Rostis and Gatorade Lakes

My bellas,

I'm sitting on my bed totally creeped out in my four hundred-year-old apartment... minus my five other ladies!  Blasting Ed Sheeran and Elton John is my way of attempting to get my mind off the ghosts that are probably chilling here next to me.  How did life get this way?!  Spring Break is still in full swing, so I'll have to suck it up for the weekend and deal with a couple days of quiet.

After 12 hours of connecting flights and trains, I am finally home from my own vacation.  I don't know if my reaction to arriving back in Florence was due to over-tiredness or overwhelming happiness, but I almost broke down when I laid eyes on my Big D (Duomo).  I was greeted by sleeping gypsies and closed bakeries.  It's so good to be home.  

Sometimes while moving from one place to the next, I feel a bit like the Bachelorette, going on unbelievable dates with a bunch of great looking guys-- countries--.... seeing if one can blow me away.  Well, London is my man.  The others could go home-- actually, Scotland could stick around too.  And I would like to stay really close friends with Switzerland.  

It's about time that I play catch up again, and express my love for the countries that I've been so lucky to travel to over the past two months.  At first, I had a tough time getting it through my head that I was actually in Europe, standing in places that I grew up looking at through a TV... I mean come ON-- the Swiss Alps, the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben!  It's finally hit me that I am no longer in Connecticut, and that the globe is far larger than I ever knew.  

Interlaken, Switzerland!

I had been anticipating this trip since the second week of the semester when I booked it-- not only was it my first time outside of Italy, but it was one that I planned with all of my friends.  We took a night bus from Florence on Thursday and arrived in Switzerland early Friday morning... I took a nap on the bus, falling asleep to a starry Italian sky and waking up to 5 feet of Swiss snow.  

Welcome to Balmer's!

It was 3 a.m. when we were dropped at Balmer's Hostel, which impressed me from the start with its sleigh-couches and Christmas lights in its outdoor lobby.  I slept (bottom bunk!) in a room with Margo, Kim, and Caitlin.  Hostels really have no frills-- pretty much a bed, blanket, and if you're lucky, a power outlet.  The fact that I wasn't going to be showering every day initially made me a little uneasy, but after the first day it was actually kind of relaxing knowing that I could take a break from make-up.  

We were greeted by more snow in the morning, which was a total dream to look at through our window.  All of my family and friends from the East Coast are dealing with one snow storm after the next-- but you see, I hadn't seen snow since I left the states, so it was a BIG DEAL for me, especially since the snow was falling onto the biggest mountains I had ever seen. 

I still question whether or not this picture is real...

Interlaken is the adventure capital of Europe.  Though skiing and snowboarding are offered, there are tons of other cool activities for those less inclined... Cave jumping, sky diving, paragliding, and night sledding (more intense than it sounds).  I chose to paraglide!!  I signed up and was all set to go at 9 a.m. on Friday, but my session was cancelled due to the snow.  It was a bummer because I figured that the weekend storm would call off most of the sky-related sports.  Margo and I explored the shops... and the Swiss chocolate scene... in town while we waited to hear if we would be able to paraglide later on in the day.  We came across tons of wooden music boxes, cuckoo clocks, and Swiss army knives.  

Livin' that eskimo life!

Some things that I picked up right away while walking around:

• Swiss people who drive actually give pedestrians the right of way!  No one even came close to running me over... so different from Florence!
• Fondue is a big part of the culture-- of course, the Swiss cheese!
• People in Interlaken speak English to tourists, but a weird mixture of German, French, and English to each other.  
• Babies don't do strollers.  They ride in sleds.

Freshest whip ever!

As if I didn't already feel like I was in heaven after a piece of champagne chocolate, the sun came out and the sky completely cleared!  We ran back to the hostel and found out that paragliding was ON!!!  

I got picked up with Margo, Aaron, Mia, and Sarah.  We were bused up to the top of a mountain, where we were given a new pair of pants and boots.  We hiked through the woods to get to the cliff we would be running off of.  The overlook was unreal.  I have witnessed some beautiful moments in my life, and that one I consider to be pretty up there.  It was just me, a couple of friends, and a blue lake.  The snow was coming down slowly, forming a layer on my jacket.  My hands were frozen underneath my gloves.  Silence.  I was at peace.

Deep breaths

I watched (almost) everyone jump off the cliff successfully on their first shot-- shout out to Aaron! -- so I had no problem strapping on my parachute and listening to Tom's (my paragliding professional) tips to avoid wiping out.  Normally I get a little anxious about heights, but this felt different.  When Tom screamed "GO, GOOO," any fear that I had growing up was tossed.  I sprinted off that mountain.  The rest I can't describe.  Luckily I have some sweet pics!  

Paragliding was the closest I've ever been to flying.  It was a highlight of my life.  

I finished off the day with pub NACHOS and mulled wine.  I've missed cheddar cheese so much.  My friends from the states who can easily run to the supermarket and grab a few blocks of it, I ENVY YOU.  Don't take it for granted!!!  The only restaurant in Florence that carries it is the (American) Diner.  

At night, I met up with all of the ladies and guys at Metro, a bar that's in the basement of Balmer's.  All of the Interlaken locals hang out there along with the tourists and skiers.  It got packed by 10 p.m.  The line was so long, the bouncer ended up sending people away!  Fortunately for us, we didn't even need to put on jackets... we just walked downstairs and BAM!  METRO!  People compared it to a frat house, which it kind of seemed like with the laser lights and fog machine.  But I was feeling the reggae and 90's hip hop the DJ kept playing!  

The next day, I took a trip to Zurich, Switzerland with some of my favorite girls!  It's the largest city in the country, and completely opposite from Interlaken.  Compared to the calm and quiet streets near Balmer's, there were trolley cars and traffic.  Starbucks was the first stop of the day-- I'm not a huge coffee drinker but a lot of my friends have been deprived from their lattes for far too long!  We window shopped along the river and came across a great view of the city.

Our day in Zurich, Switzerland!

The traditional Swiss food is called a "Rosti," which is basically a potato pancake/hash brown.  We were determined to find a restaurant that served them for lunch, and we were successful!  Rostis are fun because you could dress them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  Katie had a rosti with eggs, bacon, and syrup... Margo had one with broccoli and cheese... I had one with mushrooms (and a margarita rosti the last day)... SO delish!  I've already looked up recipes so I could start a trend in the states!

Interlaken is located between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz with the Aar River flowing in between them.  On our last morning, we took a walk to Lake Thun.  Before arriving in Switzerland, people mentioned how the lakes looked like blue Gatorade.  No kidding.  The water was so clear that every rock could be seen for at least 10 feet out.  The cottages that lined the lake were reflected like mirrors in the water.  Poetry wouldn't be able to give the view the justice it deserves.

Overall, I LOVED Switzerland.  It was a weekend of playing in the snow, eating rostis, and abandoning my comfort zone.  I hope to visit Interlaken again one day, but in the summer so I could check out the sports in that season!

Take a sip!

"The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon... for each day to have a new and different sun."
- Jon Krakaur, Into the Wild

Rockin' our new hats!

Enjoy life,

A