Archive by Author

Marrakech, Morocco

20 Mar

This is an entry for our Spring 2012 Why We Ride Blog Contest. Click here to read the original blog post on Jacquelyn’s blog “poster of a girl”, as well as her other adventures while studying abroad.

Marrakech, Morocco

So i should really be doing my report thats due tomorrow. but i don’t want to. so instead i will write about my trip to morocco since it was the most amazing adventure i’ve embarked.

once again, our flight left at 6:25 am which means we had to catch the 3:30 am shuttle. no bigs. we’re used to it by now. for once, everything went perfectly smooth at the airport. accept i beeped going through security which makes me think those things are bullshit because i was literally wearing leggings and my mickey shirt. no shoes. no jewelry. no nothin. so after being felt up by the lady inspector, we enjoyed a starbucks breakfast sammy and some coffee. we got plane snacks and boarded the hideously yellow ryan air plane. 3 and a half hours later and after the most amazing sun rise and instagrammed pictures out the plane window, we landed in Marrakech. beautiful, sunny, Marrakech.

Met up with our Bus2Alps leaders Jon and Andy. Coolest dudes ever. So glad we decided to go with them. We really wanted to go to Morocco but didn’t want to trek it by ourselves so the bus2alps trip was the perfect solution.

Anyway, we made it to our hostel around 11. Our amazing, hotel-like hostel. Enjoyed some delish hand squeezed orange juice and corn pancakes on the roof top and waited for the rest of the crew to arrive. 28 girls and 4 guys later, we were off on our mini tour of the souks. Crazy place. It was like TJ only way cooler. I couldn’t count on 10 hands the catcalls we received. Things like: “oh hey spice girls!” “shakiraaaa!” “Hannah Montana!” “Ohh Giselle!” those were the only celebrities they know apparently. Then there was “Oh my god! Beautiful!”  “fish and chips!” (don’t get that one…) “nice ass/nice tits” GROSS. It was funny at first. No harm no foul.

Later that night we had an amazing Moroccan feast at the hostel. Couscous and chicken and veggies. And eggplant. And rice. And wine. And bread. Yummmm. And we had our very own Moroccan band singing for us, so naturally we had a dance party. One guy didn’t have teeth. It was great. Super fun night just getting to know all the other kids studying all over the world.

On Friday Allison and I decided to partake in the canyoning trip. I couldn’t recommend this ENOUGH! I never knew how much I love outdoorsy adventures.
I think there were 16 of us that went out. We caravanned to a lounge/ restaurant in the mountains to gear up. Wetsuits, old wet shoes, and awesome helmets. We were good to go. Jon and Andy took us down through this creek climbing through rocks and rivers. Then we attached to a harness and propelled down two waterfalls and into the water below. It was seriously the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life. The water was freezing but the air was so warm. It was tons of fun. We went back to the restaurant, which had this huge wrap around Moroccan style purple velvet couch in an open-air porch with white curtains blowing in the wind. We enjoyed tea and jokes from the host as the sun set behind the mountains. Best day ever!

The next day we rode camels. As if the adventures could get any better… they did! We went to a traditional Berber (mountain) family home and enjoyed tea from the Woman of the household.Dodging crazy men selling ugly necklaces and little boys asking for kisses, we made it back to the van and headed further into the mountains. Couldn’t get enough of the camels. We named our favorite Wednesday, and her baby Sunday (sonny for short). We rode on Savanna. Apparently they had real names but ours are cooler. It was a quick ride. But it was cool. Favorite part of the day was our hike up to the waterfall. We drove even farther up into the mountains and stopped at this amazing village. It reminded me of the river in White Fang. But nobody had seen the movie so they had no idea what I was talking about. We hiked up through the village of restaurants and shops built into the mountain and came to the top with a huge waterfall. It was beautiful. Ending the day with a delicious dinner on a rooftop patio at one of the restaurants couldn’t have been more appropriate. It was our last night as a group so we got some drinks back at the hostel and hung out in the lounge. Good times with good friends.

Most people left early the next day, but Allison and I had the whole day so we shopped. Obvi. We were bargaining queens. We got two leather backpacks for $40 and a satchel and another backpack for $45. Amazing deals. Tons of jewelry. Too much sun and yum kebabs later, we were back at the hostel waiting for our shuttle. HUGE miscommunication the guy never showed up so the hostel called us someone to walk us to the car. But we didn’t know we had to pay him (because we didn’t know he was the wrong guy) so we were late finding out shuttle. Then there was tons of traffic. Then our shuttle driver hit a motorbike guy. We were tripppppin. But we made it in time. With time to get snacks. So all was good. And we returned from Africa, tanned, with new friends and new stories. And another adventure to write about in the journal. Couldn’t recommend a bus2alps trip enough. Can’t wait to spend spring break with them in Greece! YAHOOO

 

 

 

 

Get em while they’re hot

16 Mar

Woooo Spring Break 012!!! Most of you have just returned from Spring Break or will be returning to us shortly. Now that the margarita high is wearing down and those photos of Puerta Vallerta, Punta Cana, The Bahamas, or a relaxing week at home are being posted online, its time daydream about the incredible places you’re going this summer.

Spring is here. The temperature has changed and life is wonderful. You may have looked out your window and noticed quite a few people heading for the green parts of campus, catching some rays, maybe even starting a slip n slide in front of the library. Hell, you probably were doing this. Now is the happiest time of the year. You’re coming off the high of an incredible Spring Break and are buzzing with this excitement to keep the fun going. The desire for one more epic trip after graduation orbefore an internship is there.

Fast forward to the summer of our life on one of our 2 week Summer Break trips to Europe. We started these trips with go getters like yourself in mind. The ones who come back from Spring Break and can only think about what epic trip they are going on this summer. While you are basking in the college sun, think about how beautiful Greece is in May, how wonderful swimming in the Mediterranean will be, and how mind-blowing Amsterdam is when all of the tulips are in bloom.

These trips are starting to fill. Get your friends and get a move on while you still have the opportunity to do something amazing. Especially for those graduating, this is the time for you to make an incredible memory to happily daydream about when you are filling out TPS reports in a cubicle 6 months or 5 years from now. Save you sanity, and  book the best graduation mama can buy.

Mediterranean Island Hopping – 15 days in the Greek Isles and Italian Coast
Best of Wester Europe – 15 days of Europe’s hottest cities

Embark on the summer of your life.

How To Take Great Pictures

14 Mar

by Kelley Robinson

As a journalism major in college, I was lucky enough pick up a few tips that are easy to share on improving your photography while abroad. Here are a few easy ways to take enhance your photo excursions before you press the Facebook share button.

Rule of Thirds

A friend and I in Milan on the
Bus2alps Best of Italy Spring Break

This rule is one to live by. Whether I am setting up a video camera for an interview or snapping a portrait of a friend, I always am aware of where I am placing the subject of the photo. Our eyes have been studied and show that we react more to images using a sound rule of thirds than to perfectly centered images.

In the example to the left you can see the image, when broken up into thirds puts my friend and I, the subjects of the photo, directly where the right and bottom lines intersect. When composing photos, always aim to put your subjects where you think these lines will intersect when the image is broken up into thirds.

Sometimes, as in the case of my photo in Milan, you aren’t the one taking the photo: hence the beauty of cropping. When you transfer your photos to your computer, in only a few moments you will have photos perfectly cropped to match the rule of thirds in any basic photo editor.

Avoid Distracting Backgrounds

Many times when taking photos, we fail to notice the what is going on behind our subjects, and a classic mistake is the “pole growing from the head” photo. Unless that is a effect you are purposefully going for, you could be accidentally making your subject looked odd.

Also to avoid is super bright backgrounds behind your subject. We all know that trying to take a photo with the sun or open window behind our subjects rarely turns out well. You can try to brighten your subject with a flash but on many cameras your bright background will then appear washed out. Best to reposition yourself so that the light source helps your photo rather than ruins it.

Take the “Touristy” Photos

I promise as much as you think you are too cool for it, you aren’t. Jumping photo in front of the Louvre? I’ll take that challenge. Holding up the leaning tower of Pisa? Just try and stop me. And don’t even get me started about throwing a coin in the Trevi Fountain with a camera in front of me.

These are your memories, do what you want with them and don’t care about drawing your attention to yourself or taking the cliche path for a minute. Cliches are created often times because they are so true or rewarding. So go for it, and don’t ever be ashamed of doing what you need to do for that great, fun photo you’ll appreciate forever.

Keeping you in the loop

13 Mar

This past week, the Bus2alps team has been all over the map and super busy with Spring trips! The Eastern Loop and Northern Loop Spring Breaks set off for a ridiculous 10 day journey through Europe’s top cities. In Munich, one girl proclaimed that the Eastern Loop was more fun than her wedding day will be. WE LOVE IT! The Best of Italy Spring Break trip also took place this past week, with American students spending their 10 day breaks exploring all that Rome, Florence, Venice, Verona, and Milan have to offer. As for weekend trips, a group of students from Ireland, Paris, Florence, and Rome all came together to experience the gorgeous canals, eccentric lifestyle, and funky vibes of Amsterdam.

Over in Barcelona, the city was blessed with amazing weather and the Bus2alps crew certainly took advantage of the city’s many beaches and got some sun. The Paella dinner at Dusk bar was delicious as always, and the unlimited sangria was a perfect pregame for the Nicky Romero concert at Bling Bling on Wednesday. Over in Rome, a group of over 30 students came together for an evening of delicious eats and good laughs at the Tony’s dinner organized by the Bus2alps Roma team.

The flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, the sun is shining… It’s Spring Break season, baby! With Greece Island Hopping, the Eastern Loop, & the Northern Loop spring breaks coming up this weekend, the Bus2alps team is getting ready to show hundreds of students the best 10 days of their lives. Let the games begin!

The best weekend of my life – London

13 Mar

This is an entry for our Spring 2012 Why We Ride Blog Contest. Click here to read the original blog post on Samantha’s blog “Adventures Abroad”, as well as her other adventures while studying abroad.

Well, a lot of things happened this weekend in London but most importantly…. I FELL IN LOVE. I fell head over heels in love withthe city of London and I seriously love everything about it. I cannot wait to go back… and I will go back. I learned to ride the tube everywhere, drank some incredible tea, saw the sights & had the time of my life!

I must say that I am so glad that Nicole & I decided to use bus2alps for our trip to London because I seriously cannot imaginehow we would have planned the trip & figured everything out on our own! For anyone studying abroad, I definitely recommend Bus2Alps because it lets you enjoy your vacation & not have to spend time trying to find things or figure things out in a random city & they have pretty cool hook-ups too! We got tickets for a cheap pub crawl (10 pounds) and 2 tours included in our trip! (check them out: http://bus2alps.com) Lauren (our bus2alps leader) was such a great help throughout the whole weekend and she even taught Nicole & me how to ride the tube.

The tube was kind of confusing at first but we finally got it & now I kind of wish we had a metro system back home!

I don’t even know where to start. I guess at the beginning… (I’m sorry in advance for what I know will be a LONG blog!)

I was blessed with some great travel buddies – Nicole & Devan. It took 2 buses, a plane & lots of walking to get to our hostel but everything went smoothly and it couldn’t have gone better. We got checked in at the hostel & with our bus2alps leader & headedup to our room. None of us had ever stayed in a hostel before so at first we were slightly in shock when we walked into a room with 4 bunk beds, cages under the beds for belongings, and 2 adult men sleeping in bunks. We laughed it off and went out exploring & in the morning we met all of our roommates – they were really cool! The 2 adult guys were from Chili but live in Spain and are spending a few weeks traveling Europe. 3 guys were our age and from the states & are studying in Spain & Ireland (jealous!).

Friday started with a tour of the main tourist attractions in London including Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Hyde Park Corner, & The Houses of Parliament. The tour ended and our group headed to a traditional English pub called “The Old Monk” where we got fish & chips, burgers & some English beer!

Friday night, our group all bought tickets for a pub crawl for 10 pounds! The pub crawl included entry to 4 bars, drink specials, afree white shirt & marker (everyone wrote all over each other all night!) & entry into a really cool club in London, Zoo Bar! Halfway through some of us took a break & went to a Vietnamese restaurant for dinner in Chinatown! At the club, Nicole & requested Levels to the DJ and at first he tried to tell us no but he gave in & played it & the entire club went so crazy that they played 3 different versions of the song in a row!

Saturday began with a trip to Portobello Market in West London. Its on of the most famous street markets in the world & goes straight through Notting Hill (made famous by the movie). The market included everything: antiques, fashion, food & souvenirs.

After the market, Nicole & I headed off to St. John’s Wood where the famous Abbey Road is. We took some pictures in the crosswalk, explored the town, & ate lunch outside at Duke of York.

After lunch, we met up with our tour guide for a Harry Potter London walking tour where we got to see a lot of the inspiration for the movie as well as some filming locations!

Inspiration to Diagon Alley.

Had to stop for baklava.

Take me back to Switzerland

12 Mar
This is an entry for our Spring 2012 Why We Ride Blog Contest. Click here to read the original blog post on Lauren’s blog “la bella vita”, as well as her other adventures while studying abroad.
This past weekend I went to Interlaken, Switzerland! This was probably one of the most spur of the moment, random trips I’ve ever taken! After my roommates and I booked our trip 2 days before it left we were a little nervous that we would be so out of the loop, but thanks to Bus2alps, the student travel group we went with, everything was as smooth as it could be:) As soon as we arrived in Interlaken after our 12 hour bus ride I automatically felt at home. Even just walking into our hostel, Balmer’s Herberage (if anyone ever makes it to Interlaken you have to stay here!!!!) I could tell that it was my kind of place! Balmer’s was amazing…from the Swiss decorations, awesome staff, and even bar underneath I couldn’t have asked for a more culture filled and welcoming place to stay! Little did I know that this little hostel was the start to one of the most amazing weekends I could have ever dreamed of. I can honestly say that I’ve never met nicer people, eaten such amazing chocolate, and seen unbelievable views like I did in this little Swiss town. No matter which way I turned I was surrounded by the beautiful snow covered Swiss Alps, what more could I ask for:)

The first day we spend wondering around the small, but enchanting city of Interlaken:) We soon found out that even though the exchange rate was awesome compared to Italy, everything was sooo expensive! So, we let the scenery be good enough for us and decided to explore the lakes that give Interlaken it’s name as well as the hundreds of panoramic views and of course we had to stop in some chocolate shops! The lakes were straight out of a postcard, turquoise water, pebble beaches, and the Swiss Alps as a backdrop:)

When I thought I had seen all the beauty that Interlaken had to offer, we ran into one of the Bus2alps girls, Jenny, who told us that we had to come with her to the top of the MetroPole hotel for the most amazing view. Once we got there I completely understood why…every which way I turned were the huge snow covered Alps, below me were the small colorful villages of Interlaken, and all I could hear was the Swiss-German dialect spoken around me. I literally felt like I was in a dream! Mimosa’s at this panoramic bar were a definite must, even though they were 9 Swiss Francs for what seemed like a shot of orange juice ahh!

 

     To finish our first day off we had to go rent all of our ski gear for the next day and then thought it would be a perfect idea to go to a chocolate show and then to the bar underneath our hostel:) Even though I was dreading going to rent our ski stuff because all I wanted to do was go explore, I was pleasantly surprised at how fun it was. All of the people at Outdoor Interlaken were Australian and some of the coolest people I’ve met. Not only did they help us pick out the perfect gear for our once in a lifetime skiing experience, but they also were just good hearted people:) Although they weren’t Swiss, they really defined for me the attitude and kindness that all of the Swiss people seemed to go out of their way to show constantly. The chocolate show was awesome, especially since we got so much free chocolate! It was so cool because we literally got to see every stage that the chocolate goes through from when its picked off of the cocoa trees to being made right there in Switzerland! We even got to try fresh cocoa beans, sadly they tasted nothing like chocolate hah.

The second day we woke up super early and started heading for the slopes!!!! It was a pretty good trek to get there, but it was well worth it! It was so funny how strict all off the transportation cops were there compared to Italy where you can pretty much ride all of the buses and trains for free if your sneaky. But, that definitely wasn’t the case in Switzerland! As soon as I saw one of the many policemen walking towards me I though it was no big deal, I would just give him my bus pass that the hostel gave me and he would be on his way, but of course that didn’t happen at all. Little did I know that even if you had your name and hostel on the card, if you forget to put the date on there you’ll end up with a 90 franc ticket!!! I almost had a heart attack, but luckily Austin withBus2alps was there to tell me that I didn’t have to pay it! It was so crazy how high the train took us and then we still had to take a gondola up even higher, the views were amazzzing!

When we first got to the top of the mountain I literally couldn’t believe what I was seeing, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much white in my life, or such a beautiful sunrise:) It as almost mystifying and crazy; words can’t even begin to describe it or how unreal the skiing was. It was definitely the craziest skiing I’ve ever done considering I’ve only been skiing in Indiana hah. I never knew that trails could last longer than an five minutes! It was pretty crazy how in the middle of nowhere I felt, yet there were little homes, restaurants, and pubs everywhere on the side of the mountains that you could stop at…so of course we had to stop and get a local Swiss beer!!

That was probably my favorite part of the whole day, I even got to call my dad and tell him how much he would love all of the snow:) Once we finally got to the top of the mountain we ate lunch in a huge Indian tee pee, it was so cool!!! The only downside to getting to the top was having to find our way down…which turned into skiing/walking uphill, falling off of a t-bar in the middle of nowhere by myself hah, and getting stuck in what seemed like a blizzard. Let’s just say that by the end of the day I was so tired I could barely move. But, we still had night sledding and a traditional Swiss fondue dinner which was soo good:) I’m so thankful that I got to go to this amazing place and hope that I can go back again someday, and hopefully my dad can come because it would be in absolute heaven:) If only Bus2alps could plan that trip for us too!!

I probably could have stayed a lot longer in Switzerland, but I’m determined to get back there someday no matter what:) I can’t think of a better way to spend my first weekend trip in Europe and hope to do soo many more trips with Bus2alps!!

Interlaken = Best Weekend of My Life

9 Mar

This is an entry for our Spring 2012 Why We Ride Blog Contest. Click here to read the original blog post on Meghan’s blog “La Bella Vita in Italia”, as well as her other adventures while studying abroad.

This past weekend I went to Interlaken, Switzerland with a group of friends.  We went with a group called Bus2Alps, which is a tour group that plans trips all around Europe for study abroad students.  They are such and amazing group and the best thing is, you don’t have to think all weekend and just get to enjoy the trip.  They get you everywhere and know all the destinations so well that they take you to things you would have never known to go see beforehand or had a way to get there.

On Thursday night, we all met up at the train station to catch the bus.  The bus was really nice and there was a good amount of foot room.  The drive there was about 8 hours.  They plated a couple of movies, but I quickly fell for a couple of hours once we got back on the bus.  We arrived to Interlaken around 3:30am and were dropped off right in front of our hostel. We stayed at Balmer’s.  There were 10 of total (5 girls and 5 boys) in our room.  We had beautiful views from our windows and it felt like a real cabin in Switzerland.
After a couple hours of sleep, we went to get our free breakfast.  It wasn’t anything special, but was free so we made sure to make it down.  Then it was time for skydiving!
We skydived at Scenic Air-Skydive Switzerland.  After the four of us signed our lives away, we got suited up.  There were three planes and we were on the last one.  The plane ride up was about 15 minutes and the views were just incredible.  For miles, all you could see is snow covered mountains.  After getting attached to my guide, the door opened and it was time to jump.  I wasn’t nervous the entire time, except when I was hanging outside the plane 13,000 feet up!  I asked to do a backflip out of the plane.  The adrenaline was insane and I couldn’t believe I was free falling 120 mph from the sky!  Once my parachute opened, he started doing turns and cartwheeling us through the sky.  My landing was far from perfect, but I was alive and still shaking from the rush.  It took me several minutes just to be able to stand up straight.  I called my mom to tell her happy birthday and reassure her I was safe.  It was by far the BEST thing I have ever done and am definitely addicted to it now.

Then we met up with the rest of our group in the hostel.  Happy Hour just started, so it was 2-for-1 beers.  i had a beer called Rugenbrau, which was a local beer brewed right down the street.  We sat downstairs, just talking and reflecting on what an amazing day all of us had had.  We must have said “This is the best day of my life” a good several hundred times.
On Saturday, we spent the day walking around, exploring and relaxing in Switzerland.  While walking, we found our Bus2Alps leader (Alex) and he told us he was going to see the view of the lakes.  As with everything else I had been experiencing that weekend, saying that the views of the lake were incredible, was quite an understatement.  It was stunningly beautiful and unlike anything I had seen before.  You can’t help but just stare and want to pinch yourself and wake yourself up from this incredible dream.  It’s almost not possible to be able to take it all in.

We stopped for lunch and I had a rosti, which is just shredded hash browns cooked in a skillet.  However, mine was covered in delicious Swiss cheese, cubed bacon and grilled onions.  It was one of the best meals I have ever had, along with the most incredible view that exists in the world.  That evening, we went to a chocolate show and tasting.  Tasting it was by far my favorite part. I think we all ate our weight in chocolate.  They had trays of chocolate of all kinds, and we were just allowed to eat whatever we wanted.  Talk about kid in a candy store.

Then it came time for our second adventure.  Night sledding.  It was incredibly fun and amazing!  You get this metal sled without any type of steering mechanism.  To “steer”, just put one of your feet in the snow (this didn’t really work for me; I just hoped for the best when passing people).  We all had to wear these blinking red lights on our backs so we wouldn’t run into each other.  You basically are told to you follow the white and if it isn’t white, it’s off the side of the cliff or a tree.  Awesome.  It took about an hour to get all the way down the mountain.  There were times when nobody was in front of me for several seconds and all I could do was hope that I was still on the right track.  I took some time and ate snow.  How many people can say they ate snow off a SWISS MOUNTAIN?!

The best part was the views.  The night was so crisp and clear without a cloud in the sky.  You could literally see EVERY single star.  The stars gave the sky just enough light, that you could see the tips of the snow covered mountain tops in the background.  It was so faint, that a camera couldn’t even capture it.  The night ended with a fondue dinner that was included with the night sledding.  We got a pitcher of beer, salad, pork, rosti and cheese fondue.
Before leaving on Sunday, we went to this awesome place, where the lady had bagels overnighted for New York.  I finally got to have an American bagel!
I cannot wait to go back to Switzerland.  It has part of my heart now…

Interlaken, the best weekend of my life

9 Mar
This is an entry for our Spring 2012 Why We Ride Blog Contest by Matt M.
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Ok, my trip didn’t start too smoothly.  I was coming off a wild week at Prague and Barcelona.  I was planning on relaxing and having a catch up weekend with my older sister (shes a teacher in Madrid).  I slept through the 6:30 departure and had to catch a train to Florence.  Of course, my train got delayed and I had to run with Alex to not hold the trip up any longer…
So I got on the bus in Florence.  Right when I could check my email and catch my breath on the bus, I got my number one choice internship offer on the bus.  Needless to say I was psyched.  I caught up on sleep and awoke in Interlaken, Switzerland and/or Heaven.  My sister was there and we went skydiving first thing….  Best moment of my life.  I jumped with Dangerous Dave and we went out with the crew Saturday night.  They were the coolest dudes ever, and I have their contact info and told them I will be back for certain.  The main dude told me if I continue to send my friends and do come back, it will be a “Free jump” and he would let me do the crazy stuff in the air I was asking to do but for liability reasons  couldn’t.
So after jumping out of an airplane for breakfast, my sister Alexa and I caught up on life at the bagel place across from Balmer’s.  Turns out the owner is from New York.  Being that my sister and I essentially grew up in NYC, it was great.  The night was a typical #romaraging does Switzerland kind of night.
Saturay we tried waking up early to hit the mountain.  We got kind of a late start but got a great day in.  Alexa and I have gone to Omemo Mountain in Vermont every single week after Christmas of our life.  I don’t know if I could justify continuing that tradition after hitting the Alps.
Amazing. Unreal. Spectacular. Thank You.

If mountains could talk….

9 Mar

This is an entry for our Spring 2012 Why We Ride Blog Contest. Click here to read the original blog post (complete with Canyon Jump video) on Michele’s blog, , as well as her other adventures while studying abroad.

Interlaken, Switzerland was easily the best weekend of my entire life.

Trust me, I have had some great vacations, holidays, nights out, and birthday parties and I never thought that one weekend in Switzerland would put all of those other amazing memories to shame, but I was mistaken.

The only downfall was the amount of money I spent, because, unlike the good ol’ United States, Switzerland has a flourishing economy.

Fun fact: Switzerland’s minimum wage is about 18 Swiss Francs, which is equivalent to almost $20 American dollars.

We went through a company called Bus2Alps, which planned everything from transportation, to accommodation, to activities around Interlaken. It was so easy, cheap, and safe. Not to mention it was a great way to meet new people :) The bus ride was around 8 hours, but our super amazing guide played good movies so it went pretty fast.

Friday morning started out like any other, I jumped off of a canyon. Let me elaborate a little. Interlaken, Switzerland is one of only three places in the entire world that you can partake in a leisurely activity known as canyon jumping. Please note my sarcasm when I say leisurely. I was originally going to stick with the cliche activity of sky diving because just like many other adventurous individuals it is on my bucket list. However, I decided to stray away from the norm when I discovered canyon jumping. This spontaneous decision can also be attributed to the fact that canyon jumping was about 400 Swiss Francs cheaper than skydiving but still provided the adrenaline rush I was craving.

We began this adventure by taking a bus up to the middle of a mountain and had to continue hiking up the rest of the way until we reached the tip top of the canyon. I chose to wear boots with little to no traction so I kept sliding back down the trail which made the excursion much more difficult than it needed to be. After slipping and sliding everywhere I finally made it to the top of the mountain and looked into the 250 foot canyon we were about to jump into.

After nearly fainting into the abyss, I strapped up and prepared myself for the 30 story free fall we were about to endure.

At this point in time, some may wonder why I was paying so much money to jump into a canyon and potentially detach from the harness and plummet into the rocks that lay at the bottom of the crevasse. At this point in time, I could honestly not figure out an answer to that question.

After my minor freak out it was my turn to go. After watching the first four girls jump off the platform, I felt I was more prepared. It was also comforting knowing that they were alive waiting for me at the bottom. I stepped on the platform, attached to a single skinny rope, prepping myself for my four second free fall. The countdown began and when I heard one my heart nearly fell to my stomach. It was now or never. I ran off the ledge and could not scream or catch my breath. At the same time, however, it was the most freeing experience. It’s ironic how free falling to your potential death really gets the adrenaline pumping. My only regret is not keeping my eyes open as I was falling through the air.

Anyone who goes to Interlaken should do this over any of the other amazing activities offered by a program called Outdoor Interlaken. Like I said before, it is only one of three places in the ENTIRE world that you can do it. The other locations are New Zealand and Nepaul. The chances of having another chance to do this are basically slim to none. Also, there have been absolutely no deaths which is always a plus, and there’s a 99.5% chance you won’t be injured. To be honest, the most dangerous part of the experience is getting to the platform itself (at least for me because my shoes were awful).

Next stop: hot chocolate. When in Switzerland, you should definitely get some Swiss hot chocolate. Anywhere you went in Interlaken the hot chocolate was outstanding. We went to this Irish Pub right by our hostel and got quite possibly the best hot chocolate any of us have ever tasted. The rest of the day we walked around Interlaken, got Tai Food (so excited to not have pasta or pizza for a change), rented our skis, and prepared for our busy day on Saturday.

Bright and early we got up and headed for the depths of the Swiss Alps. We didn’t have time for the gourmet breakfast at the hostel- aka dry croissants and muffins- so we had to find somewhere at the bottom of the mountain to get food. Walking in ski boots isn’t necessarily the easiest task so anything that looked remotely edible we got and we found our transportation to the mountain.

A bus, two trains, and a gondola ride later we finally arrived on the top of the mountain ready to begin our ski adventure in the Swiss Alps. This was another thing I have on my bucket list so it was rather exciting to put another check mark on there. I hadn’t skied in about three years, but luckily it is like riding a bike so after a few close wipe outs and almost killing a young child because of my inability to turn I got the hang of it. Fortunately no one was injured during my adjustment process and I was ready to ski the day away. It took all of about five minutes for Colleen and I to get separated from the other three girls we went with so it was just the two of us for the rest of the day and we most certainly made the most of our $200 ski day.

Mid-day we were famished so we stopped at a restaurant deep in the mountains. The only thing we could read on the menu was “hot dog and fries” so that’s what we got- for $17. Like I said, most expensive country ever. We were hoping it would

be the best hotdog of our lives since it was the price of an hour of work, but it wasn’t considering it had been inserted into a sub roll and there was more mustard than there was hotdog. What do you expect though for food on the top of a mountain? Plus, I was eating it in the middle of the Swiss Alps, how am I even going to try to complain about that?

We still had half a day left of skiing and we decided it would be best spent skiing down the ENTIRE mountain into a little Swiss Village located at the bottom. We found this amazing path that went through trees. It was

more of a relaxing run than challenging, but we were able to take in the absolutely breath-taking view that some people only dream of seeing. I was on cloud 9 the entire day because everything was so perfect. I was doing my favorite, and really the only hobby I am good at, in Switzerland, with people from all around the world, and in 50 degree weather. The day couldn’t have been more perfect. We even met a Swiss gentlemen who was telling us all about Switzerland on a 30 minute gondola ride we took back up the mountain. All in all, I have never had more of an amazing day.

If I was to choose a day on the beach or a day in the Swiss Alps, I would choose skiing any day. It’s seriously so freeing and what do you know, it even constitutes as a form of of exercise.

The day was done as soon as we reached the top of the mountain on the gondola we took up, and we had to ski all the way back down again. This was sort of a mistake on our part because we didn’t realize the mountain was closing, so we had to scurry down the whole mountain to make the trains back to Interlaken. The route we took this time was much more of a pain. When I say pain, I mean literally due to the fact that I fell into ice. What made it even worse was a little kid about 6 years old had passed over it just fine right before me so I thought all was well and good. My knee was bruised along with my ego and I was 100% ready to get back to our hostel.

All in all, my weekend in Interlaken was unforgettable. When I win the lotto I will most certainly be purchasing a winter home in the Swiss Alps somewhere where I can ski whenever I want and partake in the other millions of amazing activities they have available. Now added to my bucket list after this weekend is Canyoning and Ice Climbing. Google them :)

Ciao for now!

 

Day Trip to Venice.. Carnivale Style ~ 2/11/2012

9 Mar

This is an entry for our Spring 2012 Why We Ride Blog Contest. Click here to read the original blog post on Lyndsey’s blog, “In Constant Revision”, as well as her other adventures while studying abroad.

~ Cold seems to be that small word often used by an innocent child, who shivers on a cool autumn day. Cold will describe the feeling of someone’s feet, who needs to put a pair of socks on, or who’s hair slightly stands on the back of their necks. However the word is often used, it is still a complete, and utter understatement when referring to a masked charade, Carnivale party, in Venice, Italy, just yesterday.

~ Bitter as the day was, it still caught my undesirable attention.  We stepped off the bus after having been traveling again, with Bus2Alps travel group for about 3 hours, and were instantly surrounded by vendor stands. These vendors contained some of the most beautiful designed masks I have ever seen.  Now in case any of you had not known, Venice Carnivale is known for their unique style of different masks, and parading around the city in unique costumes. The masks look hand designed, with brightly colored faces, and glitter that you would only see painted on a doll’s face.  The other kids from the group instantly went nuts spending their euros on the most perfect mask, to blend in with the holiday, and faces around the city. I waited however, to let the perfect mask choose me, rather than the other way around.. as I often do.

~ The city of Venice itself was gorgeous, and although I would have desired it to have been even a few degrees warmer, and sunnier, I still gazed at it’s own unique beauty.  It was vastly different than Florence, in that the entire city was surrounded by water, which apparently is the city’s use of sewage system, since they do not have one.  That was probably one fact I could have lived without knowing, nevertheless it was what made the place unique in it’s own way. Operated 24 hours a day by water taxi, we spent most of the day bouncing from one area of the city to the next, even though the center of all the parading reserved in the area of San Marco.  Witnessing the parade was the overall highlight of the day, you could have sworn it was halloween in the States.  People were dressed and masked/painted from head to toe, in long bright clothing, and to me, they either resembled the Joker’s from a deck of playing cards, or people who came straight out of the 1700’s. I admired them for their time spent entertaining the people of the city, and showing off their way of living.  Anyways, as I stood watching the people come straight down the walkway in their fashionable apparel, I noticed a very shiny, combination of dark blue, and gold, painted mask, that just sorta popped out at me from one of the vendors.  It was long and sharp on one side of the mask, and had a bright blue flower glued to the other. First thought that came to my mind, I had to have it! The mask was the most gorgeous thing that I had seen, and I knew that tied to my face, it would right away give me that mysterious, intriguing look that would blend in around town.

~ Here’s to the reasons why I let my things choose me, versus choosing them. I like to blend my personality to match certain things.. usually to get the common “Oh that’s so you” comment from others, which makes me feel good, especially if I hadn’t necessarily chosen something for myself. There’s always an art in being picky.

~ Any how, to cut this semi-short, aside from the bitter wind and gloominess that casted the town, Venice was an experience, like everything else. The night ended with parties and loud music to dance to, and good friends to take pictures with. Got to try some of Venice’s famous fish, cannolis, and hot chocolate, to add warmth and get my blood flowing again, and return safely to the bus to head on back to Florence. A day worth having, is a day well spent, and maybe once it gets warmer out, I will return to the watery trenches of Venezia, but until then, I still enjoyed my time there, and got to appreciate the city’s beauty!

~ That’s pretty much it guys for this month, I’ll post random things here & there as you know until March. Thanks for reading, listening, and following. Arrivederci! :)

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