Hey! Sorry I have not updated in forever!
Things I have done:
- been on programme a few times
- done a sunrise hike to Bunderspitz
- took an adventure to Paris!
- took an adventure to Venice!
- abseiled into the gorge (and successfully ninja kicked to the platform 2 times!!)
- been kitchen coordinator
- woke up early to see the cows go up the mountain
- hiked Tscenten
- biked to Frutigen one way
And much more :)
Friday, July 27, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Day 25: Giessbach Falls Part I
After the stress of being Kitchen Coordinator, I had the day off. I had no idea what I wanted to do but I knew that I wanted to leave the Chalet. I thought about going to a city but I decided to research the top waterfalls in Switzerland. I then found the next place that I wanted to visit....Giessbach falls!
I hopped on the bus and consequent three trains out to Breinz which is a town nearby Meiringen. I got off the train and on one side of the train tracks was the boat dock. I needed to take the boat over to Giessbach falls but the next boat was not coming for another hour! There was a small house that sold tickets and a miniature park looking out into the lake. The lake was large and that lovely pure turquoise colour. To the left, there were snowy peaks in the distance and rolling green mountains surrounding the lake.
I crossed the train tracks into the town of Brienz for a few minutes - I stopped in the Co-Op to buy a nectarine and chocolate milk to go with my lunch! I returned to the dock loading area just in time to catch the next boat! The boat reminded me of a mini cruise ship. It was a medium-sized motor boat with two stories. When I walked in, there was a ticket booth to one side and then there were two sets of stairs. One set of stairs to my right led down to the bathrooms. The set of stairs to my left led upstairs. There was also a restaurant and indoor sitting area on the floor of the boat right around the corner. I walked to the other side of the small cabin I was in to the deck outside. The deck extended on both sides of the boat but I gravitated to the side of the boat near the back. There were wooden benches nearby a giant Swiss flag flapping in the wind. I noticed the ducks swimming around the boat and sat on a bench close to the flag.
After a few minutes of waiting, the boat started travelling across the lake. The sun was shining bright, the sky was a brilliant blue and the water sparkled as the boat cut through it. On the left, I could see the town of Brienz and a small waterfall among the green terrain nearby Brienz. On the right, I could see the island that was my destination: a rolling green mountain covered in trees. In front, I could see snowy mountains in the distance. All in all, a beautiful boat ride. I got off at the first stop: Giessbach falls. I could see part of the waterfall from the front of the boat while I waited to get off.
I got off the boat and the dock led into a wooden building. In front of me there were maps of the area, brochures and a few benches attached to the wall. Behind me, the building opened up to the lake where the loading/exiting docks were. I saw signs for a funicular so I went up the ramp to look at it. So the funny thing is that when I went to Reichenbach falls I wanted to hike up next to the falls but I ended up taking a funicular after the hiking bit didn't work out. For Giessbach falls I expected to take the funicular up but the opposite happened haha. The Giessbach funicular was similar to the Reichenbach funicular; it was a scarlet red fancy trolley. The trolley followed wooden tracks up to the Grand Hotel Giessbach.
I decided to not take the trolley and I walked back towards the benches. I walked passed the benches and exited the building. I was feeling ravenous so I ate my lunch on a bench nearby the lake. I felt for the first time in a while "peace for my soul" as Helen Storrow would say. Ok, so a note about that. Brief history of Our Chalet: Helen Storrow provided the funds to build and operate the centre for 5 years but only if it was in Switzerland. Falk was a Swiss guider appointed to help Storrow and was the first Guider in Charge (now called World Centre Manager) for 20 years. Falk and Storrow found a spot in Aeschi which Helen Storrow thought was perfect because there she found "peace for her soul." Falk thought the area did not have enough adventure and she ended up finding the spot where Our Chalet stands now as a place that offers both adventure and peace for the soul.
After lunch, I decided to follow the "Wanderweg" signs to the hotel and waterfall. I climbed some stone stairs and after a short walk down a dirt path I came across the waterfall! Well, at least the end of it! There was a bridge that I crossed to the other side but on my right the water was cascading down rocks. To my left the water flowed into the lake. I decided to climb some of the rocks that were next to the waterfall but not completely covered in water. The rocks were really slippery and the mist was a slap to my face. I was about to climb up on a rock when my sunhat flew off and landed underneath the bridge. I carefully made my way down the slippery rocks to retrieve my hat (a successful mission!) and continued on my way. I followed a large dirt road that was surrounded by trees. The sun filtered through the green leaves and pine needles. Some of the tree trunks hung near to the path. I felt like I was in a fairy tale and on my way up to the castle (in this case a fancy antique hotel)!
After the stress of being Kitchen Coordinator, I had the day off. I had no idea what I wanted to do but I knew that I wanted to leave the Chalet. I thought about going to a city but I decided to research the top waterfalls in Switzerland. I then found the next place that I wanted to visit....Giessbach falls!
I hopped on the bus and consequent three trains out to Breinz which is a town nearby Meiringen. I got off the train and on one side of the train tracks was the boat dock. I needed to take the boat over to Giessbach falls but the next boat was not coming for another hour! There was a small house that sold tickets and a miniature park looking out into the lake. The lake was large and that lovely pure turquoise colour. To the left, there were snowy peaks in the distance and rolling green mountains surrounding the lake.
I crossed the train tracks into the town of Brienz for a few minutes - I stopped in the Co-Op to buy a nectarine and chocolate milk to go with my lunch! I returned to the dock loading area just in time to catch the next boat! The boat reminded me of a mini cruise ship. It was a medium-sized motor boat with two stories. When I walked in, there was a ticket booth to one side and then there were two sets of stairs. One set of stairs to my right led down to the bathrooms. The set of stairs to my left led upstairs. There was also a restaurant and indoor sitting area on the floor of the boat right around the corner. I walked to the other side of the small cabin I was in to the deck outside. The deck extended on both sides of the boat but I gravitated to the side of the boat near the back. There were wooden benches nearby a giant Swiss flag flapping in the wind. I noticed the ducks swimming around the boat and sat on a bench close to the flag.
After a few minutes of waiting, the boat started travelling across the lake. The sun was shining bright, the sky was a brilliant blue and the water sparkled as the boat cut through it. On the left, I could see the town of Brienz and a small waterfall among the green terrain nearby Brienz. On the right, I could see the island that was my destination: a rolling green mountain covered in trees. In front, I could see snowy mountains in the distance. All in all, a beautiful boat ride. I got off at the first stop: Giessbach falls. I could see part of the waterfall from the front of the boat while I waited to get off.
I got off the boat and the dock led into a wooden building. In front of me there were maps of the area, brochures and a few benches attached to the wall. Behind me, the building opened up to the lake where the loading/exiting docks were. I saw signs for a funicular so I went up the ramp to look at it. So the funny thing is that when I went to Reichenbach falls I wanted to hike up next to the falls but I ended up taking a funicular after the hiking bit didn't work out. For Giessbach falls I expected to take the funicular up but the opposite happened haha. The Giessbach funicular was similar to the Reichenbach funicular; it was a scarlet red fancy trolley. The trolley followed wooden tracks up to the Grand Hotel Giessbach.
I decided to not take the trolley and I walked back towards the benches. I walked passed the benches and exited the building. I was feeling ravenous so I ate my lunch on a bench nearby the lake. I felt for the first time in a while "peace for my soul" as Helen Storrow would say. Ok, so a note about that. Brief history of Our Chalet: Helen Storrow provided the funds to build and operate the centre for 5 years but only if it was in Switzerland. Falk was a Swiss guider appointed to help Storrow and was the first Guider in Charge (now called World Centre Manager) for 20 years. Falk and Storrow found a spot in Aeschi which Helen Storrow thought was perfect because there she found "peace for her soul." Falk thought the area did not have enough adventure and she ended up finding the spot where Our Chalet stands now as a place that offers both adventure and peace for the soul.
After lunch, I decided to follow the "Wanderweg" signs to the hotel and waterfall. I climbed some stone stairs and after a short walk down a dirt path I came across the waterfall! Well, at least the end of it! There was a bridge that I crossed to the other side but on my right the water was cascading down rocks. To my left the water flowed into the lake. I decided to climb some of the rocks that were next to the waterfall but not completely covered in water. The rocks were really slippery and the mist was a slap to my face. I was about to climb up on a rock when my sunhat flew off and landed underneath the bridge. I carefully made my way down the slippery rocks to retrieve my hat (a successful mission!) and continued on my way. I followed a large dirt road that was surrounded by trees. The sun filtered through the green leaves and pine needles. Some of the tree trunks hung near to the path. I felt like I was in a fairy tale and on my way up to the castle (in this case a fancy antique hotel)!
Friday, June 29, 2012
Day twenty-four:
After my fun day in Interlaken, I took a brief break from training and was on guest services! In the morning I did some cleaning which included venturing to Squirrel House. Also, I was Kitchen Coordinator! On the days that Katy, the Catering Coordinator, has off are the days that one of the vollies is picked to run the kitchen. I was really nervous because I do well with baking, not with cooking. So far, my work in the kitchen has been assisting with cooking by chopping vegetables, preparing platters and other cold foods for breakfast, taking out the compost, etc. This is the first time that I was in charge of the cooking...ahh!
I prepared lunch for the first time alone. It went alright; it just took me awhile to get settled and figure out what I was doing. I was asked to make scrambled eggs which I had never made before. I figured it out...it's not that hard haha though I did end up accidentally damaging a pan by using the incorrect spatula....whoops! Overall, lunch was a success. Good, only dinnertime to fear cooking.
After a break in the afternoon of hanging around, I went back into the kitchen at four to start cooking. The first thing I had to do was chop up some onions to cook but I could not find them! Luckily, the rest of my kitchen crew arrived and helped me correctly cook spaghetti bolognase with garlic bread and dessert. Making dinner was definitely a challenge but I am glad that I got advice from those more experienced in the kitchen and that guests and staff alike enjoyed dinner which made my hard work pay off haha. I was glad when all of the cleaning was over and when I no longer felt the pressure of cooking for others! I guess this is what chefs feel like...at least Gordon Ramesy wasn't screaming at me while I was cooking haha.
Fun fact: I am super behind on my blog.....but I thank you all for checking and reading! I am attempting to catch up!!!!
Fun fact: The dinner bell just rung!
After my fun day in Interlaken, I took a brief break from training and was on guest services! In the morning I did some cleaning which included venturing to Squirrel House. Also, I was Kitchen Coordinator! On the days that Katy, the Catering Coordinator, has off are the days that one of the vollies is picked to run the kitchen. I was really nervous because I do well with baking, not with cooking. So far, my work in the kitchen has been assisting with cooking by chopping vegetables, preparing platters and other cold foods for breakfast, taking out the compost, etc. This is the first time that I was in charge of the cooking...ahh!
I prepared lunch for the first time alone. It went alright; it just took me awhile to get settled and figure out what I was doing. I was asked to make scrambled eggs which I had never made before. I figured it out...it's not that hard haha though I did end up accidentally damaging a pan by using the incorrect spatula....whoops! Overall, lunch was a success. Good, only dinnertime to fear cooking.
After a break in the afternoon of hanging around, I went back into the kitchen at four to start cooking. The first thing I had to do was chop up some onions to cook but I could not find them! Luckily, the rest of my kitchen crew arrived and helped me correctly cook spaghetti bolognase with garlic bread and dessert. Making dinner was definitely a challenge but I am glad that I got advice from those more experienced in the kitchen and that guests and staff alike enjoyed dinner which made my hard work pay off haha. I was glad when all of the cleaning was over and when I no longer felt the pressure of cooking for others! I guess this is what chefs feel like...at least Gordon Ramesy wasn't screaming at me while I was cooking haha.
Fun fact: I am super behind on my blog.....but I thank you all for checking and reading! I am attempting to catch up!!!!
Fun fact: The dinner bell just rung!
Day 23: Interlaken Training Part II
After the Trummelbach falls, we drove back to Interlaken. I was sad to leave the valley filled with so many waterfalls but excited to know that I will be back there again shortly. Once we were parked in Interlaken in the spot as before, we were given free time before 5pm. Katie and Rhianna encouraged us to test the scavenger hunt before they give it out to groups on programme.
The first thing I did was go off with Carly, Jessica, Libby and Cate to do the scavenger hunt. We walked from the parking lot onto the main street. We passed by a fancy hotel and walked right next to some beautiful yellow rose bushes. We walked down the main street past the park where the parasailers land, past the chocolate sotre Schuh, past many shops until we reached a rotary. The first clue was to find the post office; you can easily spot the post office symbol which says "Die Post" in bright yellow with a red cross next to it. The post trucks are bright yellow here.
From there, we spotted our next clue: B + K written on the roof of a building right near the post office which lead us into the beginning of the old town of Interlaken. We walked down a street into an area with hotels and restaurants but we could not find our next clue! We had been warned that the clue may no longer exist; it was a sign for a restaurant that changed. We decided to walk past the restaurant and look for our next clue: a shop named after a bird. After walking for a little bit, we found the store! It was a woodcarving shop named Woodpecker. We went in the shop and looked around for a few minutes. Everything was delicately carved out of wood from dainty owl decorations to large coo-coo clocks. I liked the wooden toys and one set of owls that all fit into each other the best.
As we continued to walk down the street we found our next three clues. The first clue was a blinking triangular traffic sign which was easy to spot from the Woodpecker shop. Then, we looked for a building with the date 1646 on it. This was not as easy but luckily one member of our group spotted the number on a white building with a wooden roof and red shutters. The buildings on this street were different from the souvenir shops in the other part of Interlaken. The buildings were tall with wooden roofs and white, brown or beige colouring with different coloured shutters. In the distance I could see a rock cliff lined with pine trees; a part of a mountain in the opposite direction of Jungfrau, Eiger and Monk mountains.
Our next clue was to enter a specific store, Denner's, and find the price of the cheapest chocolate. We found the store next to a bridge and an interesting wooden sculpture of a face. I found the sculpture fascinating yet at the same time slightly unnerving. We went into Denner's which was a small supermarket. We raced to the chocolate aisle and found the price for the cheapest chocolate: 0.45 rappens! (Note: rappens is equivalent to cents in the U.S.). Wow!! This is the best price I have seen for chocolate in all of Switzerland! Of course, I bought a few chocolate bars (milk and dark chocolate) and a chocolate drink! The chocolate drink was a box filled with rich, creamy and delicious chocolate milk. We shopped around in the store for a little while and we ran into Rhianna, Katie and both Heathers.
We exited the store and my original scavenger hunt party continued on our way. We crossed the bridge over turquoise water. I know that I have continually used this description but throughout Switzerland I continually see snow-fed water untouched by murky mud and dirt. I think moving back to Massachusetts will be a shock....I will expect the buses to be exactly on time, the water to be a brillant blue and mountains everywhere. Fun fact: The elevation where I live at Our Chalet is higher than the tallest mountain in Massachusetts....what?!!? Kind of crazy haha
Anyways, we crossed the bridge into the old town of Interlaken. Our next target was to find a bakery sign whcih proved more difficult than some of the other clues. We walked up and down the street until I spotted it ! It was a large sign of a man in a baking outfit (white apron, hat and pants) on the side of a beige building with red shutters. I was excited because I found the clue!! It reminded me of I-Spy but real life haha.
We followed the road which opened up. To the left I could see a clock tower (reminiscent of the one I saw in Bern). After crossing another bridge, we entered the main square of the old town. We walked around, following the clues. The cobblestone square was home to quaint buildings including two large stone wheels outside of a museum. There was also a big sculpture of an apple with an arrow through it! We walked through the square to a white church with distinctive black and yellow shutters.
We exited the square and continued on our scavenger hunt. We passed by construction, stores, and a street filled with flags of different countries on either side. We looped around and had a short tour of the old town. The old town had cobblestone road and the buildings were taller with white fresco fronts and brown roofs. What I liked was that most of the time I could see the snowy mountian top of Jung Frau from anywhere in Interlaken!We crossed back over the bridges and ended near some souvenir shops. We completed the scavenger hunt and it was pretty fun!!
The group then broke off but Libby and I wandered around the shops together. At one point, we wandered down a street where there was an outdoor market. It was really cool and different vendors had their things out for display from scarves to cds to things carved out of wood. There was also some street performers which is Switzerland tend to be accordion players haha. After some window shopping (I am window shopping for a Swiss army knife), we wandered back near the chocolate shop. We sat on a bench and watched the parasailers land until we met up for the chocolate show!
At 5pm, we went inside the chocolate shop, Schuh, which had a fancy shop in the front which led into a restaurant area. We went into a room towards the back of the restaurant for the show. The room was white and had a counter at the front with different tools and a few platters of chocolate that were covered. Around the room there were different sculptures made out of chocolate including some singing dwarfs and a parrot sitting on a tree. A chocolateer gave us a demonstration. He began with showing us a clip of a video about the cacao bean. We all then had the opportunity to try a cacao bean...it was very bitter tasting! Afterwards, he went over to a container of liquid chocolate and explained the temperatures that chocolate needs to be at to make different things while he heated up the chocolate with a hairdryer. Then, he showed us how to make chocolate mountains filled with caramels. He picked two volunteers to help him make a chocolate cow. He poured the chocolate into the plastic cow mold and the volunteers outlined the different parts of the cow with chocolate using frosting tubes filled with chocolate. While the volunteers were doing that, the chocolateer lifted the covers from the platters of chocolate and we all tried the different types of chocolate. There were mountains filled with caramel, white truffels filled with a champagne filling, milk chocolate pieces, dark chocolate pieces, 100% dark chocolate pieces (exceedingly bitter!!) and my favorite, chocolate truffels with chocolate filling. Then, the chocolateer explained how long to freeze the chocolate in the mold and pulled out a pre-made cow mold and took out the chocolate cow. After we admired the cow, he smashed it into pieces and we had some of the chocolate cow along with the other chocolate. Lastly, he warmed up the chocolate again and set aside some strawberries. We had chocolate with strawberries lastly. All of the chocolate was amazing! I definitely ate enough to spoil my dinner haha but it was awesome!
After the chocolate show we headed back to the cars for a ride back to Our Chalet. Later that night after dinner I ran my first Swiss night! It was for a small group of Girl Scouts overseas from Germany. After dinner, I went over to the costume closet with the girls to help them prepare the play for Swiss night. The play tells the story of William Tell. William Tell helped Switzerland win independence. He is famous for shooting an arrow through an apple that was sitting on his son's head after he refused to bow down to the dictator of the time (hence the sculpture in Interlaken). We got their costumes ready and practiced twice before it was time to hear Colby, a local cheesemaker, play the alpine horn outside. The sound of the alpine horn is definitely growing on me and looks really difficult to play. Afterwards, I ran Swiss night with Carly and Heather Canada. We taught the group the Vogellisi song, played Jeopardy and watched them eat chocolate fondue! It was the first Swiss night I ran and I am glad that it went well.
After the Trummelbach falls, we drove back to Interlaken. I was sad to leave the valley filled with so many waterfalls but excited to know that I will be back there again shortly. Once we were parked in Interlaken in the spot as before, we were given free time before 5pm. Katie and Rhianna encouraged us to test the scavenger hunt before they give it out to groups on programme.
The first thing I did was go off with Carly, Jessica, Libby and Cate to do the scavenger hunt. We walked from the parking lot onto the main street. We passed by a fancy hotel and walked right next to some beautiful yellow rose bushes. We walked down the main street past the park where the parasailers land, past the chocolate sotre Schuh, past many shops until we reached a rotary. The first clue was to find the post office; you can easily spot the post office symbol which says "Die Post" in bright yellow with a red cross next to it. The post trucks are bright yellow here.
From there, we spotted our next clue: B + K written on the roof of a building right near the post office which lead us into the beginning of the old town of Interlaken. We walked down a street into an area with hotels and restaurants but we could not find our next clue! We had been warned that the clue may no longer exist; it was a sign for a restaurant that changed. We decided to walk past the restaurant and look for our next clue: a shop named after a bird. After walking for a little bit, we found the store! It was a woodcarving shop named Woodpecker. We went in the shop and looked around for a few minutes. Everything was delicately carved out of wood from dainty owl decorations to large coo-coo clocks. I liked the wooden toys and one set of owls that all fit into each other the best.
As we continued to walk down the street we found our next three clues. The first clue was a blinking triangular traffic sign which was easy to spot from the Woodpecker shop. Then, we looked for a building with the date 1646 on it. This was not as easy but luckily one member of our group spotted the number on a white building with a wooden roof and red shutters. The buildings on this street were different from the souvenir shops in the other part of Interlaken. The buildings were tall with wooden roofs and white, brown or beige colouring with different coloured shutters. In the distance I could see a rock cliff lined with pine trees; a part of a mountain in the opposite direction of Jungfrau, Eiger and Monk mountains.
Our next clue was to enter a specific store, Denner's, and find the price of the cheapest chocolate. We found the store next to a bridge and an interesting wooden sculpture of a face. I found the sculpture fascinating yet at the same time slightly unnerving. We went into Denner's which was a small supermarket. We raced to the chocolate aisle and found the price for the cheapest chocolate: 0.45 rappens! (Note: rappens is equivalent to cents in the U.S.). Wow!! This is the best price I have seen for chocolate in all of Switzerland! Of course, I bought a few chocolate bars (milk and dark chocolate) and a chocolate drink! The chocolate drink was a box filled with rich, creamy and delicious chocolate milk. We shopped around in the store for a little while and we ran into Rhianna, Katie and both Heathers.
We exited the store and my original scavenger hunt party continued on our way. We crossed the bridge over turquoise water. I know that I have continually used this description but throughout Switzerland I continually see snow-fed water untouched by murky mud and dirt. I think moving back to Massachusetts will be a shock....I will expect the buses to be exactly on time, the water to be a brillant blue and mountains everywhere. Fun fact: The elevation where I live at Our Chalet is higher than the tallest mountain in Massachusetts....what?!!? Kind of crazy haha
Anyways, we crossed the bridge into the old town of Interlaken. Our next target was to find a bakery sign whcih proved more difficult than some of the other clues. We walked up and down the street until I spotted it ! It was a large sign of a man in a baking outfit (white apron, hat and pants) on the side of a beige building with red shutters. I was excited because I found the clue!! It reminded me of I-Spy but real life haha.
We followed the road which opened up. To the left I could see a clock tower (reminiscent of the one I saw in Bern). After crossing another bridge, we entered the main square of the old town. We walked around, following the clues. The cobblestone square was home to quaint buildings including two large stone wheels outside of a museum. There was also a big sculpture of an apple with an arrow through it! We walked through the square to a white church with distinctive black and yellow shutters.
We exited the square and continued on our scavenger hunt. We passed by construction, stores, and a street filled with flags of different countries on either side. We looped around and had a short tour of the old town. The old town had cobblestone road and the buildings were taller with white fresco fronts and brown roofs. What I liked was that most of the time I could see the snowy mountian top of Jung Frau from anywhere in Interlaken!We crossed back over the bridges and ended near some souvenir shops. We completed the scavenger hunt and it was pretty fun!!
The group then broke off but Libby and I wandered around the shops together. At one point, we wandered down a street where there was an outdoor market. It was really cool and different vendors had their things out for display from scarves to cds to things carved out of wood. There was also some street performers which is Switzerland tend to be accordion players haha. After some window shopping (I am window shopping for a Swiss army knife), we wandered back near the chocolate shop. We sat on a bench and watched the parasailers land until we met up for the chocolate show!
At 5pm, we went inside the chocolate shop, Schuh, which had a fancy shop in the front which led into a restaurant area. We went into a room towards the back of the restaurant for the show. The room was white and had a counter at the front with different tools and a few platters of chocolate that were covered. Around the room there were different sculptures made out of chocolate including some singing dwarfs and a parrot sitting on a tree. A chocolateer gave us a demonstration. He began with showing us a clip of a video about the cacao bean. We all then had the opportunity to try a cacao bean...it was very bitter tasting! Afterwards, he went over to a container of liquid chocolate and explained the temperatures that chocolate needs to be at to make different things while he heated up the chocolate with a hairdryer. Then, he showed us how to make chocolate mountains filled with caramels. He picked two volunteers to help him make a chocolate cow. He poured the chocolate into the plastic cow mold and the volunteers outlined the different parts of the cow with chocolate using frosting tubes filled with chocolate. While the volunteers were doing that, the chocolateer lifted the covers from the platters of chocolate and we all tried the different types of chocolate. There were mountains filled with caramel, white truffels filled with a champagne filling, milk chocolate pieces, dark chocolate pieces, 100% dark chocolate pieces (exceedingly bitter!!) and my favorite, chocolate truffels with chocolate filling. Then, the chocolateer explained how long to freeze the chocolate in the mold and pulled out a pre-made cow mold and took out the chocolate cow. After we admired the cow, he smashed it into pieces and we had some of the chocolate cow along with the other chocolate. Lastly, he warmed up the chocolate again and set aside some strawberries. We had chocolate with strawberries lastly. All of the chocolate was amazing! I definitely ate enough to spoil my dinner haha but it was awesome!
After the chocolate show we headed back to the cars for a ride back to Our Chalet. Later that night after dinner I ran my first Swiss night! It was for a small group of Girl Scouts overseas from Germany. After dinner, I went over to the costume closet with the girls to help them prepare the play for Swiss night. The play tells the story of William Tell. William Tell helped Switzerland win independence. He is famous for shooting an arrow through an apple that was sitting on his son's head after he refused to bow down to the dictator of the time (hence the sculpture in Interlaken). We got their costumes ready and practiced twice before it was time to hear Colby, a local cheesemaker, play the alpine horn outside. The sound of the alpine horn is definitely growing on me and looks really difficult to play. Afterwards, I ran Swiss night with Carly and Heather Canada. We taught the group the Vogellisi song, played Jeopardy and watched them eat chocolate fondue! It was the first Swiss night I ran and I am glad that it went well.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Day 23: Interlaken Training Day Part I
This day, we had more programme training! It was a low-key and fun day. Again, throughout the day we reviewed the programme that we would do with the girls and the protocol such as how to cross the street with a large group of girls haha.
We drove in cars to Interlaken and we read through the sites that we will point out while on programme. It was cool when we drove through Aecshi; Aeschi is the town where Our Chalet was almost built. I also learned about the legend of Jungfrau, Monk and Giseler. Jungfrau, Monk and Giseler are three famous mountain peaks in Switzerland. The Monk mountain separates the young maiden (Jungfrau) and the ogre (Giseler).
We parked the cars in the back of a hotel and then proceeded to walk to the chocolate shop. Interlaken is beautiful. As we walked down a main street towards the chocolate shop, the wide streets were lined with various stores, cafes, restaurants (including a Hooters restaurant haha) and hotels. The chocolate shop, Schuh, was right next to a large green park where people parasailing land. The mountains frame Interlaken and behind the park I could see the snowy peaks of Jungfrau, Monk and Giseler. Once we were outside of Schuh, we reviewed how programme would work with the chocolate show. Our chocolate show was not until later so we had a few minutes to explore Interlaken before heading back to the cars.
We drove to the location where we will be taking girls to go white water rafting! The small wooden house had a reception area that was connected to the open yet covered space of the equipment rooms. One of the men working showed us a video of the activities the company offers including white water rafting, canonying, parasailing, bungee jumping, etc. We then got an overview of the preparation procedure for white water rafting and then we left for Trummelbach falls. On programme, a few girls will go white water rafting and the rest of the group will go to Trummelbach falls. All of the volunteers get a chance to go white water rafting once and I am excited to go! I also want to do at least one other activity offered by this company :)
We drove to Lauterbrunnen valley which is a famous valley with 75 waterfalls. As we drove along the rock cliffs, I spotted a few small waterfalls trickling down the grey rock-face dotted with shrubs. We parked near a tourist restaurant nearby the Trummelbach falls. We followed a gravel path surrounded by tall grass to a nice open field nearby a river shielded by tall green trees. We had a picnic lunch in the sun (and shade). The sky was a brilliant blue and above the trees I could see the snowy peak of a distant mountain. I could also see different waterfalls in all directions on the cliffs in the valley.
After a relaxing lunch, we continued on the gravel path nearby the rushing river, through a ticket terminal and then into a large brown elevator. I felt a little nervous because it seemed like a roller coaster though I know it was not. After 30 of us (the vollies, Rhinana, Katie and random people) squished into the large elevator, we started moving at a gradual incline inside the mountain. We had a view of the tracks and rocks on either side as our space-ship like elevator gravitated towards the top.
Once the elevator stopped, we stepped out and back outside onto steps. Now, Trummelbach falls are magnificent and one of the best waterfalls I have been to. Trummelbach falls are a series of 10 waterfalls that are glacially fed by the Jungfrau mountain. Most of the waterfalls are inside of the mountain and near the top. We stepped out near the sixth waterfall (I think?) but followed the rock path with railing support around the mountain to inside of caves carved out inside of the mountain. We climbed up the steps all the way to the tenth waterfall at the very top. The rock cavern tunnels were tall and wide that were lit. The rock steps were slick from the mist of the waterfalls and I could hear the rushing of the falls that roared like a dragon. The steps led up to a small vantage point. I could feel the mist of the water on my face as the waterfall streamed powerfully between glistening black rocks from an unseen source. The water travelled in a river down among the rock to the next waterfall. I walked back down to the ninth waterfall, by far the most impressive of them all. From the smaller enclosure of the tenth waterfall, the ninth waterfall flowed through an open cavern in the mountain. In the cavern, the water dropped the rocks and continued flowing down the mountain. I was above the water so I could see the water dropping down and dropping down the rocks to the next waterfall. This cavern is impressive because multiple rainbows arched over the water and throughout the giant space. When I looked up, there was a crack where I could see the blue sky through.
From there, I walked down and visited the rest of the waterfalls. Though connected, each waterfall is unique and impressive. Another one of my favorite waterfalls there was the corkscrew fall which was thinner and twisted a few times on its way down a sharp drop. After the corkscrew waterfall, I exited the caverns. The rest of the waterfalls were observable outside of the caverns and I followed same path except that I took the time to observe the pure beauty of each fall. I cannot fully describe the beauty of these waterfalls nor can pictures capture them but I had a wonderful time observing the falls. I am also excited because I will have the chance to return to the falls multiple times on programme. I also highly recommend that you come to Switzerland and see them!!
This day, we had more programme training! It was a low-key and fun day. Again, throughout the day we reviewed the programme that we would do with the girls and the protocol such as how to cross the street with a large group of girls haha.
We drove in cars to Interlaken and we read through the sites that we will point out while on programme. It was cool when we drove through Aecshi; Aeschi is the town where Our Chalet was almost built. I also learned about the legend of Jungfrau, Monk and Giseler. Jungfrau, Monk and Giseler are three famous mountain peaks in Switzerland. The Monk mountain separates the young maiden (Jungfrau) and the ogre (Giseler).
We parked the cars in the back of a hotel and then proceeded to walk to the chocolate shop. Interlaken is beautiful. As we walked down a main street towards the chocolate shop, the wide streets were lined with various stores, cafes, restaurants (including a Hooters restaurant haha) and hotels. The chocolate shop, Schuh, was right next to a large green park where people parasailing land. The mountains frame Interlaken and behind the park I could see the snowy peaks of Jungfrau, Monk and Giseler. Once we were outside of Schuh, we reviewed how programme would work with the chocolate show. Our chocolate show was not until later so we had a few minutes to explore Interlaken before heading back to the cars.
We drove to the location where we will be taking girls to go white water rafting! The small wooden house had a reception area that was connected to the open yet covered space of the equipment rooms. One of the men working showed us a video of the activities the company offers including white water rafting, canonying, parasailing, bungee jumping, etc. We then got an overview of the preparation procedure for white water rafting and then we left for Trummelbach falls. On programme, a few girls will go white water rafting and the rest of the group will go to Trummelbach falls. All of the volunteers get a chance to go white water rafting once and I am excited to go! I also want to do at least one other activity offered by this company :)
We drove to Lauterbrunnen valley which is a famous valley with 75 waterfalls. As we drove along the rock cliffs, I spotted a few small waterfalls trickling down the grey rock-face dotted with shrubs. We parked near a tourist restaurant nearby the Trummelbach falls. We followed a gravel path surrounded by tall grass to a nice open field nearby a river shielded by tall green trees. We had a picnic lunch in the sun (and shade). The sky was a brilliant blue and above the trees I could see the snowy peak of a distant mountain. I could also see different waterfalls in all directions on the cliffs in the valley.
After a relaxing lunch, we continued on the gravel path nearby the rushing river, through a ticket terminal and then into a large brown elevator. I felt a little nervous because it seemed like a roller coaster though I know it was not. After 30 of us (the vollies, Rhinana, Katie and random people) squished into the large elevator, we started moving at a gradual incline inside the mountain. We had a view of the tracks and rocks on either side as our space-ship like elevator gravitated towards the top.
Once the elevator stopped, we stepped out and back outside onto steps. Now, Trummelbach falls are magnificent and one of the best waterfalls I have been to. Trummelbach falls are a series of 10 waterfalls that are glacially fed by the Jungfrau mountain. Most of the waterfalls are inside of the mountain and near the top. We stepped out near the sixth waterfall (I think?) but followed the rock path with railing support around the mountain to inside of caves carved out inside of the mountain. We climbed up the steps all the way to the tenth waterfall at the very top. The rock cavern tunnels were tall and wide that were lit. The rock steps were slick from the mist of the waterfalls and I could hear the rushing of the falls that roared like a dragon. The steps led up to a small vantage point. I could feel the mist of the water on my face as the waterfall streamed powerfully between glistening black rocks from an unseen source. The water travelled in a river down among the rock to the next waterfall. I walked back down to the ninth waterfall, by far the most impressive of them all. From the smaller enclosure of the tenth waterfall, the ninth waterfall flowed through an open cavern in the mountain. In the cavern, the water dropped the rocks and continued flowing down the mountain. I was above the water so I could see the water dropping down and dropping down the rocks to the next waterfall. This cavern is impressive because multiple rainbows arched over the water and throughout the giant space. When I looked up, there was a crack where I could see the blue sky through.
From there, I walked down and visited the rest of the waterfalls. Though connected, each waterfall is unique and impressive. Another one of my favorite waterfalls there was the corkscrew fall which was thinner and twisted a few times on its way down a sharp drop. After the corkscrew waterfall, I exited the caverns. The rest of the waterfalls were observable outside of the caverns and I followed same path except that I took the time to observe the pure beauty of each fall. I cannot fully describe the beauty of these waterfalls nor can pictures capture them but I had a wonderful time observing the falls. I am also excited because I will have the chance to return to the falls multiple times on programme. I also highly recommend that you come to Switzerland and see them!!
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Friday, June 15, 2012
Day 22: Elsigen Alp Training
This day I had programme training and we hiked up Engsligen Alp! We have this training so that we know the hiking route because when we are on programme we will have to lead the hike (it would seem like a good idea to know the route haha).
The day was cloudy but I hoped that the sun would come out. We began our hike walking towards Ham's Bistro which is on the way to the Bunder waterfalls. After about 10 minutes, we veered off on a road in a patch of pine trees. After we crossed over a bridge, the road went out of the trees and wrapped around the mountains. The fields surrounded us on either side and houses and farms dotted the landscape. We followed the road until we reached a farmhouse. Instead of continuing on the road, we followed a narrow gravel path that zigzagged up a field into a grove of pine trees.
We followed the gravel trail through the pine trees and out of the trees into the open. Unfortunately, the clouds hung lower in the sky and it looked like we were stuck in a snow globe that someone had shook.
Nearby a wooden house, we followed a narrow dirt path up the middle of a field. The path led through a small village filled with wooden chalets. On the edge of the town, we followed a set of stairs uphill towards a field. At this point, the uphill hike was getting a little more intense so we stopped for more breaks haha. The narrow dirt trail ran up through the field and as we hiked up towards a group of trees, it started to rain and the fog completely surrounded us.
After we made it to the pine trees, the land flattened out a bit which was a nice break from all of the uphill climbing! Soon after, we began the last thirty minute ascent to the top of Elsigen alp! We hiked to the plateau of Elsigen alp but we didn't have time to hike to the peak (hopefully I will hike up to the peak with a group of girls in the future!). On the plateau, there were small rolling hills and as we walked around the bend in the gravel road I spotted a lake! It was a large lake filled with clear water though I could barely make it out with the fog. I found out later that the lake was man-made to attract more tourism.
We walked to the nearby restaurant which was a large wooden chalet. We stopped in and ate our packed lunch there. We also bought hot drinks and snacks while we were there...I had a scoop of gelato which was delicious!
After lunch, we played on the playground outside of the restaurant before embarking on the thirty minute walk to a natural glacial lake. We followed a path that ran next to a coursing river and that wrapped around the mountain with a view of rolling hills and the snowy peak above.
We reached a beautiful turquoise lake surrounded by pine trees and shrubs. Half of the vollies decided to jump into the water, myself included. With my bathing suit on, I walked into the water. I tried to stay submerged for five seconds underwater but it was too cold. The water was so earth-shockingly cold that when I emerged from the water my body felt entirely numb haha. Part of the staff challenge is to stay submerged in a river or lake for five seconds which I did not complete but I will in the summertime when it is more sunny.
Then, we headed back to the restaurant and then we walked down the mountain on the road. The hike down the mountain took a while and we had a nice view of a grey cliff covered in pine trees and the lush landscape. At the end of the hike, Christoph picked us up and drove us back to Our Chalet. The drive back was a little scary... it seemed like we would fall off of the mountain road!
I took a nice hot shower when I got back to warm up after jumping in the glacially fed lake haha. It was a fun and wet day and I can't wait to return on programme with a group of girls on a sunny day!
This day I had programme training and we hiked up Engsligen Alp! We have this training so that we know the hiking route because when we are on programme we will have to lead the hike (it would seem like a good idea to know the route haha).
The day was cloudy but I hoped that the sun would come out. We began our hike walking towards Ham's Bistro which is on the way to the Bunder waterfalls. After about 10 minutes, we veered off on a road in a patch of pine trees. After we crossed over a bridge, the road went out of the trees and wrapped around the mountains. The fields surrounded us on either side and houses and farms dotted the landscape. We followed the road until we reached a farmhouse. Instead of continuing on the road, we followed a narrow gravel path that zigzagged up a field into a grove of pine trees.
We followed the gravel trail through the pine trees and out of the trees into the open. Unfortunately, the clouds hung lower in the sky and it looked like we were stuck in a snow globe that someone had shook.
Nearby a wooden house, we followed a narrow dirt path up the middle of a field. The path led through a small village filled with wooden chalets. On the edge of the town, we followed a set of stairs uphill towards a field. At this point, the uphill hike was getting a little more intense so we stopped for more breaks haha. The narrow dirt trail ran up through the field and as we hiked up towards a group of trees, it started to rain and the fog completely surrounded us.
After we made it to the pine trees, the land flattened out a bit which was a nice break from all of the uphill climbing! Soon after, we began the last thirty minute ascent to the top of Elsigen alp! We hiked to the plateau of Elsigen alp but we didn't have time to hike to the peak (hopefully I will hike up to the peak with a group of girls in the future!). On the plateau, there were small rolling hills and as we walked around the bend in the gravel road I spotted a lake! It was a large lake filled with clear water though I could barely make it out with the fog. I found out later that the lake was man-made to attract more tourism.
We walked to the nearby restaurant which was a large wooden chalet. We stopped in and ate our packed lunch there. We also bought hot drinks and snacks while we were there...I had a scoop of gelato which was delicious!
After lunch, we played on the playground outside of the restaurant before embarking on the thirty minute walk to a natural glacial lake. We followed a path that ran next to a coursing river and that wrapped around the mountain with a view of rolling hills and the snowy peak above.
We reached a beautiful turquoise lake surrounded by pine trees and shrubs. Half of the vollies decided to jump into the water, myself included. With my bathing suit on, I walked into the water. I tried to stay submerged for five seconds underwater but it was too cold. The water was so earth-shockingly cold that when I emerged from the water my body felt entirely numb haha. Part of the staff challenge is to stay submerged in a river or lake for five seconds which I did not complete but I will in the summertime when it is more sunny.
Then, we headed back to the restaurant and then we walked down the mountain on the road. The hike down the mountain took a while and we had a nice view of a grey cliff covered in pine trees and the lush landscape. At the end of the hike, Christoph picked us up and drove us back to Our Chalet. The drive back was a little scary... it seemed like we would fall off of the mountain road!
I took a nice hot shower when I got back to warm up after jumping in the glacially fed lake haha. It was a fun and wet day and I can't wait to return on programme with a group of girls on a sunny day!
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