Weekend Hike in the Mountains

Readers...

I made it there and back without a heart attack. As some of you know, I am not much of a hiker...so this weekend was a big challenge for me. I achieved some personal accomplishments today. I climbed most of a mountain up to a cottage for the weekend, even though I wanted to turn back probably 10 times.

There was no cell reception but the views were spectacular. It was the Schwarzberghuette Cottage (sorry the link is in German), you should look into it if you are ever in the Allgäu Region of Germany. The mountains had barely any snow on them on Saturday morning when we began our climb. It took about 1 hour 30minutes to get to the cottage after the bus ride from the nearest village. It was hostel style rooms but they all had a view from the small window. The food there was good as well.

This is the outside of the Cottage. Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

After we got settled in and left our backpacks in our rooms (do not even try to take a luggage bag, you are walking up steep inclines and pulling luggage is that last thing you want to be doing) our coordinators offered another hike. I was done at this point so, I stayed back and did a small walk to the meadow where they usually have the cows on the mountain. I enjoyed my views and sitting and talking with the one coordinator, it was like my own personal tour. While I was doing that, the rest of the group was walking further up the mountain and across to a lake. The lake was ice cold, as it is mostly mountain run off from melting snow and ice. Some students came back after the lake but others went on to the peak. They did an additional 2 and a half hour climb that I did not. I still have added some photos others shared with me.

The lake the others hiked to. Beautiful view I missed out on. Photo Credit: International Office, Hochschule Kempten

In the evening we just hung out in the cottage playing games and socializing with the other students (there were about 34 of us in total), some we had met during Orientation here but others were just international students we had not met yet. 

The Sunday Morning, Fog and Snow on the Mountain. Photo Credit: Eugene Kim

I was very happy that I even decided to do this trip at all, and totally worth it for that view and experience with the other exchange students here. When we woke up on Sunday morning at the cottage, there was more snow on the mountain. Being at a higher altitude it had snowed overnight, it was just a light dusting, but still a wonderful sight to see in the morning.

Thanks for reading!!!
Talk soon...

Lindau, Lake Constance...

Readers, 

Another week here in this beautiful country. The past weekend I went with some friends to see Lindau. It is a city located on mainland and island. It is on the Eastern side of Lake Constance. Lake Constance borders 3 countries – Germany, Austria and Switzerland. You could see the Austrian Alps, and the Swiss Alps…faintly. It was an amazing site, even though the mountains were covered in fog. It was also a great cultural experience because my friends were from 5 different countries and none of us were German. 

 

The Group of us down by the water. Photo Credit: Eugene Kim

We took a 1-hour train ride from Kempten to Lindau (Island) and everything there was in walking distance. We even looked at two churches in the city center. One was more plain with white walls while the other had beautiful paintings and marble throughout the entire altar, always beautiful stained glass as well. We got some Kebab and ate it in a local park along the waterfront. 

Attached to this blog you will see some great photos. It reminded me much of home, where I live. We live in the heart of the Great Lakes of Southwestern Ontario. This lake, the smell, sight, and sound all seemed like it was where I was meant to be. If only they could move the University about 1-hour to the West, Germany would be heaven. There were sail boats on the water and even a few swimmers, though the water was way too cold for me.

The Bluewater Bridge in Sarnia, Ontario. It is the crossing from Sarnia, Ontario, Canada to Port Huron, Michigan, USA. It is also across the St.Clair River where it meets Lake Huron (One of the 5 Great Lakes). Photo Credit: Cyndie Vanderwerf

Along the St.Clair River...Looking towards U.S.A.- Summer 2017. Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

This weekend we go on a hiking/cottage weekend in the mountains. There is barely any cellphone reception and I look forward to going and seeing the beautiful landscapes from above. It is about an hour hike from our drop off location, but I will go into that later.

I wanted to add that I have a few past vacations I want to share on this blog as well. Hopefully I have those written in the next little while. It’s not always about going forward but sometimes reflecting on the past experiences can enhance the experience of the future.

Talk later…

Going Abroad

Readers…

I was thinking I should go into some detail about why Finland and how I ended up doing my entire Bachelor’s Degree there. In January of 2016 I decided that I wanted a change and to go back to school to get my degree. I have two Canadian College Diplomas in Business Administration and Tourism Management while attending Lambton College in Sarnia, Ontario. My mother and I decided to do some research on University’s that offer a great education in Tourism. There was a really good one in Vancouver, British Columbia, but I was feeling adventurous when we stumbled on a couple in Finland that were taught in English.

Now, Finland you say, why wouldn’t you have stayed in Canada? It turns out that further into our research we discovered that Finland is globally recognized for having the highest education standards and learning techniques for their students. I also found out that there was NO tuition fee in Finland for anyone, even NON-EU citizens (This has now changed in 2017 – there is now a small fee, but still cheaper than in Canada). 

I applied online to two different schools, and found out how to apply for housing which I did as well. I did not hear anything for months so I thought to myself, I must not have gotten in. However, in April I received many emails stating that all applicants had to do an entrance exam and that I had two options; to Travel to Rovaniemi Finland and complete my exam at the school, or to drive 7 hours through the United States to Chicago Illinois and complete the exam there in a hotel with many other students.

Chicago Theatre. Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

I took the chance to explore Chicago while I was there and stayed for a few days to calm my nerves before the exam. Soon I will include photos of my adventure in Chicago for you to enjoy.  I wrote the exam and thought I did okay but wasn’t 100% sure as there are many applicants each year. I received acceptance in the middle of May and had to work quickly to apply for a Finnish student visa, as I am not a citizen of the European Union. Canadians can travel to Europe for up to 3 months before needing a work or study visa.

Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

When June came along I had my appointment at the Finnish Embassy in Ottawa, Ontario. My parents and I made the 7.5-hour road trip to Ottawa two days before because again I had never traveled and seen the sights of Ottawa, the capital city of Canada. Stay tuned to this blog for photos of that adventure as well.  The meeting went well, I had all my documents (acceptance letter, private out of country health insurance, passport, confirmation of income). I had to provide them with a pre-paid envelope so they could mail me the actual card when it came in the mail. I received it well before my date of departure and was on my way on August 25, 2016 to start school on September 5, 2016.

Once I was done with the Finnish Embassy process it was time to get serious and get everything organized to be gone for a year. This was time where I had to reflect on my feelings and how hard it would be to leave my friends and family to start this new adventure. I knew I was going to be missing some events as well in the fall. But in the end you have to think of all the new friends and networks you will make in Finland, and all of the experiences you will be having that you can carry with you for life. 

I did some traveling before getting to the school in Reykjavik, Iceland and Helsinki, Finland, but I will talk about that at another time.

Talk soon…

Getting Started...

Hello Readers,

My name is Danielle Gadsby. I am a Bachelors Degree student in the tourism field. I am a Canadian who started studying the degree in Finland at Lapland University of Applied Sciences. Currently in 2017, I am on an exchange semester in Kempten, Germany at Hochshule Kempten.

Photo Credit: Danielle Gadsby

I have a love for traveling, which has been mostly in the United States and Canada, only recently have I begun traveling in European countries and exploring the possibility of other locations. I prefer to travel in a group or with my family, I am a very social person so traveling alone would leave me with no one to talk to.

This photo of me is from October 2016 when my class attended an overnight trip to a Lapland Hotel in the Wilderness. The trip was called POHTIMO. It was used as a team building exercise and for us to get to know each other while learning about the hotel industry in Finland and exercising our knowledge in Fine Dining.

I hope to showcase some of my photos of past trips and traveling on separate photo pages of different countries. 


This blog will be my new medium in sharing in my experiences and sharing of photos and other interesting things I learn throughout this adventure.I hope in the future I can look back on this blog and know exactly what I was doing at this point in my life.


Bye for now...