Maria’s story
Iceland
Iceland by itself is a unique and very interesting place to visit.
We had dreamt of this trip for many years and when we had an offer for exchange we couldn’t believe it, as hotels in Iceland are very expensive.
We went there with our son where we were offered a very nice house together with a very nice car, so that we could move easily. So, apart from exchanging houses, we also exchanged cars.
When we were in Iceland we also came in contact with Sessy and Kjartan, Intervac Representatives for Iceland, who called us in their house, offered us tea and pancakes and we went together to the swimming pool, which is a way of life in Iceland. Apart from this, we visited many interesting places and also very nice waterfalls.
Iceland is not a very common place to visit, so we consider ourselves lucky that we have been there.
Friends from Iceland
Picture from Iceland exchange
Intervac is not just about exchanging houses, but also meeting other people and making new friends.
The Netherlands
In our exchange with the Netherlands we made our best friends in the family of Intervac.
It was a non-simultaneous exchange, so we stayed in the same house with the hosts, Annemike and Leon, who were very friendly, but together very discreet, without being annoying at all.
The house was in the city of Amsterdam, so we had the time to do much biking and getting to know the city very well. Apart from this, the hosts showed us many interesting places and every day they cooked for us, except for one day that we cooked for them Greek dinner.
After two years they visited us in Greece, where we also did our best to make them feel comfortable and from that time we are in close contact.
In Intervac you can make good friends.
Scotland
In our exchange with Scotland the house was in Edinburgh, which Is a very nice city with castles that brings you back to old times.
On our arrival the hosts were there for one day and they offered to pick us up from the airport. They were very friendly and very hospitable. They gave us a very nice dinner and the next day they left. The house was luxurious, with many expensive things inside but the owners didn’t seem to worry at all that they would leave two people that they didn’t know in their house.
The whole attitude of the hosts showed us that in Intervac we all trust each other and we know that Intervac members are trustworthy.
Finland
In Finland we had three exchanges at the same time.
Our trip lasted two weeks and we thought that it would be a nice idea to visit different places of the same country.
We stayed ten days in a marvelous house in a place called Pori. At the same time the people from Finland were in our house in Greece. They had left their car for us in the airport and we had it all the days that we were there.
The house was completely in the nature. It was spacious, very bright and we had time to relax and forget about everything. It was a place that made you feel very calm.
We spent hours walking or running in the forest, biking with the hosts’ bikes and, the best of all, rowing with the hosts’ boat, since the house was just in front of a lake.
We also wanted to visit the famous Rovaniemi with the Santa Claus Village, so we asked two other Intervac members if we could stay in their house –two days in each one. The one house was in Oulou, which was on our way to Rovaniemi and the other one was in Rovaniemi. Both hosts of these two houses were excellent and they treated us as if we had known each other for a long time.
It was one of our best trips.
Canada
We had a marvelous exchange in Canada.
In this trip we visited four different houses. The main one was in Montreal, where we were offered two houses. The one was a spacious flat with a fascinating view, overlooking the whole city. The second one, by the same owners, was their cottage in the country, just in front of which there was a lake where you could swim and make sea-bike. It was in a very calm place.
Apart from Montreal we also wanted to visit Toronto and Niagara Falls, so we also stayed in a very nice apartment in Toronto. At this time Suzanne, Intervac Representative in Canada, asked as to stay in her house where she and her husband, Richard, hosted us in the best way, showed us all the places of interest in Toronto and, the best of all, they took us with them on their boat for a sailing trip which was something that we had never done in our life.
It was a unique experience.
Austria
Our visit in Austria was in a small village very near Vien called Andra Wordern.
The house was recently renovated and there was also a sauna in it, something that when our son saw made him feel very enthusiastic. Apart from this, the owners had left their cat there, which was outside the house and just came inside when it wanted to eat. Our son liked to play with the cat and give it food.
We also visited some friends of ours in Germany, but our son looked forward to go back and play with the cat. He was very sorry when we had to leave.
