Las Vegas Christmas 2011

For Christmas 2011, my family decided to do something a bit less traditional, a trip to the Grand Canyon via Las Vegas.

We flew from Richmond to Detroit and then into Las Vegas. McCarran, Las Vega’s Airport is right next to the strip. It turned out that our hotel was closer to the airport then the rental car company location. We rented from budget Fox rent a car. I would not advise to rent from them because you have to take 2 shuttles from the Airport. The shuttles are waste of time and it just adds to the worry when you need to be at the airport at 5am and you have to make sure to get both shuttles.

We stayed at the Desert Rose Resort. It was right off the strip. The hotel was very nice and had very reasonable rates. It included breakfast each morning, which after the first morning, we found was important to be there very early.

In the Lobby of the Bellagio.

    We arrived late in the evening, so the next day we explored around the Strip. We first walked around the strip first stopping at the MGM Grand and viewing the white tigers in their native habitat. Then we walked across Las Vegas Boulevard and explored the Bellagio. The Bellagio is a temple to excess and honestly, incredible. We had lunch at Chipotle, then we continued walking north. We eventually decided to turn around and visited the Imperial Plaza because I wanted to see their classic car exhibit. It is run by Don Williams who owns the Blackhawk museum in Danville, CA.

That day we purchased tickets to Vegas the Musical. Before the show we bought sandwiches from the Earl’s of Sandwich, which is located inside the Planet Hollywood shopping place. One of the sandwich’s we enjoyed with the Thanksgiving Sandwich. Vegas: The Musical was very good variety show with a full band.

The next day, we woke up and went to Wal-Mart! We then drove west to Spring Mountain State Park, which was the home of Vera Krupp, famous for being the owner of the Krupp diamond. The ranch was purchased later and owned by Howard Hughes, however it is unknown if he actually ever visited the ranch. After a small-guided tour by the state park ranger we drove north to Red Rock Canyon National Lands. This area is federal and managed by the BLM. The park includes a 13-mile area Loop Road that provided amazing vistas of the rock formations. The visitor’s center was new and provided excellent exhibits on the history of the lands. The center was divided into sections discussing fire, water, air and their effect on the land.

At Red Rock Canyon National Lands

                                             
After spending time exploring the state park we drove to Costco. This Costco was very exciting because it sold gelato, which was made in house. I had never been to Costco that sold gelato. Being Christmas Eve the traffic was extremely busy inside Costco. We then headed back to the strip. We drove to the Luxor and parked in the self-park area in the back. For a new visitor to Las Vegas it was nice to know every place had plenty of free parking. We inquired about going to view the Titanic exhibit and realized that it would be cheaper to purchase the tickets from one at half price tickets counters located on the strip. Mom and Ellie went to go view the Hitzville Review Show, a selection of Motown impersonators.

Lunch as Serendipity 3

Alicia and I went to the Mirage to see the 9.30 Cirque du Soleil the Beatles’ Love at the Mirage. We had dinner inside the Mirage at a burger place called BLT. The seating in the theater was all around the stage. The production was incredible and the music was intense. The choreographed movements were psychedelic in nature and breathtaking to watch.

Not Love but Beatleshow coverband at Planet Hollywood

          The next day, Saturday, Alicia and I went back to Red Rock Canyon to do some hiking. We hiked at the Icebox trail and the Red Rocks trail. Both were very enjoyable but would be more fun when the streams actually had some water. We returned and stopped by the grocery store Albertson's picking up lunch items and then we picked up Ellie and Mom at the Treasure Island Casino.

Alicia and I hiking at Red Rock Canyon.

The next day was Christmas, after a later start we again headed to the Mirage, to see Siegfried and Roy’s Hidden Habitat, which included dolphins and tigers. We were confused about the hotel checkout date from the hotel and were obvious that we needed to check out on the 25th. So, we went back to the hotel and packed our belongings.

Through Yelp.com I found the restaurant Tacos el Gordo, which was at incredible restaurant and a great place to have a Christmas dinner of pork on top of French fries.

We then went downtown Las Vegas and explored. We saw the illuminated covered street near Binion’s. We watched a short show on the board, which was very impressive and possibly a bit excessive.

That night we stayed at the Super 8 just off the strip. It billed itself as the largest Super 8 the world. On the property was the Ellis Island Casino, we were given $10 to gamble by joining their “exclusive club”. It was the only time Alicia, Mom and I gambled on the trip and our combined earnings actually paid for the Super 8 hotel bill.

Alicia and I at the Grand Canyon, looking over the Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge.

The next morning, December 26 we woke up early and headed to the Hoover Dam. We arrived early and were able to go on the first tour are of the day. We went on just the basic tour. The tour took you inside the dam showing some of the generators and one of the emergency release tubes. Just seeing the Dam is very impressive. We were glad to arrived early because once we were leaving at 11, the tour lines had already become very long.

We next headed south towards Laughlin, Nevada. There is a small car Museum inside one of the casinos. It was an interesting exhibit and it was neat to see a different side of the gambling in Nevada. Laughlin is on the Colorado River and it is on the border to Arizona. After a little exploring in Laughlin, we headed east towards Kingman, Arizona. In Kingman we visited a small museum devoted to Route 66. The exhibits seemed outdated and were not particularly interesting. We then headed south towards Phoenix. After another few hours in the car, we arrived in Phoenix finding a La Quinta hotel for the night. Next-day: Taliesin West.

In front of Taliesin West.

           We woke up early and headed towards Scottsdale driving to the downtown, we then headed towards Taliesin West. Again, we had the first tour of the day to explore Taliesin with the guide. I have not yet visited Taliesin in Spring Green Wisconsin, but I was struck that Taliesin West seemed much smaller than I envisioned. Throughout the tour, Frank Lloyd Wright wass hailed as the most amazing and architect in 20th century America. He was definitely an fascinating architect, but I never realized that he was always keeping one step ahead on his finances. Taliesin West is still a working architecture school and uses Wright’s innovative, hands-on approach in education. In some ways, it is incredible that Taliesin West is still in existence. I never knew Wright used many cheap or free materials when he could. Wright would design around something if it could be had for a bargain. Fortunately, the weather was wonderful in Scottsdale. One major item that had changed since Wright lived at Taliesin West was the addition of major power lines that now obstructed the view into Phoenix. Wright lived in Scottsdale during the mild winters. I could not imagine spending the summer in Phoenix.



Another picture from Taliesin West.


Having been mentioned on the tour multiple times, we decided next ahead in the Phoenix Biltmore. Its design is classic Frank Lloyd Wright, melding to its landscape but not distracting from the landscape in its quintessential Art Deco style. It was what definitely one of the most beautiful hotels I’d ever seen. RM auctions has its annual Scottsdale auction at the Arizona Biltmore.

We were looking at the other attractions in Scottsdale and Phoenix and decided to head north towards Prescott, Arizona. Prescott is a little gem of a town rich in history. We have wanted to visit the Sharlot Hall Museum, however, we would not make it in time for its 5 PM closing, so we decided to stay in Prescott for the evening. The downtown surrounds the courthouse square in classic American style. The courthouse was decorated for the holidays and they were going to have their first annual boot dropping to celebrate the New Year. That evening, we had dinner at the Prescott Brewing Company, which had great drinks and food. The meal was one of the highlights of the trip for its “cowboy” cooking and reasonable prices.

Dinner at Prescott Brewing Company.

The next morning we went to the Sharlot Hall Museum. It is a complex of historically significant buildings that was assembled in the 1920s by local historian Sharlot Hall. During the Civil War while Arizona was a territory, Prescott was the territories capital. Prescott was chosen over the more populous Tucson because Tucson was a haven for Confederates. The museum was interesting but what made each building more fascinating were the knowledgeable staff that were able to answer any questions. After we finished at the museum we headed for Jerome, Arizona. We hoped to have lunch and Jerome.

Jerome, Arizona

Jerome is literally situated on the side of the mountain. I had never seen a city in the United States that seem to be clinging to the side of the mountain like Jerome. By the time we arrived in Jerome it seemed like every tourist in Arizona was currently there. We looked at a few menus but nothing seemed particularly interesting or affordable so after a short walk around town, we headed towards Cottonwood. There we stopped at Safeway and picked up some sandwiches.

Next, we drove to Sedona, an amazing little town surrounded by the most beautiful red rocks. It was late afternoon and traffic was busy and so we continued driving on scenic route 89A towards Flagstaff. It was a beautiful 45-minute drive through a valley, with many curves following the riverbed.

When you think about Arizona, you think about desert, but as we arrived in Flagstaff, many people were coming back from the ski resorts after a day of skiing. Because we were tired, and had another hour and a half to Grand Canyon Village, we kept driving and did not stop in Flagstaff. We took 180 North (and west) towards the Grand Canyon Village. We passed many people heading back to Flagstaff for the evening. We arrived in Grand Canyon Village at the Holiday Inn Express and were very surprised that the hotel was fully booked for the evening. Fortunately we had reserved a room in November and gotten a much better rate, it was good we made reservations.

Grand Canyon

 

Alicia at I at the "corkscrew".

On the first day in the Grand Canyon Mom and Ellie were going to take a mule ride. Alicia and I dropped him off at the Bright Angel Lodge and we headed down the Bright Angel trail. The top part of the trail was especially treacherous due to the ice on the trail. The trail was not busy and the temperature started in the 30s. It was was also cool because we were in the shade. We did not really have a specific timetable for how far we were going to hike, we just wanted to get a really good view of the Grand Canyon from inside. I had read multiple reports that you cannot hike the 9 miles to the Colorado River and back in one day, so we were not going to attempt this. The trail is also a deceiving because the easy part is going down and the hard part is coming back up the guide suggested spending one third of your time going down and two thirds climbing back up. Alicia and I just kept on going, passing the Indian River Campground and eventually hiking about six to 6 ½ miles into the canyon where we found a vantage point called the “corkscrew” which provided 360° viewpoints of the canyon. It was an incredible sight. On the way back up we encountered some deer on the trail. For me, the toughest part was the last 2 miles, which despite the switchbacks are steep especially when you have already been hiking for 4 to 5 hours. Alicia and I hiked from 8:30 AM and arrived back at Bright Angel Lodge at 3 PM. We found a quick snack in the Bright Angel Lodge. We explored a little bit more around the area seeing the Kolb studio and the luxurious El Tovar hotel.

At the start of the Bright Angel Trail.

I would definitely suggest that the time to visit the Grand Canyon is during Christmas. The temperatures were excellent for hiking the crowds were nonexistent. I cannot imagine hiking on the Bright Angel Trail with temperatures above 100° and many people and lines of people on the trail.

We headed back to the hotel, rested and went across the street to the Best Western Hotel, which had a “cowboy” dinner, which was utterly disappointing. The interesting thing about Grand Canyon Village is that all the workers are brought in and live in company owned housing, that results in higher prices and I’m sure for the workers, an interesting social dynamic.

The next day we woke up and went down to breakfast, which was done much better at the Holiday Inn because they had two lines to get food and it never seemed as busy as the Desert Rose Inn. I imagine during the summer it is especially crowded at breakfast. We drove back into the park and went on the 25-mile driving loop, which afforded amazing views of the canyon. It was incredible because we were there early in the morning and at many of the viewpoints, which had 25+ parking spots we were the only people there. We then drove back to the Bright Angel Lodge area and went to the Hopi House which was a store containing various Native American made goods. The coolest item in the store was an image of Albert Einstein visiting Hopi house in the 1920s and wearing Native American dress.

After some shopping, we left the park heading south to Interstate 40 and Seligman, Arizona. We stopped in Williams, Arizona, a quaint town that owes its success to its location on Route 66. The town was full of stores selling various souvenirs of a bygone era. Then we headed west on I-40 and got off in Seligman to drive the scenic route of Route 66 through Peach Springs. I had heard positive things about Peach Springs, which is located on the Indian reservation. However, when we arrived in Peach Springs we did not see anything in town that looked worthy for a stop, so we kept driving west.

Alicia and Mom at the "Cowboy Dinner".

We continued on to Kingman, Arizona, then headed north on 93. Through the Hotel Tonight iPhone app, I had found a greatly reduced rate at the Stratosphere Hotel. Which is where we decided to spend our last night before a 6 AM flight. We drove back finding some “rush hour” as we drove through Boulder City, Nevada. We arrived back in Las Vegas around seven after a quick fill up of gas at Costco.

In the "Pawn Stars" store.

That night Alicia and I explored the Pawn Store from “Pawn Stars” which is located a few blocks away from the Stratosphere. It was simply a pawnshop. It is funny how television seems to be able to glorify anything. We also stopped at another Taco stand located just north of the strip. It provided a nice “last dinner” for the trip.
 

The next morning, we woke early and then it hit us. I had left the keys with Alicia and Ellie when Mother and I went in to check-in to the hotel. After checking in, we left the keys in the ignition and locked the car. So it is 3.30am, we have a 6 am flight and the keys are locked in the car. Fortunately after calling AAA only a few minutes later Juan from AAA showed up, we got into the car and we made it to the airport, with no minutes to spare. We made a flight and were safely on our way back to Richmond. What an adventure!

Here is a map of a the places we visited (and a few we did not): 

View Las Vegas 2011 in a larger map

Alicia Gerove!

Alicia Gerove!

Update from Alicia in Europe

This is an update Alicia sent on here travels in Europe.
Sounds like fun!!!

Phelbe and I were pretty tired last night and didnt watch a movie but instead read and then went to bed around midnight. Then we had planned on getting up around 9 am but then that became 10 am so I trully understand the need for extra sleep:) We had breakfast and then left her apartment around 12 pm. We first took the metro to the hill of Montmatre the area associated with artists and the Moulin Rouge. There was a great view of Paris from this location and we visited the Sacre Coeur church in the Neo Romanesque style. We also saw many street artists offering to paint portraits of tourists. Then for lunch we went to the cafe where Amelie was filmed which was neat. After that we walked around the Hotel de Ville (the home of the city council), the outside of the Lourve, and the Tour St Jaques (a late Gothic tower). We also walked along the Rue de Rivoli a major shopping area where the first department stores with electricity opened. Following that we journeyed through the Jardin des Tuileries (i think the garden we visited in Salzburg was much prettier). Next we arrived at the Place de la Concorde and viewed the grand Luxor obelisk. I learned that this was the location where both Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were beheaded. Afterward we walked along the Avenue des Champs Elysees and just in time the trees and other holiday decorations were illuminated. It was very beautiful and enchanting to see Paris illuminated by night. Now I am back at Phelbes apartment because she has to take care of the children of the owner of her apartment for about 2 hours and then we will probably head back out to see the Arc de Triomphe by night and the Eiffel Tower. Tomorrow I think I will visit her uni and the Notre Dame and other sites. This visit to Paris will be short like our trip to D.C. but I have enjoyed catching up with Phelbe and seeing the city. Ellie...I think you would enjoy visiting here and seeing all of the well dressed women and men and this center of fashion.

Before coming to Paris I just got back from 5 days in Austria ( 4 days of skiing and one day of visiting Salzburg the home of Mozart). The skiing conditions were great and only on the last day there were snow blowers on while we were skiing. Wouter, Tom, Wouters Mom, and I skied together the first day. Then Wouter and I basically skied together the following days since Tom skis very fast and his mom wanted to ski at a slower pace. New Years Eve was also fun because we went into the small town of Radstadt for a nice dinner for which Wouters father generously paid. Then there was a stage in the center of the town with music and lots of fireworks.

Alicia Update #6

I have realized that it seems that my days off are always involved in something active and I am usually pretty exhausted but content by the end of the day. I seem to be attached to the feeling of being very exhausted at the end of the day and ready to relax either through reading or watching a movie. Thus today I followed my roommate to Emi in an extreme bike trip. I had considered biking around Lake Thun on a day off because I considered it to be a beautiful location and an active activity. Emi, however, had even better plans. She decided that we should bike from Adelboden to Frutigen (about 40 minutes downhill, not to strenuous) then on to Spiez and from there the real fun began. We started our loop around Lake Thun (you might remember it from when we visited Thun over xmas and the castle there) so our first stop for lunch was Interlaken (about 18 kilometers away, 13 ish miles). We enjoyed our packed lunches by the lake and went to the coop for cold drinks (for me it was chocolate milk) and nectarines. Then we walked around Interlaken for about 20 minutes which was nice but Interlaken is too touristy for me (lunch menus are written in several languages). Our next major stop was the city of Thun from Interlaken. It was quite hot today so this part of the trip was a real test for our endurance and perseverance. We almost went swimming in the lake but did not have time to do that but hopefully I will on another day off. Finally we reached Thun around 3 pm and visited another coop for cold drinks to stay hydrated with the heat. Next we started our return journey back to Spiez and Frutigen where we took a bus back to Adelboden. {This part was the hardest because everything on my body ached. (The grand finale.....the total biking portion of our trip was 100 kilometers= 62 miles). I definitely know that my bum will be sore tomorrow but I am so happy with how the day went. I think with a great pair of biking shorts with lots of bum padding I might be able to do the same thing tomorrow. {Just kidding, of course I will have to rest. I also went running this morning too. I think that the adventure and moutains here just inspire me to push myself to do more with myself and do more extreme things than I would do normally}.

so I did plan on saying more but this is all I am writing right now...
love, alicia

Alicia Update #6

So we started summer on Monday with a bbq and onsite orienteering, games, campfire, etc। day. I was on guest services for the day and helped with cooking and the shop. Our bbq included long bratwursts, french bread rolls, apples, toppings, and mini toblerone bars (fun fact: the toblerone bar is shaped like the matterhorn). I helped prepare the bbq and then helped with cleanup. During the afternoon I unpacked goods for the shop and counted them and then put them away. It was quite a boring job but not too stressful.

Basically my final task on Monday was dinner dishes clean up. Then on Tuesday I was on guest services again and helped in the kitchen but nothing too exciting happened that I can remember. Wednesday was my day off and I went hiking to Furggi which was quite beautiful but somehow I lost the path and was climbing up the mountain through grassy fields. I found the path again and then headed across Gsur on an alpineweg. An alpineweg is the most challenging hiking route and is only for experienced hikers. Gsur has quite exposed rock faces and a lot of loose gravel. However the most difficult part of this hike was not the rock but the snow that still hadn't melted. I crossed the snowy paths on all fours trying to keep my boots gripping the snow and using my hands for stability. It was a bit scary and I realized that it is not a good idea to cross alpinewegs in May or June when the snow is still present. I enjoyed when I finally reached Schwandfeldspitz, the top of Tschenten Alp, and ate a late lunch.

Thursday was my next day off so I decided to go hiking again but for a longer time. My hike lasted about 6-7 hours and I ran a bit of the end home to make it in time for dinner. First I began hiking toward Chuenisbargli the home of the world cup ski run. I basically hiked up the ski run and at the top I could see the box from which the skiers start. It was very neat. Next I continued on to Hahnenmoos and hiked along the top of a narrow ridge from which I could see both sides of the valley below. It was beautiful and there were great flowers to view. I finally made it to Hahnenmoos around 3:30 pm and saw middle aged men flying remote controlled airplanes in the sky. This was an interesting sight to see, and I went inside a building and witnessed the same men fixing and assembling other toy airplanes. Then on my hike back to the chalet, I think I passed a gondola that we visited on our Christmas vacation in the Sillerenbuhl. Thursday was a great hike and I was not as stressed as on Wednesday.

Friday I continued on guest services and I gave a tour in the afternoon to three people from Arizona. They were just day visitors and staying in a hotel in Kandersteg. It was a middle aged woman and her two parents. The woman had come to the chalet about 20 years ago with a friend during the winter but the chalet was closed at that time for two weeks so she could not see any of the buildings. She was so excited to finally see the chalet and asked lots of questions. The tour ended up lasting about 1.5 hours. Then I helped prepare Friday's dinner of meatloaf, veggies, and stracitella (sp. it is a vanilla pudding/ice cream like with chocolate chips mixed in and we served it with frozen berries). I was in charge of mixing the meatloaf together.

Friday marked the first of several days that our head cook Veronica is away in Scotland attending the wedding of a relative. In her place is Emily a summer volunteer from Pennsylvania whose family is Italian. Although I am not keen to eat meatloaf, Emily made the meatloaf delicious with the spices and other ingredients she added.

Saturday again I was on guest services and the highlights of my day were cleaning the main chalet, creating a box for scouts to put surveys about their stay at the center, organizing Tupperware containers (a bit like finding the mates to socks, we basically took all of the Tupperware out of the shelves and tried to match them with their mates), and making the dessert for dinner (strawberry yogurt with two pineapples on top drizzled in chocolate sauce).

Today I am on guest services and since I did not have to help with breakfast and packed lunches, I could be ready at 9:30 am instead of 7:30 am. The people on guest services rotate with the breakfast duty so some days you can sleep in more and other days you have to get up early. It is nice to have a chance to sleep in once in a while. Then this morning I helped find linen, sheets, and towels to prepare Squirrel house for guests who are coming tomorrow. Currently we have about 15 guests but soon during our mini break between a new program session (lasts 10 days and is a package which scouts book and similiar to the idea of a week long summer camp) we will have 75 guests. It will be crazy in the kitchen those days.

Now I am on a three hour lunch break which is great. I cleaned my room and did laundry and now might do some reading... Well keep me updated on your summers...

Love,
Alicia

Alicia on the Our Chalet Website

Hey everyone, Check out this website for staff pictures.
Alicia

Alicia Update #5

A lot of things have been happening recently. On Thursday we got to move into Stockli the staff house which was very exciting. There are two bedrooms and baths as well as a kitchen and tv room on the bottom floor and two baths and about 4 bedrooms on the top floor. Most people have roommates and there is one triple and there are three single rooms. I am rooming with Emi from Japan on the bottom floor.

So the highlight of Thursday was moving my stuff into Stockli and doing laundry. But Thursday was also special because one American, from Pennsylvania who goes to Texas A &M and has Italian heritage, made dinner for the staff. There is a staff challenge which includes preparing a dinner from your country by yourself as one of the criteria. Emily made homemade ravoli filled with cheese, garlic bread, and a meatball sauce. Then dessert was fresh cannoli. It was a meal to remember and we listened to Italian music. Also that night Emily hosted an 'Aggie' night for evening program which covered a great deal of information about Texas A&M. Apparently Texas A&M does not have cheerleaders at football games but instead 'yell leaders.' Emily taught us severall yells and other A&M propaganda. It was enlightening but not exactly my favorite evening program.

Then Friday was our final staff program training day. All 10 of the summer volunteers plus the program director and assistant program director went hiking to the top of Bunderspitz a mountain behind the chalet that separates Adelboden from Kandersteg. We left at 10 am and got to the cheese makers hut at 12 pm and as we arrived at the hut, the hut owner played the Alpine horn. I trully felt at that moment that I was in the Swiss Alps. After that we started our ascent of Bunderspitz. We were in different groups because one girl had injured her leg and had to take her time on the hike. I was in the first group and we finally reached the top around 2:45 pm and ate a late lunch at that time. Then the top of Bunderspitz started becoming very cold so we put on all the clothes we had brought. Soon we left the summit and arrived in time for dinner at 6:30 pm. Saturday was my day off and I began the day making french toast with Vanessa from California for the other summer staffers. It was great having a different breakfast because my usual breakfast here is either muesli (dried oats with raisins, sugars, apricots, and some nuts mixed with plain yogurt and allowed to soak overnight), toast with cheese or jam, or cereal (cornflakes or oats).

Then in the afternoon I went hiking with 3 other Americans (one from Chicago, Vanessa, and the other from West Virginia) to the woodcarvers. I bought a woogle to put on my neckerchief which I wear daily. We also on our hike managed to find the flat/apartment where some of the senior staff from Our Chalet (they work at the chalet for more that 3 months) live. They invited us in for tea which was great considering it was beginning to rain. Finally we went back for dinner.

Also that evening we (summer staffers) found out our assignments for next week. This week marks the actual beginning of summer for the chalet with the first groups of girls for summer program. Since this week will not be busy because there are only about 16 guests, the program director assigned the summer staffers who needed more practice on program this week. Thus I will be on guest services giving tours, doing laundry, cooking meals, and cleaning. I have Wednesday and Thursday off this week. Today I went on a long run for about an hour along the river and it was very nice. Then in the afternoon I hiked by myself to the top of Tschentenalp and went down on a discovery trail (roundtrip the hike lasted about 4.5-5 hours). It rained a little but it was still enjoyable.

Tonight we had guests at dinner from Colorado and they mentioned that they had been skiing last week. The mother, daughter who just graduated from high school, and the son who is in college are all ski instructors at Copper Mountain (is apparently owned by Intrawest who owns Snowshoe). The father is a geologist. They will be at the chalet for two days and they are hiking Bunderspitz tomorrow and invited staff to join them. Too bad all staff are working tomorrow so that is not a possiblity. Oh and I learned how to play Texas Holdem (sp) tonight from Emily. Well hope all is well in the U.S.


love, alicia

Alicia Update #4

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday was a very exciting day of program training. All of the spring volunteers plus our program director from Slovenia and assistant program director from the UK who graduated from Cambridge went to the Adventure Park in Adelboden to learn how to assist with the high rope activities with guests. We learned how to zipline across a river under a bridge many times back and forth at varying heights. Then our group went on a high ropes course. On this course we were attached to a cable over the river and walked over moving logs, trapezes, and went swinging like Tarzan. {the mountain guide leading the course told us to make Tarzan noises} Next we went abseiling off a bridge and then the most exciting part of the day occurred. It is called the Pendulum Swing. Basically I was attached to a full body harness with two ropes on the end. Basically I jumped off a ledge on a bridge into the river below and had a few seconds of free fall [very terrifying] before the rope caught me and then I swung like a pendulum back and forth. Although I was very nervous I looked calm and everyone around me commented on how calm I looked. It was an unforgettable experience. Usually scouts have to pay 20 francs extra for this swing. Then we had lunch by the river which for me was a tuna sandwich with cheese and a cucumber and cheese sandwich with an apple. For the afternoon we went outdoor rock climbing and practiced belaying. I have quite improved my climbing technique and skill since I learned that climbing centers on your feet and not your arms. I climbed the most out of our group and made it up 4 routes.

Today was another program day and we first hiked to a gorge and did abseiling/repelling in the morning. Then we had lunch by the river and got to explore the water and the large stones surrounding it. After that we went to the wood carvers where you can buy everything hand crafted from wooden cows to wooden bottle openers. Scouts can buy woggles and other souvenirs with their name put on it. A family has run this wood carving business for generations and was very engaging and loved telling us about their work. The mother treated us to orange juice, mineral water that is bottled and comes from Adelboden (apparently Adelboden is known for their spring water), and cookies. Then we visited a cafe where we will take scouts. The program assistant treated us to lemon cake there which was delicious. Today was also a great day because a could understand most of the German being spoken in the wood carvers. I am hoping to practice and learn more German while I am here. After eating the cake we hiked back to the chalet for dinner.

Finally tomorrow we get to move into the staff house called Stockli. We couldn't move in there earlier because the spring volunteers were still here. They left on Monday and I was sad to see them go because they were really engaging. Also I spent one day off with one of the spring vollies from the U.K. and I could tell we would be great hiking partners. Well the exciting news is that I have finally found out who my roommate is....It is Emi from Tokyo, Japan. Emi and I went hiking together on a day off and we get along well. Well tomorrow is a day off and I get to move into Stockli and then Friday is a staff training hike on Bunderspitz. Then I have the weekend both Saturday and Sunday off.

love, alicia

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...

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

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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