Wednesday, January 26, 2011
A Mindreader...
During one of the several days we spent in London, a few of us spent some time searching for Platform 9 3/4, at King's Cross, where Harry Potter found his way through the wall on his way to Hogwart's Express. Although we had directions from others, who had previously been there, we still managed to get lost. We followed the signs toward Platform 9&10, and walked down Platform 9. We saw platform 9a, 9b, 9c...etc but no obvious 9 3/4. So we turned around and figured that it must be elsewhere. As we were walking back to the beginning of Platform 9, there was a rail-worker standing at the end of the platform. If a picture can say 1000 words, a smile can say a million. He knew exactly what we were trying to find, and it was plastered across his face that he thought it was hilarious that we were lost. As we approached the worker, a muttering of ...you ask...no you... occurred. As we got closer, Heather was the first to walk by. Embarrassed she barely sqweaked a "Hi" without cracking up. A number of us burst out laughing. Finally Nick asked if he could direct us to Platform 9 3/4. The worker mildly laughed- and told us to walk out and make two left turns (I think he has answered this question a few times- and knew exactly what tourists are looking for when they are randomly wandering around between Platform 9 and 10). We follow his instructions, and we FINALLY found our destination. Unfortunately, this area of the station is currently undergoing renovation (most likely for the London 2012 Games), and there really wasn't much to see. But I must say that I think everyone involved enjoyed the evening, and we all realized that no question is ever too stupid to ask. :)
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Walk Like an Egyptian - Part 1
Although this blog is a few days delayed, it took awhile to access suitable means to do this. We spent three awesome days in Torin, and I think that it is very safe to say that I walked more in those three days than any other three days in my life.
The marathon began when Stefano picked us up on the morning of Friday, January 14th from our hotel. For those of you who don't know Stefano, he is an acquaintance of Brad, our professor, from a few years ago when he was in Deborah on a Rotary Club Trip. Stefano acted as a volunteer in the 2006 Torin Winter Olympic Games, and when Brad contacted him, he was able to put together a panel of volunteers to talk to us about their experiences with the Games. In order to reach the panel, we first took a very brisk, twenty minute walk across town, possibly exceeding Brad and Craig's racing speed, which according to Aaron, was arm destroying (he was still on crutches from his ACL injury). We finally reached our destination, a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching children to read. They have quite a collection of books, especially Pinocchio, which their collection occupies three shelves. After a brief introduction of the foundation, by the founder's sister, we got into the meat of the presentation. There were four volunteers present from the 2006 Torin Winter Games and they generously shared their experiences and stories. It was quite obvious that they all felt proud to have been part of the 2006 Games, and were honored to talk to us. From their perspective, the Games are probably the best thing to happen to Torin ever. The whole experience opened a lot of locals up to new things. Before the Olympics tourism was essentially non existent, but the Olympics definitely put Torin on the map. After their presentation was over, they again very generously gave us a gift. A calendar that had been made specifically for the foundation. Each student and professor received one, and we could not thank them enough for their kind actions. One of Stefano's friends then took us on another walking venture to get to a bus stop. This bus took us to the Olympic Park. Many of us were amazed at how desolate and barren the park was. Grafitti covered the walls of buildings that many of us have seen on TV only a few short years ago. The administration offices, in addition to media and Olympic Store area was empty, with no signs of life. As we made our way across the park, we found ourselves walking across the famous Olympic bridge under the arch. On the fence of the bridge we saw locks put on by lovers. We walked over to what used to be the old Fiat car factory, which still has the test track on the top of the roof where they used to test the finished product before they would be shipped off. We walked through the old factory which has now been converted into a mall and office spaces, to reach our destination, Eataly, a specialty grocery store for high quality Italian products. This is where the majority of our group enjoyed a delicious lunch. It was personally one of the best pizzas I have ever had (Mane's doesn't even come close). After lunch, we went back to the mall and some of us got gelato, a great way to top off an excellent meal!
We then rushed back to the bus stop, thank god Stefano was taking us because otherwise I don't think we would have been able to find our way on the bus for our next meeting on time.
We then made our way to Deltatre, again after a good amount of walking, but on time. We thanked Stefano and his friend for walking us to the meeting location and then headed into the meeting.
Deltatre was founded in 1986, and essentially provides information technology for sports. This includes many sectors including: websites, video clip links, TV results, graphics, analysis, and records of a variety of sporting events. Deltatre first provided Olympic coverage for NBC's website for the Beijing 2008 Games, worked for Vancouver 2010, and are providing coverage for London 2012. Although a lot of what they talked about was way over most of our heads with exception to a few computer science majors and Brad. It was very interesting and we all learned a lot. Possibly the best part of the presentation was seeing their operations center, where there were easily 100 plus computer monitors in one room. It was empty when we were there, but during the Olympics, one could easily imagine chaos, as the controllers 24/7 all working three monitors. We said our thank yous, and made our way down to the grocery store to wait for Craig who was trying to print our boarding passes. After fifteen minutes, we split into two groups. Bodkin leading one group and a number of people leading the other. Brad assured our group we were not too far from the hotel. After fifteen minutes of walking, we finally were on the street our hotel was on. We then realized we were still fifteen plus blocks away. We started walking about four blocks when Brad saw a bus and decided to ask if it went towards our hotel. We all paused and Brad asks the driver who says yes and Brad is off towards the hotel while our group is left on the street watching him ride away waving towards us. Some of the group decided to wait for the next bus hoping it would take them to the right place, while others decided to walk the remaining distance, ten blocks. Needless to say, everyone was beat when we finally got back and didn't want to do much of anything.
This was just day one of our Torino marathon.
The marathon began when Stefano picked us up on the morning of Friday, January 14th from our hotel. For those of you who don't know Stefano, he is an acquaintance of Brad, our professor, from a few years ago when he was in Deborah on a Rotary Club Trip. Stefano acted as a volunteer in the 2006 Torin Winter Olympic Games, and when Brad contacted him, he was able to put together a panel of volunteers to talk to us about their experiences with the Games. In order to reach the panel, we first took a very brisk, twenty minute walk across town, possibly exceeding Brad and Craig's racing speed, which according to Aaron, was arm destroying (he was still on crutches from his ACL injury). We finally reached our destination, a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching children to read. They have quite a collection of books, especially Pinocchio, which their collection occupies three shelves. After a brief introduction of the foundation, by the founder's sister, we got into the meat of the presentation. There were four volunteers present from the 2006 Torin Winter Games and they generously shared their experiences and stories. It was quite obvious that they all felt proud to have been part of the 2006 Games, and were honored to talk to us. From their perspective, the Games are probably the best thing to happen to Torin ever. The whole experience opened a lot of locals up to new things. Before the Olympics tourism was essentially non existent, but the Olympics definitely put Torin on the map. After their presentation was over, they again very generously gave us a gift. A calendar that had been made specifically for the foundation. Each student and professor received one, and we could not thank them enough for their kind actions. One of Stefano's friends then took us on another walking venture to get to a bus stop. This bus took us to the Olympic Park. Many of us were amazed at how desolate and barren the park was. Grafitti covered the walls of buildings that many of us have seen on TV only a few short years ago. The administration offices, in addition to media and Olympic Store area was empty, with no signs of life. As we made our way across the park, we found ourselves walking across the famous Olympic bridge under the arch. On the fence of the bridge we saw locks put on by lovers. We walked over to what used to be the old Fiat car factory, which still has the test track on the top of the roof where they used to test the finished product before they would be shipped off. We walked through the old factory which has now been converted into a mall and office spaces, to reach our destination, Eataly, a specialty grocery store for high quality Italian products. This is where the majority of our group enjoyed a delicious lunch. It was personally one of the best pizzas I have ever had (Mane's doesn't even come close). After lunch, we went back to the mall and some of us got gelato, a great way to top off an excellent meal!
We then rushed back to the bus stop, thank god Stefano was taking us because otherwise I don't think we would have been able to find our way on the bus for our next meeting on time.
We then made our way to Deltatre, again after a good amount of walking, but on time. We thanked Stefano and his friend for walking us to the meeting location and then headed into the meeting.
Deltatre was founded in 1986, and essentially provides information technology for sports. This includes many sectors including: websites, video clip links, TV results, graphics, analysis, and records of a variety of sporting events. Deltatre first provided Olympic coverage for NBC's website for the Beijing 2008 Games, worked for Vancouver 2010, and are providing coverage for London 2012. Although a lot of what they talked about was way over most of our heads with exception to a few computer science majors and Brad. It was very interesting and we all learned a lot. Possibly the best part of the presentation was seeing their operations center, where there were easily 100 plus computer monitors in one room. It was empty when we were there, but during the Olympics, one could easily imagine chaos, as the controllers 24/7 all working three monitors. We said our thank yous, and made our way down to the grocery store to wait for Craig who was trying to print our boarding passes. After fifteen minutes, we split into two groups. Bodkin leading one group and a number of people leading the other. Brad assured our group we were not too far from the hotel. After fifteen minutes of walking, we finally were on the street our hotel was on. We then realized we were still fifteen plus blocks away. We started walking about four blocks when Brad saw a bus and decided to ask if it went towards our hotel. We all paused and Brad asks the driver who says yes and Brad is off towards the hotel while our group is left on the street watching him ride away waving towards us. Some of the group decided to wait for the next bus hoping it would take them to the right place, while others decided to walk the remaining distance, ten blocks. Needless to say, everyone was beat when we finally got back and didn't want to do much of anything.
This was just day one of our Torino marathon.
The City That Never Sleeps
Sunday afternoon the Luther College Olympics Management January Term class arrived in Newark, New Jersey at the Newark International Airport. We had a near 8 hour flight on Continental Airlines that was excellent. Over half of the airplane was empty and many of us got an entire row of three to ourselves. We also had a touch screen monitor in front of each seat that we could choose any of the 40 movies available to us. The screen also had music, TV shows, and many other options for in-flight entertainment. This was the best flight many have us have ever been on and probably ever will be on!
We then took a New Jersey Transit train to New York Penn Station where we caught a subway train to 14th Street, Russell Sq. Our hotel was only a short walk away and within half an hour many of us had settled into our rooms and met in the lobby to walk to dinner. Several groups left at different times but it seemed that nearly half the group had ended up in Russell Sq. eating at T. G. I. Fridays (everyone was ready for some American food). We finished up dinner around 7:30 and headed back to the hotel to catch up on some much needed reading and sleep.
Monday morning I woke up around 6:00 with my roommate and walked down the street to Whole Foods to get breakfast and the coffee at a nearby Starbucks (not hard to find in New York since they're on every street corner). We ate and returned to the hotel for a class discussion led by Shelby and Eric on television rights for the Olympic Games. We then had a presentation by Mark Holland, brother of Luther economics professor Steve Holland.
Mark is the Director of Operations for the NBC Olympic website. He told us about his role in creating and working on the website and he also answered several questions from students regarding his role. All of the students agreed he was an excellent speaker and a very personable guy, much like his brother Steve who happens to be my advisor.
Following this presentation we had the rest of the day to explore the city with our classmates. Shelby, Jessica, Heather, Steph, Daniel, and I headed down to the Times Square area and walked around looking for indoor activities to do since it was so cold out. We ate lunch and then went our separate ways although we both ended up at St. Paul's Church across the street from Ground Zero. This had been the second time I'd been in the church, but I don't think the memorial explaining the role of the church is one of those things that you can get used to, its a very emotional place. After seeing this sight many of us recalled where we were during the attacks and how we found out although we all found that we simply did not understand the implications and impact of the attacks on September 11, 2001.
We all walked around the area and went into a building displaying the plan for Ground Zero. It looks to be a beautiful sight in a few years.
Shelby, Daniel, and I then headed to Wall Street to get a quick picture with the famous Bull. Since my last visit to New York, the level of security around the New York Stock Exchange has increased immensely, not surprising consider the current state of world politics.
We then decided to head back to our hotel to read and relax before our final class discussion and ground dinner. Jeff and Nordy lead the class discussion which was about the use of Olympic venues after the Olympic Games had finished. They did an excellent job getting the class to talk and converse with one another, which is not always a simple task.
Following discussion we headed to an Italian restaurant in the Italian Village called SPQR. This was a great meal, the best we had arguably had on the entire trip (close race between this and the Hofbrauhaus in Munich).
Following dinner all returned to the hotel to pack and get some much needed rest before an early morning train to Stamford, Connecticut to meet with NBC broadcasting.
Tuesday morning was an early one, Matt and I were up at 6:00 in order to get ready. A few of us brought our luggage with to ensure we got to the airport for our flights, including Shelby, Joe, Paul, and myself. We all got out to Stamford and entered a conference room where NBC employees were awaiting us with donuts, croissants, coffee and an array of other treats.
This presentation was excellent and we even had the honor of meeting an Emmy Award winner, Bucky Gunt. Bucky has produced many Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics and has won four Emmy's for his role in the ceremony. This was an excellent experience for the entire class, we had no idea such an influential person would be answering questions for us.
We learned a lot from this experience at NBC and realized how much work goes into the broadcasting of the games for essentially delivering the Games for free to the public. We also learned that NBC will be bidding for the 2014 and 2016 Games although they experienced a loss in revenue in 2010 and will most likely experience one in 2012 for the London Games.
Following the presentation, we all went back to Grand Central Station and then went our separate ways; Shelby, Joe, Paul and I to Newark Airport and the rest back to the hotel to pick up luggage. Shelby and I separated from Joe and Paul on the Newark International AirTrain where they needed to go to a separate terminal. Shelby and I checked in for our flight to Dubuque, Iowa and then check through security, got a late lunch and now we sit and wait for our 5:00 flight to Chicago to leave.
Hope all is well in the Midwest, I think I can speak for us all in that were ready to get home and sleep in our own beds a few nights before the second semester begins.
We then took a New Jersey Transit train to New York Penn Station where we caught a subway train to 14th Street, Russell Sq. Our hotel was only a short walk away and within half an hour many of us had settled into our rooms and met in the lobby to walk to dinner. Several groups left at different times but it seemed that nearly half the group had ended up in Russell Sq. eating at T. G. I. Fridays (everyone was ready for some American food). We finished up dinner around 7:30 and headed back to the hotel to catch up on some much needed reading and sleep.
Monday morning I woke up around 6:00 with my roommate and walked down the street to Whole Foods to get breakfast and the coffee at a nearby Starbucks (not hard to find in New York since they're on every street corner). We ate and returned to the hotel for a class discussion led by Shelby and Eric on television rights for the Olympic Games. We then had a presentation by Mark Holland, brother of Luther economics professor Steve Holland.
Mark is the Director of Operations for the NBC Olympic website. He told us about his role in creating and working on the website and he also answered several questions from students regarding his role. All of the students agreed he was an excellent speaker and a very personable guy, much like his brother Steve who happens to be my advisor.
Following this presentation we had the rest of the day to explore the city with our classmates. Shelby, Jessica, Heather, Steph, Daniel, and I headed down to the Times Square area and walked around looking for indoor activities to do since it was so cold out. We ate lunch and then went our separate ways although we both ended up at St. Paul's Church across the street from Ground Zero. This had been the second time I'd been in the church, but I don't think the memorial explaining the role of the church is one of those things that you can get used to, its a very emotional place. After seeing this sight many of us recalled where we were during the attacks and how we found out although we all found that we simply did not understand the implications and impact of the attacks on September 11, 2001.
We all walked around the area and went into a building displaying the plan for Ground Zero. It looks to be a beautiful sight in a few years.
Shelby, Daniel, and I then headed to Wall Street to get a quick picture with the famous Bull. Since my last visit to New York, the level of security around the New York Stock Exchange has increased immensely, not surprising consider the current state of world politics.
We then decided to head back to our hotel to read and relax before our final class discussion and ground dinner. Jeff and Nordy lead the class discussion which was about the use of Olympic venues after the Olympic Games had finished. They did an excellent job getting the class to talk and converse with one another, which is not always a simple task.
Following discussion we headed to an Italian restaurant in the Italian Village called SPQR. This was a great meal, the best we had arguably had on the entire trip (close race between this and the Hofbrauhaus in Munich).
Following dinner all returned to the hotel to pack and get some much needed rest before an early morning train to Stamford, Connecticut to meet with NBC broadcasting.
Tuesday morning was an early one, Matt and I were up at 6:00 in order to get ready. A few of us brought our luggage with to ensure we got to the airport for our flights, including Shelby, Joe, Paul, and myself. We all got out to Stamford and entered a conference room where NBC employees were awaiting us with donuts, croissants, coffee and an array of other treats.
This presentation was excellent and we even had the honor of meeting an Emmy Award winner, Bucky Gunt. Bucky has produced many Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics and has won four Emmy's for his role in the ceremony. This was an excellent experience for the entire class, we had no idea such an influential person would be answering questions for us.
We learned a lot from this experience at NBC and realized how much work goes into the broadcasting of the games for essentially delivering the Games for free to the public. We also learned that NBC will be bidding for the 2014 and 2016 Games although they experienced a loss in revenue in 2010 and will most likely experience one in 2012 for the London Games.
Following the presentation, we all went back to Grand Central Station and then went our separate ways; Shelby, Joe, Paul and I to Newark Airport and the rest back to the hotel to pick up luggage. Shelby and I separated from Joe and Paul on the Newark International AirTrain where they needed to go to a separate terminal. Shelby and I checked in for our flight to Dubuque, Iowa and then check through security, got a late lunch and now we sit and wait for our 5:00 flight to Chicago to leave.
Hope all is well in the Midwest, I think I can speak for us all in that were ready to get home and sleep in our own beds a few nights before the second semester begins.
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The Empire State
After our long night of sleep we got up and had our group discussion with Mark Holland, the brother of Professor Holland at Luther, and Director of Operations for NBC Sports talked to us about the websites that Olympics and NBC uses during the Olympics and also about all the technology the goes into it. I didnt realize how long prior to the games they actually need to have the sites ready to go. It didnt seem like they had much time in there regualr lives when there job was always on the go. I thought he was very interesting and enjoyed what he did especially with all the traveling he was able to do. After we had free time from 11-5 so all of were able to tour the city a bit. Our little group decided to hit three main spots Battery Park, Times Square, and Central Park. Even though it ended up being bitter cold witht he windchill bringing it down below zero that didnt stop the tough midwesterners we are. After arriving in Battery Park and walking buy the 9/11 site we decided to take the Staten Island Ferry out past the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and then just hang out on Staten Island for a bit before continuing our day. We got some great pictures and got to visit the Yankees minor league field that is right by the ferry. After arriving in Times Square we walked around checked out a few stores. We picked up a few souvenirs and then got one thing I was waiting for, New York Style pizza and hot dogs. Yes, it was just average food but there seems to be something good about greasy pizza and normal hot dogs from a street vendor. Overall we had a great day. New York, New York treated us well besides Nick and I having to sleep in sweat pants and coats but, its the experience that matters right? I wouldve taken that more times than not just to walk around the city and have some fun.
Monday, January 24, 2011
The Today Show
This morning Courtney, Jeff, Boyken, Steph, Shelby and we (Jessica and Heather) braved the extreme cold to go try to be on tv at the Today show. Even though it was 6 degrees which may seem warm to those of you in the midwest it was the coldest it has been here in 2 years! Boyken had read online that we had to be there between 6 and 6:30 in order to get a spot and have a chance at getting on tv so we all decided to leave our "hotel" at 6 am. We followed our fearless leader Boyken who redeemed himself today by successfully getting us to the show site and getting us all back in time for the meeting. We arrived at the set at about 6:30 and found only two people there, one of which being a man who has attended the show every single day for twenty years! Needless to say we got a great spot right up against the fence in the middle. We were all dressed in multiple layers sporting our white hats and scarves for the Munich 2018 Olympic bid that we were given in Munich. We stood around for a good hour before anything really happened. Then the weather lady (Al was gone : ( ) came out to film a portion of the show outside. Luckily she filmed right in front of us so we all got to be on tv. We considered leaving after this point as we were slowly losing feeling in our feet and hands but we were told that Matt and Anne were coming out at 8 so we all decided to stick it out. After what seemed like forever in the freezing cold Matt and Anne came out and talked to all of us and shook our hands. They then filmed a portion outside as well and were once again right in front of us. So if you happenedd to see a bunch of people with brightly colored coats in white hats and scarves...it was us. After Matt and Anne went inside we were all more then ready to sprint to the nearest coffee shop and attempt to warm up and regain feeling in our extremities. Despite the cold it was a great morning and we were on TV!
-Jessica and Heather
-Jessica and Heather
Westminster Abbey
Our first night in London, most of the group went to a service at Westminster Abbey in remembrance of the one year anniversary of the earthquakes in Haiti. I chose not to go to that service, since there was a service at another church at the same time that I wanted to attend. However, I did really want to see Westminster Abbey, since it contains so much of the history of England, so I paid my £13.00 (fun fact: virtually every museum in the UK that's not free gives a substantial discount for students with id), and did the self-guided audio tour on Wednesday on my own.
The history of the Abbey is astounding. Every crowned English monarch has had his or her coronation there since 1066, and almost every English ruler is buried there. Seeing the tombs of the kings was an incredible experience. There are a total of about 4000 people buried within the Abbey, including pretty much every English person that I've ever heard of, from Geoffrey Chaucer to Charles Darwin to Oliver Cromwell to Winston Churchill. It was also nice that the majority of the memorials are in English (some are in Latin), so I could actually tell what I was looking at, unlike the tombs that we had seen as a class in Munich, Lausanne, and Turin cathedrals. The audio tour of the Abbey was excellent, and I also liked that the Abbey is still very much a working church, with daily services and hourly invitations to prayer. All in all, the several hours I spent wandering through history (yes, that's actually what it felt like) in the Abbey was one of my favorite experiences on the trip.
After experiencing Westminster, I went down the street to the Churchill War Rooms. This is a museum dedicated to Winston Churchill located in the underground Cabinet War Rooms, the location that the war council met during World War II. The bunker was supposed to be a bomb shelter, but it turned out after the war that it would not have survived a direct hit from a German bomb. The war rooms were an interesting place to be, especially since I've always been interested in World War II history, but the museum was a bit disappointing after Westminster Abbey. While there was a massive amount of information about Churchill, many of the displays seemed to be written at a very simplistic children's level, and the organization of the displays was, as far as I could figure out, pretty random. Still, it was a good place to visit just to experience where the Battle of Britain and much of World War II was directed from, and there was a cool sense of history just from walking in the same halls and rooms that Churchill worked from. This is probably the only post I'll make on this blog, but I have also been blogging about my entire Europe experience on my own blog, at jugglingnebula.blogspot.com, so if anyone wants to hear more about my personal experiences...
London Theater Visits
While we were in London many people experienced the night life at a theater or two. As a class, we went to a show called "We Will Rock You". It is a musical based on Queen's famous songs, meaning the songs were written first and then the musical was thrown together trying to use all of those songs. Needless to say, the plot wasn't complex. But I think most of us agreed it was an entertaining show. All characters and places were references to songs and there were so many hidden puns in the dialogue. It was a futuristic world where individually is shunned and all music is digitally produced. The rebels were on a mission to save rock and roll and be themselves..."we want to break free". Even if the plot lacked substance, it was a fun time. The music was great and I think most of us realized we were bigger Queen fans than we thought. The one disappointment was that Bohemian Rhapsody was not listed in the program. We were scared that it wouldn't be played at all! But luckily, after the show was over, there was an added song...yay! We all sang along and rocked out! Here is the rundown of "We Will Rock You":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Will_Rock_You_%28musical%29
In addition to this class activity, many people bought tickets on their own to shows. There are so many to choose from in London! I saw Billy Elliot with a group (really good!). Others took in shows like Wicked, Legally Blonde, Love Never Dies, and Lion King(I don't think I am missing any). These shows were a great experience for everyone and showed us how vibrant the theater districts of London are!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Will_Rock_You_%28musical%29
In addition to this class activity, many people bought tickets on their own to shows. There are so many to choose from in London! I saw Billy Elliot with a group (really good!). Others took in shows like Wicked, Legally Blonde, Love Never Dies, and Lion King(I don't think I am missing any). These shows were a great experience for everyone and showed us how vibrant the theater districts of London are!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
A Day at Wimbledon
We all make mistakes...
Wanting to make the most of our time in London, Boyken, Steph, and we (Camille and Courtney) got up early to explore the city. After a quick breakfast in the hotel we took the tube to the Hyde Park area. Tour Guide Boyken led us through the sights, starting with Buckingham Palace. We strolled through the park and past the National Museum, catching glimpses of Big Ben and the London Eye. The group was meeting at the hotel at 10:30 (or so we thought) to leave for Wimbledon. As the meeting time grew closer, we saw a nearby Underground Train Station. We knew we probably should've gotten on the next train, but Tour Guide Boyken recommended we continue on through Covent Garden and take the train from the Underground Station he thought was just beyond the gardens. We blindly put all of our trust in the tour guide and continued on. Boyken seemed confident he knew how to make it back in time, so we did too. Not until he started checking his watch every thirty seconds did we start to worry. We soon realized that we did not know where the next Underground station was and we had to accept the reality that we were lost. Boyken decided to ask for directions. Down the block we heard sirens coming from a fire truck surrounded by five firemen. Boyken casually walked up to the nearest one and asked how to get to the closest Underground station. The fireman's response was something like "I'm kind of busy at the moment" and walked away.
We continued on and miracuously found an Underground station. The trains in London come quite often, but when you are in a hurry they can't seem to come soon enough. Finally we reached Russell Square station. Just as we were getting off the lift we saw the rest of the class getting on. We were all relieved we had caught up with them until we were informed that the meeting time was 10:15, making us incredibly late for one of the most anticipated days of the trip. Furthermore, Craig was still waiting for us back at the hotel. As the rest of the class went down to the trains, we ran back to the hotel keeping an eye out for Craig. Upon reaching the lobby; he was nowhere to be found. Lost for what to do next, we ran back to the station to try to get to Wimbledon ourselves. Luckily upon reaching the platform, we found Craig on his iPad, waiting for the train. Needless to say, the air was rather thick underground that day...
...a silent train ride later...
The rest of the afternoon was spent at the All England Lawn Tennis Club where the Championships at Wimbledon are held. We toured the many different courts and learned about the upkeep and care for the sacred grass on the courts. Here are a few fun facts:
1. The grass is cut to exactly 6 mm.
2. It takes the grounds crew 22 seconds to cover Centre Court in case of rain.
3. A lawn expert counts every blade of grass per square meter on nearly all the courts.
4. Membership fee is a mere 80 £, assuming you get selected to be a member by a committee that is secret. Needless to say, it would be easier to buy a racket, get good at tennis, and win the Championship...resulting in an automatic membership to the club.
On the tour we got to see the official press room and sit in the seats where the tennis greats are interviewed after world famous matches. Afterwards we met with the Wimbledon marketing director to discuss the marketing strategy at Wimbledon and the upcoming Olympic games.
At the end of our trip at Wimbledon, we went through the lawn tennis museum where we got to see the championship trophies and learn about the history of the game.
Our tour of Wimbledon has been one of our favorite days on the trip. This day not only taught us a lot about event management of tennis championships, but also the importance of time management : )
Wanting to make the most of our time in London, Boyken, Steph, and we (Camille and Courtney) got up early to explore the city. After a quick breakfast in the hotel we took the tube to the Hyde Park area. Tour Guide Boyken led us through the sights, starting with Buckingham Palace. We strolled through the park and past the National Museum, catching glimpses of Big Ben and the London Eye. The group was meeting at the hotel at 10:30 (or so we thought) to leave for Wimbledon. As the meeting time grew closer, we saw a nearby Underground Train Station. We knew we probably should've gotten on the next train, but Tour Guide Boyken recommended we continue on through Covent Garden and take the train from the Underground Station he thought was just beyond the gardens. We blindly put all of our trust in the tour guide and continued on. Boyken seemed confident he knew how to make it back in time, so we did too. Not until he started checking his watch every thirty seconds did we start to worry. We soon realized that we did not know where the next Underground station was and we had to accept the reality that we were lost. Boyken decided to ask for directions. Down the block we heard sirens coming from a fire truck surrounded by five firemen. Boyken casually walked up to the nearest one and asked how to get to the closest Underground station. The fireman's response was something like "I'm kind of busy at the moment" and walked away.
We continued on and miracuously found an Underground station. The trains in London come quite often, but when you are in a hurry they can't seem to come soon enough. Finally we reached Russell Square station. Just as we were getting off the lift we saw the rest of the class getting on. We were all relieved we had caught up with them until we were informed that the meeting time was 10:15, making us incredibly late for one of the most anticipated days of the trip. Furthermore, Craig was still waiting for us back at the hotel. As the rest of the class went down to the trains, we ran back to the hotel keeping an eye out for Craig. Upon reaching the lobby; he was nowhere to be found. Lost for what to do next, we ran back to the station to try to get to Wimbledon ourselves. Luckily upon reaching the platform, we found Craig on his iPad, waiting for the train. Needless to say, the air was rather thick underground that day...
...a silent train ride later...
The rest of the afternoon was spent at the All England Lawn Tennis Club where the Championships at Wimbledon are held. We toured the many different courts and learned about the upkeep and care for the sacred grass on the courts. Here are a few fun facts:
1. The grass is cut to exactly 6 mm.
2. It takes the grounds crew 22 seconds to cover Centre Court in case of rain.
3. A lawn expert counts every blade of grass per square meter on nearly all the courts.
4. Membership fee is a mere 80 £, assuming you get selected to be a member by a committee that is secret. Needless to say, it would be easier to buy a racket, get good at tennis, and win the Championship...resulting in an automatic membership to the club.
On the tour we got to see the official press room and sit in the seats where the tennis greats are interviewed after world famous matches. Afterwards we met with the Wimbledon marketing director to discuss the marketing strategy at Wimbledon and the upcoming Olympic games.
At the end of our trip at Wimbledon, we went through the lawn tennis museum where we got to see the championship trophies and learn about the history of the game.
Our tour of Wimbledon has been one of our favorite days on the trip. This day not only taught us a lot about event management of tennis championships, but also the importance of time management : )
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
The Public Transportation Circus
Now that we have traveled around Europe for a couple of weeks we have had many experiences with public transportation. Some of these have been great while others have resulted in high stress levels and frustration for many. I figured it would be nice to let all of you at home into our world of European travel.
The first main aspect is the transportation within the cities themselves. As most of us do not hail from large cities it was at first odd to be on someone else's schedule rather than just hoping into our own car. Furthermore there was this crazy idea of walking somewhere from our stop rather than it dropping us off exactly where we needed to be. All joking aside the subway/train systems have been highly convenient and fairly easy to figure out (assuming you're paying attention to which way the train is going or you might end up heading in the wrong direction as many of us did our first time alone in Munich). There still have been a few issues in relying on the public systems which include the train suddenly stopping halfway into the tunnel in Laussane as well as the line in London being cancelled causing half of our class to end up wandering in the rain and missing our walking tour about the Olympic park.
The other half of traveling is when we are venturing from city to city. We now all understand that the weight limits on flights were not the only reasons we should have packed light! Train travels have generally involved a hike to the station then upon boarding the train we had to carry our luggage down the aisle to our seat where, if we were lucky, we then had to lift the luggage over our heads into the racks (or in my case find a nice strong male on the trip that could get it up there for me due to my lack of height and upper body strength) that were generally not big enough to fit all of our luggage nearby. If we weren't lucky it meant sitting on the train with our luggage in our laps or taking up the room for our feet. Once we were at the hotels there was also the joy of getting our luggage to our rooms. Europe seems not only to enjoy smaller food portions as one often hears about but also small elevators. If we were even lucky enough to have an elevator it usually only held 2 people plus their luggage therefore most of us ended up taking the stairs. My personal favorite was in Torino when we went to the registration building and began hauling our luggage up the 4 flights only to learn we were in the wrong place so we went back down, around the corner, and up another 4 flights. Let's just say showers and beds were in high demand after that.
I think, however, what had to be the biggest circus was the torino airport. When we got there we walked into a sea of people. By the time we found where to check in and got rid of our bags (which there was a panic to be sure everyone was under the strict weight limit of about 40 pounds) we had to stand in a security linebthat wrapped around half of the entrance area! We finally made it through that only to find another line where they checked our passports ( for the 4th time). We finally make it to our gate where we learn that our flight does not have assigned seating so it is a throng of people pushing tirades the gate. Suddenly (about a half hour late) the line starts moving where we are all packed onto busses to bring us out to our plane where it is a mad rush to the stairs to find a good seat on the plane. Many of us agree that this was the most unorganized airport we had ever been to!
All in all travel has been quite the experience, although inconvenient at times we are all still together and have all of our luggage (minus one forgotten coat in Torino). I'm sure all if the headaches will be something we will be able to laugh about once we are back at Luther.
The first main aspect is the transportation within the cities themselves. As most of us do not hail from large cities it was at first odd to be on someone else's schedule rather than just hoping into our own car. Furthermore there was this crazy idea of walking somewhere from our stop rather than it dropping us off exactly where we needed to be. All joking aside the subway/train systems have been highly convenient and fairly easy to figure out (assuming you're paying attention to which way the train is going or you might end up heading in the wrong direction as many of us did our first time alone in Munich). There still have been a few issues in relying on the public systems which include the train suddenly stopping halfway into the tunnel in Laussane as well as the line in London being cancelled causing half of our class to end up wandering in the rain and missing our walking tour about the Olympic park.
The other half of traveling is when we are venturing from city to city. We now all understand that the weight limits on flights were not the only reasons we should have packed light! Train travels have generally involved a hike to the station then upon boarding the train we had to carry our luggage down the aisle to our seat where, if we were lucky, we then had to lift the luggage over our heads into the racks (or in my case find a nice strong male on the trip that could get it up there for me due to my lack of height and upper body strength) that were generally not big enough to fit all of our luggage nearby. If we weren't lucky it meant sitting on the train with our luggage in our laps or taking up the room for our feet. Once we were at the hotels there was also the joy of getting our luggage to our rooms. Europe seems not only to enjoy smaller food portions as one often hears about but also small elevators. If we were even lucky enough to have an elevator it usually only held 2 people plus their luggage therefore most of us ended up taking the stairs. My personal favorite was in Torino when we went to the registration building and began hauling our luggage up the 4 flights only to learn we were in the wrong place so we went back down, around the corner, and up another 4 flights. Let's just say showers and beds were in high demand after that.
I think, however, what had to be the biggest circus was the torino airport. When we got there we walked into a sea of people. By the time we found where to check in and got rid of our bags (which there was a panic to be sure everyone was under the strict weight limit of about 40 pounds) we had to stand in a security linebthat wrapped around half of the entrance area! We finally made it through that only to find another line where they checked our passports ( for the 4th time). We finally make it to our gate where we learn that our flight does not have assigned seating so it is a throng of people pushing tirades the gate. Suddenly (about a half hour late) the line starts moving where we are all packed onto busses to bring us out to our plane where it is a mad rush to the stairs to find a good seat on the plane. Many of us agree that this was the most unorganized airport we had ever been to!
All in all travel has been quite the experience, although inconvenient at times we are all still together and have all of our luggage (minus one forgotten coat in Torino). I'm sure all if the headaches will be something we will be able to laugh about once we are back at Luther.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Confessions of a Weary Traveler
As we come just another day closer to the end of this amazing trip, I can't help but reflect and think about some of the things from home that would have made this trip even better. So, on behalf of all of us students on this trip, I invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy a short list of things we (but mostly I) miss!
1. Ranch dressing. I cannot tell you enough how much I enjoy ranch as a condiment on everything from french fries to pizza. There is simply no substitute, including vinegar.
2. A recliner. Although the incredibly stiff mattresses that have been present in every do offer a break from the even harder floor, I would thoroughly enjoy sitting back, putting up my feet, and cracking open a cold Coors Light.
3. A closet. I do have a bit of experience in living out of a suitcase. However, there is a huge difference between a vacation in a hotel for a week having to pack up all your belongings and move to a new hotel every 3-4 days. God bless my closet!
4. My own car. Europe does have wonderfully convenient public transportation. Yet, I find myself daydreaming about being able to drive somewhere while I'm squashed between a 300 lb German and a rude Italian. Sidenote: Those two references are simply an example, not a statement of fact
5. Cable TV. My desire for an episode of Family Guy or a game of some American sport is unparalleled. There is no need to elaborate.
6. Mountain Dew. "The Diesel," as I call it, has been a staple in my diet for most of my young life. At a meager one 18 oz. bottle in the past 15 days, this is by far the lowest rate of consumption that I've ever had. I don't know what I wouldn't do for a can of The Diesel.
7. Laundry. This is perhaps the most crucial of all. Not to get too in-depth, but the smell of my socks from having to wear them multiple days could knock-out small children. Enough said.
8. My friends and family. Although this is cheesy to say, we're all missing them even if we don't want to admit it. Don't tell them, but I'm getting tired of the same faces haha! (Not really though, they're all pretty cool).
9. My own bed. As afore mentioned, the hotels and hostels we've been staying in, although very nice and convenient, tend to provide beds that are the second stiffest thing in the room second only to the floor.
10. A reliable internet conn.......ection. Sorry, we lost connection momentarily. Although WiFi is certainly present here and, in the case of Interlaken, available in our rooms, I'm getting awfully tired of having to walk down several flights of stairs to the lobby to receive a signal that tends to leave me annoyed.
As you can probably imagine, there are several more things we miss. But, for the sake of my fingertips and your sanity, I won't go into depth. Just know that this trip, for me at least, has been the most amazing vacation (or "class") I have ever taken. It's been so wonderful to experience all the different cultures and lifestyles around Europe and although unbelievable doesn't really cut it, that's exactly what this trip has been.
So, on behalf of all of us on the Olympics and Event Management course from Luther College, thank you to our professors, thanks for reading through all this, and we'll see you all soon! Stay classy U.S.A.!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
A Day in Torino
Woke up this morning after a experiencing some Italian night life. First on the agenda, the Egyptian museum, the second largest in the world. The museum was very interesting, with thousands of priceless artifacts. We had a guided tour around the museum. After that the group split up into smaller groups and went site-seeing throughout the city. Nordy, Kyle, Matt, and I stopped by one of the local pizzerias. Others went to the cinema museum. Almost everyone made there way at some point to the famous church were Jesus' shroud is held. It is in a tomb, but the site was very moving. It was an emotional experience. Within walking distance of the church was some Roman ruins, with Caeser's statue in front. Group dinner was at Breks, a cafeteria style restaurant. It's going to be a semi-early night since we are taking off for London early tomorrow morning. So far the trip has been a blast. We are experiencing many different cultures, and having once in a lifetime opportunities. The group is very close, which makes the trip very enjoyable. Brought to you straight from Torino, Italy, this is Joe Thompson, Eric Nordstrom, and Josh Sharpe.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Our Visit to Lausanne
Hello to all those in the midwest,
Our three days in Lausanne were a new experience for everyone. For me, it presented an opportunity to see what a 'real' Swiss city was like. Lausanne is what some would call a workers city. There aren't tourists everywhere and there certainly aren't a lot of tourists attractions to see in the city, but our class made the best of the city. We took advantage of the Olympic Museum and most notably many many trips to Switzerland's most popular supermarket, Denner. We all found Switzerland to be extremely expensive with a typical dinner at a restaurant costing well over twenty Swiss Franks per person. We also experienced two lectures from two professors who are well integrated into the Olympics tradition.
Our first speaker was Professor Jean-Loup Chappelet from the University of Lausanne. He seemed to have great connections into the International Olympic Committee and we found through his resume that he indeed does. He has been to every Summer Olympics since 1972 with the exception of 1988 and he's been to every Winter Olympics since 1980 except for 1988, the year his child was born. In this lecture we learned a lot about the Olympic Movement or as Professor Chappelet called it, the Olympic System. The Olympic Movement is the structure of the IOC regarding the entire process of organizing the Games. We have learned that there must be much communication between the IOC, National Olympic Committees, International Federations (ex. FIFA), Organizing Committees (committee of individual games), and National Federations. This is a very complex structure that we have also found is changing all the time. There are always new 'actors' coming into play for the IOC. Most notably, new 'extreme' sports as well as 'doping', a phenomenon we have largely seen in baseball in the United States. Professor Chappelet did an excellent job with his lecture and he clarified many things for the entire group.
Our second speaker, Professor Benoit Seguin, is from the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Canada and is doing his sabbatical in Lausanne, Switzerland. He primarily spoke to us about marketing in the Olympics, in particular a subject called Ambush Marketing. Until 1984, the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the IOC had largely been opposed to marketing in the Olympic Games. Now, all we see in the Olympic Games is marketing from Coca Cola, McDonalds, and Visa, the primary sponsors. What many don't know is that the top sponsors have special rights that other companies don't have. For instance, Subway often airs commercials that closely associate Michael Phelps with the Olympics, but this is illegal as we found out today. This is what we call Ambush Marketing which is defined as, 'efforts of an organization to associate itself indirectly with an event in an effort to reap the same benefits as an official sponsor'. We often see commercials that do this, but we will find that this may slowly change due to the governments of Olympic nations developing laws preventing companies from doing this.
Both speakers did an excellent job presenting today and all were happy to have certain complicated items clarified through these speakers. Following the speakers, we had a group discussion led by Joe and Heather which focused on Human Resource Management for events and festivals.
Hope all is well in the Midwest, off to Turino tomorrow!
Our three days in Lausanne were a new experience for everyone. For me, it presented an opportunity to see what a 'real' Swiss city was like. Lausanne is what some would call a workers city. There aren't tourists everywhere and there certainly aren't a lot of tourists attractions to see in the city, but our class made the best of the city. We took advantage of the Olympic Museum and most notably many many trips to Switzerland's most popular supermarket, Denner. We all found Switzerland to be extremely expensive with a typical dinner at a restaurant costing well over twenty Swiss Franks per person. We also experienced two lectures from two professors who are well integrated into the Olympics tradition.
Our first speaker was Professor Jean-Loup Chappelet from the University of Lausanne. He seemed to have great connections into the International Olympic Committee and we found through his resume that he indeed does. He has been to every Summer Olympics since 1972 with the exception of 1988 and he's been to every Winter Olympics since 1980 except for 1988, the year his child was born. In this lecture we learned a lot about the Olympic Movement or as Professor Chappelet called it, the Olympic System. The Olympic Movement is the structure of the IOC regarding the entire process of organizing the Games. We have learned that there must be much communication between the IOC, National Olympic Committees, International Federations (ex. FIFA), Organizing Committees (committee of individual games), and National Federations. This is a very complex structure that we have also found is changing all the time. There are always new 'actors' coming into play for the IOC. Most notably, new 'extreme' sports as well as 'doping', a phenomenon we have largely seen in baseball in the United States. Professor Chappelet did an excellent job with his lecture and he clarified many things for the entire group.
Our second speaker, Professor Benoit Seguin, is from the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Canada and is doing his sabbatical in Lausanne, Switzerland. He primarily spoke to us about marketing in the Olympics, in particular a subject called Ambush Marketing. Until 1984, the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the IOC had largely been opposed to marketing in the Olympic Games. Now, all we see in the Olympic Games is marketing from Coca Cola, McDonalds, and Visa, the primary sponsors. What many don't know is that the top sponsors have special rights that other companies don't have. For instance, Subway often airs commercials that closely associate Michael Phelps with the Olympics, but this is illegal as we found out today. This is what we call Ambush Marketing which is defined as, 'efforts of an organization to associate itself indirectly with an event in an effort to reap the same benefits as an official sponsor'. We often see commercials that do this, but we will find that this may slowly change due to the governments of Olympic nations developing laws preventing companies from doing this.
Both speakers did an excellent job presenting today and all were happy to have certain complicated items clarified through these speakers. Following the speakers, we had a group discussion led by Joe and Heather which focused on Human Resource Management for events and festivals.
Hope all is well in the Midwest, off to Turino tomorrow!
Olympic Museum
Yesterday (Tuesday the 11th), we had the opportunity to take a guided tour of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. The first stop on the tour was an exhibit about the history of the Olympic torches. The first torch was used in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. There has been a different torch to in every game since then to carry the Olympic flame from Olympia, Greece to the host city.
After that we were able to see the evolution of the games from the ancient Greek times to the modern games that we are accustomed to see. After that we were taken through a timeline of the modern, with many fun facts and interesting stories from each respective game. The museum itself contained too many things to be listed in this blog, so instead we shall detail a few of my favorite exhibits.
The second floor of the museum contained a full glass case containing the gold, silver and bronze medal from the modern times. It was quite a sight to see the evolution of the medals as they progressed in size and ornateness. The museum also offered a fun interactive section that let us compare our time off the starting block to Usain Bolt and take part in a reflex test that Olympic athletes do.
One final highlight was a video clip of some of the more memorable opening ceremonies. We personally enjoyed the ceremony from 1996 in Atlanta when Muhammad Ali lit the torch. This was a clip that many people on the trip found particularly moving.
These bloggers also feel the need to mention a local favorite panini stand (Chez Pippo) outside the train station where we befriended the workers George and Jacque. Thats all from us for now, more updates from classmates to come.
Kyle McKee & Paul Ryan
Hiking in the Clouds
Hello all,
We have all safely arrived in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee are. Yesterday afternoon was a bit foggy and rainy, but Craig, Brad, and a group of 6 of us still ventured out to go on a hike to a wooden tower. I will admit that was not sure what I was exactly getting myself into, but I was willing to give it a try and get some fresh air. After debating whether or not to take the train to get closer to the tower, we all decided to just walk, despite the spitting rain. After approximately 4 minutes, we all realized the consequences of that decision. We kept climbing up steeper and steeper hills, first through the town so we could admire shops and people, and eventually we reached the trail which would lead us to our final destination. After much panting, sweating, stripping of lazers, burning of legs, and wet hair, we finally made it to a peak where we could see the entire city. We could see some of the lake as well, but seeing as it was quite foggy, views were limited. We stopped for some water and a couple of pictures, but continued on, quickly gaining altitude, through a foggy and eery forest that reminded me of the forrest in Beauty and the Beast. Thankfully we did not get attacked by wolves.
Before we knew it, the tower was in sight. It had over 100 wooden stairs, curving up and up, and when we reached the top, we were literally in a cloud. We could hardly see the trees below us because there was so much fog. So needless to say, we climbed uphill for an hour to see....fog. We all laughed, took pictures regardless, and still had a fabulous time. Our journey back down went much faster than up. We returned to the hostel wet and sore, but also excited that we got to climb in the clouds.
Hello to all those at home+
We have all safely arrived in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee are. Yesterday afternoon was a bit foggy and rainy, but Craig, Brad, and a group of 6 of us still ventured out to go on a hike to a wooden tower. I will admit that was not sure what I was exactly getting myself into, but I was willing to give it a try and get some fresh air. After debating whether or not to take the train to get closer to the tower, we all decided to just walk, despite the spitting rain. After approximately 4 minutes, we all realized the consequences of that decision. We kept climbing up steeper and steeper hills, first through the town so we could admire shops and people, and eventually we reached the trail which would lead us to our final destination. After much panting, sweating, stripping of lazers, burning of legs, and wet hair, we finally made it to a peak where we could see the entire city. We could see some of the lake as well, but seeing as it was quite foggy, views were limited. We stopped for some water and a couple of pictures, but continued on, quickly gaining altitude, through a foggy and eery forest that reminded me of the forrest in Beauty and the Beast. Thankfully we did not get attacked by wolves.
Before we knew it, the tower was in sight. It had over 100 wooden stairs, curving up and up, and when we reached the top, we were literally in a cloud. We could hardly see the trees below us because there was so much fog. So needless to say, we climbed uphill for an hour to see....fog. We all laughed, took pictures regardless, and still had a fabulous time. Our journey back down went much faster than up. We returned to the hostel wet and sore, but also excited that we got to climb in the clouds.
Hello to all those at home+
Monday, January 10, 2011
Curling is Actually Fun
While many people think of skiing and figure skating when it comes to the Winter Olympics, we decided to try out a somewhat lesser known and even lesser understood game: curling. Through the work of two very enthusiastic classmates, we managed to get a couple of lanes reserved and give it a shot.
When we first got to the rink, there was some confusion since we weren't entirely sure where to start. Fortunately, there were some locals there that we were able to watch and learn something from, even though I think they might have gotten annoyed with us after a while. In the beginning, a lot of us threw poorly aimed stones, or else they were way short, even with the help of the sweepers. Some people even took some nasty falls. But by the end of the evening, there were varying stages of improvement in all of us. I don't mean to brag, but I even managed to get one of my stones actually close to the center of the target. I think it's safe to say that none of us will be on the 2014 team, but it is safe to say that we all had a really good time and were sorry to leave when our hour was up.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
A Weekend Remembered by All
As the train neared our next destination, Interlacken, Germany, the mountains slowly came into view and many got excited for the weekend ahead. Many students were planning to ski the famous Swiss Alps, while others were planning a beautiful hike into the Alps. We arrived in Interlacken in the afternoon, found our hostel, Backpackers Villa Sonnenhof, and instantly went to pick up our rental skis, snowboards, boots, helmets, goggles, and ski pants in preperation for the next day. We returned to the hostel and was later picked up by Outdoor Interlaken for our night of 'Night Sledging'. We headed up the mountain and found ourselves in a small village where our Night Sledging would begin.
Once arriving at the gondola, each student picked up a sledge, a similar concept to a sled but you are able to steer and control it much easier, and boarded the gondola. At the top of the gondola we all walked over to the start of the sledging course, a road covered in snow and groomed to perfection. Then we began our sledging adventure, it took us an hour to find our way to the bottom where we encountered a small Swiss restaurant that was prepared to serve us a typical Swiss Cheese Fondue meal. We all ate and celebrated Kara Schrapp's birthday. We then headed back down the mountain to get some rest for a big ski day the next day.
On Saturday morning Craig, Camille, Jessica, and I headed up the mountain to ski the Schilthorn area which is the highest skiable peak in the Interlacken ski area. We skied from 9:30 to noon where we ate a delicious meal at a small restaurant near the top overlooking the mountains. It was truly an unbelievable view that I will never forget. On our last trip up to the Schilthorn mountain top, Brad called Craig to deliver some bad news, Aaron had torn his ACL, part of his MCL, and chipped off a piece of a bone in a ski crash that had happened on one of the first runs of the day. After hearing this terrible news, we all decided this run down the hill would be much more cautious, and we all in fact went much slower. We finished off the day with that run and headed back into the town of Interlacken for a much needed night of rest and relaxation.
We returned back to the hostel to find that everyone had had an excellent day, but all were exhausted due to a long day of skiing. We retreated to our room's for a quick shower and then headed to an Italian restaurant for a good meal. After returning from the restaurant, I went to my bed to read the assignment for Monday and get some sleep.
Sunday morning came fast and almost all of the skiers left for the mountain at 8:00 sharp. This time the group went upu to the Kl. Schneidegg ski area. This was another beautiful ski area that differed from where I skied the day before. I was extremely tired, but determined that I would ski as long as I could to take advantage of a once and a lifetime opportunity.
After eating lunch with Brad and Craig, we went our seperate ways. I headed down to Wengan to grab a train to Interlocken while they went to Grindelwald to grab a different train to Interlacken.
I arrived back in Interlacken around 3:00, showered, and read more for the assignment on Monday. Shelby and I decided we would take advantage of the Swiss fondue and found a comfortable restaurant to enjoy a great meal. We both returned and retreated to our respective rooms where a night of reading and sleep awaits us.
This was truly one of the most amazing weekends of my life, a lifelong dream of skiing in the Swiss Alps has come true. After a trip to Switzerland last summer and a weekend in Interlacken, Switzerland has become my favorite travel destination and I cannot wait for a few days in Lausanne. I hope to return to Interlacken very soon and will be sad to say goodbye tomorrrow morning.
Hope all is well in the Midwest,
Nick Mozena
Once arriving at the gondola, each student picked up a sledge, a similar concept to a sled but you are able to steer and control it much easier, and boarded the gondola. At the top of the gondola we all walked over to the start of the sledging course, a road covered in snow and groomed to perfection. Then we began our sledging adventure, it took us an hour to find our way to the bottom where we encountered a small Swiss restaurant that was prepared to serve us a typical Swiss Cheese Fondue meal. We all ate and celebrated Kara Schrapp's birthday. We then headed back down the mountain to get some rest for a big ski day the next day.
On Saturday morning Craig, Camille, Jessica, and I headed up the mountain to ski the Schilthorn area which is the highest skiable peak in the Interlacken ski area. We skied from 9:30 to noon where we ate a delicious meal at a small restaurant near the top overlooking the mountains. It was truly an unbelievable view that I will never forget. On our last trip up to the Schilthorn mountain top, Brad called Craig to deliver some bad news, Aaron had torn his ACL, part of his MCL, and chipped off a piece of a bone in a ski crash that had happened on one of the first runs of the day. After hearing this terrible news, we all decided this run down the hill would be much more cautious, and we all in fact went much slower. We finished off the day with that run and headed back into the town of Interlacken for a much needed night of rest and relaxation.
We returned back to the hostel to find that everyone had had an excellent day, but all were exhausted due to a long day of skiing. We retreated to our room's for a quick shower and then headed to an Italian restaurant for a good meal. After returning from the restaurant, I went to my bed to read the assignment for Monday and get some sleep.
Sunday morning came fast and almost all of the skiers left for the mountain at 8:00 sharp. This time the group went upu to the Kl. Schneidegg ski area. This was another beautiful ski area that differed from where I skied the day before. I was extremely tired, but determined that I would ski as long as I could to take advantage of a once and a lifetime opportunity.
After eating lunch with Brad and Craig, we went our seperate ways. I headed down to Wengan to grab a train to Interlocken while they went to Grindelwald to grab a different train to Interlacken.
I arrived back in Interlacken around 3:00, showered, and read more for the assignment on Monday. Shelby and I decided we would take advantage of the Swiss fondue and found a comfortable restaurant to enjoy a great meal. We both returned and retreated to our respective rooms where a night of reading and sleep awaits us.
This was truly one of the most amazing weekends of my life, a lifelong dream of skiing in the Swiss Alps has come true. After a trip to Switzerland last summer and a weekend in Interlacken, Switzerland has become my favorite travel destination and I cannot wait for a few days in Lausanne. I hope to return to Interlacken very soon and will be sad to say goodbye tomorrrow morning.
Hope all is well in the Midwest,
Nick Mozena
Hiking in the Alps
The first day in Switzerland everyone split up for some outdoor activities. I can't speak for those who went skiing or snowboarding, but those of us who hiked had a great day. We paid for a train ride up to a starting point at 3393 feet altitude and followed a trail to an unknown location called Bussalp. We were pretty much winging it with our tennis shoes and lack of hiking gear, but we did pretty well.
The way up was snowy and slushy but as the day went on, it turned more icy. The hike included a snowball fight, posing for many pictures, drinking from springs, and only a couple falls along the way. Half of our group of seven hiked a couple hours up and then returned. The other half continued on to Bussalp. As the trek continued, it got steeper and steeper and soon we were hiking up for a couple minutes, resting, and then resuming. It was a tough hike. The altitude of our final destination was 5906 feet, so we gained quite a bit vertically!
We couldn't tell if Bussalp was going to be a peak or a village but as we got closer we saw a couple huts. It ended up being a little village of about seven buildings, one car, and one restaurant. We got so excited when we reached our end point! The restaurant was not open but we asked nicely for some drinks and the owner obliged. It was an amazing view (as shown in the picture)! As we hiked back down we all felt accomplished and pretty tired. What a day!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Looking Back on Germany
Aside from the electrical outlets and stunning lack of free ketchup at McDonalds, Germany was quite a bit like the upper midwest. The people, with very few exceptions, were both humble and helpful. Not being able to speak German myself, the language barrier was a significant concern for me before crossing the pond; however, I never once encountered someone unable to speak or at least have a basic command of English. Furthermore, I was never made to feel guilty for not being able to speak the language (the famously pretentious citizens of a certain fellow EU member state to the west could learn a thing or two from these folks).
Our brief stay in Munich began on a high note when everyone's luggage managed to successfully follow us the entire way. It was indeed a long journey, and we watched the sun rise and set twice before being able to enjoy a good night's sleep. From the very start, though, we definitely made the most of our time in the city and immediately embarked on a walking tour before finding our way to the Olympic Park which, unlike most host cities, has remained both intact and vibrant since the 1972 summer games. In fact, the site is almost entirely translatable into Munich's bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics, an effort we learned more about on Thursday through meeting with a marketing executive at Lufthansa, one of the bid's primary corporate sponsors.
Those two days in Bavaria laid a great foundation for the rest of the term. The bid process, execution of the games and the legacy they leave vastly differ among host cities. As the olympics have adapted to a point where the commercial aspects surrounding the games often outweigh the games themselves, staging the event comes with an increasing amount of potential sources of failure both socially and economically. Munich, however, seems to have left one of the most positive legacies in modern Olympic history, even in light of the tragic events that inspired the film of its namesake.
Munich provided both great learning opportunities and great fun. After a rather trying day of travel yesterday, we are all happy to have arrived in Interlaken and look forward to taking advantage of all the activities the Swiss Alps offer. The city and the surrounding scenery is gorgeous; I encourage you to google it, but pictures alone will not nearly do it justice. Being here and walking among the mountains is something different entirely.
Our brief stay in Munich began on a high note when everyone's luggage managed to successfully follow us the entire way. It was indeed a long journey, and we watched the sun rise and set twice before being able to enjoy a good night's sleep. From the very start, though, we definitely made the most of our time in the city and immediately embarked on a walking tour before finding our way to the Olympic Park which, unlike most host cities, has remained both intact and vibrant since the 1972 summer games. In fact, the site is almost entirely translatable into Munich's bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics, an effort we learned more about on Thursday through meeting with a marketing executive at Lufthansa, one of the bid's primary corporate sponsors.
Those two days in Bavaria laid a great foundation for the rest of the term. The bid process, execution of the games and the legacy they leave vastly differ among host cities. As the olympics have adapted to a point where the commercial aspects surrounding the games often outweigh the games themselves, staging the event comes with an increasing amount of potential sources of failure both socially and economically. Munich, however, seems to have left one of the most positive legacies in modern Olympic history, even in light of the tragic events that inspired the film of its namesake.
Munich provided both great learning opportunities and great fun. After a rather trying day of travel yesterday, we are all happy to have arrived in Interlaken and look forward to taking advantage of all the activities the Swiss Alps offer. The city and the surrounding scenery is gorgeous; I encourage you to google it, but pictures alone will not nearly do it justice. Being here and walking among the mountains is something different entirely.
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