Flem in Flam and Mussels in Brussels

Switzerland is behind us now. Unfortunately we left it for the next most expensive country in Europe. We left our cozy home in the mountains with our excellent host for the big city of Geneva. The last day was a bit crazy and stressful. Everyone was rushin to do laundry and make the 12:00 train. I never once walked to that station. I ran almost everytime. We had a workshop from our most grandfatherly professor, Lynne Petit. He is a stake president in Logan and professor at USU. He was a senior board member and big shot at that big chemical company I can't think of the name. He's very quiet and shy but has lots of good stories. He served a mission on the Navajo Reservation. He is very friendly and genuinely kind. He talked about time management, making a personal mission statement. When practiced interview techniques.
Arriving in Geneva gave us some free time to see the city a bit. We wandered a bit and looked at watches and knives and such. I remember eating at McDonald's there, for like $15. We went to the Red Cross (which as an organization didn't really impress anyone, it appeared to be poorly managed and have a strange mission.) The stories of reuniting families though were pretty heart breaking. They showed a pretty emotional video at first. But on speaker went on and on. We also visited the World Health Center and learned about the polio eradication. It may happen in the world within the next year or two. I knew 2nd counseler in the Philippines that got polio when he was 24 and has a limp leg because of it. We also visited the World Trade Organization. That was the best visit yet. The speaker was entertaining and funny and answered our questions. Many important decisions and debates go down there. It was facinating.

Well we all left at the same time for our long weekend. All of the group were basically on the same train to Italy. Some groups were doing Italy and a few groups tacked on Greece or Malta. Theres riots there by the way. It all sounded way fun. Instead we went to Milano and then to Bergamo to catch a flight to Oslo. Well it was obviously a cheap flight because it flew us out of Bergamo. We didn't think we'd get there so late, around 1am. We couldn't find a taxi and we missed the last bus to the airport by 10 minutes.  Fortunately a little bravery on the part of Eric a friend and we had a Taxi to the Airport, which at 1:30 looked like a refugee camp. Our flight was at 6 am so we had bagged the hostel idea. Some Euro Elliott gave me really saved the day here. I slept great on the floor. I was getting a bit sick however. Some sort of Head cold. I totally lost my voice but felt ok otherwise. We made it to Norway despite doubts. Were stranded at an airport far from Oslo. An hour bus ride and $50 later we made it.

Along the main drag in Oslo we saw a line of people waiting for Snoop Dogg. We didn't stick around because he's not "in" anymore right Sierra? We walked the main drag and saw some shops. We didn't have alot of time before a super long train ride to a town called Bergen. We should have reserved this train for seats. We ended up meeting another America traveling Europe solo for a few months, and two Norwegian girls. It was about a 9 hour train ride (I'm not sure if that's accurate but it felt like it.) I had the first of a few bacon wrapped hot dogs. There about the cheapest thing in Norway at about $4. They are amazing however, Norway is known for hot dogs, and I love hotdogs. We made it to Bergen in the middle of the night. Found our Hostel. We all slept really well that night. The next morning we linked back up with the American and girls. We ate at the Famous Fish Market. Some tried Whale, I ate Salmon. It was definately fresh, they aren't known for cooking the food like we do in America. It was a bit on the rare side. We saw a castle and road a train to the top of a cool mountain and walked down. The girl invited us in to her apartment for a bit before we had to head back out. We had spend about the whole day with her and the American dude. We departed for a small town. This small beautiful town was located right on a lake. It was night time when we rolled in. The air was crisp. Our hostel was like a lodge. It had a fireplace which we used. We also enjoyed the sauna, a nice touch. The sunrise was beautiful and so was the lake. From here there was a short bus ride to another "town." We took a ferrie through some of the most beautiful fjords. It was pretty raw and untouched nature. Much like Alaska. Really pretty. The cold really chills you to your bones though. In Flam we ate at the only open cafe. Me and Dan went on a hike which was really a bushwack straight through some stinging nettle to a small waterfall. The stream produced by the fall magically disappears into the stream bed. It was crazy, it just ends. We may have seen a few trolls too. The river through town was so clear you could see about 20 feet to the bottle anywhere on it. It was painfully cold. There were some thoughts about jumping in but it didn't happen.

We took a famous train ride home. The train does a 180 turn in the mountain tunnel. And then another long haul through the arctic tundra to Oslo. Our hostel there was in the Ghetto and a bit sketchy itself. We had four big strong smart boys though (I'm including myself.) And one girl. Norway was a different pace than other places. We wandered quite a bit and rode the trains much of the time. Norway doesn't have iconic places to visit like many other european destinations. It was very much about the raw nature and scenery. Small towns depended on the tourism. This could help me out for my report. My next post will just be for my homework.

Turbochargers

So everything is incredibly expensive over here. I found a second-hand shop with a $300 suit. Wow. Can't wait to spend lots of money in the states instead. Nothing is cheap. Yesterday, we went on a business visit to Honeywell. They make turbochargers for cars, which are quite complex devices. I want to put on in the boat. It'll really increase the power. We had to wake up uber-early. (uber is a euro word) We spend the rest of the day hopping trains around. It was really confusing bouncing all around. We sent some friends off to Geneva in a different direction because they couldn't figure out what was going on. We made it back in the other direction. We bought some crazy undies, and went swimming Euro style in lake Geneva. It was again clear and cold but not as bad as the last lake. It's snowed on us by the way no here. Snow covered the streets but it melted and today was fantastic. We had a workshop by a professor.

So talking a bit with Europeans about travel (which is the point of this blog). Since most all ski, bike, longboard etc, they are all very much familiar with Utah and the greatest snow on earth. The find it very easy to rent a car here and travel around. Most who have travelled to Utah will take a month or so and hit all the national parks in the small or big loop. The do associate Utah with the national parks. Many want to take advantage of the strong frank and poor dollar. They enjoy coming in the off season, weather doesn't really deter them. They enjoy the freedom of camping or occasionally checking into a motel.

In other news, for some reason there's all this hair and fuzz growing on my face. I haven't shaved. Many say I look really european with the facial hair and long hair. Some locals have approached me in French instead of English so I'm glad I don't look like a total gaper. We are all looking really Euro. Also, like Sierra, I don't really scar, but for some reason all my scars on my legs have reappeared. Strange. I blame the air. My hands don't really get sweaty either. I bet its the clean air her.

Swiss Weekend

Well this maybe a laundry list post because of all that has happened. Speaking of laundry, I did my laundry in the small foreign machines. They are pretty cool. The dryer works by heating up the clothes and extracting the steam. Anyway my clothes didn't dry completely and in my haste to leave the hotel I just had to drop a wet pile of clothes in the room to find 3 days later.

As part of the tour we did what is called the chocolate train. It looks alot like the train on Harry Potter. It takes us through the beautiful mountains. Of course they serve you a bit of chocolate and hot cocoa. We first toured the cheese factory. Its a popular tourist attraction so its set up for tours. Glass windows, audio commentaries, and gift shops etc. We then hit the chocolate factory. It was seriously like a disneyland ride with animatronics and special effects. I was so impressed. Afterwards is all you can eat samples. I tried to eat one of each kind but got sick pretty quick. For lunch the dropped us by an awesome Swiss town with castle we toured. It was filled with crazy modern art work. Some of it a bit creepy. We ate crepes and panini for lunch. I can't wait for the states again because food is cheap. Everything is pricey here.

We had raclette for dinner which is an famous swiss dish prepared by our host Dominque. It's just melted cheese you eat with potatoes and lunch meat. A blob of melted cheese on your plate as the main course. Sierra would love it. The next morning we were to leave for our Swiss adventure. Between laundry and other things I didn't notice the group leave. I had to through some stuff together and literally run to the station. Five seconds later and I would have missed the train. I'm glad I made it.

First we cruised down to a town. We got out and got some food at the grocery store. We walked along the beach headed for a castle. The landscaping was spectaclar. Modern gardens and sculptures abounded. The castle was a long walk but worth it. The best and biggest castle yet. It was quite the fort. We used the ancient latrines from the top tower. There were quite a few dungeons and protections at this castle on the lake. A moat too. We bused back to town, I met some philipinos along the way. After taking the train to another location we wanted to catch a boat ferry across. Before hand we jumped in the water. Ya it was cold. The water was crystal clear though. You could see the bottom 40 feet or so. The ferry took us in the opposite direction though. The ferry was purely for the experience though. We caught the train to our destination of Interlaken. We were gettin pretty hungry and after some wandering we ate at a cheap turkish place. Falafel, Doner, and Durams. Some went to the casino and I wandered around with some others. We ran into the rest of the group and they took us to the hostel. It was way fancy. Ten people slept in a room for 6. And it was pretty tight not going to lie. Apparently I snored pretty epically that night. I didn't have a pillow or blanket. They all wanted to kill me cause I was shaking the foundation of the place. Well It was raining all the next day. We took another train then bus to a mountain location were a cool hike was. Glacier water coming down forms some waterfalls in the rock. So it really feels like its a cave even though its not. They used mining tunnels to carve out some sweet paths all around it. It was really well lit as well. The path was paved and had rails and such. Again that night we split up. We bratwurst at another hostel. We hung out at the hostel quite a bit because of the fierce rain.

The second night I didn't snore so that was good. Two people went off to a different city. Two more left and we went to Zermatt. Weather was wonderful. Blue sky's, warm air, no rain or snow. We hiked up and got some great shots of the matterhorn. A highlight was getting some tasty treats at a bakery. I slept for much of the long train ride home. Anyway I'm having a blast! So many crazy adventures.

Lazy in Leysin

The mountain air is really crisp here in Leysin. It's a mountain city so the nights get really chilly but the days have been really warm. It's been sunny and nice. Our host is the best. Dominque yesterday fed us a wonderful meal of trout and potatoes. Every meal is three course. He is really particular that we take the time to eat food. He is very proper about everything including utensils and punctuality. Yesterday though for desert, he dimmed the lights and brought out a trombone. He played "happy birthday" for two students. He had a cake and it was an incredible Today he tapped on a glass to explain our dessert. It was a very fancy belgium waffle. He is so proper and particular its tough to explain in words. Especially in this cold air.

Today we had a workshop from the Dean. Doug Anderson was a surprisingly great teacher. He had a very successful career teaching leadership, private consulting and Harvard professor. I really was inspired by the way he taught. He's quick witted, told great story examples, and was great at mediating discussion. What a great opportunity this was for us to learn from him. No other students really get such a great opportunity. Business leaders pay top dollar for the chance. He really had leadership down to a science. There was graphs and charts and equations even.

We took the afternoon to take the tram to the top of the hill. It departs on the hotel property. It was an incredible view from the top. Me and a friend Logan rolled a rock down the hill. We thought it stopped so we threw another. Then we realized that our first rock had made it much further than anticipated. In fact it was still rolling... right past some people. We quickly ran off.

Dad and Mom would be interested to know another trip participant. Dean Anderson is married to Kathy Wirthlin, Josephs daughter. We had a great conversation on the way up the tram about all our relatives. She said Dad was good at skiing, which I already knew. But she spoke really highly of  grandmother and grandfather. She told stories about her PhD work in Egypt. Grandfather was Joseph's best man at his wedding. Anyway it will be great to get to know her better and learn about the family.

Do You Need Alp?

For complete disclosure, a travel blog is a required assignment for the trip. In other words, I'm doing this for school. Although I'm not sure if I'm doing it correctly at all.
We have arrived at our hotel in Switzerland, the fambulous comely Au Bel Air Hotel Chalet. We ran into to several flight problems. First, as I wrote earlier, the flight to Paris was cancelled. We stayed in hotels in West Valley on the dime of Delta. We also bought $50 of junk food on Delta. The travel vouchers were like monopoly money. Some clever souls in the group figured it'd be a shame if we didn't use them. We finally got on a flight to Paris. I slept a bit, watched a movie, listened to conference, and socialized. In Paris, our trusty leaders secured a flight Switzerland. We all had to navigate the airport independently because we were rushed. That flight was delayed. It was about this time that everyone was sleeping intermeditantly on the floor. This would remain the trend for the next day. We made it to Switzerland after some delay. We were missing out bags however. After filing a complaint we boarded a train. That was fun, sleepy, and hot. More waiting. We boarded a funicular that climbed the hill side to our final destination. Leysin. That was incredible. It was like a disneyland ride with no rules. There was tunnels, mountain hill sides, vineyards, cow with bells, Alps, chalets. It made the long travel worth it. The small town here is beautiful. Everyone was in really good spirits. In fact during all the delays everyone was troopers. I was really impressed. Out group has good caliber and positive attitudes. No one complained or was negative. I didn't realize this till our leaders commented it to the dean, who was waiting for us. Our hotel is so classy. Small rooms with four people. It has a nice deck with tables an chairs that look out over the Alps. The gondola to the top of a ski resort is on the property. We had a wander about that night when everyone was sleep. The town was quiet except for one bar. We had fun and I was so tired I couldn't stop laughing. Especially at "Haut Sex." We were probably more noisey and rude than would should have been at the hour. Back at the hotel our host/owner Dominiq is really particular about many things. He sports classy wranglers and a purple shirt. He feeds us in the dining area. There are cute little skinny racing dogs that wander the hotel. The food was fantastic. We tried to tell stories in the hotel room but I fell asleep, not to be awaken till late today. We are just chillin around now. But rumor has it our bags are coming in. The deck is nice.

As for the people here... which I think is the point of the blog. Eric and I talked sorta to a French couple returning home. They went to LA, Zions, Vegas, Jackson, Yellowstone, Bryce, Lake Powell and the Grand Canyon over the course of a month. I think they really wanted to see wildlife. They appreciated the slow pace. The people are pretty friendly here. The old ladies that cuddled with me in the train went off to me in French even though I didn't catch a word. But I see it as a sign of friendliness. This may have been a bit of a surprise because Americans are known as kind to strangers and friendly. I almost expected the locals to be bit cold.

Should be over the Atlantic

Two a.m. and I'm typing away on while conference blares in the background. Although I was really distracted for most of the time, I feel it was good. But of course I will say that. Who wouldn't say that. I can't wait to read it though. Lots of good stories from what I heard. The internet was choppy though.
I was lost on the information superhighway. I made business cards. I felt left out last time abroad in Russia without cards. They are handy so I made a simple one. But one thing let to another. All the sudden I was adding people on LinkedIn, deleting back-logged emails on my alias gmails. I read some old missionary emails which brought back good memories. I went running around in the industrial park as numerous police and security vehicles pasted me. I fill I almost made it past the point of the mountain. My hair kept getting in my eyes, I should've brought a bandana. Elliot gave me a the funniest letter ever. I want others to read it. He included some money. I feel like its our unsaid pact that we've made to no longer let money keep us from having fun, especially if other people are involved. This probably stems for out adventures in Las Vegas and how bad we felt making a big to-do about seeing Beatles Cirque De Soliel. So Our flight was canceled and they put us up in a hotel. We ate at the worst greek restaurant on the west side. They wouldn't take our meal vouchers either. It would've been nice to go home and see the fam, but the downtime was really a blessing because it let me repack and get some things done on-line. Like read about our travel journal/blog, and start it. First question, What is the proper protocal with LinkedIn and added friends/professors?