Nice France and Monte Carlo Monaco, pictures

Have spent the last couple of days exploring Nice France and today went to Monte Carlo Monaco where they are having the formula one race in 10 days. We walked the track and saw the set up. Man there is a lot of money in Monaco. The houses and cars there, holy smokes. It is a crazy city to walk, up and down, tons of stairs, lots of exercise.

Monaco is the second smallest county in the world after the Vatican for your info. I am off to Barcelona tomorrow by train.

Nice France and Monte Carlo Monaco photos, click here

Canada Quarter Final Game; Pictures

Went to the quarter final game and saw Canada win 4 – 2 against Lativja. This is such a hard keyboard to use. It did not know the French have a different layout. The a, ., z, q, etc are all in different places. It is hard to type. I am currently in Nice, France. I took a 10 hour train ride yesterday from Switzerland via Italy. I had to change trains four times. I met two guys from Saskatoon doing the same route so we stayed together and we will go on to Barcelona together in a few days. They are good fun. We got a bottle of wine each last night, once we got in and walked the city, got to love being able to have a beverage in public.

Click on the link for pictures of the quarter final game Canada vs Latvija

Paragliding in Switzerland, Pictures

It is a beautiful day here, 24 degrees and I am just back from paragliding. I went to the top of a mountain and ran off of it. I was soaring through the air like a bird. It was awesome and such a smooth peaceful ride. The panoramic view was spectacular.

Click on this link to see my paragliding photos.

This hostel has great internet access and uploading capabilites unlike a lot of places I have visited, hence the photos being added so often and it is free. This is my last day here though. Off to the hockey game now. A great day. Paragliding and I get to go to the Canada Latvija game.

Boat ride and hike Switzerland, Pictures

Today started out with no plan and was a full day that just kept getting topped. The woman at the hostel suggested a boat ride and walk along the lake. It was awesome. The colour of the glacial water is spectacular. The boat ride was an hour long with mountains on both sides and then we hiked about 8km along the water and through the woods always with the mountains in view. There were a pair of fighter jets that flew over at least four times during the walk.

It was funny before catching the boat we debated going to the grocery store and buying a sandwich as yesterday each village we visited was a ghost town and nothing was open and it was really hard to find food. So we thought we wouldn't get our selves into the same trouble as yesterday but it happened again. Looking on the map it looked like the town we were going to by boat would have shops and restaurants. No such luck. So we walked and ended up in a little town where again nothing was open. It is low season and the villages and cities are ghost towns. We found a restaurant with a sign saying open. We went in, greeted the guy, sat down and then 10minutes later he says oh you want food? Kitchen is closed. Even though the sign said open. So we walked on and found another one. At that place the guy was so rude that we left. We found a hotel and they said they would make us a sandwich. One piece of meat between two pieces of bread and nothing else, $7.50. Food just the same and really we should have learned from yesterday and we had bread and food at the hostel we didn't take.

After we got the sandwich we asked this guy at the information booth which I was suprized it was open, which way to walk to Interlaken? He laughed in a big berly laugh and checked our shoes, ok and pointed us on our way. We laughed too once we climbed the hill and realized the rest of the walk was up hill and just along the highway. So we caught the bus. Local busses are free in this town with our hostel voucher.

Once back in Interlaken we went to a chocolate show and we got to make chocolates and eat more than our fair share. For $14.80 we went to the show and with that price you get an $8 voucher for products. It was awesome chocolate. He said a Swiss eats 25pounds of chocolate a year. I wonder what a Moloney eats a year?

After the chocolate eating we went for dinner and ended up at this great restaurant with jovial guys working there trying to drum up business. I had a pork roast and mash potatoe dinner for $17.50 which is a really good price for here. We were given free salad and ice cream which was an added bonus. While we were eating the ice cream I heard this noise and then music. It was one of those big horns. The waiter said would you like to try it? I will bring it out. We were eating on the patio. So we got to play the horn too.

Then it turns out that the hockey game I bought tickets for the other day will be the Canada vs Latvija game. Which is another added bonus to get to see Canada play and Latvija has crazy fun fans. So watch for me on tv.

Click on this link for more photos of Switzerland

Hiking in Switzerland, pictures

Click on this link for pictures from my hike in Switzerland.

Loving Switzerland. I went for a hike today through the mountains outside of Interlaken. Ben is also in this town and hostel so we went together. (He was the guy that went to his first hockey game the other day.) It was an awesome day with beautiful mountains, snow, waterfalls, trees, valleys, rivers, cows and few people. It is low season so many of the villages we went through were all closed up. We took the train out of town, then a gondola up, hiked, took another gondola, hiked again and then a bus and train back. The views were spectacular, the pictures don't do it justice. We circled up and down and around a mountain valley I tried to show you the route in one of the photos.

Will do a hike again tomorrow and then Thursday watch for me at the quarter final World Hockey Champhionship game as I will be there.

Germany vs Austria

Click on this link for more photos
Made it to my second game of the World Hockey Championships. This game was Germany against Austria, Austria won, one nothing. I met a guy at the hostel from London England who had never been to an ice hockey game so we went together. He had lots of questions throughout the game that I explained for him.

This game was much cheaper. It was only 19 dollars for the same area I was in last time and not many people were at the game so we got to go right up to the front of the section. With your ticket there is free transportation in Switzerland until 12pm the next day. That works out for me as I was going to go to Interlocken tomorrow and the ticket itself to there was 26 dollars and I paid 19 for the game and it included the tram there and back today and the trip to Interlocken tomorrow.

Went to some great markets yesterday and have just been taking in the sites, flowers and smells of spring here. The lilacs are in bloom and smell awesome. The flowers at the market were breath taking too. They make great flower arrangements in Europe. I am getting a good work out from all the steep inclines too. I can feel it in my thighs and butt.

I am writing this blog post from a free internet bus out front of the arena. We have an hour or so until Switzerland plays Sweeden at the arena and we will watch the game in the tent on site.

Switzerland World Hockey Championships, pictures

Well I made it to Switzerland yesterday at about 2:30 in the afternoon and found out the World Hockey Championships are on in Bern and Zurich. I am staying in Bern, the capital. I went to the tourist office and found a hostel and while there I was able to buy a ticket to the 4:15 game with Russia against Sweeden. When in Rome, why not. Oh yeah, I am not there anymore. The ticket was about 59 dollars. So I rushed to the hostel, down and up these huge inclines, dropped off my backpack, changed rushed back to the center caught the street car and went to the arena. It was an awesome game and I made it on time. I was in the standing area. Most people stand to watch the games here. They actually had to install seats especially for the tournament. The Russians won in overtime. It was a fantastic game and I met some extream Swiss fans while I was there. They dressed me up in their flag and sunglasses and bought me beers. There was a double header last night and they were staying for the Swiss game as well, so were in their Swiss gear. That game was sold out so I stayed at the arena and watched it and the Canada game going on in Zurich on the big screens in a tent/bar out front of the arena. After there was a band that played in the tent. It was such a cool experience. There were fans everywhere with flags, drums and anything that would make noise.

Switzerland is beautiful and the people are lovely. I think I will stay here for a few days, who knows I may make it back to the arena. My hostel has kept me with the fact that they serve a free breakfast complete with a machine that dispenses hot milk and they have awesome Swiss hot chocolate mix to put in it. Little things please me and especially chocolate.

Click on the link for the Switzerland pictures