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16) I arrived in Bern around nine and hopped on the train to Interlaken. It is so gorgeous...a train winding along aqua blue lakes through the mountains dotted with cute Swiss houses, cows wearing bells, and yodeling mountain men!
Okay maybe not yodeling mountain men, but the rest is truth. Interlaken is nestled in the mountains, a cute little town. Stepping off the train, I looked up and saw dozens of paragliding chutes circling the mountain valley.
My hostel was super cool. Balmer's Herberge. Your typical homey, cabiny feeling place. It even had a hammock room! My highlight, haha. Perfect for relaxing. I will invest in a hammock when I return home. And SO many Asians. They all seem to flock together too. I always trust Asians but they definitely seem to stick to their own kind. I can draw this conclusion fairly from three months of travel!
I hung out with a group of Melbourners (who were an absolute hoot) for the evening and convinced them to sign up for to canyon Grimsel with me in the morning. I came to Interlaken specifically to canyon - the Swiss Alps are one of the best locations in the world for this (not cheap, but worth it!). Jordan and I had planned on doing it together, but couldn't fit Switzerland into our agenda.
(17) I was bright eyed and bushy tailed, gung-ho to leave at 8am. I'm so glad I convinced the Aussies to sign up, because it was just the five of us! Outdoor Interlaken has a private deal with our hostel and most people had signed up for the beginner course. We skipped to intermediate. I'm so glad we did! We had a scenic, hour-long drive to Grimsel pass, in the heart of the Alps, where we geared up: wetsuit, boots, jacket, lifejacket, harness and helmet. I felt so restricted!
The adventure began with a fifty meter rappel down the face of a rock. This drops you into a canyon full of freezing glacier water. My legs were a little shaky at first but it was awesome! We delved right into canyoning by jumping into the water. The guide tells you how to position your body and where you need to land. We spent about three hours total in the canyon. There is a mixture of slides, jumps, and a cliff jump. I was fearless until it came time to jump off the cliff. There was a rock jutting out near the bottom and you have to land in a certain place! Since I felt I took too long the first time, I did it again to conquer my fear. However, I think I will always be a chicken when it comes to heights. I don't know how I'm going to skydive. You'll probably have to step on my fingers to get me outta the plane.
On this day a little bundle of joy arrived for me to cuddle in Norway! Tor Magnus...here I come!
(18) I walked around Interlaken in the morning, sorted out my travel details and met up with Brink in the arvo to do some hiking. We went on a nice, long hike to a viewpoint over Interlaken and the two lakes. My highlight was finding wild strawberries and raspberries! Yum. Because we were starting to run short on time, we cut the trail and started hiking straight up the mountain. We came to a grove with cows. The ringing chimes of their bells enhanced the hike for me. We made it to the top for sunset, the sun reflecting off of the two lakes. Sunset: one of my favorite things! I brought picnic food and we had a short break. Brink and I decided to follow some train tracks down the mountain back to town. Dumb on our part to get back so late...eleven! We had to go through a really dark tunnel - spooky. Luckily I had my handy, dandy little flashlight (thanks for insisting, Mom!). We were exhausted when we got back, practically falling asleep over our pizza. Switzerland is beautiful. Maybe I will have to return in the winter to tackle Jungfrau (the top of Europe!)?
p.s...The chocolate is as good as you hear it is!
Uf Widerluege!
Larae
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Brookie! What fun! I'm glad you met some sweet Aussies to adventure with