistent flu-like symptoms seem to have disappeared :).
Day 14: Austria to Munich
Today we had a drive through the German countryside to Munich. It was nice enough I suppose but it just couldn't compare to the Austrian landscape. One of the "problems" of a whirlwind trip like this is that you see so much so quickly that you can become a bit jaded. For example, in Munich I walked through two Lutheran churches, Peterplaz and Frauenplaz. In the beginning they would have rated their own entry, while now they are simply a footnote. Thy were beautiful to be sure, but I've just seen so many beautiful churches that they don't seem special.
During the drive we stopped at the Dauchu concentration camp. Like the Anne Frank museum in Amsterdam, it was moving in its starkness. One moment really stood out for me though - I was walking through the gas chambers when I passed a girl (no more than 2 years old) walking with her father, happily gurgling in that cute, toddler way. The contrast between "then" and "now" just kinda made me think: 75 years ago this was a place of great suffering and dispair while now it is a place for little children to walk with their familes. How things change...
In Munich of course we went to a beer hall where we feasted on pork knuckle, saukraut and dumplings while being entertained by dancing bar wenches playing bells. Life was good... and it was some cracking crackling ;)
Tuesday 17 August 2010
Day 7 - 12: Italy
The last few days have been quite hectic - awesome and fun-filled but still hectic. Hence why I have not had the opportunity to make an entry for awhile. There's no way at this point that I could describe everything I saw and experienced in Italy without devoting pages and pages, so I'll make a few comments here and put the rest on my photos when I get back home and post them. OK? Well, this was another one of those rhetorical questions as there isn't much you could do to change it now is there? lol
I've always said before that one thing I love about European cities is how the "old" and "new" is smooshed together... well its even moreso over in Italy (especially Rome). Rome is like a giant archeological dig site! Did you know that they've been trying to extend their subway lines for many years (and don't expect to finish anytime soon) because ecery couple of feet they dig, they hit another ancient ruin that needs to be excavated. The whole city is built above the old one... in some places its 8m higher than 1000 years ago!
I also found that (aside from the ancient ruins) I wasn't all that impressed with Rome. The ruins were fabulous, but as a modern city, it leaves something to be desired. It seems that the government spends money to maintain the tourist areas and leaves the rest of the city to its own devices. For example, large parts seemed run down and the pavement was extremely uneven. I guess my point is that I loved to visit it, but wouldn't want to live there.
In contrast, Venice was the Italian city that impressed me the most... so many windy roads and criss-crossing bridges and canals. I was half-expecting there to be a smell, but there wasn't... also the mosquitoes weren't nearly as bad as I'd been led to believe. Only a few bites :). It was easy to get lost in though, but I managed. Oh! And those masks - they were so cool and every second shop seemed to be selling them. Of course I purchased a couple examples for my collection :). You do have to be watchful of your belongings - one of the group members lost his wallet! Fortunately he seems to have got things sorted and didn't lose anything irreplacable.
There's not much I have to say about Florence... it was quite beautiful and I had a great time there as well.
The things I'll remember most about Italy is probably the food (and wine ;). They have a bit of a "minimalist" approach to cooking... they use a few ingredients and bring their full flavour out. The pasta and sandwiches and pizza and coffee.... mmmmm.... The weather has also been superb so far. Let's hope it countinues as we travel into Austria and Germany.
I've always said before that one thing I love about European cities is how the "old" and "new" is smooshed together... well its even moreso over in Italy (especially Rome). Rome is like a giant archeological dig site! Did you know that they've been trying to extend their subway lines for many years (and don't expect to finish anytime soon) because ecery couple of feet they dig, they hit another ancient ruin that needs to be excavated. The whole city is built above the old one... in some places its 8m higher than 1000 years ago!
I also found that (aside from the ancient ruins) I wasn't all that impressed with Rome. The ruins were fabulous, but as a modern city, it leaves something to be desired. It seems that the government spends money to maintain the tourist areas and leaves the rest of the city to its own devices. For example, large parts seemed run down and the pavement was extremely uneven. I guess my point is that I loved to visit it, but wouldn't want to live there.
In contrast, Venice was the Italian city that impressed me the most... so many windy roads and criss-crossing bridges and canals. I was half-expecting there to be a smell, but there wasn't... also the mosquitoes weren't nearly as bad as I'd been led to believe. Only a few bites :). It was easy to get lost in though, but I managed. Oh! And those masks - they were so cool and every second shop seemed to be selling them. Of course I purchased a couple examples for my collection :). You do have to be watchful of your belongings - one of the group members lost his wallet! Fortunately he seems to have got things sorted and didn't lose anything irreplacable.
There's not much I have to say about Florence... it was quite beautiful and I had a great time there as well.
The things I'll remember most about Italy is probably the food (and wine ;). They have a bit of a "minimalist" approach to cooking... they use a few ingredients and bring their full flavour out. The pasta and sandwiches and pizza and coffee.... mmmmm.... The weather has also been superb so far. Let's hope it countinues as we travel into Austria and Germany.
Monday 16 August 2010
French Riviera
Day 5: Beaujolais - French Rivera
This was another travel day. The good thing about these days are that any spending is usually less... which is a good thing cause Europe is quite an expensive place. I slept for most of the ride again but what I saw of the region was very picturesque. The terrain is getting more rocky which I absolutely love!
After dropping our stuff at the camp, we had a few hours in Monaco, the second smallest country (only the Vatican is smaller). The city is very rich and built up on the side of the hills, affording spectacular views... so of course I forgot my camera (sigh). May need to steal some pictures from my fellow Contiki goers... I elected not to go inside the casinos (I like to keep my money in my wallet thank you very much lol) so I wandered around taking in the sights. Most who went in had minor losses - the highest winner I heard of was 40 euros.
Day 6 French Riveria - Florence
This is the dawn of our longest bus ride thus far - 6 hours! I'm glad I was moderate in my celebrations last night and got a good sleep because we are driving along these incredible windy mountain roads - each turn providing another amazing panoramic view. I really wish my camera took decent moving pictures through glass...
Speaking of drinking, I'm going to go on a bit of a rant here about some of the people at our last camp (from another group) who were incredibly annoying. I have nothing against having a good time, but on a trip like this when you are sharing accomodations with others, there is a certain amount of respect necessary and I just hate it when people are so inconsiderate. We literally had people running through other campers' cabins and drinking on their doorsteps at 3am! When they were told to keep it down they simply laughed. I mean really! There were those on our coach who were too exhausted from no sleep do to the noise to enjoy the scenery the next day. Gah! I wish Contiki could do something about that kind of behaviour... "what" I'm not sure, but something surely!
This was another travel day. The good thing about these days are that any spending is usually less... which is a good thing cause Europe is quite an expensive place. I slept for most of the ride again but what I saw of the region was very picturesque. The terrain is getting more rocky which I absolutely love!
After dropping our stuff at the camp, we had a few hours in Monaco, the second smallest country (only the Vatican is smaller). The city is very rich and built up on the side of the hills, affording spectacular views... so of course I forgot my camera (sigh). May need to steal some pictures from my fellow Contiki goers... I elected not to go inside the casinos (I like to keep my money in my wallet thank you very much lol) so I wandered around taking in the sights. Most who went in had minor losses - the highest winner I heard of was 40 euros.
Day 6 French Riveria - Florence
This is the dawn of our longest bus ride thus far - 6 hours! I'm glad I was moderate in my celebrations last night and got a good sleep because we are driving along these incredible windy mountain roads - each turn providing another amazing panoramic view. I really wish my camera took decent moving pictures through glass...
Speaking of drinking, I'm going to go on a bit of a rant here about some of the people at our last camp (from another group) who were incredibly annoying. I have nothing against having a good time, but on a trip like this when you are sharing accomodations with others, there is a certain amount of respect necessary and I just hate it when people are so inconsiderate. We literally had people running through other campers' cabins and drinking on their doorsteps at 3am! When they were told to keep it down they simply laughed. I mean really! There were those on our coach who were too exhausted from no sleep do to the noise to enjoy the scenery the next day. Gah! I wish Contiki could do something about that kind of behaviour... "what" I'm not sure, but something surely!
Thursday 12 August 2010
Day 3 and 4 - Paris to Beaujolais Region
Day 3 - Travel Day
It was an early day for us which was quite painful for some given the copious amounts of alcohol consumed the night before... But we all eventually made it to the coach and headed off to the Beaujolais wine region. There's not much to talk about the drive - it was a standard road trip across some nice scenery. Most slept.
We arrived at the gorgeous Contiki Chateau in the middle of one of the smallest wine areas in France. Don't let its size fool you - the wine is still top-notch. They have a limited production run at this vineyard and only export a limited number of bottles to Germany and Europe. They also make a nasty alcohol called eau de vin or water of life... among the staff it is (more appropriately known as eau de mort or water of death. I'll let your imaginations fill in the rest :).
Day 4 - 2nd Day in Beaujolais
Today was what a vacation should be about. We had a free day to laze around the chateau and relax. The weather continued to be absolutely fantastic so we all went on a hike up the side of a nearby hill to the "Top of the World", the highest point in the region. It was a fairly challenging in some parts but most of us made it to the top and were able to appreciate the view.
We had our French style picnic then headed back to spend the rest of the afternoon at the pool side. Apparently I am still unable to perform a back flip or back dive (to the amusment of everyone present)... ow... On the bright side, I spent the whole day in the sun without getting burned! I may even be getting some colour - go me!
That evening we had an 80s themed party in "The Cave", a basement bar. I was rocking to Micheal Jackson while wearing a red bandana and a full bottle of wine... life is good.
It was an early day for us which was quite painful for some given the copious amounts of alcohol consumed the night before... But we all eventually made it to the coach and headed off to the Beaujolais wine region. There's not much to talk about the drive - it was a standard road trip across some nice scenery. Most slept.
We arrived at the gorgeous Contiki Chateau in the middle of one of the smallest wine areas in France. Don't let its size fool you - the wine is still top-notch. They have a limited production run at this vineyard and only export a limited number of bottles to Germany and Europe. They also make a nasty alcohol called eau de vin or water of life... among the staff it is (more appropriately known as eau de mort or water of death. I'll let your imaginations fill in the rest :).
Day 4 - 2nd Day in Beaujolais
Today was what a vacation should be about. We had a free day to laze around the chateau and relax. The weather continued to be absolutely fantastic so we all went on a hike up the side of a nearby hill to the "Top of the World", the highest point in the region. It was a fairly challenging in some parts but most of us made it to the top and were able to appreciate the view.
We had our French style picnic then headed back to spend the rest of the afternoon at the pool side. Apparently I am still unable to perform a back flip or back dive (to the amusment of everyone present)... ow... On the bright side, I spent the whole day in the sun without getting burned! I may even be getting some colour - go me!
That evening we had an 80s themed party in "The Cave", a basement bar. I was rocking to Micheal Jackson while wearing a red bandana and a full bottle of wine... life is good.
Day 2 - Free Day in Paris
Today was the first of my free days in Europe and I knew the 2 things I most wanted to see were the Louvre and Eiffel Tower.
The Louvre... what can I say except that it was amazing! The collections it housed were fabulous of course, but (surprisingly) the star attraction was the building itself. I thought the Victorian architecture in London was detailed... well the Louvre put that to shame. The paintings, carvings and guilding on the walls and ceiling were incredible!
The line to get into the Eiffel Tower was long, but worth the wait. I actually walked up the first two sections of the tower before taking the elevator. The view from the top was "quite nice" ;). This entry was actually written while standing in the tower's shadow - jealous ;)?
In the evening, we went to a dinner and caberet show. Oh my... the duck a l'orange was fantabulous! I so need to learn how to cook it. The best meal thus far though I still have Italy to sample. The show afterwards was great - there were jugglers, acrobats, dancers and singers. They even performed a traditional can-can dance.
The Louvre... what can I say except that it was amazing! The collections it housed were fabulous of course, but (surprisingly) the star attraction was the building itself. I thought the Victorian architecture in London was detailed... well the Louvre put that to shame. The paintings, carvings and guilding on the walls and ceiling were incredible!
The line to get into the Eiffel Tower was long, but worth the wait. I actually walked up the first two sections of the tower before taking the elevator. The view from the top was "quite nice" ;). This entry was actually written while standing in the tower's shadow - jealous ;)?
In the evening, we went to a dinner and caberet show. Oh my... the duck a l'orange was fantabulous! I so need to learn how to cook it. The best meal thus far though I still have Italy to sample. The show afterwards was great - there were jugglers, acrobats, dancers and singers. They even performed a traditional can-can dance.
Sunday 8 August 2010
My European Adventures : The Beginning
Day 1: Travel from London to Paris
Off I go again on another wild and zany adventure... ok maybe not as much as its a package tour run by a reputable company, but I'm very pumped about it! It's started out very well - the people are awesome. I've actually initiated converstations with others for once - I may just be coming out of my shell and being more social lol. Only time will tell.
It's amazing the amount of comraderie that being on a tour creates. I mean here we are, strangers who wouldn't normally speak to each other if they were sitting next to them on a bus, sitting around swapping stories like we've been life long friends within hours of meeting. Its also reinforced how poor my memory I have for names (shocking for a teacher, I know). Faces I'm fine with but names go in one ear and out the other. Perhaps we should institute a name tage practice. Though I suppose walking around a city with name tags on just screams "I'm in a tour group - easy mark!". I guess I just need to learn to pay attention better.
Amazingly I witnessed a person's first experience with coffee on the ferry to France. He decided to try a machiatto... I'll never forget that expression as he took his first sip - a perfect mixture of shock, surprise with a hint of disgust. Of course he now loves the stuff... another successful conversion I msut say.
Today we simply made our way from London to Paris and we're staying in a camp site. We did a drive through of Paris but we'll get a better look tomorrow on our free day. If you're curious, my itinerary can be found by clicking here. I'll try and update as often as reasonable.
Off I go again on another wild and zany adventure... ok maybe not as much as its a package tour run by a reputable company, but I'm very pumped about it! It's started out very well - the people are awesome. I've actually initiated converstations with others for once - I may just be coming out of my shell and being more social lol. Only time will tell.
It's amazing the amount of comraderie that being on a tour creates. I mean here we are, strangers who wouldn't normally speak to each other if they were sitting next to them on a bus, sitting around swapping stories like we've been life long friends within hours of meeting. Its also reinforced how poor my memory I have for names (shocking for a teacher, I know). Faces I'm fine with but names go in one ear and out the other. Perhaps we should institute a name tage practice. Though I suppose walking around a city with name tags on just screams "I'm in a tour group - easy mark!". I guess I just need to learn to pay attention better.
Amazingly I witnessed a person's first experience with coffee on the ferry to France. He decided to try a machiatto... I'll never forget that expression as he took his first sip - a perfect mixture of shock, surprise with a hint of disgust. Of course he now loves the stuff... another successful conversion I msut say.
Today we simply made our way from London to Paris and we're staying in a camp site. We did a drive through of Paris but we'll get a better look tomorrow on our free day. If you're curious, my itinerary can be found by clicking here. I'll try and update as often as reasonable.
Sunday 1 August 2010
School's Out for the Summer!
So comes the end of my first school year here in the UK. I almost can't believe its been 10 months since I first walked off that plane at Heathrow Airport. I've been on summer vacation for a week now and it still feels strange waking up in the morning (or afternoon in some cases) and not have anything I need to do. I miss the routine that work imposes on you (and the corresponding paycheck... but that's a whole other concern ;). After having my daily schedule more or less dictated to me for so long, being able to have a say in my schedule is both a novelty and a burden. It can be challenging to find enough things to fill the days without completely emptying the bank account lol. But I shall persevere as I always do... in a worst case scenario, there's an Xbox connected to the TV in the living room and both Mass Effect and Call Of Duty ready to play :).
Also, my trip is coming up pretty fast (this Thursday in fact) and (too everyone's great surprise I'm sure) I've already started planning my packing. No, I'm not sick... I believe its more a function of boredom :). Later today I'll be heading out for a few more items of clothing as the tour operator recommends 2 weeks worth.
Also, my trip is coming up pretty fast (this Thursday in fact) and (too everyone's great surprise I'm sure) I've already started planning my packing. No, I'm not sick... I believe its more a function of boredom :). Later today I'll be heading out for a few more items of clothing as the tour operator recommends 2 weeks worth.
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