What I Did in Switzerland (part 1)

What I Did in Switzerland (part 1)

Monday, June 2, 2014

It's day two in Switzerland and guess what? Yours truly is holed up in her hostel sick. Apparently there is such a thing as too much mountain air. Who knew? But no worries, it's kind of nice to slow down. Backpacking Europe is super fun, but no one ever tells you that by day 15 you're the most tired you have ever been in your life and your body has aged 10 years in 2 weeks. So today I'll catch up on sleep and then wade into the too-clean-for-fish Swiss water :)

Switzerland is beautiful! Interlaken is a the quintessential resort town. All of the buildings are built in the Swiss chalet style with big wooden beams and red roofs. We took a walking tour and I just soaked in all the beautiful architecture. The crooked cobblestone streets wind toward the center of town and give Interlaken all of its charm. Our first night here we just wandered the streets and looked longingly in the shop windows (apparently Switzerland is the most expensive place on the planet?).

Our first full day began with church. The day before we ran into the LDS missionaries who serve in Interlaken and they offered to pick us up for church and we happily accepted. The branch in Interlaken is so small and I had to opportunity to play piano for the Relief Society. Thank you, Mama, for always making practice!

From church we hiked to the top of one of the mountains right next to Interlaken. Our guide on the previous day's walking tour told us that the hike wasn't too strenuous, and he totally lied. Sure, I know the Alps are these crazy high mountains, but we literally walked at a fairly steep incline for 2.5 hours straight! Needless to say, but my legs are totally shot. I was hurting pretty bad by the time we got to the top and knees were shaking on the way down. The views from the top were incredible, though. I was able to see both of the lakes on either side of Interlaken and had a pretty amazing view of the Alps on the other side of the valley. Breathtaking is the only word that can describe the view; it is like living in a postcard here. Everywhere you look you see beautiful buildings, mountains, and lakes. I'm hoping I start feeling better so I can wander the streets this afternoon :)