Ok the title was a stretch, but I absolutely am in love with Switzerland, and am so happy I decided to make the trip, which ended up being my first trip alone! Because my parents were leaving on the day of the start of our long weekend (All Saints Day) I knew I had to go do something so I wouldn't sit in my apartment all weekend and mope about them being gone.
So, I left for Interlaken at 5 pm on November 1st, and rode a bus through the night arriving at around 5 am November 2nd. One thing I have learned, of many things, from studying abroad is being able to sleep in absolutely any circumstance, and I actually got a full 7 hours of sleep on the bus, something I would have never been able to do before. Also, I was kind of uneasy about going on this trip alone. I knew it would give me the opportunity to do things on my own time, which I was super excited about. I was really looking forward to being able to do what I wanted to do, when I wanted to. I wanted a weekend to kindof just walk around, and explore on my own, and be able to find a place to get some work done after not doing much since my parents were here. It turns out, Switzerland was the absolute most perfect place to do that.
Friday morning, after checking into my hostel and sleeping for a few hours, I went down to breakfast. Again, alone, was a little awkward at first. I found a random spot next to two strangers who were talking about why they were here, and where they are from. I ended up joining in on the conversation, and found out they were both traveling without their friends as well. After they both got up, I still hadn't finished eating my breakfast, so I got up and sat somewhere else, again, lost, looking like I had zero friends lol. I asked a random girl sitting by herself if I could sit there to quickly scarf down my remaining toast, and we ended up talking for an hour. We exchanged numbers, so we could meet up later. After exploring for the day, I headed back to the hostel, grabbed my backpack, and did some homework at the coffee shop across the street. I have never had such a beautiful homework experience, let me tell ya. How often do you get to study with the Swiss Alps right in front of you, with their peaks covered with snow? NEVER. I honestly ended up just sitting there, sipping the best pumpkin spice latte I ever have had, and taking in the beautiful view. Later, I met up with my friends I met earlier, and Lindsay, my friend I had met from Canada. The hostel had a hot tub, so we got some beverages, and spent a decent amount of time talking about our lives.
Food, and really anything is Switzerland is not cheap. They use Swiss Franks, which has about a 1:1 conversion rate to the US dollar. BUT, a cup of coffee was 6.50, and cheese fondue was 30. I ended up just going to the grocery store, and got some Almond butter, rice cakes, and bananas so I could save on lunches. So anyway, we found the cheapest place to eat dinner, got a Kebab wrap, and got some wine and sat by the fireplace all night with my new friends, along with 2 other Swiss guys that we had met that day.
Everyone, and I mean everyone, had plans the next day to go Skydiving, paragliding, kayaking, hang gliding, and doing everything other than what I had intentions to do. I always considered going paragliding, but was quickly shut down by my parents when I asked if I should do it. Understandably, my dad quickly said "you're crazy", and my mom said "absolutely not". I figured, they just didn't want to know about it until after. So, at 6:30 am Saturday morning, I had an epiphany and came to the realization that I will never be where I am again, and in the condition that I am in. I knew that if I ever came back to Switzerland, it wouldn't be to paraglide. So, I decided to do it, without telling my parents until after. Yes, it hurt watching that much money disappear so quickly, but the experience was quite honestly the best one I have had so far abroad.
I scheduled my "appointment" for 1 pm. The morning started out cloudy, but separated around noon, just in time for our run. The company picked me up at the hostel, and drove me to the city center to go over what we signed up for. After, all of us packed into a van, with the "pilots" who we just picked up at the field (they just landed from their previous flight), and took a 30 minute drive up to the top of the mountain. I kept thinking to myself "Ok please just stop here, I think we're high enough". We were SO high up. Literally in the clouds. What was so cool to me was that people actually lived up there. I couldn't help but think about how peaceful it would be to live up in the mountains. After we got to the top, we got out of the car and hiked about 5 minutes up further until we got to a "run off"-a huge piece of green land that just kindof dropped off at the end. It was so cool seeing a lady looking over her fence at what we were doing. She had cows roaming around the field in front of her house, and the only thing I could hear is the wind, and cow bells. From there, everything happened quite quickly. We were given our harnesses, attached to our pilot, attached to the parachute, and told to just run.
So, I ran until I couldn't anymore. Until the parachute caught enough air to lift me up from the ground. I was told to sit back, and the pilot adjusted my harness so it was as if I was sitting back in a recliner. I was so high on the experience that I don't even recall what I said in the videos. The air was so crisp, and so fresh. We were just gliding, very slowly. My pilot pointed out the 2 lakes, Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. That's why it is called "Interlaken", because it is between 2 lakes. The time went by so fast, but at the same time it felt like eternity. I felt so at peace. It was amazing seeing what things look like from this perspective--kind of like looking from the outside-in. I could see how the clouds would hover over the mountains, and then suddenly disappear leaving a snow cap on its peak.
About 30 minutes later, the pilot asked if I like roller coasters. No way was I going to tell him "yeah" given the circumstances, so I awkwardly laughed and said "I don't know". He said we were going to just sway, and maybe do some twists and turns going down. I agreed, and I think I may have blacked out on our way down. It wasn't just "some" twist and turns, it was a ton. As we got closer to the city center, where we would land, he explained that as soon as my feet hit the ground, just run it out. I'd say we had a beautiful landing, especially after watching multiple people fall on their butts as soon as their feet hit the ground.
After, I got to look at the pictures, and download them onto my phone. I walked back to the hostel to go through all of the pictures, and to relax for a little bit. I honestly was a little sore.
For dinner that night, I went with 3 of the girls who were in my hostel to try some fondue. I knew I was going to dinner later, so it was more of an appetizer. It was UNREAL. Swiss Cheese to a whole new level. After, I went with the Bus2Alps group to a place called Hoosi Bierhaus. They are known for their apple mac& cheese...yes, applesauce and mac & cheese. I wasn't too intrigued, so I got the Chicken Schnitzel. I can't explain how much I appreciated this meal. It came with a salad, and fries, and a side of cranberry sauce, and it reminded me of home so much.
If you can't tell, I'm kindof tired of only having the option of Italian food. It is EVERYWHERE. You can definitely find Mexican, and Chinese and some sushi, and what not, but it's definitely not what you're actually looking for. After dinner, my friend Lyndsay and I got hot chocolate (swiss hot chocolate: 15/10), mixed in some Bailey's, and sat in front of the fireplace at the hostel one more time.
One thing I have to talk about is how quickly you can meet people, even if you're not planning on doing so. It has been one of my favorite things so far about being abroad. Within just 30 hours, I made some friends who I may be friends with forever. I felt like I had known Lyndsay for years, and really we just met the day before. If I had gone with a group of friends, I probably wouldn't have met the people that I did on this trip, because I wouldn't have needed to. I am so grateful I stepped out of my comfort zone and traveled solo.
I feel like this weekend was really a great way for me to "detox". I had time to just walk aimlessly through the city center, surrounded by mountains, and to breathe fresh air. No joke, I walked off the bus Friday morning and though "hey I think my asthma is completely gone", because the air was so fresh. I had time alone to reflect on everything I have done this semester, and write in my travel journal (which I rarely sit down to do). I made decisions for myself, without anyone influencing my choices. Overall, this weekend was my favorite. Switzerland was my favorite, and I need to go back at some point in my life.
I got home Sunday night, and felt so refreshed. Again, I usually feel exhausted after a weekend away, especially after traveling on the bus. I had 2 exams that week, and a few projects that I had to work on, and all went well. I spent last weekend in Rome (November 9-11). It was so nice to just be here, and I got to go out for my friends 21st birthday party, and have dinner with some other friends!
So, if you ever get the chance to go to Switzerland, do it. You won't regret it, and will probably come back actually feeling refreshed. I should probably write a post for Trip Advisor...
Anyway, I only have 4 more weeks left in Rome. It is flying by, and I have mixed emotions about it now. I am so excited to go home, obviously, but I am sad to be leaving Rome, and all of the lovely people I have met here.
Hope all is well with everyone.
Much love,
Marisa
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