Switzy!

This past weekend I journied to Interlaken, Switzerland for a weekend in the alps! It was incredible. We were there for only three nights, but we definitely made the most of every second we were there. The town was beautiful, and is one of the first resort towns that ever existed. To this day, it still thrives on tourism. We stayed at Balmer’s Hostel, which is apparently a famous hostel in Europe! It was comfortable as far as hostels come, but of course that is relative. I roomed with 7 of my friends, and two other girls who we didn’t know until we arrived there. On Friday morning, we woke up and had breakfast which was provided by the hostel. I had some great Swiss cheese on my bread, but some pretty awful instant coffee. We took a walking tour of the town, which is situated between two beautiful lakes, hence the name “Interlaken”.  Unfortunately it was very rainy, but it was still beautiful! For the rest of the day we relaxed, warmed up, and explored. 

View of the street from our hostel

That night, we went night sledding down the Swiss Alps! We took a shuttle to the mountains, where we picked up sleds and took a gondola ride up the mountain. We received a short orientation on how to steer and stop the sleds, and then commenced our 7 mile journey down the trails. The views were absolutely breathtaking, and I was disappointed that the darkness didn’t allow for any good pictures.  I felt like I was in a mural of a winter wonderland, looking down on the white lights of a city below. The mountains were absolutely silent with the snow, except for the sound of  distant waterfall. It was a wonderful night!

The next day, I woke up at the crack of dawn with two of my friends for a day of skiing. The sun was still rising as we carried our skis to the bus stop. After the bus ride, we took two long trains to the top of a mountain that I still cannot pronounce. The trek was about an hour and a half. By the time we finally got there, we were ready to get going. The views were incredible, and the skiing was challenging and amazing. It had just snowed the day before, so there was a lot of powder, especially for the first half of the day. We used almost every second of our day pass, taking only one break at a TP on the mountain for lunch and to meet up with some other people on our program.  It was a challenging but rewarding day, and by 4:00 I was exhausted and ready to nap on the train home! After a shower and a quick recharge, I celebrated the day with real Swiss fondue!

The sunrise as we left to ski

Changing trains on our way to the mountain

A great end to the day

We left Sunday afternoon, but not before another adventure! At 11:00 a.m., I did the HANDS DOWN scariest activity of my life: Canyon jumping! I had been looking forward to it all weekend, although I knew I was about to be more terrified than I ever had been before. We took a shuttle to a mountain, where a group of us hiked uphill for about 15 minutes on an icy path. When we got a shed, a guide met us and led us up an even more treacherous path to a shed perched on the edge of a canyon. The paths were extremely slippery and lined by steep drop offs on either side. At many points, I had to give up walking and slid on all fours down the trail.

 

View of the canyon before the hike

After being weighed, harnessed, and signing my life away, it was time to jump. I was the fourth person to go, and I had already decided to not look down. I knew that if I caught a glimpse of the drop with my toes over the edge, I would lose my nerve. So, when my time came, I waved to the camera and literally took a leap of faith.

Looking down from the jumping point

Looking up safely from the bottom!

Click here to see a video of the jump!

I have never been more terrified and exhilierated in my life. For 4.7 seconds, I free fell 250 feet through the ice cold air. Free falling is unlike any sensation I have ever experienced. The came a point where I was so shocked, I couldn’t make a sound. For most of it, I thought, “this is what it is like to die”. Then, all the sudden, the rope caught up to me, and I was hurled in a swinging motion to the opposite corner of the massive canyon, where I continued to swing in awe until I caught a rope to climb the ladder to safety. Even days later, my heart still skips a beat when I relive the experience. As terrifying as it was, it was one of my favorite things I have ever done! If I ever go back, I would sign up again in an instant.

Overall, my weekend in Interlaken was unbelievable and full of adventure. I definitely pushed myself outside of my comfort zone , and I’m so glad that I did. I’m not usually one for snowy vacations, but this was well worth the cold! I hope to be back someday,

Now, on to Paris for Valentine’s Day weekend! I’m sure this weekend will have wonderful times in store as wel.