This past weekend was so different than any of the other trips I've had so far, and I loved absolutely every second of it! A group of 9 of us spent 3 full days in Interlacken, Switzerland- a small, quaint, mountainous town known for being one of the world's greatest spots for outdoor adventure. (Reason #1 why I am in love with it.)
After landing in Geneva on Thursday morning, we took a 3 hour bus ride to Interlacken that was probably the most scenic ride I've ever been on. Background: Whenever people ask me the question, "Are you a beach person or a mountain person?", I'm totes a mountain person. :-) There's just something so majestic and amazing about them (maybe because Texas is so flat so anything different amazes me). All that to say, the country of Switzerland, in my opinion, is the most beautiful place on planet earth.
When we arrived in Interlacken, we definitely did not anticipate the weather to be so cold! Who would have thought you would need jeans, a long sleeved shirt and 2 layers of fleece to stay warm in the middle of June. We were also surprised by the prices of everything in Switzerland... it was insane! A McDonalds burger was 15 Francs. That is equivalent to $18. Whhaaaat?!
Definitely a unique part of our experience was staying at Balmers hostel. All our friends that had been to Europe told us that staying here was a must- it's where college students from all over the world, but a ton of Americans which is a nice change, stay. They have a club underneath the hostel where everyone hangs out at at night, and a "Bier Garden" connecting all of the buildings where people eat and talk. It was kind of ghetto but kind of quaint at the same time- our room was like a log cabin room that fit 10 people so it was definitely an experience sleeping with a bunch of random travelers and sleeping with my purse under my pillow just to be safe. ;-) Definitely a very, very social place and it was crazy all the people we met from all over the world. We got to know 2 of our roommates, who were 24 year olds who graduated from OU and are now waitresses who don't want to go into the corporate world. They were very fun, sweet, and interesting. Something else totally crazy too- I met a guy who was friends with my sister Alison at UT and is in my friend's wedding this summer! Another crazy connection: Meeting someone who sat behind my friend Kate in Spanish class in high school. It was cool getting to tell him "Umm yeah she's getting married in 3 weeks and I'm a bridesmaid in the wedding." Totally nuts.
The first night we walked around the quaint little town and ended up going to a chocolate show! We learned about how swiss chocolate is made and what their secrets are (I would tell you but then I would have to kill you.) I of course volunteered to decorate a plate in chocolate and then we got to sample SOOO much chocolate, which I was not opposed to. Was so full by the end of it that we weren’t even hungry for dinner that night.The next day we went CANYONING!! We couldn’t take pictures during this but if you’re interested in seeing what it’s all about you can check out this video! I basically got to jump and slide down waterfalls in a river in the Swiss Alps. Very cold, but very fun!!
Later that day we decided to hike up one of the mountains, ironically called “Harder.” I’m not claiming to be in super great shape, but I’m just saying that I’ve done my fair share of hiking and I’ve never climbed something this steep for this long. At the top was an absolutely gorgeous view, and it definitely was completely worth it. Let’s just say though that with a group of 9 tired people wanting to go at different paces, there were some moments of frustration and wanting to throw each other off of the cliff but hey- what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger right?! Right. :-)
The next day we did my favorite thing I’ve done this whole trip: Canyon jumping! You are attached to a harness and free fall for 60 meters into a giant canyon and then swing across the gorge. I’ve NEVER experienced that sort of thrill before or probably ever been that terrified. We signed a waiver before that stated:
"I admit that I have lost all touch with reality and that I have actually paid good money to have some crazy Swiss who I have never met before, put a harness on me with nothing more than two tiny climbing ropes, so that I may throw myself off a little platform 90 meters above a small narrow gorge" and ended with "Furthermore, my mother does not know I am here."
My friend took a video of me jumping! Here it is.
That night we attended the “Trucker and Country Festival” which we found absolutely hilarious… Basically a rodeo carnival in Switzerland. Everyone was wearing cowboy hats a boots, and I couldn’t tell whether they were for real or if this festival was making fun of western country stuff. Either way, we had a blast and it was pretty funny. Except when we got lost on our way home with an amused Swiss boy telling us we weren’t even close to Balmers hostel after an hour of walking, and not even in the city of Interlacken anymore. 5 kilometers later, we found our way back to Balmers hostel.Switzerland was the most beautiful and most relaxing places of this trip. It was the first time that we didn’t feel touristy, and didn’t have a large map with 20 places we needed to hit and take pictures of. It felt like a genuine vacation where we could roam the quaint little town and just admire God’s beautiful creation and enjoy fun fellowship with great people.
Random thoughts:- Switzerland seems like a mix between Germany and Canada, eh?
- Don’t let the girl who does a Jillian Michaels workout every day lead the pace for hiking up one of the Swiss Alps mountains.
- Swiss chocolate is even better than I had imagined.
- When about to jump into a giant canyon and free fall for what seems like a lifetime, it might not be a good idea to video tape your friend going right before you as she becomes a tiny dot swinging across a gorge. And- it’s good to distract yourself from the reality of what you’re about to do by focusing on what cool pose you’re going to do when you jump and look at the camera lady. :-) Worked like a charm!
