Cheese, Banks, and Army Knives...

I’ve got quite a bit of catching up to do on this blog over the next few days…

Last weekend I took a weekend trip to Interlaken, Switzerland. I was initially hesitant about making the trip when I heard my peers talking about it because it was € 180. But I realized that the chance to ski in the Swiss Alps was an experience I just couldn’t miss. And really…for a three-day, three-night stay at a hotel and with some meals provided, this really was worth it.

We left Florence at about 8:00 on Thursday night and made just one stop on the way. There were students on the trip from all over. Most were studying in Florence, but some had come from Rome to catch the bus. It’s funny how the people you’re with can either make or break your experience somewhere. I was lucky to be with three friends from NYU and we had a blast! But…most of the other people on the trip were incredibly annoying…but they provided some quality entertainment throughout the weekend.

We got in sometime between 4:00 and 5:00 AM at Interlaken and checked into the “Funny Farm” Hotel and Hostel. Yes, it sounds crazy, but that’s where we stayed and it was actually really really nice. Much closer to a hotel than a hostel. We slept in the first day and wandered around town exploring the town which included some ice skating at the local rink!

Interlaken is a tiny mountain town (population 5,700) that is FLOODED with tourists year-round because of its easy access to the Alps and a multitude of extreme sporting activities. It’s situated between the Brienz and Thun Lakes, which is why it’s called Interlaken.

That night we went night sledding! I’m so glad I decided to do it. Everyone who’d been says that it’s “the thing” to do while you’re there, and it really was! We had a cheese fondue dinner (Swiss specialty!) before taking a bus and then a train/tram up the mountain to the sledding place. We sledded down a narrow winding path on these cheap little plastic sleds, but it was so fun. And exhausting! But we went down the track four times and got our money’s worth.

The next morning we got up early to rent our ski gear for our day at the mountain! Jungfrau (literally “maiden/virgin”) is the 4,158 meter mountain in the Bernese Alps nearest Interlaken, and it’s nicknamed “The Top of Europe”. Skiing in the Alps is much different from my only other skiing location of “White Pass” in Washington! The runs are sooooo loooong…it’s amazing. The only downer part of the day is that it was snowing all day…so it made visibility on the slopes really difficult! But we made the most of it, and spent about 5 hours up on the mountain skiing.

We had our favorite restaurant that we ate at, downstairs at the nearby Hotel Tell (as in William Tell). The national dish of Switzerland is rösti or…hash browns. This was just fine with me! And luckily they come served with every combination of toppings (usually meat) you can think of. We also had cheeseburgers and ate at a Thai food restaurant that was randomly in the town.

Sunday we explored the “downtown” area and did a little shopping because we had to get back to the bus by 3:00. Little did we know that because of the weather, we would get STUCK trying to get out of the valley, and have to turn around and stay and extra night (for free, thankfully) in the hotel! We didn’t leave until Monday morning, and I missed all my Monday classes, because it took us 12 hours to get home thanks to tunnel closures through the mountains that forced us to go around. But, it was an experience.

One of the things I learned last weekend is that when I’m on these trips, I have to stop caring so much about spending money. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I have to take advantage of it and enjoy myself. Of course it doesn’t mean I’m going to lavishly spend my money irresponsibly, but I also don’t need to starve myself because dinner is too expensive or deprive myself of activities that all my friends are doing.

Also, when there’s a blizzard and you can’t get out of the Alps…it’s okay. Originally I was really stressed and upset about it, but…things happen, and it’s all part of traveling. You might as well make the most of it and enjoy yourself, which is what we did that night. I’ll certainly have a story to tell!

My personal pictures from the weekend are limited, but they are HERE.