Sixth Stop: Interlaken

Now I truly see the fruits of my flexible Europe trip. The big cities were always high on priorities, but after the unfortunate illness in Prague, I had to slow things down a bit. Take in the scenery. Cherish the fresh air in my lungs. If ever I found a perfect place where I could do all these things, Interlaken, Switzerland is the place.

Interlaken is a small town located in the middle of the Swiss Alps. The town is situated between two glacier-fed lakes, hence the name. The beauty it astounding. I arrived in the dark of night, not getting the opportunity to take in the landscape until the next morning. In hindsight, this is the best way to experience it. Stomach still feeling a bit quesy and tired after a full day of rail travel, I went to my dorm and fell asleep almost instantly.

When I awoke, I was greeted by one of the most awesome views I have had in my entire life. Massive green peaks tower over a blue lake, a blue that, even after days of comtemplating its description, I cannot find words to define to my content. It is not as light as Caribbean blue and is it far from the dreary blue of the oceans; it has almost an artificial quality to it as if Willy Wonka himself might have had his hand in its formation. Though the first view may not have been the most spectacular of my time here, is it defintely the one that stuck with me the most.

My hostel is called the Lake Lodge Hostel, resting peacefully on the larger of the aforementioned glacier lakes. It is actually a 20-minute bus ride outside of Interlaken. Because of its unique geographical location, Interlaken is a magnet for adventurists of all kinds: hikers, skydivers, bikers, base jumpers, and water skiiers in the summer, skiiers and snowboards in the winter. Switzerland is known for its serene beauty and Interlaken is a prime example.

The first morning I actually had an odd time mix-up. I thought I slept late like a lazy bastard, but it turned out later in the day I was fooled by the early sunset. At this point I had misplaced my watch and was running on internal time. I took the bus into town and purchased a ticket to one of the small mountain towns in the area called Mürren. Even with the Eurorail pass and a 25% discount, the ticket cost my around 70 bucks. My first encounter with outlandish Swiss prices.

The track meandered through the valleys of the mountains, following along a bubbling creek with a similar hue to the lakes. The peaks become incredibly imposing at this point. Looking straight up it is difficult even to see the top, much like when you look at a the Sears (Morris) Tower. The next leg of the trip is a legitimate Swiss gondola, 25 x 10 feet, packing in what seemed to be fifty people. The lift ascended with a weightlessness in everyone's bellies and whispered ah...'s. I was in the favorable position of being a full grown man in a group of eldery women, so I had a great view of the town below as it shrunk out of few. Everything became so small so fast...

One more short train ride and I was at my destination. It was only then did I realized that it was around 10 AM, rather than the mid-afternoon that I believed. Happy with myself, I explored Mürren from which there were clear views of every main peak in the greater range. The snow-capped peaks took the shape of a Siberian husky, with the two larger points jutting out into the sky. Despite my physical state, no fully recovered, I hike for about two hours, admiring the views, conversing with locals, trading pictures with odd Asian tourists (side note: I met another Chinese woman traveling alone and we took pictures of each other. I kind of hit on her and, whether she was aware of this fact or not, we exchanged e-mails. I think she wanted to be serious friends. Maybe I will e-mail. Live long friend made in 25 minutes).

I took my time heading back down, relishing the views as I went. After the gondola, I had some time before the train. I explored a bit, finding a gem of a waterfall. The waterfall was so high that the water sprays mists, eventually reaccumulating in the rocks below. I am a sucker for waterfalls, so I probably took 15 pictures from every possible angle. I'll post them when I get the chance.

Back at the hostel I met a few people who I ended up hanging out with the rest of the next day. Me tired from walking, everyone else tired from various other things, we spent the sunny day at the beach, day drinking. The beer sucked, we all got sunburned, but it was a fantastic time. I might meet some of the people I met here in London for the opening day of Wimbledon if everything works out right and oh, how I hope it does.

My next destination is Amsterdam. The über-liberal land of prositution, drugs, and bicycles, I can't wait to arrive.