TRAVEL THE WORLD WITH IOE
Interchange Outer East is offering another round of exciting trips to memorable destinations throughout the world during 2018.
Read on to give you an idea of what to expect!
‘Last September a group of 19 of us set off for a European adventure. And what an adventure it was!
Our’s was a fairly fast paced trip that, on a daily basis, brought with it new places to explore and navigate, multiple new experiences, different languages and a multitude of people. We traveled through 5 countries, stayed in 10 cities and stopped in numerous little towns. First stop was Berlin, where we stayed for a few days before traveling on to Prague, then to Salzburg, Fussen, Rothenburg, Koblenz, Basel, Lucerne, Lyon and finally Paris, all in 22 days. We traveled by planes, trains, trams, buses, taxis, boats plus a few gondolas. Between us all we visited many places, some popular tourists sites and some not so well known.
Sites visited included Checkpoint Charlie, Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Cathedral, a concentration camp outside of Berlin, the exquisite old town of Prague and the medieval village of Cesky Krumlov. In Salzburg we joined the Sound Of Music tour, singing about nuns, children and edelweiss while visiting the places of the original production. We visited Neuschwanstein Castle, the castle that inspired Disney, car museums, Mozart concerts, more castles, Rhine falls, wineries and we even scaled Mt Titlus in the Swiss Alps which was breathtakingly majestic. We took a Rhine River cruise, went to Euro Disney, the Eiffel Tower, Mona Lisa in The Louvre, Moulin Rouge and so many more places, I honestly can’t list everything.
We walked, talked, ate all sorts of food at a wide range of places, looked for good coffee and beer, shopped, went to shows and even managed to fit in a soccer match. It was an action packed 22 days, packing, unpacking, loading and unloading buses, We were very grateful for having engaged Martin, our Belgium bus driver, for part of the trip. He got us to some smaller lesser known places off the tourist track. It was a great experience and I am sure everyone learnt and experienced something new.
As a staff member on this trip it was great to be able to share the opportunity of seeing so many amazing sites with families and participants that were also enjoying new sites and negotiating new experiences abroad. All part of the ‘learning and adventure’ for all I believe. It was great getting to know everyone and to see the group rally together in true Interchange style supporting each other to get the most out of every day .
We are about to launch into our 2018 Overseas and Interstate holidays. These trips offer more than a break or something new to see, they offer new experiences, learning about the world around us and a chance to engage with some familiar and new people. If you’ve missed out on this year’s travels make sure you get in early for our 2019 offers. They are a blast.’
Ellen Clacy
