The Castaways Had it Right

Where to begin...

I think this was the first time I've ever ridden first-class. It didn't match the fantasy that I had constructed. If anything, I was bored— bored and lonely. But since it was a first, I decided to vlog.

First night in Interlaken

When we first made it into Interlaken, we were excited to be in Switzerland, understandably. One of the first things we did was buy us some chocolate... then we decided to walk around and take in the city.
Interlaken was a small town that almost looked deserted. The reason was that it was at the base of the most famous tourist attractions that the Swiss Alps could claim, and why would you stay in the village when you're at the base of the Alps?

We planned on meeting two of Dan and Elise's friends. Unfortunately, there was a slight communication problem and we wandered around for the better part of an hour, lost. Because who really needs road signs? Oh, that's right, tourists who don't know where the heck they are or where they're going! Sure we eventually found them, but that's beside the point.

Climbing the Swiss Alps

The next morning we got a late start. It could be because we were exhausted, but I'd like to think it was because Elise forgot to turn off the alarm on her phone. Instead of sleeping in to a nice eight in the morning, her buzzer woke us at five-thirty. Yeah, that could be it. Our sleep was disturbed and it made it more difficult to climb out of our beds when we needed to.

What were our plans? We took the train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen and then took the gondola up to Mürren which is 5,000 ft. above sea level. (I'll share a secret with you. That last bit I got from Wikipedia. I really don't pay much attention to sea level and altitude unless it interferes with my baking.) Still, we were pretty high.
  

Never thought I would do it, but I did. I "climbed" the Swiss Alps, and it was beautiful. Awe-inspiring. Humbling. Breathtaking. Pick a positive adjective and that could be applied to what I was fortunate enough to experience. Of course I have video of the adventure!

Elise and I in the Swiss Alps

So many beautiful waterfalls.

She actually has a bell around her neck. Don't want to lose your cows in the Alps, I guess.

Journey to Montruex

That night we had to make our way to Montruex. The chocolate train was calling us, and we were not resistant. As we climbed onto one of the connections that was running late, I turned around, looked at Dan, and noticed something was different.

"Dan, where's your bag?"

His eyes widened and he ran off the train to pick up his bag where he'd left it on the platform. Just as he made it back to the doors, the train started pulling away from the station. Elise could only wave good-bye to him while I stood there dumbfounded at what had happened.

We didn't find out until later that night that Dan would have made it onto the train, but the stewardess actually pushed him out. Not only did she do that, but she had the audacity to shake her finger at him with a smirk. Dan had to file a report and was subjected to profuse apologizing from the train station. They gave him a voucher for free beer, got him on the next train, and held the connection just so he could get back to us. He still wasn't too happy.

Later, after the weariness of travel, we decided to freshen up. Here at the hostel we're staying at, they're very keen on conserving energy. So, after ten seconds of water in the shower, it just shuts off. The same for the lights after five minutes. It was frustrating and hilarious. I heard Dan in the next shower room, swearing every time either the lights went out or the water turned off. Although I can't decide if it was funnier than seeing what the small pizzeria we went to had on the menu— "Ass. Chicken Nuggets." I should have taken a picture of it.


Today we went to the chocolate factory. Never thought I would say that I appreciate German efficiency, but their transportation was far superior. In the French section of Switzerland we were handed our tickets and sent on our way... they didn't wish us luck let alone warned us that there would be several connections. Pfft. It took us five different trains to get us to the Cailler Chocolate Factory in Broc. So worth it though. Our original plans were to take the Chocolate Train, but after going online to look at ticket prices, we discovered that it didn't run on Tuesdays. Mondays—sure. Wednesdays—no problem. But Tuesdays are a no-go. It would have been so much easier but the important part is that we made it.

I even indulged in their hot chocolate.

Nibbling on some samples.

[I wrote this last night, but connection at the hostel was so slow that I couldn't load any of the videos. Today I arrived in Venice, so more to come on that!]

The Adventures of Rot-Ing Fav, Lacy, and Vicky of the Oonie

Germany

This is going to be another strange post filled with photos, videos, and just strangeness from me, so I apologize in advance.

The night before my trip across Europe, I was up writing a paper. I'm in serious need of a solid nine hours... at least. I'm a bit tired, sore, and my Blogger dashboard is in German.

Got on an early train to Edinburgh. This is what we look like when we're tired and excited...

Yeah...

So Danial, Elise, and I made it to Edinburgh, caught our flight to what we thought was Munich. We were wrong. We had to catch a train to Munich, but we were so excited that we weren't too put out. Here's our train video...

Let me try to remember what happened next... Oh yeah! The strap on my bag ripped. I had to buy a new one tonight. I seriously heart my new bag.

Last night after settling into our hotel, we went out to eat. Dan was dying to eat (or drink) at some pub here called The Hofbräuhaus. All I know is, it took us far too long to find a table. Fortunately, two guys that we met on the U-Bahn, Michael and Tony, found a table for us. Neither were American so dinner with them was a hoot. We drank beer, ate pretzels with our food, and had a good first night in Germany.

Don't worry, Elise and I split it.

Me and the Rathaus-Glockenspiel. Maybe you've heard of it.

I couldn't remember the name of this place. I know Dan was geeked out about it. I had to go look it up. Turns out my German sucks. I feel bad attempting to speak it in public.

We got back to the hotel, and before I called my sister to wish her a happy birthday (Happy Birthday, Alicia!!!!), this happened...

This morning we woke up, bright-eyed and bushy tailed. Why? Because we were going to see us some castles. Not just any castles. One happened to be the one and only legit fairy tale castle, Neuschwanstein Castle.

Our early morning antics...

We had paid for a guided tour to take us to the castles and, you know, give us the tours... boy, we were not happy to hear that the price we paid online didn't include admission prices. Thievery went on in Bavaria this morning against our heroines and hero, Rot-Ing Fav, Vicky of the Oonie, and Lacy. But never fear, it was totally worth the price.

View from the bus. Looks like the Bavarian Alps to me.

Me outside Linderhof Palace.

Swans are a big deal at the first palace we went to. King Ludwig II had a thing for them. On the way up to the palace, we came across one.

Unfortunately they didn't allow pictures to be taken in the palace, so I can't show you anything. For lunch, we were taken to a village called Oberammergau in between the two palaces.

   

To sum it up: saw a cuckoo clock, ate bisque, got cheated out of a martini (wine and an olive, a martini do not make), got some ice cream while shopping... for that tote!!!

Then it was off to the fairy tale castle!

      

So these are the pics that I could show you... let me try to find one online that doesn't have scaffolding and is from a good angle...

Yep... I was there. Here's one last video before I go to bed. By the way, when we were there, we asked a man to take our picture. He had his own professional looking camera and he kind of chuckled before agreeing. I swear he really was a big time photographer. He got the perfect pictures, angles, lighting... Vicky of the Oonie was impressed.

Next update from Switzerland. Goodnight, folks! 

Chillin'

I haven't posted anything recently, folks. The reason for this is simply because I'm just now getting over the cold I've had for a couple of weeks, and I haven't felt very adventurous. Well, things are about to take a dramatic turn! Next week is the start of our mid-semester break and (like I mentioned in a previous post) Danial, Elise and I've been planning our trip.

As it goes, we'll be flying to Munich, Germany and stay there for a couple of days. Then, we'll take the train down into Switzerland. Elise has it in her head that we'll be climbing the Alps. What's really going to happen is I'll see them off and find a nice coffee shop at the base of the mountains where it's nice and warm. While in Switzerland we're taking the train to Montreux to visit the haunts of Byron (the Château de Chillon) and take the Swiss Chocolate Train. Yes, I'm aware that it's a strange combination. After Switzerland, we'll take another train down to Italy, stopping in Venice, Florence, and Rome. Then fly into London, spend the day there, and take the train back.

So... expect excitement and adventure next week.

This week is another story entirely. It's a week of essays before the break. And waiting. Waiting for the weekend.

Here's how it goes.

I wake up and decide if I want to go to school.

Decide that I have to go.

Grab a bite before studying.

Spend time in the library, looking at this instead of working...

Then make my way back to the flat on one of the buses.

And I also spend time with my friends and flatmates.

I enjoy cooking and my friends have enjoyed benefiting from it. But then they get it in their heads that they have to repay the favor. The following video is what happens when they attempt to cook.

Tonight I decided to take back the reins and was in the kitchen with Lorena when I decided to introduce her to you guys. Unfortunately she's shy, but I'm always willing to compromise.

Glasgow

Glasgow

This Saturday Danial, Elise, and I took a day trip to Glasgow. A £7 round-trip ticket was an amazing price. What's even more amazing is the conductor who came to punch our tickets told us that three people traveling could travel for the price of two. So, that's something we'll be taking advantage of in the future.

The truth is, folks, I'm feeling under the weather again, and my mind's a bit mushy. So, I'm going to post some pics with captions of what happened.

The places we went:

• Glasgow Cathedral or St. Mungo's
• St. Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art
• Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
• The Tavern
• The Necropolis

I'm sure I'll have more to say when I'm posting, so expect a very strange update.

 

I know what you're thinking. "Vicky, get out of the way. I want to see the cathedral."

You're not missing much because it was in the process of being cleaned. The stones were black from pollution and there was scaffolding from where they were working on it.

Inside was another matter. Whether you're a religious person or not, the architecture and artistry of the pillars and stain glass were truly something to behold. Ever go somewhere or see something that made you feel wonderfully insignificant? This is one of those places. 

Underground was an amazing crypt and, unsurprisingly, more places to pray.




















Our plans were to see the Necropolis next to the cathedral, but we were lured next door to St. Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art. It was a collection of, as you probably guessed, artifacts from different religions. I even got to learn about Catholic prayer beads. (Did my sarcasm come through? Good.) But seriously, they had some pretty interesting exhibits.

After that we took a taxi in hopes of going to a nearby castle, but when we told the driver, he looked at us funny and told us it was just a bunch of rocks. Instead, he took us to the Kevlingrove Art Museum.

We decided to stop at the cafe for a snack. Danial and I did a traditional tea time, which means we paid a pretty penny to eat snacks of deliciousness.

After our snack, we toured the museum.

What was awesome about this place was that it allowed spectators to get right in there. I was seriously waiting for this stuffed cheetah to wink at me. 

So, there was another part in the museum that talked about various cultures, and lo and behold the Glaswegians who fancy the Wild West. I saw more pictures of them line dancing. It made me feel a little at home.

Yes, that's me with another suit of armor. Let's not make more of this than what it is.




And that, folks, is Salvador Dali's Christ of St. John of the Cross. An amazing piece that isn't really like anything else Dali painted. I would have gone just to see this painting alone, and I wish I had more time to marvel at it. But alas, the museum was closing and we were shooed out.

After the museum we went to a tavern. It occurred to us that we'd eaten but not anything substantial. So we ordered steaks, cheap steaks, but we still dug in. I ordered mine medium rare, and the thing was mooing at me when I started eating. But I ate it all and enjoyed watching Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspurs. (I was totally rooting for the Spurs.)

Then it was a walk through the city.

Hot chocolate—mine was made with white chocolate—and then a journey back to the Necropolis where this video happened.

Happy to report that we were not murdered after all.

Until next time.

   

Catch-Up

My Book

My novel.

My saga.

My frustration.

I haven't written any of it since I've come to Scotland. My original plan was to write it in November for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). That is still my plan, so I've been plotting what's going to happen with my new bulletin board.

One problem that I'm sure many writers have encountered is naming my protagonist. I'm going to be stuck with her for quite some time, so I don't want a name that will inevitably annoy me. Also, she's not human, so I can't go the the cemetery, phone book, or baby naming websites for her name. Or maybe I can...

So that's my hang-up right now. It's hard to plot out a story if I keep changing her name. Maybe I'm over-thinking things. Perhaps I should just pick one and stick with it, then if I decide I don't want to use that name, go back and change it.

Any suggestions on what I should do?

At least I know what she looks like. That process was easy for me. I simply went through some magazines and picked out features that I knew where her. Hair style, eyes, chin. It was an interesting conversation with some of my flatmates who wanted to know why I was cutting up pictures of people.

TV

When I'm not thinking about my book, exploring Scotland, or doing school work, I watch a bit of television. Right now I'm trying to get caught up on Supernatural and also, as many of you can guess, Doctor Who. I just finished the Ninth Doctor and I'm starting the David Tennant episodes.

So yeah, I watch a lot of reruns or as it's called here "catch-up television." The reason is that to watch live TV a person needs a license that costs over £100. It's a bummer. Also some programs haven't been released in the U.K., so a message will pop up saying that it's not available in the country I'm in. It's a good thing that I wasn't in mid-season of any of my shows when I came over.

I use my laptop and the website TVLinks to get my fix. Unfortunately, yesterday (or the day before) I wound up with BearShare software on Joey. It was a nuisance to get rid of it. I ended up having to do a system restore, but even then my New Tab was broken. Broken! How does a tab get broken you ask? Easy, it opened to a new page with a search bar and space where my most visited sites should have been. There were no sites and the search bar didn't work.

I thought I was going to have to take Joey to the IT people to fix, but my flatmate, Faith, suggested uninstalling then re-installing Google Chrome. Voilà! It did the trick. Have I mentioned how much I love Google Chrome? During the whole process, all of my bookmarks were kept as were my most visited sites.

Jordan

A couple of days ago I was sitting in the Atrium, playing Words with Friends and I noticed a guy taking a seat at my table. He was eating for a few minutes and I hadn't said a word. By then I figured it was just rude to pretend someone wasn't there when they were, so I started conversation with him.

He jumped right in, and as it turned out he'd been in lack of a little convo recently. His name is Jordan and he's a Scot! I was so thrilled to meet another Scottish person that I asked if he would mind if I interviewed him. So we arranged another meeting for an interview...

Unfortunately, YouTube wouldn't let me upload it because it was too long.

Fail.