Volunteering in Spain - Rascafría

The first thing you will ask is probably why I chose to volunteer in Spain. It all started when I was researching on meetup.com. I wanted to search for volunteering opportunities in London but one of the results that came up was volunteering in Spain with a company called 'Vaughan'. As I had never visited Spain before and combined with volunteering opportunities, I immediately jumped on board. 

I applied 6 months ahead of time through the Vaughan website and was able to select which program I wanted to attend. Not knowing which one I should choose, I looked at all the types of accommodation in each town (which was paid for by the company and included meals as well) and immediately saw the Sheraton hotel in Rascafría! 

A few months later, I received an email saying I have been accepted into the program! I immediately booked my flights and thought I'll spend a few days after my program to explore Madrid! 

On the first night of my arrival, the company organised a Tapas reception to introduce the participants for the two programs that was being held on the following day. We had unlimited drinks and Tapas, which was a good sign for things to come... It was interesting to meet the different  participants, with most of them of mature aged (I was the second youngest in the program). This is in no way a bad thing though as it is a refreshing change to meet others with more life experience (and interesting ones) to mine.

After the reception, I hung out with some people from the second program and it was nice listening to the reasons why each person chose to volunteer. One of the participants have already done the program 16 times!

The next day, we meet at a hotel, where a bus picked up all the Anglos and Spaniards to our venue; Hotel Sheraton- Santa Maria, De El Paular (A bit over an hour, North of Madrid). Upon arriving, we had a quick debriefing, followed by a 3-course lunch (the food provided was amazing!) and allocation of our own hotel rooms. I was a little disappointed with my room as it was not as modern as I expected, but it was still nice with its rustic features and contained all the amenities I needed. What stood out in this location was the setting itself; a backdrop of snowy mountains, tree lined walking trails depicting an autumn scenery with its yellow leaves and streams running nearby. It was so relaxing! The hotel even had cheap bike hire so that I could explore the area (the manager let me hire one free of charge). 

Now I won't go into detail of what I did each day in the program but I do admit that it involved a lot of one-to-one conversations with a Spaniard, watching Spaniards and other Anglos perform in plays and skits at night (I was playing the drums using a bin, while other participants played an instrument using kitchen tools) and conducting a real telephone conference call with three Spaniards from our own hotel rooms! 

One interesting feature of the program was the allocation of a siesta every afternoon from 3pm to 5pm. This meant that we had free time for ourselves and typically Spanish people will use this time to have a nap. Although I did have quick power naps (as the sessions are very demanding), I tired to use the time to go exploring around the area. As you can see from the pictures on Facebook and from the ones below, Rascafría is a really beautiful area. It is only accessible by private transport but I was fortunate enough to visit by volunteering in this program.

For anyone who wants to gain an insight into the lives of Spaniards and volunteer at the same time in a rural Spanish town, I do recommend Vaughan Town. I was very lucky to meet and learn from the Spaniards, having fun with other volunteers. Volunteering, whatever the area is very rewarding and I can see myself doing more in the near future...

Where our program was based

The entry to our hotel! The hotel used to be a Monastery

The church next to our hotel is still utilised by the monks who reside there

And... let there be snow! Look what an impact snow makes!

One of the activities involved a photo challenge in the city centre, based on selected themes. We asked a local to pose for us in this photo. Guess what this picture might relate to?

A sole backpacker through Switzerland, Austria and Czech Republic- Part2

I realised this blog post have been sitting in my drafts section for a very long time and how lazy I have been with updating my blog. So here it is, a summary of my remaining trip in August!

Day 8: Train ride to Bolzano

I started my train ride at 10:57 in the morning and had a quick stopover at Innsbruck before arriving at Bolzano in the afternoon.

Shortly after arriving, I went to explore the town. It was really interesting that people in Bolzano can speak both German and Italian (as it borders Austria). Even the town have both German and Italian influences. Straight away I had a good vibe of Bolzano. There were more local tourists then international tourists which meant Bolzano hasn't quite been trashed by tourists yet... 

Welcome to Bolzano

Day 9: Bolzano

One of my highlights on this trip was mountain exploring. I conquered my fear of heights by going up Cima Lago Nero which was at a height of 2070 metres! To achieve that I had to go through two sets of cable cars; one from the base of Bolzano reaching Soprabolzano at a height of 1221 metres and one from Pemmern to reach Cima Lago Nero. My palms were sweating on both occasions and I tried to look towards the horizon... Luckily the tram and bus rides between the two places weren't too bad! One of the highlights was doing a walking trail at Klobenstein and another was seeing the 'Runder Tisch', which was a table with a set of chairs that faced each of the main mountains. It was a pity I couldn't see much of the mountains today as it was just too cloudy... 

Trekking through the hillside!

Contemplating at the Runder TIsch

An amazing view on the way down to Bolzano

Day 10: Train Ride to Vienna

Again, another train ride through the picturesque valleys and mountains of Austria. It was an extremely long journey and I didn't arrive in Vienna until 18:00. I was very lucky to meet up with Verana and Stephan who were extremely busy with moving into a new apartment and work. They took me to Stephanplatz to start exploring the city centre. This included the Gothic church 'Stephansdom', National library, Wien University etc...  We had a nice dinner at an underground restaurant that Verena and Stefan both recommended.

A festival in the city centre

A different view at night

Day 11: Vienna

I started off the day with Stephan taking me to a traditional fancy coffee house called Central. 

Then I set off afterwards by myself to explore the city. I went to visit the cluster of museums and went to a building called Museum Quarter which in itself had a collection of museums. Some other places I visited include the Naschmarkt (A famous foodie market), The Hundertwasser building (A famous yet strange looking public housing complex) and a thoroughfare called 'The Staircase to Heaven (This was far away and not worth visiting). I was also lucky enough to visit Stephan and Verana's apartment. They had their whole family there to help they assembly their furniture. It was a really nice apartment and hopefully I can afford one in the near future.

The Museum Quarter

Hundertwasser

Staircase to Heaven. Ok, I guess it isn't as bad as it seemed...

Day 12: Vienna

Today Stephan was my tour guide and took me to the palace and its gardens. If I'm not wrong, it was called 'Belvedere'. Next, we went to Naschmarkt again for coffee and I managed to eat my first Vienna würst! It was  really funny how the locals started talking to us out of randomness...

In the afternoon, Verana joined us for a car trip to the hills for a nice view of the city. In the evening, we went to the row of bars along the canal which was themed like a beach. It reminded me of a similar concept in Brussels which I enjoyed this a lot. I was also able to drink a 'Radler' which was a premixed drink of lemon squash and beer- refreshing!

The Palace!

The river running through the centre of Vienna

Time to relax and have a drink in the summer afternoon!

Day 13: Cesky Crumlov

After arriving in Cesky Crumlov at lunch, I settled down in my own apartment room with views of the river. You don't know how good it feels to have my own room and bathroom! It only costs 40 Euros which is a bargain, especially how nice and massive the room is.

I had lunch at a restaurant which had an outdoor area facing the river and set off exploring Old Town with a walking tour. The tour mainly covered the different styles of buildings such as Baroque and Renaissance. Fun fact; Cesky Crumlov is a UNESCO protected town based in Czech Republic. It felt like I was transported back to the medieval times...

My own room! What a bargain!

The view from outside my accommodation...

Day 14:Cesky Krumlov to Prague

I started off the day with breakfast which was included with the accommodation- score!

After breakfast, I went to explore the castle as my bus didn't arrive till 2pm. 

In the castle, I went to view an underground art gallery by the artist Keramické Tvorby. His sculptures and art work were actually really interesting. Most of his works were inspired by the communism era.

So what are my thoughts of Cesky Krumlov? It is a small, relaxing and laid back town with its hidden cobbled lane ways and numerous riverside eateries. It is a town you should not miss if you are visiting the Czech Republic.

In the late afternoon, I arrived in Prague! The hostel I chose was very sociable; they prepared a free dinner every night, made by the workers so that travellers can interact with each other. The food was amazing and it was something I would be willing to pay at a restaurant.

The underground art gallery in the castle

Such a unique and beautiful town

Crepes have become my new obsession since travelling around Europe!

Day 15: Prague

I started off with a walking tour which took us to places mainly in the town centre. The tour was led by an Australian which made the tour surprisingly entertaining and funny! We looked at things such as the Astronomical Clock (which was very precise). It can tell you things such as the position of the sun, time and even the current star sign. We also visited the Old New Synagogue, Tyne Church and other significant buildings. The tour was very informative and I was able to learn a lot about Prague's history. 

I had a quick lunch as I booked a bike tour for the afternoon. I was able to finally try a Goulash which was like a beef stew in a bowl made from bread. It was nice but I didn't find it that special.

The bike tour covered mainly the same things from my walking tour, but we went further out. The tour also visited the 'Dancing House', which was one of the buildings I really wanted to see, due to its unique architecture.

To save money, I decided to have dinner at the hostel again as it was free (me being a tight arse!) and I got to meet more people. I definitely made the right decision as it was really fun!

Town square

A good idea to have a coffee to kick start my day in Prague!

An 'interesting' piece of art, where the sculpture's private part rotates with the pelvis...

All in all, the two weeks of hectic travelling was well worth the time and money. Surprisingly I was under budget but I did overspend a little in Switzerland. If only I had more time and money in Europe, I would have spent more time in some of these places...