So it's been more than a month since I've been back home. It's a bit nuts to think that a few months ago I was almost halfway around the world traveling to all the different places. Now I'm back to this familiar setting of Wisconsin. It's a bit sunnier here for sure, so that's nice!!
I do miss Sweden though, but I'd say that's a good sign that I enjoyed myself, which I definitely feel I did! It's probably easy to understand after reading my entries. I have been telling a few people the Copenhagen trip story, which is a pretty long one to tell...haha but it's great to see people's reactions.
It's been a bit hard to talk to some of the guys that I lived with in Sweden, but everyone is just as busy with internships, working, school, and it doesn't help having completely different time zones. I hope at some point, we are able to get together again and catch up, but who knows when that will be!
The one thing I would have to say about studying abroad, is maybe I should have picked a more different place/culture than Sweden, like Far East, or Africa or somewhere like that.. Don't get me wrong, Sweden treated me quite well, but after all the traveling I did, I knew there were many more places to experience! I feel like Sweden gave me a taste of the international feel, and I wouldn't mind seeing a bit more!!
As with most people who have studied abroad, I would recommend it to anyone out there thinking about it. It's a great way to see the world while also going to school, not many times in your life you can say that you have time to go abroad!!
So you've read my stories and seen the pictures...so I hope you all enjoyed following me on my journey and any comments you wish to share, just leave 'em!!
Thanks,
Matt
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Risoul--The Alps!
Hello everyone, sorry again for not keeping this real updated, but I did get back to the states fine and had quite the experience! I have school starting up this week, but I'll try to wrap things up with what I did in France and the week in Norway and Slovakia.
Luckily, I was smart enough to bring the computer and keep track of the days I spent in the Alps for four days. Here's what I wrote:
Day 1: We got up around 8:30 and made it to the first chairlift before 10. The weather was perfect! Not a cloud in the sky and a slight breeze. Of course, I didn't have any working batteries with me, otherwise I would have been able to take some great pictures! All you could see around you are mountains, it was great! It was also great to be back on a snowboard!! I haven't been that excited to go in a while. I think the thought of me snowboarding in the alps made it that much better. The resort was much bigger than I first thought! There's two main stations: Risoul and Vas. Around 1 we had lunch near a forest before Dominique took off for the day. We then met up with Coriolan's brother-in-law, Guillaume. He was from the Risoul area and had been skiing just as long as he had been walking. He definitely showed us some cool runs and it was great to try and keep up with his speed! The rental board I have isn't all that bad either. It's a bit rough on my knees, and I think that comes from the angle of the bindings aren't what I'm used to. It's just a few more days with the board, so I think I can manage.
Luckily, I was smart enough to bring the computer and keep track of the days I spent in the Alps for four days. Here's what I wrote:
Day 1: We got up around 8:30 and made it to the first chairlift before 10. The weather was perfect! Not a cloud in the sky and a slight breeze. Of course, I didn't have any working batteries with me, otherwise I would have been able to take some great pictures! All you could see around you are mountains, it was great! It was also great to be back on a snowboard!! I haven't been that excited to go in a while. I think the thought of me snowboarding in the alps made it that much better. The resort was much bigger than I first thought! There's two main stations: Risoul and Vas. Around 1 we had lunch near a forest before Dominique took off for the day. We then met up with Coriolan's brother-in-law, Guillaume. He was from the Risoul area and had been skiing just as long as he had been walking. He definitely showed us some cool runs and it was great to try and keep up with his speed! The rental board I have isn't all that bad either. It's a bit rough on my knees, and I think that comes from the angle of the bindings aren't what I'm used to. It's just a few more days with the board, so I think I can manage.
Day 2: I was hoping for the same kind of weather as day 1, but we woke up to a cloudy sky and couldn't see as many mountains around us. Not long after we started to ski/snowboard, it started to snow. It was snowing pretty much all day and I can only hope that we are treated with a combination of the day 2 snow with day 1 skies! But Guillaume heard we may have RAIN tomorrow...boo! Hopefully he's wrong. I wasn't as tired as I thought I would be for not snowboarding in a while and then going the day after starting the season. It was quite windy at the top of the mountain as well. It's pretty interesting to see all the people around. I'd say there's a 4 to 1 ratio of skiers to snowboarders. It's pretty interesting to see that the size of the resort and yet there aren't any terrain parks open! Yesterday, we passed by a couple rails and a box, but it was closed. I have to think that this time of the year is their busiest time, and why they don't have a terrain park open doesn't make sense to me. Tyrol, being only a fingernail to the size of Risoul's resort has a lot more for snowboarders! But I have read that in Europe it's typical for them to not have a lot for terrain parks, but that they keep the runs well conditioned, which I find true.
Day 3: Woke up to a pretty cloudy day again and it wasn't all that cold. In the very beginning, it was ok because the snow wasn't sticking at all, and there were some breaks in the clouds so I was able to take some more pictures of the slopes like I should have on day 1. But soon enough it was starting to mist and then turn into a light rain. When we would get to the top of the mountain, we couldn't see a whole lot because of the low visibility and it was quite windy. Towards the end, I decided to take a look at the terrain park that they had open that I didn't know about before. It was nothing special by today's standards. A couple rails and a jump at the end. It was towards the end of the day, so I wasn't all that interested in trying it again after going there just once. The snow wasn't all that great because of the light rain, it made it pretty heavy and not that easy to cut into with the edge of the board. Overall, it was an OK day though. I'm glad to be here because not many people have this kind of chance to spend a 4-day vacation in the Alps like me! Hopefully the last day can bring some decent weather, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
Day 4: Woke up early just so I could see how it would be to get there before everyone else. It was pretty icy still thanks to the rain on the 3rd night. I was able to get a great picture (see above) of the top of the mountain while there was some blue skies, so the picture looks deceivingly nice compared to what I had to snowboard in. The snow itself wasn't good: icy on the top and heavy underneath. I was having troubles catching my edge on the snow for turning, so there was a few falls and cut up my wrist from the layer of ice on the top of the snow....We didn't ski/snowboard all day, because we were getting wetter and wetter. We had one more sandwich ritual before leaving back to Aix.
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