SI NEWS 2006 eng Travel Report Europe
From SI Exco News
Belgium from Australia
Dear Rita,
Doug and I have just returned from our visit in among other places, Belgium. We would like to say a big thank you to you for your assistance.
The time we spent with Roos and Jo was wonderful. We enjoyed ourselves immensely. They are such friendly, warm-hearted helpful people. While Roos was recuperating from her knee operation and I might say looking after children and preparing meals Jo showed us his special parts of Bruges during the morning, then Lieve, also a host, showed us the touristic places in the afternoon and put us on to the correct bus to go home.
We spent most of the Sunday by ourselves in Bruges and Leuven and Servaes and Wivine met us at the station late in the afternoon. They took us home for dinner and to spend the night. Servaes drove us to the airport the following morning. We appreciated that as it was raining that morning.
We want you to be aware of the appreciation we feel for your assistance, also that of all the others. If you have any of your lovely friendly folk wanting to visit Brisbane please be sure to give them our email address for them to contact us. If we are in town we will be happy to look after them.
In Friendship and Peace,
Doug and Mae Harding. Australia.
HOST REPORT FROM TOP OF EUROPE
Could we have a host report from the top of Europe? The editor, asking this, travelled northern Scandinavia by motorbike, looking for airfields to rent a plane to ride in the air. She is a good example of a Servas traveller in northern Norway. I get only one or two travellers a year but those who visit me are always very interesting people, deeply determined and looking for something extra.
So who are these crazy people who find their way far north of the arctic circle?
Many come to experience the midnight sun. In May, June and July it is light all night. Many guests want to stay up all night and have difficulties in sleeping because of the light nights. (For me it is opposite. I sleep better in summer than in the dark time in winter!) -An American university professor (in architecture?) mostly studied our wooden houses. I had to stop several time on the sightseeing trip so he could take close-up pictures of details of our buildings. (The background mountains, the impressive Lyngen Alps, was nothing. He had a cottage in Rocky Mountains, in 3000 m height).
-Two German guys were so impressed by all the mushrooms and berries they could find just behind my house. They stayed 3 extra days, picking & drying mushrooms in my oven, picking blueberries.
- My only winter visitor ever was a French biker! He wanted to bicycle around the world in five years, and write a book about the different people he met at his journey. When he stopped at my house it was icy and slippy roads, and 10 freezing degrees! This is nothing, he said. I biked in Alaska, in winter in 35° below zero!
- a family from Belgium for 3 days. The 10 year old son was fascinated by whales, his father took him up to northern Norway for Whale Watching. They were particularly interested in the traditional way of living in northern Norway, using the natural resources: Fishing in the sea, growing potatoes and other vegetables in the garden, and picking berries in autumn.
To be a Servas host in northern Norway is quite special since the travellers are special people. So many good discussions and talking in the bright summer nights - maybe that is the best thing of being a Servas host?
Kasper Holmen, Norway
Hungary, Romania from USA
My travels (with a friend) in Hungary and Romania would have been wonderful without Servas (both countries have so much to see, and such friendly people), but Servas doubled our experience. In Hungary we stayed with a young man who had been a Servas guest of mine the previous year. Both my other Hungarian Servas travellers came into town to say hello while we were there! In eastern Miskolc my host couldn’t have been friendlier, taking me on to the next town on my itinerary and stopping at the most local of eateries on the way.
Romanian hosts were equally friendly. A highlight was to meet the Marinca family in Timisoara. Gheorge Marinca founded Servas in Romania in the 1970s, when such activities were not only illegal but quite dangerous. To hear of his efforts to get this underground organization started, and of being called into the police headquarters and burning his precious guest book was inspiring, and reminds us how easy our lives are here in the US. In far-south Deva I expected we would be the first Servas traveller in five years -- not so! A Danish family was staying with the Pasca family when we got there, and a French traveller was expected the next month. It’s the most interesting place in the country; I can understand why they want to come. Eugen Dragoi met us for dinner in Bucharest with his lovely family even though he was pretty sick. And the Boicescus took me to their country place in Predeal and killed me with kindness and food. And please remember the two friendly hosts in Vienna, as charming as their wonderful city!
Hayden Wetzel , United States
Denmark from Myanmar
Before we became SERVAS hosts I was able to be a SERVAS traveller, as in early 2005 I went to Denmark as a 'guest teacher' for a boarding 'efterskole' for 2 months. This whole adventure was a bit scary for me as I had never travelled outside of Asia before. SERVAS people were so wonderful to me, and one Denmark host met my airplane on landing and made sure I got good transportation to the small town where the school was located. Many weekends when the school was closed I visited other hosts in Denmark, and they showed me around their country and introduced me to so many new sights that I never would have found on my own. In fact, it was my SERVAS experience that made my stay in Denmark so enjoyable.
Soung Sandar Aung, Myanmar
