Friday June 8th to Sunday June 10th

Upon arriving in Interlaken, the three of us grabbed our bags and headed to our hotel. We chose a hotel on the outskirts of Interlaken primarily due to its cheap price. We had a very basic three bed room, complete with a sink in our actual room. However, one thing our room did not have was a toilet and shower. This was one of the amenities we sacrificed when we chose a cheap hotel. However, we were extremely lucky because a group of 49 students had checked out the morning that we checked in. I can only imagine how miserable the shared bathroom situation would have been had the kids still been staying at the hotel. Even though we skimped on our hotel, it actually turned out a lot better than I had planned.

After dropping our bags off, the three of us made the short walk into town to walk around for a while and get acquainted with the city. The first thought on our mind was getting some lunch after our long night and morning of travel. As we walked around town we quickly realized we wouldn’t be enjoying any cheap meals during our stay in Switzerland. Signs posted outside of restaurants promoted “deals” for lunch as low as about $16! We ended up settling on a cafeteria where you paid by the weight of your food and I ended up paying about $15 for decently-sized lunch. After cussing Switzerland’s cost of living, the three of us set out to walk around the Lake Brienze, one of two lakes surrounding Interlaken. Unfortunately it was cold and rainy all day Friday so our view of the Swiss Alps from the lake was blocked by low-hovering clouds. The scenery was still very pretty even with the clouds blocking our view of the peaks of the mountains. Tired after a long day of travel and trudging through the rain, the three of us headed back to our hotel to call it an early night.

We woke up early Saturday morning to eat breakfast and finish planning our hike. Even though the breakfast was subpar as usual, I made sure I ate as much as possible in preparation for hiking a few miles later in the day. Following breakfast we loaded up our backpacks and headed into town to buy some food for snacks and lunch during our hike. Bucking the trend of stupidly expensive food, I bought an apple, a packet of ham, and three waters for about $8. I luckily also had some peanuts and M&Ms leftover from our overnight train ride, so I was able to somewhat negate the previous day’s expensive meal. Once we packed up our supplies, the three of us walked over to the train station to make our way to Wengen. 

Wengen

Smiling because I was still alive and breathing

Chasing peaks through the clouds

Wengen is a small town, only accessible by train, 4,180 feet above sea level. When planning our hike, we all agreed that it would be better to train up to a higher elevation and hike from there rather than start at the bottom and not make it near as high in the mountains. Once we hopped off the train in Wengen, we bundled up since it was pretty chilly and began our ascent of the mountain. Unlike the few trails I have hiked before, the trails that we hiked in Switzerland had absolutely no switchbacks or curves to lessen the elevation change. Instead, the trails literally went straight up and down the mountain at what seemed like a 45 degree angle. After about the first thirty minutes of hiking, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it. The combination of the very thin air and very demanding trails made me really question my decision to hike the mountain. By this point I had also shed all of my layers because I was sweating so profusely, even though it was still fairly cold. However, for some reason I decided to push on and try to make it up the mountain. After six miles of what seemed like a death march, we made it to Klein Scheidegg. At 6,762 feet above sea level, Klein Scheidegg was as high as we were able to hike due to the still present snow. While the hike was extremely tough, the views at the top and along the way were awesome. However, much like the day before, clouds blocked our many of our views of the massive peaks. I felt like a paparazzo as I tried to quickly take pictures of what little I could see of the peaks when the clouds cleared. I can only imagine how beautiful the mountains are on a clear day. Even with the clouds the views were pretty spectacular. After reaching the top and eating lunch, we made our way back to Wengen to complete our 12 mile hike. All of my complaints aside, it really was an awesome hike. I thought I might not make it off the mountain alive at one point, but the tough trails made reaching the top that much more of an accomplishment. I’m proud to now be able to say I’ve hiked part of the Swiss Alps. 

Awesome view

We returned to Interlaken around dinner time and agreed that we deserved to treat ourselves to a nice meal after the grueling hike. We all agreed on a very classy establishment known for its wonderful food; Hooters. The Hooters in Interlaken is actually one of three in all of Switzerland and we couldn’t have been happier to enjoy some of their beer and wings. While I have tried to stay away from American food during this trip to better experience European culture, I felt like I owed it to myself to enjoy some chicken wings after the long day. After dinner the three of us headed back to the hotel to get in bed and give our legs some much-needed rest.

Random view from the trail

Sunday we woke up a little sore from the day before and packed our bags to head to Munich. The three of us are met up with our group at 5 Sunday evening at our hotel in Munich, where we will be staying for the next four days. It’s hard to believe that the remaining two cities on our trip are Munich and Paris. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating, I feel incredibly fortunate to have been afforded the opportunity to go on this trip. It has been the experience of a lifetime.