Marry me, Switzerland.

INTERLAKEN, SWITZERLAND

Ahhhhh!!!  Switzerland

After much internal debate, I decided that trains would be my method of transportation around Europe. I booked my “Flexi” EuroRail Pass in Paris, which was anything but flexible. It was full of hidden fees, special restrictions and many French inconveniences. But damn those trains were nice! Each row of the immense corn fields across the French countryside flashed by rapidly yet the first class cabin was filled with serenity. I arrived into the cold and rainy town of Interlaken, Switzerland around 2pm and felt very much at home.

I followed my couch surfing host’s explicit directions to an apartment just past the train station and found ‘the door with beers and helmets outside’. Yup, that must be the place. I walked into the kitchen to find my host, Toby, drinking with two Asian girls from California. All were drunk and encouraged me to drop my bag and grab a beer. Whoo-ee! Toby worked as a canyoneering tour guide and was hosting an after-after-party with Jen and Eileen who had enjoyed the day by sliding down the natural waterslides of the Swiss Alps. They threw a cowboy hat on my head and mistakenly called me Ellen- they dubbed her my alter ego and the name stuck for the next few days.

Jen (special education teacher) and Eileen (nurse) were enjoying a 2 week European tour so we crammed in all the laughs we could in our one night together over some beer and Thai food. They were SO much fun- a huge (but far too brief) highlight to the trip! Although Toby’s apartment had spray paint on the walls and was less kept than any hockey house I’ve ever been in, I had my own room and awoke each morning with a gorgeous view of paragliders making their way down from the Swiss Alps. Toby was a very chilled out New Mexican that split his year between Interlaken and New Zealand and showed tourists a fantastic time. He lived life with little regret and little possessions- what a good combination, huh?  He was a good soul.

And he showed me a great time! His group of friends, roommates and housemates all worked within the tourism industry and shared the same unbounded spirit. He had warned me that if I sat around long enough, I’d probably get roped into doing something crazy. And that’s exactly what happened on the second day. I went downstairs to ask his South African friend, Rayno, for directions but got persuaded to go cliff walking for the day! Next thing I know I’m scaling the face of a cliff like Spiderwoman with nothing below my feet except a slippery metal rung. We took a couple trams up the side of the Jungfrau mountain range to Murren, a small village with nothing but tranquility.  No cars were allowed- the village was only accessible by tram or the old two feet and a heartbeat. We threw on some harnesses and attached ourselves to cables that allowed us to follow along the face of cliffs. This was by far the scariest part of my trip! And the most FUN. It was at about 3000 feet that I said, ‘I couldn’t feel more exposed if I were naked in front of my high school class.’  We were fortunate enough to watch some base jumpers plunge off the side of the cliff before we started! It was INSANE- now you see them, now you don’t! Cliff walking was nothing compared to that.  That’s been a theme on this trip- no matter how adventurous you think you are, there is ALWAYS someone who puts you to shame. 

Meghan and me cliff-walking

Rayno on the tight-rope

Swinging bridge

For over two hours, the surrounding Lauterbrunnen valley was disturbed by the sound of us clipping and un-clipping our carabineers around the edges. We encountered metal rungs, ladders, tight-ropes and a grand finale 262 foot narrow tower bridge that hung 1200 feet over a ravine! I had put so much trust in Rayno but was reminded at the end that it was HIS first time cliff-walking as well. What a GREAT day! An extreme feeling for such a neutral country.

That evening, Toby’s friends came together for a communal dinner of racquelette, a Swiss tradition similar to fondue. The meat and veggies were cooked on top while the cheese slowly melted on the bottom. Put them all together and you’ve got yourself a VERY happy belly. And the company was great. Toby’s network were all traveling, nomadic bad asses whose only agenda consisted of 5 months in one location, 5 months in another, and 2 months of traveling. They had no job set up in the next location- just the high hope that they’d find something once they landed. Their lives were based on short-term plans only. It was interesting to be amongst this extremely laid-back lifestyle. No one here griped about the economic doom that currently plagued the world. They had no 401k or stock options to worry about. They were happy, hard-working individuals that made enough money for living and traveling. I questioned how long one can go on like this though. Surely things would change once love came to town, no? Priorities had to change once kids came into the picture, right? I have to assume yes because there were no rugrats amongst the crowd.

Considering my surrounding landscape, I had no choice but to spend a lot of time outdoors during my time in Interlaken. I borrowed Toby’s bike for an arduous 30km bike ride to Grindelwald, which is situated between the craggy trio of the Wetterhorn (Virgin), Mettenberg (Monk) and Eiger (Ogre). I learned that the Monk is situated in the middle so as to protect the innocent Virgin from the Ogre- that’s the extent of my Interlaken knowledge unfortunately. I took the tram to the top of First peak and had a beautiful hike toward the twin reservoirs before forcing my knees to withstand the two hour walk down to the base. The mountain valleys of Switzerland were filled with the ringing of cowbells! And I’m not talking about my mom’s kind of cow bells that echoed throughout many a college arena. These cowbells were HUGE! The cows wore them around their necks so that the farmers could keep tabs on them while grazing in the mountains.  They had to be deaf though to withstand such bells all day.  I got a nice kiss from a cow while making my way down First.  It was very sweet….but their tongues are 10x more coarse than a cat’s!  I had to check for scratches.

Atop First

First hike

Grindelwald

            I gave my body a rest after the ride to Grindelwald by laying by the lake for an afternoon.  I had consistent 70 degree weather, which was perfect for lounging.  I gave my body the minimum amount of time to rest so that I could hike nearby Harder Klum.  And I ended up hiking it twice- both rain and shine just to marvel its beauty.    

Interlaken

Interlaken town center

            In conclusion, in case you haven't been able to comprehend, I LOVE SWITZERLAND! I LOVE SWITZERLAND! I LOVE SWITZERLAND! I don’t want to go picking favorite countries or anything but….Geez! I had visited Interlaken in 2002 but experienced such terrible weather that I thought it was deserving of another chance. And man, I was right! I want to buy myself one of those dark brown chalet houses, stuff its flowerboxes to the brim, stack my wood in a perfect line and live the rest of my life eating chocolate and cheese in Switzerland! Grindelwald to be exact.