Capri 03/21/12

 

Wednesday Dad and I took the ferry to Capri for the day. The island is absolutely stunning! It is such a beautiful place, and the water is so clear and gorgeous shades of blue. Right after arriving around 10:30 a.m. we took a boat tour around the island. Our timing was perfect, because the sun was at a good angle to light up the island. We saw many of the famous sights, including the natural arch on the island and the arch rock near the island. We also saw the grotto verde, which was so stunning. The water was just such a beautiful color! Toward the end of the boat tour, we arrived at the blue grotto. The grotto is very small and can only be reached by row boat. We had to pay quite a bit more to go in, but it was worth every cent! The blue grotto is something that has to been seen first hand and experienced to fully understand and appreciate it. Pictures just don't do it justice. I give it my best shot to describe the awe-inspiring beauty. The grotto hangs off the island in to the ocean, so there is a large area below it that is just the ocean floor. The sunlight reflects off of the sand up into and on the white rocks of the grotto. It is about 65 feet deep, so the water is a gorgeous blue color. It was one of the coolest things I have seen.
After the tour we headed to the one beach on the island for a bit. Then we went to Cafe Augusto for lunch. The restaurant staff was very nice, and the food was outstanding! We got caprese salad, and it was just so tasty. I have been wanting fresh basil on something the whole time I've been in Italy, and I finally got it! It was definitely worth the wait, because the caprese salad was so good and fresh. I also had seafood risotto, which had clams, mussels and shrimp. It was so delicious and hit the spot. The house white wine I had paired nicely with my meal. We finished our meal with the dessert of the day, a flaky pastry filled with custard and raspberry sauce.
The rest of the day we hiked up to the city center. It was about 15-minutes uphill, alternating between stairs and an incline. It was quite a work out, but totally worth it, because we got some good views of the city below. We caught the ferry back to Naples and had a late dinner at Sobrillo Pizzeria. Again, Naples pizza is huge! Capri was such a wonderful island and a great place to visit!

Naples 03/20/12

 

Since our bus dropped us off so early, I was worried that we would have to lug our bags around for a few hours until we could check in. But we decided to head straight to the hostel, Hostel Pizza Naples. It turned out really well, because the guy working the desk was really nice and let us check in early. We arrived at the hostel at 7 a.m. and had to buzz to get in, so we woke the poor guy up. But he was really nice about everything and helpful once he got out of his delirious state. He also let us partake in the free breakfast for that morning! The hostel was really cute and tucked away on a small side street in a little neighborhood. I really loved the feeling of being in the city, rather than in a super touristy area.
Naples was a huge city and very dirty. It had a general dankness to it and wasn't very attractive. But it had a real sense of daily life, which I loved. I felt like I was getting a glimpse into real Italy as opposed to a polished tourist attraction. Drying laundry hung from windows, people scurried about, and little shops and restaurants filled the streets. We saw all the major spots within the day, but sadly the castle was closed because it was a Tuesday. That night we got pizza margherita and pizza marinara from De Michele, the only two kinds of pizza the place makes. It's a pretty well known spot, so it was fun to get some of the famous pizza. The food was pretty good, but not the best thing I've ever eaten. But man oh man, Naples pizzas are huge!

Pisa 03/19/12

 

The train ride from Florence to Pisa was very beautiful. I wish I could have seen more of the Tuscan countryside. Dad and I arrived in Pisa around 1 pm and headed straight for the Leaning Tower. It was a bit of a walk from the train station, but would have been a nice stroll if we weren't bogged down by all of our luggage. On our way, we picked up some sandwiches to go. When we arrived at the tower, we plucked down on a grassy patch near the tower, and enjoyed a nice picnic. We also shared my bottle of Moscato that the lovely ladies I worked with during the internship bought me as parting gift. It was a great way to enjoy the beautiful view. After we walked around the tower and got shots from all angles. I took every cheesy picture I could think of... holding the tower up, punching it down, jumping, cartwheels. We finished that around 4 pm or so and headed to figure out where our Eurolines bus was picking us up. We found the stop fairly quickly, and had a small bite at the cafe near the bus stop. Our bus didn't arrive until 9 pm (actually it was about 20 minutes early, so we were able to get on around 8:40 pm), so we killed time by walking to another little cafe and drinking a cappuccino. I was so nervous that the bus wasn't going to show up or that we were in the wrong place, but everything worked out well and we were able to get on without any problems. Our seats were right at the front, which was really nice, because we didn't have anyone reclining their seats into our laps. The bus ride was long, but fairly comfortable. We arrived in Naples the next morning around 6:15.

Florence 03/17-03/19

 

Dad joined me in Italy, and we headed off to Florence (after waiting a couple of hours for his lost luggage to arrive on another flight!) We got in town and to our hostel, Hostel Santi 7, around 9 pm, so we just showered and tucked in for the night. The hostel was huge! It used to be a convent and was attached to a church, which still has services. It was a pretty sweet place to stay, and kinda fun to say I've slept in a convent. The next day we woke up early and headed in to Florence to check it out. Our first stop was the Duomo. It was so big and gorgeous! I really liked the church a lot. It reminded me a little of the Taj Mahal, because of the colors and materials. Then we headed down to a few other sites and to the Galleria dell'Accademia. I saw Michelangelo's David! It was so cool to see another famous piece of art. I loved getting a 360 degree view, because you don't usually see all of David's angles. We weren't supposed to take pictures, but I sneaked two in before I was told to put my camera away.

My stomach was acting really weird, so we headed back to the hostel where I proceeded to enjoy a two-hour nap. It was so Italian getting our riposo in. Later we headed to other areas in Florence, eating some tasty gelato on the way. We had dinner at a restaurant called Osteria de' Peccatonri. Dad got some spaghetti, and I had a delicious gnocchi with speck, pine nuts and a decadent cream sauce. Every bite I took was so good.
Our last morning in Florence, we headed up to Piazzale Michelangelo for some great panoramic views of the city. It was really a good vantage point and an excellent spot for pictures. When we got back to the hostel we rested for about an hour, and then caught a train to Pisa.

Cinque Terre 03/10/12-03/11/12

 

Breathtaking. Magnificent. Unbelievable. Cinque Terre was absolutely fabulous. I did not want to leave, and while I was there I could hardly believe that it was real. Each of the cities was so beautiful. The colorful buildings, dramatic drop offs, coastline and expanse of ocean all combined to create a gorgeous scene. We visited each of the five cities. All of them had unique quarks that made it worthwhile to visit all five. Sadly the pathways between the cities were closed, but we were able to walk along the Via dell'Amore. It was a beautiful walk along the coastline. We walked the path from Riomaggiore to Manarola. I was in awe the entire time. The view just doesn't get old. In Riomaggiore we headed to the marina for a great view of the colorful buildings crowding the hills next to the dramatic drop off at the harbor. We also got gelato from a little store. I got strawberry, and it was one of the best ice creams I have ever had in my life. It was so good and fresh. In Manarola we mostly just walked around a bit and enjoyed the city. We were only in Corniglia for a quick moment, but we still got to see the city. Monterosso was also very beautiful and had a nice beach. I could have stayed there all day and just soaked up the sun on the beach. Vernazza was a little harder to visit, because the town was nearly destroyed by a devastating mudslide. Only one pharmacy and one bar were open in the main part of the city, because the rest of the buildings were gutted by the disaster. The pathway was being rebuilt and a huge pile of debris lay at the end of the town near the waterfront. It was so sobering to see how quickly possessions can be swept away. But there was a sense of coming together and repairing that lingered in the town. Many of the doors of the destroyed buildings were painted with colorful, inspiring portraits. I really enjoyed my time in Vernazza and was impressed with the reaction of the town.

We stayed in Levanto, a town just outside of Monterosso, at the Ostello Ospitalia del Mare. I also really loved Levanto. It was more relaxed and had a larger beach than the five cities. I would absolutely love to move to Levanto the moment the opportunity presented itself. I'm very glad that we stayed in Levanto, because it was really close to Cinque Terre, and it had a lot to offer. The hostel was really nice and had a good breakfast. And the woman who owned it was very nice and helpful. One of my favorite parts of the trip was the two and a half hour hike we made from Levanto to Monterosso. It was a gorgeous hike and quite a good workout. The terrain changed nearly every 15 minutes from rocky to muddy to stone steps to steep inclines. It was a challenging hike, but very doable. And parts of the walk were enclosed in trees, while other parts had wide open views of the ocean. It was unlike any other hike I have done before, and was so exhilarating. Levanto and Cinque Terre are some of the best places I have visited so far, and I really hope to return one day. The area is worth at least a week, so hopefully I will have a chance to go again and devote a little more time.

Exploring My Italian Home 03/03/12

This weekend I spent Saturday biking around Vicenza. It was so nice to really explore the city I've been living in for nearly the past two months. I started the day off by heading to Zushi, a Japanese restaurant, to get some sushi. I didn't really know where I was going, but headed in the general direction I knew it was in. I turned down a street and came to a round about. When I was trying to decide which direction to go, I glanced to my left and saw the restaurant. I was so excited I actually found it. I had some very good, fresh sushi. I can never get enough of the stuff! Outside of the restaurant was the Arco delle Scalette, which had a 190-step staircase up to a great view of the city. I carried my bike up the first 65 stairs, but thankfully found a suitable place to lock it up, so I didn't have to haul it the whole way. I biked around and headed up a huge, steep hill to visit the Bailica di Monte Berico. I only made it about a third of the way up on the bike when I had to give up and just walk it up. The Basilica was really beautiful. I was happy to finally see it up close, because I always noticed it up on the hill on the walk home from work. Later I just biked around downtown and soaked it up. I just kept thinking, "Wow, I'm seriously in Italy." It still hasn't fully sunken in.
Saturday night I went to a Latin club and was able to bachata, salsa and merengue! It was so excellent. I love all kinds of dancing, but bachata, salsa and merengue are just top notch. And my dance partner for the evening was really good. He was an excellent lead, and I thoroughly enjoyed dancing with him. It was so much fun.

Wine Tasting in Piedmont

What a fantastic weekend! The wine tasting was my favorite trip so far in Italy. We met so many great people and tried some delicious wines. We were in the Piedmont region, specifically in Novara. Our first stop was the Rovellotti Winery. We tried a white wine, two reds and a dessert wine. They were all delicious! My favorite was the white. We also had bread, salami and cheese with the wine. And risotto. Oh.My.Goodness. The risotto was absolutely delicious! It is definitely the best thing I have eaten in Italy and one of the best things I have consumed throughout my life. Our second winery was Castaldi Francesca. The woman who owned, appropriately named Francesca, the winery is part of the whole process. She works with her product from the grape to the bottled vino. We also had snacks and tried a white, two reds and a dessert. Her wines were also quite tasty.

Our tour guide was really awesome. Her name was Elena. She was a funny little Italian lady and told us all about the area. We also had a man, Paolo, join us to discuss all of the wines. But Elena never really let him get a word in, so he was basically just a cool old guy trying some wines with us. He rode a motorcycle, so I asked him for a quick ride up and down the street. It was pretty fun. Paolo sat next to me in the first winery, so I was actually able to hear what he had to say about the wines. It was fun to get a connoisseur's opinion on the wines and taste the subtleties he noticed in the wines. It was a learning experience and helped me to gain a greater appreciation for wine. I'm just so excited that my first wine tasting was in Italy.

sLOVEnia 02/18/12-02/20/12

Our weekend in Slovenia was great! We visited Ljubljana and Bled. Both of the cities were fantastic. Ljubljana was covered in graffiti, and chunks of wall were peeling off the buildings, but the seeming decay of the city only lent to its charm. And the graffiti is better labeled street art. I was so impressed with the amazing pictures that were painted throughout the city. Ljubljana was such a relaxing area and a cute little city. We didn't do much besides walk around and hang out in our hostel. But we did visit the castle. It was a stark contrast to the city. The whole thing was renovated and updated... it was more art gallery than fortress. I was a little disappointed with the castle, but at least it was something different from the many castles that stand in Europe. Our hostel, Hostel Celica, was so fabulous! It was everything a hostel should be... colorful, inviting and had an awesome story. It was once a jail and was going to be demolished, but was saved and converted into a hostel slash art gallery. The area surrounding it was covered in graffiti/street art and had an artsy vibe. Plus the 3 euro breakfast was extensive and delicious. I really enjoyed the whole experience.
On our way home we stopped in Bled for a few hours. The area is known for its lake, castle and church. It was a picturesque spot. The frozen lake was set against snow-covered trees among the rolling hills. An island sat in the middle of the lake with a church on it. We were hoping to walk to the church, but the day before we got there the weather warmed up and the lake melted a bit. Sadly we weren't able to make the trek, but we did venture on the lake. It was exhilarating, and I was nervous I was going to fall in. But thankfully I made it out dry! We ended our time in Bled by trying some desserts... it's another famous aspect of the area. And for good reason! The apple strudel, raspberry strudel and Bled cake were all delicious! It was a great trip.

Carnevale, Venezia, Italia 02/11/12

Carnevale was so much fun! It was freezing cold, but a really good time. On our way in to the city, our faces adorned with masks, we ran into Vito, a little, old man we met on the train our first weekend in Italy! It was so random. I saw him and thought he looked familiar, and then it hit me-- he was the awesome man from the train! We reminded him who we were, and he instantly lit up. It was really hilarious. He fell in love with me and gave me a sweet mask (pictured above). Good times.
After our run in, we headed deeper into Venice and started to see more evidence of Carnevale. People lined the streets, and the closer we got to San Marco's Basilica and Square, the more faces were hidden behind ornate masks. It was really a beautiful celebration. Several people also had other costumes on... we saw some Kinder Eggs (loved it!). Apparently Carnevale is similar to Halloween for Italians.
We spent most of our time hanging out in the square, but we also meandered through the city a bit. We saw (and crossed) the famous Rialto Bridge and stopped in for a glass of Preseco at a little restaurant. It was a really fun trip filled with several hilarious moments. Unfortunately it was so cold that we had to call it a night pretty early. But still an awesome experience.

Interlaken, Switzerland 02/04/12-02/05/12

This weekend I went to Interlaken, Switzerland. It was incredibly gorgeous and very cold. Both days were below 20 degrees Fahrenheit! Saturday we left from Vicenza at 6 a.m. and didn't arrive at our hostel until 6 p.m. It was a long day of traveling, but the view along the way was incredible. The Alps are so breathtaking. We stayed at Heidi Hostel, which is run by Bailey and her daughter, Esther. Bailey was a sweet, old lady. She spoke German, French and Italian! The hostel reminded me of an old packrat's home with a myriad of rugs lining the hallway and pictures of random men and nature scenery decorating the walls. It was so quaint! We stayed in a mixed dorm with three Korean men. They were all really nice and taught me a few phrases in Korean.
We all went out to dinner and had some tasty Swiss cheese fondue at the restaurant of the Hotel Bahnhof. The restaurant was out of the 70s with green, brown and orange shag carpet decorated lamps. We headed down the street to Bebbi's Restaurant for our delicious dessert of chocolate fondue. It was served with apples, bananas, marshmallows and strawberries. It was sooooo good! And the restaurant owner, Bebbi, gave us another free pot of chocolate fondue! Bebbi was quite a character, and I'm pretty sure he was a body builder for a short stint. He waltzed around the restaurant singing random songs and brushing elbows with the patrons. He also played one of the Swiss mountain horns, and let me take a shot at it when I went to get a picture with it. It was so fun, and I belted out a few good notes right away! The whole restaurant applauded, and I ended with a bow. We ended the night by grabbing a drink at a nearby bar. We all tried the Rugen Brau lager bier, a brew created in Interlaken. It was pretty good, but very light... Nothing like the hearty flavor of German beers.
Sunday we just trekked around the snow-covered city and stopped in a few stores to warm up. I felt like my nose was going to freeze and break off, because it was so cold outside! We met Barbara, a woman who worked at a pastry/chocolate shop, and purchased several treats from her. She was cute and very helpful. The ride home was only 7 hours, which was a huge improvement from the ride there. It was a relaxing trip and extremely beautiful. I hope to return one day, preferably during the summer, when I have more money so I can do some extreme sport adventures!

Lago di Como 01/21

We visited Lake Como this weekend. Wow! It was so incredibly gorgeous. I can definitely imagine the place hopping during the summer with paddle boaters and an affluent crowd hitting up the high-end stores. The day was so serene. We mostly just meandered around the city and enjoyed the gorgeous lake. The city itself was also really cute. I especially enjoyed the cathedral. We also visited the monuments erected in honor of Alessandro Volta, the man who invented the battery. I'm so glad he did, because his start made it capable for my camera to be powered while taking pictures in Como. Another thing I really enjoyed in Como was the statue of the hands, which can be seen in the last picture. They were so detailed and looked so real! One of the coolest statues I have ever seen. We headed home from Como around 7 p.m., but ended up on a train that our ticket didn't cover (it was too high end). Luckily the ticket checker on the train was really nice and let us get off at the next stop and catch a different train. So we ended up hanging out in Brescia for about an hour and a half. But it worked out well, because we had dinner at a pizza and doner place owned by some really nice Turkish people. It was actually a fun, unplanned pit stop. Overall yet another great weekend.

Vicenza, Milan, Verona and Venice 01/14-01/16

What a weekend! We had originally planned to go to Budapest, Hungary to take advantage of our three-day weekend, but we got out of work late and missed our Friday overnight bus. We were all so upset, but decided to make the most of the weekend. Saturday we woke up late and walked around our Italian home, Vicenza. It was a nice, relaxing day. Vicenza is quite a beautiful little town. That night we randomly met two ladies and a man on their way to dinner from base, and they invited us to join them at a nearby Italian restaurant. I had pumpkin gnocchi and Prosecco. The meal was so yummy, and the company was a lot of fun. After we headed to the bar on base, grabbed a drink and played pool. Sunday we woke up early and caught a 6 a.m. train to Milan. We didn't really know what to expect, so we just headed to the Duomo... it was gorgeous!! We spent the rest of the time walking around aimlessly until we went to a store, Bershka, and spent a lot of time in there for one of the girls to shop. Half past noon we caught a train to Verona. The city was even more beautiful. And I knew it was a good sign when there was a doner kebab place right outside the train station. We each grabbed a doner, and boy was it yummy! Later we saw Juliet's House, stumbled on a street market and just enjoyed walking around the city. I found my first public drinking water stand in Italy, which was pretty fun. I absolutely love that Italy offers them! It is so convenient, because I love drinking water throughout the day. Monday we caught the shuttle from base to the Venice airport around 10 a.m. and then hopped on a bus into the city. Venice was so gorgeous! I really enjoyed all of the canal streets and cute little buildings. All of us bought masks for Carnevale, which we are going to Feb. 11. I am so excited! We only spent a few hours in Venice, but it was a nice end to a good weekend (even though it didn't start out so great).

How I Get to Travel

Many people have been asking what I do to get to travel so often... and no, the answer is not that I'm loaded (though I wouldn't mind if I was). So anyway I decided to whip up a blog about what I've been doing and how to get involved. I am an intern for Camp Adventure. The bare bones of the program is basically that we contract with the U.S. military to work for the Child Youth Services. During the fall and spring, the program offers internships, and during summer there is an actual camp. The internships are a little less intense and usually last 10 to 17 weeks.  Basically as an intern you work at the Child Development Center (CDC) or (less often) with school-age children for 9 hours a day (1 of those hours is a lunch break, so it's really 8 hours a day). Pretty much you just hang out with kids under 5 (assuming you work at the CDC) and make sure they are eating, getting along and enjoying their time at the CDC. It is very rewarding work, and the kids are all really adorable. Of course some days can be really tough, and you just want to pull your hair out. But if you enjoy children, then it is a good program to get involved with. I haven't worked with the school-age children, so I don't know much about that. But I think it is pretty much the same thing, except that the children are older (obviously). I also haven't done the actual camp. But from what I've heard it's more intensive work than the internships, because the Camp Adventure people run the whole program rather than coming in as a support in the CDC. There are also some aquatic programs available, during which Camp Adventure staff work as lifeguards and give swim lessons.
Now to the fiscal benefits of doing the program. Camp Adventure pays for your flight to and from the place you are located, your housing, and gives you a stipend at $24 per day for the amount of days you work. You have to pay several fees when you apply, but you basically get all that money back with your stipend (plus some extra). Also, you must have completed at least two years of college to be a part of the program. The internships are offered in Germany, Italy, England, Belgium, Key West (Florida) and Hawaii (although there are actually way more options, these are the places offered to first timers).
Additionally, there are winter and spring break sessions available, but only to veterans of the program, so you have to do summer camp or an internship before being able to jump in on one of those.
There is a lot of work to do to apply, but once you finish your first contract it is much easier to reapply. The first time you have to get a federal background check, send in a huge application packet, interview, and several other steps. To find out more about applying, visit their website: http://www.uni.edu/campadv/?e717d0b0
Overall it is a fabulous experience! On weekends we get to travel around and see some awesome places. And working with the kids during the week is really rewarding. I hope this helps give a general idea of how I've been able to see so many places. Definitely check out the website to get more information and always feel free to contact Camp Adventure to ask any questions you have.

Western Europe Experience

I absolutely loved my time in Western Europe! It was so beautiful and there were so many great cities and delicious food. Here I've put together travel tips and lists of some of my favorites.

Favorite cities:
Prague- It was my favorite city from the whole trip. Prague had this undeniable energy and warmness that I loved. It was a fantastic place and definitely worth visiting as many days as possible.
Heidelberg- It was my favorite city in German. Heidelberg was beautiful and also had a great energy. It seemed like a young, hip place.

Favorite castles:
Prague- The castle was probably the most beautiful building I have ever seen. It was so grand and had intricate decorations all over the walls. And at night it was lit up so beautifully.
Landstuhl- The castle in my German home was a total surprise. It was unexpectedly gorgeous. I enjoyed that it was partly in ruin and had a definite functionality rather than simply being ornate.

Favorite museum:
German Film Museum- The film museum in Frankfurt was one of the coolest museums I have ever been to. It had exhibits for every aspect of filming. I really enjoyed the museum and highly recommend it.

Favorite beer:
Bischoff Hefeweizen- It was without a doubt my absolute favorite beer. The beer was so smooth and flavorful. It was a well-crafted German brew.

Favorite Snack:
Doner Kebabs- They originated in Turkey and are absolutely delicious. It is a pita-shaped bread filled with meat slow-cooked on a rotisserie, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and a fabulous sauce. Doners were a tasty, cheap treat available on practically every corner.


Favorite Chocolate:
Milka- Milka bars were pretty much equivalent to Hershey bars, i.e. widely available and cheap. But they were so much better. The chocolate is very rich and creamy, and the bars come in a variety of flavors.
Happy Hippos- They are adorable and delicious. They're hippo-shaped wafers filled with creamy, tasty milk and white chocolate. So fun and so yummy!

How to get around:
Trains were a great option for getting around within Germany. Tickets and pricing can be looked up at bahn.com The system offers a lot of deals, including the weekender pass. It is good for travel anywhere in Germany for up to five people for 39 euro on Saturdays and Sundays. The catch is that you can only travel on regional trains, so the faster, more comfortable trains don't accept the ticket. The lander tickets are also a good option if you are traveling Monday through Friday in a specific area. The tickets are good for up to five people, and prices increase with each additional person from two to five people. They are also only for regional trains, and are specified for certain areas. The best way to know if they can be used is to look up pricing online.
Buses were a great option for international travel. Tickets and pricing can be looked up at eurolines.com Buses are nice because they are usually a little cheaper, and you don't have to worry about transfers.

I Met Tom Cruise 12/11

Well this weekend was supposed to be pretty uneventful. Saturday went as planned... I cleaned up my apartment to prepare for our inspection and packed one of my bags. Maybe a little early to be packing, but I'm just so excited to be going home. So I guess I felt like having a physical conformation that I'll be home in less than a week. But on Sunday, things got a little livelier than expected... I met TOM CRUISE! I shook his hand, introduced myself and was able to take a photo with him (my arm wrapped around his waist!). I feel like celebrities and traveling have become a combined experience for me, because George Clooney was on my flight home from India. Tom was a really nice guy and wished me a Merry Christmas.It was an awesome, unexpected highlight to my final weekend of the internship. Now I just have to power through the rest of the week, pack the rest of my belongings and get on the flight(s) home. Then I'll be home with friends and family, eating sushi and Mexican food, and celebrating Christmas!

Skiing in the Alps: Stubai Glacier, Austria 12/03-12/04

This weekend was so much fun! We went to Stubaier Glacier in Austria to ski on the Alps. The drive was long, seven hours, but so worth it. The Alps were incredibly gorgeous! Their beauty was really impossible to capture with a camera. The snow-capped mountains jutted into the air all around me. The runs were mostly easy and intermediate, so it was a perfect resort for me to ski at. I did pretty well skiing and only fell three times. One of the falls was pretty epic... I lost a ski and my pole smashed in to my arm leaving two big bruises. But otherwise it was smooth sailing on the runs. The resort was pretty large, and the runs were quite long. The conditions were pretty nice, but at the end of the day it was really icy. After all the skiing I finished the day with an ice-cold beer at the bottom of the mountain. It was really nice to get out and do something active, rather than just walking around and checking out the area and different sights.