Week 3 & 4: Paris to Salzburg

So now I’m on my next leg of the adventure. I must say when Paul dropped me at Geneva train station it certainly seemed like an adventure all over again. I managed to find somewhere to buy my Inter rail pass and booked a train to Paris. Got to Paris and was only vaguely sure of which hostel I was going to, but I negotiated the metro and made it there to the Woodstock hostel.

Well, Paris was nice in a touristy sort of way. My hostel was in Montmartre, the old artists quarter quite near the moulin rouge and of course it did remind me of the movie!! I wanted to sing `´my gift is my song!!!´´´from the window. I went to the Louvre (cos it was free on friday night) and saw the venus de milo, mona lisa etc. Honestly, all that security and fuss over a small painting which is not even leonardo´s best work. It gave me a good laugh though. I also went to the picasso museum (quite good) and the rodin museum (wonderful, with most of the famous sculptures in the garden, and what a beuatiful garden it was - tree-lined avenues, rosegardens, a fountain. i just sat in the sun drinking it all in. Nearby is the Napoleon monument with a golden-dome with another nice garden and grass, except you aren,t permitted to walk on it. there was a security guard/ policeman employed for the sole purpose it seemed of blowing his whistle at people who DARED to cross the lawn. it really made me laugh. the french are strange. I enjoyed paris but the people annoyed me. many Parisians are so RUDE!!!!\r\n\r\n \r\nI then took the train to Amsterdam. I bought a day pass for free musuems and a went on a boat tour of the canals. went to van gogh museum, which was lovely, rijksmuseum and stedelijk. the latter two were being renovated so rather disappointing. on one day i took a triant o haarlem to see the corrie ten boom museum, the hiding place. yes, some of you may be getting very excited. That house is where she hid all the jewish people and they give free tours. That is amazing!! Our guide was this lovely old dutch lady who told the story with such passion and managed to share the gospel as part of her tour!! i went up to the attic to see the hiding place and everything. So when i went to the anne frank house it was nice, but somehow not nearly as nice as the ten boom house. one afternoon i wandered around the town market for a while. there were some new clothes but mostly it was 2nd hand ´vintage´ style clothing and the rest was like a big junkyard. there are these stalls with the most random assortment of basically rubbish, old telephones, plugs, screws, plates, cutlery, shoes that were probably found at a junk heap and they sell each item for about 50c. the surprising thing is that people actually buy the stuff. then i went to zaanse schans which is where they have these windmills, next to the dykes. now this was really holland!! I went into a clog factory it was fascinating. \r\n",1]
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Well, Paris was very nice but I think I’d like to see it take on a whole different quality in a touristy sort of way. My hostel was in Montmartre, the old artists quarter quite near the Moulin Rouge and of course it did remind me of the movie!! I wanted to sing “My gift is my song!!!” from the window. I went to so many museums. The D´Orsay, where all the Impressionist works are, was my favourite museum. It was wonderful standing there pretending to look casual while looking at Manet´s Olympia, le Dejeuner sur´l herbe, Monet´s cathedrals, haystacks etc, while deep down I was just bursting with excitement. I just wanted to grab someone’s arm and make them feel my elation. The Pompidou centre was overwhelming because it just had so much stuff - the Dada exhibition alone was exhausting, never mind the permanent collection. The view of Paris from the top of the building was awesome. It was great to see all of sculptures as a significant body of work in Brancusi´s studio. I also went to the Eiffel tower, Arc de Triomphe and the Notre Dame.
On Saturday morning I went up the hill to the Sacre Couer and looked around the quaint market there. I went to the Louvre (cos it was free on Friday night) and saw the Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa etc. Honestly, all that security and fuss over a small painting which is not even Leonardo´s best work. It gave me a good laugh though. I also went to the Picasso museum (quite good) and the Rodin museum (wonderful, with most of the famous sculptures in the garden, and what a beautiful garden it was - tree-lined avenues, rose gardens, a fountain. I just sat in the sun drinking it all in. Nearby is the Napoleon monument with a golden-dome with another nice garden and grass, except you aren’t permitted to walk on it. There was a security guard/ policeman employed for the sole purpose it seemed of blowing his whistle at people who DARED to cross the lawn. It really made me laugh.


I then took the train to Amsterdam. I bought a day pass for free museums and a went on a boat tour of the canals. Went to the Van Gogh museum, Rijksmuseum and Stedelijk. The latter two were being renovated so rather disappointing. On one day I took a train to Haarlem to see the Corrie Ten Boom museum, the Hiding Place. That house is where her and her family hid Jewish people during WW2 and they give free tours every day. Our guide was this lovely old Dutch lady who told the story with such passion and managed to share the gospel as part of her tour!! She showed us photographs and parts of the house and then we went up to the attic to see the actual hiding place. Later in the week I went to the Anne Frank house and was struck by its contrast with the Ten Boom museum, where it was so refreshing to go to a place as a tourist and not be confronted with entrance fees and commercialism. One afternoon I wandered around the town market for a while. There were some new clothes but mostly it was 2nd hand ´vintage´ style clothing and the rest was like a big junkyard. There are these stalls with the most random assortment of basically rubbish; old telephones, plugs, screws, plates, cutlery and shoes that were probably found at a junk heap. They sell each item for about 50c. The surprising thing is that people actually buy the stuff. I also took a trip to Zaanse Schans which is where they have these windmills next to dykes. Now this was really Holland!! It was such a picturesque town. I went into a nearby clog factory which was fascinating.
\r\n \r\nThe hostel i stayed in was also really nice, actually run by christians from all over the world. i met such cool people there. \r\n \r\nI wanted to go to berlin but by the time i left the hostel i realised i had missed the train that would get me there before 12pm so i decided to go to frankfurt instead. that was a big mistake. it was a boring place, just a few old buildings and no vibe whatsoever. so i left after one day and went to heidelburg, which was more my scene. its the site of the oldest german university and seems quite a studenty town, kind of like grahamstown. it is set among wooded hills and many of the buildings are made of a pinky-red stone. i climbed up the hill to teh schloss, which a mixture of all sorts of buildings, some medieval and some more recent, but all very beautiful with a lovely park. then i climbed a bit up into the wood and just enjoyed the peace and serenity there. \r\n\r\n \r\n I left there and decided to take the overnight train to prague. that wasnt such a good idea as i couldnt sleep very well - i was in a tiny 6-bed sleeper. it was so cramped and hot i couldn\'t breathe. the other people were 5 korean friends. i felt like a refugee in a movie becasue at 3am we were woken up by the border police wanting to see our passports, of course cos we were leaving the EU. it was actually very scary even though i have nothing to hide. Prague was beautiful (and reasonably cheap) I stayed in a bnb because i met the owner at the train station. its more expensive than i would have paid for a hostel there but same price as a hostel in other eu countries so good value. it was lovely, but at the end of the day, another european city.\r\n\r\n \r\nwhen i left there i stopped for a night in salzburg on my way to italy and ended up staying for a day as i met these cool girls in the hostel who were going on the sound of music tour the next day and i couldn\'t resist going, even though it was ratehr expensive. The movie was set in salzburg. they showed us where most of the scenes were shot, told us about the original story of the real von trapp family and provided me with endless trivia about the film locations. it was a sweet day but very touristy!! did you know that they couldnt have escaped over the mountains to switzerland cos salzburg is nowhere near switzerland!! ha ha ha. in the real story they took a train to switz and then to america. \r\n",1]
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The hostel I stayed in, Shelter City, was run by Christians from all over the world. I joined in bible discussions and met such cool people there.

When I left Amsterdam I wanted to go to Berlin but by the time I left the hostel I realised I had missed the train that would get me there before 12pm so I decided to go to Frankfurt instead. However, I didn’t find it such an interesting place. It just seemed like a few interesting buildings and a river. I have subsequently found out that it is the home of Goethe and Schiller, and the world-famous Christmas markets so to be fair to the place, I’m sure there are plenty of interesting places to go back to one day!! I left after one day and went to Heidelberg, which was more my scene. It’s the site of the oldest German university and seems quite a studenty town, kind of like Grahamstown. It is set among wooded hills and many of the buildings are made of a pinky-red stone. I climbed up the hill to the schloss, which a mixture of all sorts of buildings, some medieval and some more recent, but all very beautiful with a lovely park. Then I climbed a bit up into the wood and just enjoyed the peace and serenity there.

I left Heidelberg and decided to take the overnight train to Prague. That wasn’t such a good idea as I couldn’t sleep very well. I was in a tiny 6-bed sleeper which was so cramped and hot I couldn't breathe. The other people were 5 Korean friends. I felt like a refugee in a movie because at 3am we were woken up by the border police wanting to see our passports, because we were leaving the EU. It was actually a bit scary even though I had nothing to hide. Prague was beautiful (and reasonably cheap). As I stepped off the train and was contemplating how to get to a hostel, an old lady approached me and offered me a place to stay. This seemed to me like a God-sent solution so I went with her to her house and decided to take her offer. In Prague I went to the Hradcany (castle) and looked out at the view of Prague. I crossed the beautiful Charles Bridge and went to the main square, with its majestic multi-spired building and cobbled streets. One night I walked around the town and then had some Czech ghoulash at a restaurant.
I decided it was time to go to Italy. I got on a train to Salzburg, where I intended staying the night. The train journey through Czech Republic and Austria was so beautiful, through woods with trees in autumn colours and little streams. I ended up staying an extra day in Salzburg as I found out that there was a Sound of Music tour and before I knew it I found myself booking to go on it. The movie was set in Salzburg so they showed us where most of the scenes were shot, told us about the original story of the real Von Trapp family and provided me with fascinating trivia about the film.

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Hi! I'm Heather and this is my blog. I know I look much younger but I'm actually 24. It used to annoy me that I don't look my age but now I praise God for youth - it's such a blessing! So is age and accompanying wisdom though. There's something good about every season in ones life; we just need to enjoy it and make the most of it. Life is a precious gift meant to be lived in abundance!

Week 1 & 2: The French Alps

My last day of work was on Friday. As I was waiting for my uncle to get back from his holiday on Sunday I had to stay till Tuesday to go and drop my stuff at his place in Reading. So I spent the weekend just doing washing, packing up and relaxing. I suddenly realised on Sunday that it was the first time in about 4 months that I'd had 2 days off in a row. I bought myself a backpack last week so I was trying out different ways of packing it and figuring out what to take. It is a 60 l backpack and designed for women so is quite comfy. However it surprises me how little it actually fits in it. I have been ruthless with the bare essentials but even so it still bulges! Anyway I left on the train on Tuesday morning and got to Reading in the afternoon where my uncle picked me up. My flight was on Wed at 8am. So I decided to go straight to Gatwick airport and sleep there as I did not want to fork out £50 for a night in a hotel. I felt like I was in the movie The Terminal as I walked around the airport in the middle of the night looking for a couch to lie down on. I found one but it happened to be next to this woman who snored very loudly. Added to that was that there were constant announcements on the PA system and the fact that I didn't want anyone to chav my bag. So I hardly slept. I was surprised how many people actually slept at the airport!! Well caught my flight alright and met the guy at Geneva airport. He was holding up a board with our names on – it was so cool – I always wanted someone to do that to me. The others were there waiting already so we got in the minibus and came straight here. We are in a town called St Jean-de-Sixt in the French Alps. The place we are in is a small hotel run by an English family. We are staying in the hotel rooms in the main house – I have my own small room actually and its quite lovely but rather cold. It is really picturesque here – just like I imagined with all the wooden chateaus nestled in a valley with the mountains all around.
The chalet we are doing up is just next to the main house and it is basically going to be the staff chalet for the winter. So today we had to scrape and sand the floors as they had removed the old carpets but the floors were all fluffy from the carpet backing which was stuck fast to the floor. The work can be quite tiring but rather fun. There is even a TV room and a gym in the hotel so we shouldn't get bored. And there are so many walks to do in the area. Should be a good few days.

Well, in the last few days we have sanded some doors, windowframes and floors. We have brushed all the outside wood on the chalet, sanded most of the balcony, shutters and painted bits and pieces, which doesn't sound like much but each of those things has been a huge job in itself. 3 of the people left after one week but then we got some new people: 4 new Aussies and a Canadian. We went on a couple of walks to the nearby bigger town called La Clusaz and the other nearby town called Grand Bonnard. We went on a bit of a hike to the top of this mountain. We went on a day trip to Annecy, a beautiful town set by Lake Annecy with all these little canals and flowerboxes everywhere.
The weather was really great the first week – t-shirts and shorts during the day but much cooler in the evenings. This week has been cooler with a lot of rain and some snow (at higher altitude) in the last couple of days – I can see it on the top of the mountain outside my window.
The work has been pretty tiring at times but I have really enjoyed being here. Getting to know everyone has been quite cool and playing Pictionary, Jenga etc with them was great. Have been introduced to a British comedy called Spaced.
I have such good memories of my time in the Alps. I can really picture the quiet coolness and fragrance of my room, and the smell of sawdust on my clothes. When I think about it now I must have taken the awesome beauty of the mountains a bit for granted. They really were breathtaking.