Lauterbrunnen

Leaving Paris, I was a little sad because of the friends I had made, but over the moon at the opportunity to visit Switzerland. I had heard so many wonderful things, the natural beauty, the cleanliness and the precision with which the Swiss run their country. As we drove the big blue bus through the Alps, I knew I wouldn't be dissappointed.

As I got on the bus, Janine, my Kiwi roommate from room # 11 at the Avenir, ran up to me and said "what happened to you!" I explained the Bosnian wedding story to her and the fact that I just disappear when I feel like I am going to have an amazing experience. The wedding story reached far and wide and the only part I regret is not having my camera...I never take my camera out at night, so I am pictureless.

We drove down through France and into Switzerland which took about 8 hours in total. We stopped in Bern, the capital and discovered it was Swiss day so it being a legal holiday, nothing was open or happening except for the ubiquitous firecrackers being set off by teen age boys. (They are the same everywhere!) Since I missed my bus in Paris due to said wedding, I had to miss Bern, but every report I got was that it was fine, Bern is lovely but not too exciting. It is quite lovely, another gorgeous European town with little chateaus, centuries old buildings and a river running through. I took a few photos and jumped back on the bus, looking forward to "Lauters."

As we arrived in Interlaken, I felt like I was back home in California. Just like the Sierra Nevadas, all these little towns have lakes and valleys and mountains, but unlike Cali, this place is green year-round. The bus pick up point is a campground called "Camping Jungfrau" right in-between two mountains, each with impressive water falls and dotted with Swiss chalet homes, restaurants and stores. It reminded me a bit of Yosemite Valley, with Half Dome and El Cap as the backdrop....but GREEN! I was a little worried about a campground, since I have no equipment, but we were afforded really cute 4-person cabins for $15 Swiss Francs per night, which worked out to be around $12 U.S. dollars.

This was a time for me to chill out, enjoy nature, take hikes and eat ROSTI, the local specialty. It's basically hash browns with different ingredients like ham, cheese, bacon, onions, mushrooms...you name it! Imagine all the things you could put into an omlette or a crepe...Same concept but with gooey, buttery hash browns! I also indulged in a gorgeous fondue with my cabin mates, for about $20 U.S. dollars I had my fill of bread and cheese, 2 glasses of wine and some Swiss chocolate! I also ventured out for about a 5 hour hike, and viewed the awesome Alps from a local trail. It was sunny the first day, then rained like crazy and it felt like autumn but was perfect for the scenery. I avoided the cost of the extreme sport activites, but they host a variety, including parasailing, skydiving and river rafting. If you are also in the mood and have the money, you can pay around $150 Euro for a train ride to the Jungfrau, or "Top of Europe." This is the highest point in Europe with a restaurant and train station and on a clear day, you can see the entire Alps from top to bottom. I skipped it, but the reports I got back were cold, snowy and foggy...but worth it. As the first night was "Swiss Day" still, we were treated to a host of fireworks right up against the mountain with the waterfall as a back drop. It was incredible, and while the Swiss have a reputation for being staid and quiet, they really know how to celebrate thier day.

As for the people I met, it was pretty quiet here, lots of European families on holiday, in fact, I think the whole of Europe was represented at the campground, tons of kids and scout groups as well as extended clans who camp there each summer, complete with caravans, campers, satellite dishes and fishing gear. I did meet a group of base jumpers...that's right, they strap on their gear and jump off mountains...and they were interested and a little bit crazy. I guess you would have to be. I kept wondering "why would you wear knee pads and a helmet if you are going to crash, you are going to crash!" But, I guess some of the landings can be rough, especially when the angry farmer comes after you with a machete as soon as you land on his property. I did meet one cat named Branden from Pleasant Hill of all places, who was just released from active duty in Iraq and was off to do private work in Mosul. We had an interesting conversation and I ended up giving him a Joe Peace piece, to put in his pocket for good luck.

After 3 nights and 2 days of Rosti, fondu, hiking and taking it easy, it was time for Nice and since my friend Debbie lived there, I thought I would splurge and stay for 5 nights. It would turn out to be a great decision.