22.07.2009

This here is just a quick post, updatig on events that have happened over the last few week.

^^ I was walking with a friend down to Montreux (you can see it through this window) when we came across this church. It was very old style and was very pretty. This is one of the windows that look out onto Montreux.

^^ another landscape/view. It is hard not to put views up as there is always so many beautiful photos i have taken. This is a cloud formation over the lake geneva.

^^ this is the 'correct' way to make "raclette" (pronounced ruck-lett in English.) The traditional dish can be described as melted cheese eaten with boiled (or roasted) potatoes with small gherkins and pickled onions.
The melted cheese is then put onto your plate with a knife and goes back under for heating. This is by far my favourite swiss dish.

^^ This was a floral art decoration i made for my hostess exam. I think its quite alright but i wouldn't say its the best i have ever made.

Told you this was a quick post. 20 day countdown!! - Sarah

ps: once back to australia, i will put the last of london up and then this will blog will be finished. Thankyou for reading!

IVP,Glion.

Glion is located right about montreux. Its around a $16 frank taxi fair or a $4 frank train ride... then agian, you can always enjoy the scenery and have a free walk up.

Around the five weeks that i have been in IVP, we have been to Zurich, Basel (for a Van Gogh art exhibition), and Geneva.

Zurich is Switzerland's main commercial and cultural centre and sometimes called the "Cultural Capital of Switzerland". Its kinda like our Sydney.

^^Inside some churches.

1. the stained glass windows.
2. one of the organs in a church. i wish i could remember the exact amount.

^^in front of a building in Zurich.

Zurich was possibly one of my favourite cities from Switzerland. I think its beautiful. I caught up with one of my friends from Surval, who lives there and she showed me around. I got a quiche from possibly the best store in the world. (it was chocolates and pastrys).

Basel boarders Germany and France. We went there to see the Van Gogh art exhibition.

^^on a large screen inside the art gallery, promoting the works.

^^ Two pictures around the town of Basel.

There was only 4 girls in total that went to this exhibition so we caught the train there and back. It was a very interesting weekend and the artwork was very amazing. We had audio guild so we were able to walk around at our own pace and listen about the artworks.

xx. Coming home soon i think! - Sarah

Switzerland Views.

This post will be quite large as i have not posted for a while and well i think you want an information overload, no?

This post contains the last views from surval windows and the lake geneva paddle boats..

^^Here is the mountain that retains snow throughout the year, I don't know if you are able to see it, but the cloud has a red tinge.

^^ This is the moon reflecting through the clouds. BEAUTIFUL.

^^ Two rainbows over lake geneva, switzerland MUST mean good luck right?
I was considering chasing it to the end to see if i could get some gold... :D

^^ Lake Geneva and the swell old town of Montreux, busy at night.
Actually, Switzerland has a strict "no noise after 10pm."

^^ Just before the sunset hits.

LAKE GENEVA. Lake Geneva is the second largest fresh water lake in all of Europe. 60% belonging to Switzerland and 40% to France . It is now considered safe to swim in the lake, however in the 1960's it was unsafe, with the poulution levels so high nearly wiping out all the fish and having zero sight while in the submarine.

^^ Louise and I (in the grey) with QUEEN star, Freddy Mercury.

^^ Swimming in the lake. They say a picture tells a thousand words.
This picture says that the water is freezing and i am swimming as fast as humanly possible back to the paddle boat.

^^ With the View.

^^ Agian, with the View.

INSTITUT VILLA PIERREFEU.
"With more than 50 years of experience, Institut Villa Pierrefeu is a traditional Finishing School of the type the world expects from Switzerland. Elegant, exclusive and charming, it will prepare you for a role in the business world and society , aiming to help you become more effective in multicultural environments and dealings."

Okay, So here i am at a new start. Institut Villa Pierrefeu... Although i have attended the past six months here, now its different. Living somewhere, Living with somebody is always different to being with them. New Girls, New Rules, New System.

So far, My room is good. It has an open study area for the five girls that are split into two rooms. Helen (England) Canda (Turkey) Ana Cecilia (Mexico) Shanelle (USA) and Me (Australia). So not only do we all come from different regions of the world, our cultures are different.

I have become friends with Helen and Shanelle the most, they are both amazing girls however, only here for three weeks, leaving tomorrow, shame really.

It has been two weeks, I have had my hostess exam.

What is a hostess Exam? A Hostess exam is were one (in this case, moi) makes flower decorations, makes napkins, sets out menu cards and placement cards and holds a conversation. She is based on her table conversation skills to uphold a conversation, avoid taboo subjects and also on the way she presents herself. Sounds like a Piece of Cake, No?

Well, I hope this was enough information for you all.

I miss you all terribly.

Sending my love from Montreux,

xx. S

cruise, last. EGYPT.

Here is the last post from the cruise, FINALLY.

We arrived in the port of Alexandria and then had about an 7 hour drive to the out skirts of Cairo (the largest city in Africa and the capital of Egypt). It is these sort of times when an iPod and book comes in handy. It also helps if you can sleep on transport.

Sorry, I mentioned in Rhodes, that we didnt see one of the Ancient wonders, i must of been delusional or something as the Great Pyramid of Giza is the last of the Seven wonders of the Ancient World in tact.

^^Here we are walking in front of one of the giza pyramids. (i am in the blue)

^^I thought of this, here we are making the word E G Y P T.

^^Here i am in front of one of the Pyramids.

^^The girls and I in front of the Three Great Pyramids. They were seriously AMAZING.

^^Ivana, Me and Mariana in front of the three great pyramids.

^^The Three Pyramids: (Right to Left) Great Pyramid of Khufu, Pyramid of Khafre and the Pyramid of Menkaure.

^^Being egyptian infront of the Sphinx. The Sphinx is now missing a nose and a beard, however early drawings show the Sphinx without a nose and fragments of the beard are held in museums.

^^The girls in front of the Pyramids. I dont know why, but i feel this photograph looks so fake. The colour has been edited for one and also it just seems so, "sureal".

^^How Ironic, a human pyramid at the pyramids. I am middle row second from left.

^^ I dont remember the name of this tomb, i tried looking on Wikipedia for a while, but there are quite a few. This wasn't in one of the "greats" but they are structures "associated with the Pyramid of Menkaure" (the smallest one.)
However, i was quite the rebel and photos were forbidden. So when i was in a spot by myself i took a quick photo, but dont worry, i made sure that the flash was off as that can damage the insides.

^^Another quick picture taken from the inside of the tomb.

^^This was just taken from the bus, a quick shot of the locals going to markets, selling fruits ect.

^^This girl charged people to take photos of her. But i thought it was quite cute how she was taking the goat around. Although it was just another form of begging.

Thats all of the Easter trip photos now. The photos will now continue to be of Switzerland and things i am up to. In all, the cruise was an amazing experience and i was glad to see the pyramids, however i thought that a day in Egypt was fine. You may of noticed that the girls were wearing long skirts, jeans and tshirts. This was because it was out of respect for the muslims.

xx. S

Turkey

Turkey, Izmir.

^^ Here is the "House of the Virgin Mary" and the sign that was outside.

^^ This here is a "prayer" wall. People write their prayers on peices of tissue, paper, whatever they have handy and tie it to this wall.

^^some ruins at Agora of Smyrna


^^some of the ruins at Agora of Smyrna. I thought the detail on this was amazing.

^^some more ruins from Agora of Smyrna

^^ a "TAKSI".

^^We went to a carpet store and the owners gave us apple tea. While drinking he explained the process of carpet making.
What they do is the silk worm eggs are collected and then put into a large wooden container of boiling water. They then grab the eggs with this brush and attach it to the wheel. (see below)

xx. S

CRUISE P2, Rhodes, Cyprus.

Rhodes is a greek island, It is known for its the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. However, Our tour did not take us to see one of these wonders. Rhodes still was a beautiful island.

^^ a mosaic in the Palace of the Grand Master.

^^ The view of the sea and the Palace of the Grand Master.

^^ The view of one of the buildings.

^^ a dome. I am not sure actually what this is.

Cyprus is the Mediterranean's third largest island, and one of its most popular tourist destinations, attracting over 2.4 million tourists per year. It is located near Greece, Turkey and Egypt.

^^ amazing views.

^^ there was orange trees everywhere.


^^ the ruins.

^^ a mosaic in one of the churches.

There are only two more posts left of the cruise, turkey and then egypt.

xx. S