we took an overnight train to Milan, then connected to Geneva and then to Interlaken. the overnight train was... interesting. you could pay extra for a bunk bed in the sleeping cars, but we just had big comfy chairs to sleep in. I took some Nyquil PM and passed out promptly.
we arrived early in the morning in Switzerland!! we were on the side closer to Germany, so German was the primary language there. in Geneva, which is on the French side, the primary language is French. pretty cool. my first impression of Switzerland was that it is absolutely beautiful. the mountains are rolling and green, and as they extend further out towards the horizon they become more jagged and snowy. the trees were changing colors and the river and lakes were the prettiest color of blue-green.
river aarn
the first day, we did all of our souvenir shopping and familiarized ourselves with the town. we did a lot of walking this trip!! my boots have some serious mileage. Interlaken's shops are all about chocolate, cuckoo clocks, Swiss army knives, and outdoor gear. for dinner, we did fondue!! cheese fondue might be the best thing ever invented. we also had some pretty good local beer, a lager with lemonade in it.
chocolate!!
we got coffee at one point and I asked for an iced coffee. after a lot of questions and discussion this is what the waiter brought me... not what I was expecting
the second day, we started off with a bike tour. umm, I was terrified. and these were not normal bikes, they were electric bikes, which means they essentially are motorized and give you a push when you need it. I had a hard time placing all my faith into a rickety narrow thing with an engine that seemed to move autonomously, so I went slow and trailed behind the rest of my bike group. the views we saw were beautiful though, and we biked 15 miles! not bad for a girl who can barely bike in a straight line, even though I did bike right into a wall and scrape up my right arm, 5th grade style. we saw both lakes, Lake Brienz and Lake Thun, and I wanted to jump in. they were freezing cold, but I would have if I hadn't been wearing clothes that I'd have to be in all day.
me looking significantly happier off the motorized vehicle of death
the mountains. no photo editing involved!
this picture was taken 20 minutes after the one above it. so, so beautiful!
this is lake briens. I felt at home :-)
later that day was CANYON JUMPING! I'm the first person to admit to being a homebody, but something about extreme sports really gets me going. switzerland really makes a junkie out of a person. canyon jumping is exactly what it sounds like. you stand on a small platform 255 feet in the air and free fall until a rope catches you, then you swing through the canyon. Interlaken is one of three places in the world you can do canyon jumping; the other two are Nepal and New Zealand.
straight drop down
the length of the canyon you sail through
so ready to go
free fall. note the pigtail action happening here
casually flying over an angry river
the experience was awesome!!! I didn't feel nervous when we were heading up and kept expecting to feel the pit in my stomach develop, but it never did. I was excited, of course, but I was actually pretty calm until I was standing on the platform looking down, then I got REALLY excited. it was an easy step off the platform, then I was totally free falling. I wish I'd thought to do a silly pose for the photographer as I was falling, but honestly I was too busy feeling the feeling of free fall. it's unlike anything I'd felt before! so cool, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
thoroughly beat from our day of extreme sports, we called it a day. we spent our last day in Interlaken doing some more touristy things, like the St. Beatus cave tour!
the caves are all the way at the top of this mountain
anyhow, the caves were discovered in the 19th century (18th?) and they are really spectacular. the stalagmites and stalactites were so cool, and some were over 40,000 years old. there are mirror grottos, where the water is so still it really does look like a perfect mirror, and there are rushing waterfalls and rivers that are a little scary! the view from the restaurant at the top is really pretty too. our guide was nice enough to let us take pictures. this was the only good picture I got, and it doesn't do the cave's natural beauty nearly enough justice, but there it is.
the eerily beautiful st beatus cave grottos
that was about it for Interlaken! in summary: ate a lot of cheese fondue and chocolate, drank a fair amount of Swiss beer, saw amazing caves, jumped off a cliff wall, resisted the urge to buy anything and everything with the Swiss cross on it, biked for hopefully the last time in my life.
some reflections on this part of the trip:
1. Switzerland is expensive! the currency is cool though, really sparkly silver coins. and unlike in Italy, restaurant staff are more than delighted to split up checks and give change. average food costs in Switzerland were a little mind-blowing, to be honest, even with the exchange rate. still in sticker shock.
2. Switzerland is also really beautiful. the great part is that people have figured this out, and so there are many ways of accessing and seeing all of the natural beauty.
3. I must learn German.
4. canyon jumping was thrilling and a total rush, but I want more!! next up: sky diving. or maybe breaking the sound barrier by falling from 24 miles above the Earth's surface.
5. I want to come back one day and do the Top of Europe train ride. it's expensive but I've heard great things about it.
part 2 and 3 on Amsterdam and London are coming soon!
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