A big Day out.

On Saturday My host family (well Benjamin, and my host parents;Michele and Romeo ,and I) all went to the Jungfrau Mountain area adn the Bern UberLand.



We drove and drove and arrived at a small village. We hopped out of the car and walked over to a walking track. I thought we were just going to go on another bush walk...however I was wrong. We arrived t these gates, paid and went through. We arrived at this river with a sign that said.

So I now realised we were going to water and lots of it...but not normal water...Glacier water.



We then went up in the berg in a cable car (and I mean we went up inside the mountain) We then went out of the mountain and arrived at our first part of this amazing internal waterfall.





The waster was so clean and crisp and the sound was deafening.




We then climbed up to the next view points of the waterfall. But this time we were inside the mountain.




We went to many viewpoints inside the mountain.



For me the water was not the only attraction. I thought the texture and the eroded rocks were art in themselves.






We then followed our viewing path out of the Mountain and outside again. Here we had a bit of a family photo snap and continued on our way.




We left the waterfall which I found out was called Trümmelbach.

By now it had started to rain but the air was still warm so we decided to go up to a very special village on another mountain over the other side of the valley.


This village is special because you can not drive cars there...cars are not allowed. You have to reach this town by a cable car, then bush walk or take a small train.


So we took the cable car up and then decided that seeing as the weather was a lot more pleasant up there we would bush walk the hour to the village.


This part of Switzerland is so stunning. It is just the most amazing thing I have ever seen. It really took my breath away.It is everything you think of Switzerland..there are the huge green lush hills, the big grey mountains painted in the crisp glistening snow. Just amazing.








As we were walking along I kept seeing all of these lines on the mountain...they were very odd and I couldn't work out what they were...I asked my host family and they told me they are fences put there to stop avalanches......




We then arrived at our destination Mürren the Village with no cars. What also makes this village famous is that int eh mountain behind it one of the famous 007 James Bond movies was filmed. (a old one with Nazi's and mountains...)



We then walked around this village.

We stopped to have a nice spot of something to eat. I had a new traditional Swiss meal I have never had......Special bread with melted cheese and herbs. This was a basic meal but i think basics are always some of the best.

The view form our table was just lovely....i Love the mountains. I always feel a bit like Heidi when I am up in these alps..all I am missing is the goat peter and a grumpy Old Grandpa.






We were going to go up on the mountain were James Bond was filmed but we were not able to as the vies was to cloudy and it we would not have been able to see anything.
So we went back to the bottom of the mountain instead...but this time by train.

We then started to drive home when my host mum decided we would stop in Interlakin and have a Coffee. So we walked around Interlakin and went to a very posh and amazing Hotel.. the Jung Frau Victoria Hotel.



Here I had a fruit tea..and it was just to die for...so nice.
We sat around being all posh and civilised.
After a stop to the luxury toilets we hopped back in the car and went home.


It was along and very fun day.

ZUM GEBURTSTAG VIEL GLUCK. (happy birthday)

I am now officially an adult. My transformation took just one day...and to the eye one can see no difference, but by the dates on my birth certificate as of the 23rd of may...i have now left a phase of my life behind and have moved into adult hood.


So what did i do on this mile stone birthday?

I awoke nice and early so that I could have a sneak peek of my birthday gifts in the morning. I re-wrapped the ones I peeked in so that I could reopen them later with my host family. I also took a photo of myself in my mirror so I had photographic proof I was 18.





I then went upstairs to go and have breakfast. I had to have breakfast alone in the morning as my host brother and sister get up at different times to me..and they had exams that day. so we planned to have a special Swiss dinner that evening and then open all my gifts etc then.

So I climbed up the stairs form my down stairs bedroom and was greeted by a Happy Birthday banner draped across the ceiling.



I then turned the corner and was so extremely surprised and amazed to see a special place setting for me sitting on the table.






This was just so wonderful and a really lovely gesture...So i had my breakfast in luxury and then ran to go and catch my train.

I rode the train to the next stop were my friends all get on. After many a Happy birthday (or Zum Geburtstag) hug and song we arrived at school. I had woodwork first up. In wood work I have been making a mirror and I was so Happy today as I finished all of the construction and painting. My mirror is a mirror with 2 photo frames either side. In the photo frames I had then placed photos of my family and friends.............and when I go home I can change all of the photos and have the, all of Switzerland.


After wood work with people sawing and using big machines it was time to go to our next class.



Of we trundled...however my next class was canceled so I went with some of my class outside to the eating and sitting grass area. Here I was greeted by bottles of champagne...... and gifts form my class.



After popping open the champagne (i did that myself by the way.....my first time ever) and having a toast.... it was time for me to open up the gifts my class had given me.

My class followed a Swiss theme and gave me a Swiss T-shirt, a wallet, a Swiss army knife.....and heaps of chocolate.

Then we tucked into the lamination's I had made the night before....these lamination's tuned out good as it was my second attempt of making these Australian specialities and so I had learnt all the tricks to the trade.

Then I snapped away with the camera and went photo crazy.........I wanted to remember this wonderful gesture from my class and to have as many birthday photos as I could.

We then went off to Biology, After Biology it was lunch time. I went in to the Mensa (the cafeteria.....just like the ones on American teen movies) to have lunch. as I was eating my lunch a group of the other exchange students from my school sprung into the Mensa singing happy birthday embarrassing loudly, and carrying a cake...........i went so red as the whole school was looking at me...but it was such a sweet and wonderful gesture. Kay-Lea the other Australian from rotary had made the cake and gave me a card and an Australian Balloon. This was so lovely of them. They really did make my 18th something special.

I then had a free class so went down to the train station to ring home. I went into a phone box and talked to all of my family. This was rather amusing as it was so hot i had to keep on opening up the phone box door to let the air in..and with my balloon blowing about, me speaking loudly in English ...all of the people in the train station kept staring at me

After my phone call i went back up to school for sport. Sport was my last lesson of the day so after it I went home.

At home I was greeted with a happy birthday from all my family(except for my host dad as he had gone away on a business trip). it was then present opening time. I received a Swiss theme from my family....so a Swiss cook book so I can cook all of my favourite Swiss meals at home in Australia. I also received a Swiss T-shirt, a Swiss bum Bag ( all the Swiss use these all the time....it is so odd) and a Swiss cap.


I then opened my gift form my family. I received blue and black pinny dresses ( I love dresses and in Switzerland I can not buy then anywhere). I also received a wonderful purple necklace form my sisters. It was so beautiful and it is something I will have for ever and when I am 90 say...oh I was given that when I was 18. I also received some Australian Care items such as Milo and Vegemite. I also received some family jokes , such as a piece of pepper and a piece of rice. For me these made perfect sense and were so funny...but my host family didn't seem to get eh joke and just thought Myself and my family were strange...I mean it is not normal for a person to get rice and pepper (and one grain of each may I add) for their 18th Birthday. I think it is great as when I am 90 i can say I got a grain of rice for my 18th Birthday..how awesome is that.

For dinner we had raqulet ( I don't know how to spell it). This was so yummy. It is a Swiss special meal where you put cheese in a special metal dish and then put it under a special oven on the table..the cheese then melts and you poor it over vegetables etc.

This was so good We then had dessert. This was so yummy. My host mum had made me a beautiful butterfly cake with 18 candles....and another luck bug

I blew our my candles and then digged into the cake with the rest of my Host family.

However I had eaten so much raqulet I was now completely full

I had had such a wonderful day with everyone putting in such a huge effort to make my day special. It was so nice of them. I had my first birthday away from home...and while it was different..it was made nice by all of the generosity of everyone around me.

Coming Soon.................

Angela's 18th Birthday Blog and Yodel

....an event of a life time...not to be missed....


So check your emails and this space in the next few days...

Apenzella

On Sunday Benjamin Romeo Michele and I went off to Appenzella for the day.
We left at about 9 in the morning and drove for a few hours. we stopped the car for a pause and went and had a quick view over the canton Saint Gallon.

We then continued on our way to Appenzella. Appenzella is the most wonderful town, all the houses are so small with tiny windows. The style of house is really automatically recognisable as an Appenzella house as the houses are so different to any other Swiss house.




We walked down the roads of the city. This city is so sweet as every laden has a metal sign sticking out from it. The signs are different for each type of produce the shop sells. So a Perfumery will have a metal cut out perfume bottle in it's sign.




Our first stop for the day was to the small Appenzella Museum. Here i saw the most wonderful display of Swiss paintings. They are just beautiful.. as they are so exact in every way...they are full of so much precise perfect detail. They are amazing....I wanted one but did not buy one when I saw they worth $20,000 each.



This museum also had a display of Swiss cow bells





and Swiss cooking instruments etc.





They also had sweet painted milk holders that the cattle herders used to wear on their backs to carry milk.

After the museum we went and had a bite to eat. We went to a small restaurant that was outside under some trees. Here I had a Swiss appenzella cheese and zwiebel pie style thing.


We then walked around the village, I bout some souvenirs...such as patches and post cards for my blazer and scarp book...I also bought postcards of some of the painting as I could not buy the real articles...I also got a post card of a $12,000 paper cutting...........sounds odd but is just amazing.


We then hopped in the car and continued on our way. We didn’t go home however……. instead we went up a part of a mountain to Mount Säntis.



Here we bought some cheese from a small cheese factory and then decided to go up to the top of the berg.

To do so we went up by a cable car. This was very exciting, I love cable cars they are just so special.



The View from the top(2502m) was just great. It was a bit cloudy...however I thought the clouds were just the most beautiful things I have seen. The view was also amazing. The white snow capped Bergs and then grassy pastures below....breath taking. Just beautiful.











Talking of beautiful things. I am never one to miss photo opportunities ..so I snapped away and took lots of photos of my guest family and myself.










It was then time to go back down to the cable car so we could go down the berg. We passed through the information centre at the top of the berg...here I saw a really awesome Swiss mural...







I also saw a display of Swiss animals.

We then went back down in the cable car, had an ice-cream at a restaurant at the bottom and drove home.