Great to hear that James did so well in the S.C. and that you got all band 5s and a band six Scott. The rock monument was created in memory of Swiss mercenaries in a battle against the French in 1792.
We are currently in Budapest and really enjoying ourselves. We went to a castle on top of a hill, overlooking the city. Some of the things there were really amazing. We saw two guys dressed in medieval costumes with a hawk and an eagle. I was going to get a photo with a bird on my hand but it cost 6 euro for a photo.
We then went into a labyrinth which was really a medieval underground sanctuary and it was extremely hard to get lost. The part I found most interesting was a section called the end of history and was dedicated to consumerism and what people from the future would see looking at our consumerism world. It featured things like a shoe-print, laptop, TV and coke bottle cast in "rock". The area in this I like the best was the "pantheon" (a pantheon being a sanctuary for the worship of all gods). It featured a whole lot of modern products that are named after ancient gods and so was a modern take on a temple.
After this we crossed the Danube and found a food market. We decided to cook Letchel, a Hungarian peasant meal consisting of tomato, capsicum, onion and salami which is a bit of a family favorite for dinner.
We had lunch back at the hotel where we were staying and went for a wander away from the river and in the opposite direction to the way we went to the castle. We walked along a famous road in Hungary (can't remember its name) and found a Hungarian hot thermal baths. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to go in so we caught the metro back to our hotel.
Tomorrow we move on to Vienna to visit some relatives on my Mothers side (in particular our great grandma's sister).
Posted at 6:46
Friday, December 10, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Luzern and on to Budapest (4 countries in 12 hours)
We caught a train from Lungern (where we were staying) to Lucerne, a major Swiss city. When we reached Lucerne we had a whole day to wader around before catching another train at 8:30pm to Zurich so we could get an overnight train to Budapest.
Lucerne was a very pretty town build around medieval ruins. We walked around a part of the old medieval wall and saw the worlds first medieval fully mechanical clock ring 12:00. I was amazing because we were on a hill and could hear all the other bells in Lucerne ringing.
After this we wandered around for some more and went to the dying lion monument, described by Mark Twain as "the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world". We then went to the glacier museum of Lucerne which was really various things built around an 18th century house build on an ancient glacier. Probably the best attraction was the mirror maze (I will post pictures of it later as i don't have them loaded onto dad's laptop yet).
We spent most of the rest of the day wandering around Lucerne and visiting the handcraft market, which had some amazing glass ball pendants.
We then caught the train which went from Switzerland to Germany, through Austria and then on to Budapest, in Hungary. Fairly good night sleep (for some of us, but not all).
Great to hear that everyone passed the S.C. Haven't seen my results because I don't know my Student ID. How did everyone go? Hope the formal in good and that your year 10 concert thing (hahahahaha) went well. I felt a bit sorry for Cameron but then stopped to think and realized how much he deserved it. Anyway, here are some snow pictures:
Lucerne was a very pretty town build around medieval ruins. We walked around a part of the old medieval wall and saw the worlds first medieval fully mechanical clock ring 12:00. I was amazing because we were on a hill and could hear all the other bells in Lucerne ringing.
After this we wandered around for some more and went to the dying lion monument, described by Mark Twain as "the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world". We then went to the glacier museum of Lucerne which was really various things built around an 18th century house build on an ancient glacier. Probably the best attraction was the mirror maze (I will post pictures of it later as i don't have them loaded onto dad's laptop yet).
We spent most of the rest of the day wandering around Lucerne and visiting the handcraft market, which had some amazing glass ball pendants.
We then caught the train which went from Switzerland to Germany, through Austria and then on to Budapest, in Hungary. Fairly good night sleep (for some of us, but not all).
Great to hear that everyone passed the S.C. Haven't seen my results because I don't know my Student ID. How did everyone go? Hope the formal in good and that your year 10 concert thing (hahahahaha) went well. I felt a bit sorry for Cameron but then stopped to think and realized how much he deserved it. Anyway, here are some snow pictures:
Posted at 9:22pm Hungary time
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Grindelwald
Sunday 5th of December
Today we rose fairly early so that we could hopefully catch a train to Jungfraujoch, supposedly the highest village in Europe at around 3400m high (about 1200m higher than Mt Kosciusko). Unfortunately when we went to buy tickets we found out that the combined journey to Jungfraujoch was over 500 franks. Because of this we decided just to go to Grindelwald, a village at the base of some massive mountains, which are a popular ski destination.
Once we reached Grindelwald we decided to have a wander around to see what we could find. In the end we decided to hire two toboggans and go to a spot recommended to us by the hire place just near the base of a ski run. They drove us up to the location and told us we had to get ourselves down, which seemed daunting at the time (we would later discover a shortcut down some old ski runs which now had a few houses on them and tobogganed down those) We then spent two or more hours tobogganing down various slopes and having a really fun time. Once we returned the toboggans back we went to the local sports centre to see what was happening (some of us with the hope of seeing some curling, a sport like lawn bowls but on ice, but which never really happened), which was figure skating, much to the enjoyment of Gemma but not really Jonathan and I.
After this we had to catch the train back at 4:19 or face waiting another hour for the next one. When we arrived home we watched the Swiss news, which had add breaks with ads not much different to Australian ones.
I posted this at the same time as the 7th of December
P.S. One of the guys at the hire place told us he heard on the news that there was heaps of flooding in NSW. Sounds a lot like last year. Waiting from confirmation from friends who live near Coffs Harbour where the flooding was last year and for them to tell us how bad it really is. How much is it raining in Sydney?
Today we rose fairly early so that we could hopefully catch a train to Jungfraujoch, supposedly the highest village in Europe at around 3400m high (about 1200m higher than Mt Kosciusko). Unfortunately when we went to buy tickets we found out that the combined journey to Jungfraujoch was over 500 franks. Because of this we decided just to go to Grindelwald, a village at the base of some massive mountains, which are a popular ski destination.
Once we reached Grindelwald we decided to have a wander around to see what we could find. In the end we decided to hire two toboggans and go to a spot recommended to us by the hire place just near the base of a ski run. They drove us up to the location and told us we had to get ourselves down, which seemed daunting at the time (we would later discover a shortcut down some old ski runs which now had a few houses on them and tobogganed down those) We then spent two or more hours tobogganing down various slopes and having a really fun time. Once we returned the toboggans back we went to the local sports centre to see what was happening (some of us with the hope of seeing some curling, a sport like lawn bowls but on ice, but which never really happened), which was figure skating, much to the enjoyment of Gemma but not really Jonathan and I.
After this we had to catch the train back at 4:19 or face waiting another hour for the next one. When we arrived home we watched the Swiss news, which had add breaks with ads not much different to Australian ones.
I posted this at the same time as the 7th of December
P.S. One of the guys at the hire place told us he heard on the news that there was heaps of flooding in NSW. Sounds a lot like last year. Waiting from confirmation from friends who live near Coffs Harbour where the flooding was last year and for them to tell us how bad it really is. How much is it raining in Sydney?
Tuesday 7th
Today we woke late to find that nearly all the snow that had covered the village while we had stayed there had disappeared. What remained was a village surrounded by lush green pastures, not white snowfields. After a nice breakfast of homemade pancakes we set off for a little walk in the village. We started to walk up one of the hills outside the village but when the path ran out we turned back. Mum, Gemma and I walked back to the house while Jonathan and Dad walked along a different path leading to a neighbouring village. When we reached where we were staying we spent the rest of the afternoon lazing around.
Tomorrow we are taking the train to Lucerne, a modern city based around a medieval village. At 10:40 we catch an overnight train from Zurich to Budapest.
Tomorrow we are taking the train to Lucerne, a modern city based around a medieval village. At 10:40 we catch an overnight train from Zurich to Budapest.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Monday 6th
Today we rose early again so we could catch a train to Bern, which is the capital of the state that we are staying in. After a two hour long train ride we finally reached Bern at around 11:00. We bought some morning tea at a nice bakery at the station. Once we had finished eating we went to see the clock in Bern strike 12:00. The clock does a routine where a big bell in a tower rings while small figures below the clock face move around. Though we were told it was worth seeing it wasn't really all that spectacular. There weren't all that many moving figures. Dad kept going on about how it was exactly the same as when he had seen it 20 years ago. He also said that he remembered the bear pits in Bern, bears being the symbol of the state, were really depressing but we still set off for them,
When we got the bear pits we discovered that they weren't actually pits. The bears had a large enclosure that they could roam around in. The enclosure was maybe even bigger than an exhibit at Taronga Zoo. Apparently the Russian President gave the bears, which are brown bears, as a present to Bern during the first Russian visit to the City. We then wandered around Bern some more and found out that there was an Einstein Museum just out of town. Luckily I looked at the brochure and saw that is was closed on Monday before we went off to have a look at it.
After another long train ride home we watched some more Swiss T.V. and didn't do to much else.
I posted this at the same time as the 7th of December
When we got the bear pits we discovered that they weren't actually pits. The bears had a large enclosure that they could roam around in. The enclosure was maybe even bigger than an exhibit at Taronga Zoo. Apparently the Russian President gave the bears, which are brown bears, as a present to Bern during the first Russian visit to the City. We then wandered around Bern some more and found out that there was an Einstein Museum just out of town. Luckily I looked at the brochure and saw that is was closed on Monday before we went off to have a look at it.
After another long train ride home we watched some more Swiss T.V. and didn't do to much else.
I posted this at the same time as the 7th of December
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Venice and 1st day in Switzerland
Hi all. Sorry I haven't posted for a while. We couldn't get Internet in Venice for the two nights we spent there and the only Internet we could find where we are staying is at a youth hostel where we can only get Internet for half an hour at a time, for 5 Swiss Franks. A lot has happened since the last post and I'll try to keep it short but detailed.
Venice
Venice is awesome. We arrived at around 2:30pm and it wasn't until 4pm when we checked in at the Bed & Breakfast we were staying at. We had a nice big dinner of various pasta dishes in a small restaurant/bar. Had a great time even with an Italian version of Big Brother playing in the background. It was actually slightly better than Aussie Big Brother because you couldn't understand anything. Add flamboyant gestures (it is, of course, Italy) and it was slightly entertaining.
Our second day in Venice was also our only full day, as we had to catch a train to Milan at 7:50 so we could get a connection to Switzerland. We went to Murano, a suburb of Venice and a separate island. We walked around a bit trying to find a good glass shop and even see if we can catch a glimpse of them making some glass objects. We stumbled across a shop called The Glass Factory (which is a major supplier to David Jones in Australia) and met a really nice man who took us on a mini tour of where they make the glass objects. While we were there we saw them making glass Mexicans!! The way they made them was amazing. They started with a long orange/yellow glass blob and made a head, arms and body out of it. They added some feet and a beard and then made a sombrero. Once this was done they started on a new one. We spent the rest of the day looking in glass shops and exploring the main island and some of its main tourist locations.
Switzerland
We have only been in Switzerland for a day or so, but even that short time has been enough to reveal how amazing it is. We are staying in a house on a lake surrounded by mountains covered in snow. When we woke up this morning it was snowing lightly and clouds covered the mountains. Gradually, though the clouds dispersed and by 9-ish in the morning it had developed into a beautiful day. We didn't do too much in the morning but in the afternoon we caught a rack railway which worked it's way over a mountain and down into a valley, giving spectacular views. We then explored a neighbouring village for an hour or so and caught the train back.
Tomorrow we are catching a train to Interlaken, another town on a lake, and then rack railing up to a 3454m high mountain. This should be really awesome, with spectacular views.
Posted at 7:53
PS sorry, but i don't have time to reply to replies -will have to wait til we get more wifi time
Venice
Venice is awesome. We arrived at around 2:30pm and it wasn't until 4pm when we checked in at the Bed & Breakfast we were staying at. We had a nice big dinner of various pasta dishes in a small restaurant/bar. Had a great time even with an Italian version of Big Brother playing in the background. It was actually slightly better than Aussie Big Brother because you couldn't understand anything. Add flamboyant gestures (it is, of course, Italy) and it was slightly entertaining.
Our second day in Venice was also our only full day, as we had to catch a train to Milan at 7:50 so we could get a connection to Switzerland. We went to Murano, a suburb of Venice and a separate island. We walked around a bit trying to find a good glass shop and even see if we can catch a glimpse of them making some glass objects. We stumbled across a shop called The Glass Factory (which is a major supplier to David Jones in Australia) and met a really nice man who took us on a mini tour of where they make the glass objects. While we were there we saw them making glass Mexicans!! The way they made them was amazing. They started with a long orange/yellow glass blob and made a head, arms and body out of it. They added some feet and a beard and then made a sombrero. Once this was done they started on a new one. We spent the rest of the day looking in glass shops and exploring the main island and some of its main tourist locations.
Switzerland
We have only been in Switzerland for a day or so, but even that short time has been enough to reveal how amazing it is. We are staying in a house on a lake surrounded by mountains covered in snow. When we woke up this morning it was snowing lightly and clouds covered the mountains. Gradually, though the clouds dispersed and by 9-ish in the morning it had developed into a beautiful day. We didn't do too much in the morning but in the afternoon we caught a rack railway which worked it's way over a mountain and down into a valley, giving spectacular views. We then explored a neighbouring village for an hour or so and caught the train back.
Tomorrow we are catching a train to Interlaken, another town on a lake, and then rack railing up to a 3454m high mountain. This should be really awesome, with spectacular views.
Posted at 7:53
PS sorry, but i don't have time to reply to replies -will have to wait til we get more wifi time
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Tuesday 30th of November
This morning we received the news from the P&C president that Mr Elton is leaving Model Farms. We don't know why and are waiting for the P&C minutes to find out more.
Yesterday we had a late breakfast and spent most of the morning lazing around/resting before heading out to various places. Dad, Jonathan and I headed off to the Lamborghini museum while Gemma and Mum got lost in the southern part of Bologna.
The Lamborghini museum was amazing! They had a dozen or so vintage cars, including the first ever Lamborghini and a Lambo 4wheel drive. There were also quite a few concept cars and a few of them were really interesting. There was also a Gallardo that Lamborghini had donated to the police. It was designed to patrol the A1, Italy's main highway, and had features like a defibrillator and cases to transport organs.
After this we returned home and had some nice take-away pizza from a place next door to our apartment.
Tomorrow we are traveling to Venice and we have already booked a place to stay. Unfortunately it doesn't have Wi-Fi but there is an internet cafe nearby so I hope to keep you aware of what is happening.
Posted at 10:14am
Yesterday we had a late breakfast and spent most of the morning lazing around/resting before heading out to various places. Dad, Jonathan and I headed off to the Lamborghini museum while Gemma and Mum got lost in the southern part of Bologna.
The Lamborghini museum was amazing! They had a dozen or so vintage cars, including the first ever Lamborghini and a Lambo 4wheel drive. There were also quite a few concept cars and a few of them were really interesting. There was also a Gallardo that Lamborghini had donated to the police. It was designed to patrol the A1, Italy's main highway, and had features like a defibrillator and cases to transport organs.
After this we returned home and had some nice take-away pizza from a place next door to our apartment.
Tomorrow we are traveling to Venice and we have already booked a place to stay. Unfortunately it doesn't have Wi-Fi but there is an internet cafe nearby so I hope to keep you aware of what is happening.
Posted at 10:14am
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