There are few things in life that really take your breath away. Throughout the weekend in Interlaken, the beautiful views kept leaving me absolutely speechless. This trip was hands down one of the coolest experiences of my life. We flew into Zürich on late Thursday night and took a train to Interlaken. Interlaken is a small, mountainside town reminiscent of those little Christmas villages you would find inside of a snowglobe. We woke up in the morning on Friday and looked out the window, only to realize that we were entirely surrounded by the snow-covered Swiss Alps.
On Friday we did a little exploring of the city. For breakfast, we ate avocado toast at Velo Cafe, a cool brunch restaurant. We made our way through the streets and sampled some Swiss chocolate, which completely lives up to the hype. Later in the afternoon, we took a bus to Lake Brienz. These views were absolutely stunning. After having a full-on photo shoot with everyone in front of the lake, we just sat on the shoreline for about an hour. Sitting there with my friends just reminded me how lucky I am to be traveling the world and seeing incredible places like this one. Experiences like this really do make you feel so small.
On Friday night we met up with friends at the Balmers hostel. This was my first taste of what hostels are like and let me tell you, it’s an experience. Balmers is really well known in Interlaken and is a fun place to stay, considering there isn’t much of a nightlife there. We all went to the bar in the basement and spent the night meeting people from all different programs across Europe and catching up with friends from Penn State.
On Saturday morning, we went paragliding. This is something that I really wanted to cross off my bucket list while I was in Switzerland. As I prepared to run off the side of the Swiss Alps, a small bus drove us to a peak that overlooked all of Interlaken. It was absolutely wild. We used the company Paragliding Interlaken and had a great experience. We landed in a field in the center of town, right in front of our Airbnb. After we landed, we went to Funky Chocolate for desserts where we indulged in what might be the world’s best hot chocolate.
Interlaken is the ultimate destination for outdoor activities. Some of my friends went skiing and snowboarding. They all raved about it. People skydive, ice skate, night sled; there’s really something for everyone.
At night, we went back to Balmers for fondue. The space was really cute and cozy. The whole setup reminded me a lot of a Vermont ski lodge, with everyone eating at picnic benches in a tent. By the end of the night, I was stuffed with chocolate covered strawberries and cheesy bread. No complaints there.
Early on Sunday, we trained back to Zürich. I wish we had planned this day out a little better. Although it was cool to walk around a new city, a lot of stores and restaurants were closed on Sundays. Luckily, we got to try some authentic Swiss food while we were there. We ate at Restuarant Zeughauskeller, a traditional Swiss beer hall. A bunch of us ordered meatloaf and mashed potatoes, which tasted like a much-needed homecooked meal. After lunch, we walked along cute cobblestone streets and saw the clock of St. Peter’s Church.
Switzerland did not disappoint. There are really no words to describe how beautiful Interlaken is and no camera could ever do it justice. If ever given the chance, I encourage you to check it out for yourself.
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