This is a google map of my summer road trip 2008.
View Summer 2008 in a larger map
Saturday, May 30, 2009
My new Kandersteg Poster - Framed!
Isn't it pretty!
I have been on a bit of a poster binge lately....
Retro 60's Swiss Tourism Poster
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Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Boys come down to Hickory and beyond
The boys came down and it was time for a trip!!!!
Despite some bad weather. We went hiking at the Cone Estate off the Blue Ridge Parkway and went all the way up to the fire tower. Amazing and beautiful, great 360 Degree Views of Blowing Rock and Boone.
Then an amazing Rib BBQ! (no pictures of that fun)
View cone estate in a larger map
Top 10 Auction Cars of 2009
The official bible of the collector car world, Sports Car Market, has a nice little slide show of top auction cars of the year so far. Leading the way is the 1957 Ferrari 250 Testarossa that recently pulled down $12.4M at an auction in Maranello.
Not surprisingly, it's one of four Ferrari's that made the list. Other entries include a Talbot-Lago, a Duesenberg and a couple of Bugatti's. Nice stuff if you've got the scratch.
Sports Car Market: Top 10 Cars of 2009
Open-Top Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Video Review
a very cool video review of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport. Make sure to watch!
Alicia Update #3
This will be short but I wanted to give an update on what I am doing. On Sunday we had a staff training day in Interlaken. We began the day with a scavenger hunt around Interlaken to get to know the town. Interlaken is very touristy hence about every third person I encountered was speaking English. Tourists are attracted to this location because of water sports (rafting, canyoning, other), sky diving, paragliding, hanggliding, etc. Then we had a picnic lunch in some grass near the tourist shops. After that we visited Alpin Raft to learn about the rafting we would take groups on during the summer. I felt at Alpin Raft that I was in Californina because the company is run by Americans, Aussies, Swissies, and Kiwis. They had a sort of Tiki themed decorating and Cali music. After that we departed for Trummelbach Falls which are beautiful waterfalls which help drain the Jungfrau, Eiger, and Monch (famous Swiss mountains). Then we had a sort of tea party in the gardens near the falls. Next we visited a Chocolate Show in Interlaken and I consumed delicious chocolates and truffles.
Yesterday morning we learned evening program activities with the program assistant. Then in the afternoon I helped cook dinner which was chicken curry, rice, salad, and baked apple with cream. I was in charge of the baked apples and cored them. Then I filled them with butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and raisins. The food was great.
Tomorrow I am going to Kandersteg in the evening with 6 other our chalet staff members. I am so excited to take them to lake oschennssee and around the center. Then on Saturday is the kanderlodge opening which our chalet is invited to...
Yesterday morning we learned evening program activities with the program assistant. Then in the afternoon I helped cook dinner which was chicken curry, rice, salad, and baked apple with cream. I was in charge of the baked apples and cored them. Then I filled them with butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and raisins. The food was great.
Tomorrow I am going to Kandersteg in the evening with 6 other our chalet staff members. I am so excited to take them to lake oschennssee and around the center. Then on Saturday is the kanderlodge opening which our chalet is invited to...
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Alicia Update #2
I hope all is well in Virginia and N.C.
Today was a great staff training day because we took a day trip to a nearby cave, a castle by lake Thun, a boat ride across Thun, and sightseeing in Thun. The trip mimicked the day trips we will take the guests on during the summer. Previously I had three days off starting last Wednesday. I biked with other staff members to Frutigen, a nearby town which took about 1.5 hours on the way there. Then we looked around the town and went grocery shopping, visited a church, and saw a lovely cemetry. I was the only one of my group to bike back to the chalet instead of taking a bus. The return trip took me about 3.5 hours becuase I got a bit lost and was biking/carrying the bike uphill. I was exhausted by the end but it was a great experience.
The next day I went on a hike to beautiful waterfalls with a Japanese fellow staff member. She is really sweet and I might go running with her in the morning. I tell her the Japanese I learned in JAPN101 which is very limited but she appreciated it. Also later that day I went running along a fitness course where their are pictures of different exercises you can do. I tried some of the exercises which was quite nice and I enjoyed running by a river. Then on Friday I went with a British spring volunteer to Niesen a.k.a. the Swiss Pyramid. We took a train to the village at the bottom of the train station/funicular. Then we hiked part of the way up and then took the funicular to the top. Niesen, the Swiss mountain, was great because the views at the top span 360 degrees and we could see the Jungfrau (mountain of the highest swiss railway) and the Eiger and other famous mountains. Sarah the girl I hiked with was very nice and she has helped with cooking the meals at the chalet. We discussed a lot of recipes and I will have to invite you to a traditional Swiss dinner when I come home. I love the food here. We normally have yogurt, muesli, and toast with cheese or jam for breakfast. Then lunch is sandwiches on bread baked in town and leaftovers from the previous night. Finally dinner is delicious and sometimes something Swiss. For example tonight we had Rosti (shredded potatoes, bacon, cheese), Ratatouille, and strattallela for dessert. I will also be helping to cook over the summer as well as cleaning and helping with program activities.
Tomorrow we have a training day in Interlaken and will visit waterfalls and a chocolate factory (I can't wait to eat more chocolate, you must tell me your favorite kind of chocolate so I can bring some back to you). Oh and everyone here is really nice. We are in a transition phase with 10 summer volunteers and 5 spring staffers who are leaving in a week. There are also about 5 or more senior staffers with specific roles who are paid such as the office manager, program assistant, world centre manager, etc.
Love,
Alicia
Today was a great staff training day because we took a day trip to a nearby cave, a castle by lake Thun, a boat ride across Thun, and sightseeing in Thun. The trip mimicked the day trips we will take the guests on during the summer. Previously I had three days off starting last Wednesday. I biked with other staff members to Frutigen, a nearby town which took about 1.5 hours on the way there. Then we looked around the town and went grocery shopping, visited a church, and saw a lovely cemetry. I was the only one of my group to bike back to the chalet instead of taking a bus. The return trip took me about 3.5 hours becuase I got a bit lost and was biking/carrying the bike uphill. I was exhausted by the end but it was a great experience.
The next day I went on a hike to beautiful waterfalls with a Japanese fellow staff member. She is really sweet and I might go running with her in the morning. I tell her the Japanese I learned in JAPN101 which is very limited but she appreciated it. Also later that day I went running along a fitness course where their are pictures of different exercises you can do. I tried some of the exercises which was quite nice and I enjoyed running by a river. Then on Friday I went with a British spring volunteer to Niesen a.k.a. the Swiss Pyramid. We took a train to the village at the bottom of the train station/funicular. Then we hiked part of the way up and then took the funicular to the top. Niesen, the Swiss mountain, was great because the views at the top span 360 degrees and we could see the Jungfrau (mountain of the highest swiss railway) and the Eiger and other famous mountains. Sarah the girl I hiked with was very nice and she has helped with cooking the meals at the chalet. We discussed a lot of recipes and I will have to invite you to a traditional Swiss dinner when I come home. I love the food here. We normally have yogurt, muesli, and toast with cheese or jam for breakfast. Then lunch is sandwiches on bread baked in town and leaftovers from the previous night. Finally dinner is delicious and sometimes something Swiss. For example tonight we had Rosti (shredded potatoes, bacon, cheese), Ratatouille, and strattallela for dessert. I will also be helping to cook over the summer as well as cleaning and helping with program activities.
Tomorrow we have a training day in Interlaken and will visit waterfalls and a chocolate factory (I can't wait to eat more chocolate, you must tell me your favorite kind of chocolate so I can bring some back to you). Oh and everyone here is really nice. We are in a transition phase with 10 summer volunteers and 5 spring staffers who are leaving in a week. There are also about 5 or more senior staffers with specific roles who are paid such as the office manager, program assistant, world centre manager, etc.
Love,
Alicia
Alicia Update #1
Hi Everyone,
Today was my second day of training in the program department. We learned about the activities offered at the Chalet for the summer. Unlike KISC at Our chalet the groups are given a packaged week program that they cannot choose. Different day activities include hiking, visiting the Adventure park, abseiling, visiting waterfalls, exploring a castle, a day trip to Thun and Interlaken, rafting, going to a chocolate factory, on site activities, the wood cutters, rock climbing, etc. The program is a lot different from KISC in the sense that our job is almost more of a chaperon than a hiking guide. I am excited about exploring more of the cities on day trips and seeing a different part of Switzerland.
On my days off I plan on doing mostly hiking. Next week I have Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off. I am thinking of visiting KISC with some girls from Our Chalet. It is nice because we can stay and eat there for free.
Today I also got my Our Chalet vest but we do not get to keep it....I might buy my own. There are also nice newish Giant bikes at the center we can use on work or days off. I plan to take the bikes somewhere on my days off and go biking. Normally I will have 2 consecutive days off each week. Another thing we did today was go into Adelboden for a scavenger hunt and to explore the town. The town is about 40 minutes from the center and it is very hilly and quite a workout. On the other hand it is about 15-20 minutes away from KISC to Kandersteg and it is flat. However, the town has a lot more to offer with a movie theater, lots of shops, bakeries, etc. It is a really cute and nice town. I also like the food in some ways more than KISC because they cook for a smaller group of people so they can make more delicious food. Tonight we had bratwurst, peas and carrots, potatoes, gravy, and a chocolate mouse type dessert.
Tomorrow I will do more program training for on camp day. The chalet is basically divided between program and guest services departments. The first official activities week is about the second week of june and each staff member will be put on either program or guest services for the entire week. This is so that the people on program will get to know the groups that come very well. Earlier in the season most of the groups will be American and later on most of the troops will be English. Currently I am residing in the attic of the main chalet and next week we [other summer staff] will move to the Squirrel house, and finally in June to the staff house/chalet. Well I am having a great time so far and am heading to Swiss night later this evening.
Love,
Alicia
KISC: Kandersteg International Scout Center
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Today was my second day of training in the program department. We learned about the activities offered at the Chalet for the summer. Unlike KISC at Our chalet the groups are given a packaged week program that they cannot choose. Different day activities include hiking, visiting the Adventure park, abseiling, visiting waterfalls, exploring a castle, a day trip to Thun and Interlaken, rafting, going to a chocolate factory, on site activities, the wood cutters, rock climbing, etc. The program is a lot different from KISC in the sense that our job is almost more of a chaperon than a hiking guide. I am excited about exploring more of the cities on day trips and seeing a different part of Switzerland.
On my days off I plan on doing mostly hiking. Next week I have Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off. I am thinking of visiting KISC with some girls from Our Chalet. It is nice because we can stay and eat there for free.
Today I also got my Our Chalet vest but we do not get to keep it....I might buy my own. There are also nice newish Giant bikes at the center we can use on work or days off. I plan to take the bikes somewhere on my days off and go biking. Normally I will have 2 consecutive days off each week. Another thing we did today was go into Adelboden for a scavenger hunt and to explore the town. The town is about 40 minutes from the center and it is very hilly and quite a workout. On the other hand it is about 15-20 minutes away from KISC to Kandersteg and it is flat. However, the town has a lot more to offer with a movie theater, lots of shops, bakeries, etc. It is a really cute and nice town. I also like the food in some ways more than KISC because they cook for a smaller group of people so they can make more delicious food. Tonight we had bratwurst, peas and carrots, potatoes, gravy, and a chocolate mouse type dessert.
Tomorrow I will do more program training for on camp day. The chalet is basically divided between program and guest services departments. The first official activities week is about the second week of june and each staff member will be put on either program or guest services for the entire week. This is so that the people on program will get to know the groups that come very well. Earlier in the season most of the groups will be American and later on most of the troops will be English. Currently I am residing in the attic of the main chalet and next week we [other summer staff] will move to the Squirrel house, and finally in June to the staff house/chalet. Well I am having a great time so far and am heading to Swiss night later this evening.
Love,
Alicia
KISC: Kandersteg International Scout Center
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