This past weekend held many firsts for me! It was my first time doing a solo weekend trip & I am so glad that I did. Prior to booking I knew I had a 4 day weekend that I wanted to spend in a special place & after finding a great deal Switzerland was calling my name! I was so excited as I hoped Switzerland would remind me of home with the lakes & many outdoor activities at hand. Of course when I checked the weather the day before I left it called for thunder storms all 3 days I would be there, the irony! But I’ve learned to never trust a weather man & im glad I didn’t because it was beautiful every single day, I’ll bet if I didn’t bring my umbrella though it would have rained the entire time!
I went through a tour agency here called Smart trip & boarded a bus for Interlaken Switzerland at 10pm in Florence. After many restless hours I was woken up by the twists and turns of the road as we descended through the Alps and the ring of cowbells as we passed a herd moving up the mountain. Still very tired, I thought that I may have woken up in the middle of a movie! We arrived in Interlaken around 6 AM. I was dropped off with the group at their own hostel & hungout in the lobby until I was able to head to mine. I stayed at the Lake Lodge Hostel, about a 20 minute bus ride out of interlaken right on Lake Brienz. I never minded the bus ride with such great views along the way. In fact I met an older gentleman who lived in a retirement home who would get bored sitting inside all day so he would get on the bus & ride it just for the hell of it & to meet new people!
On this same trip I experienced my first stay at a Hostel! Upon arrival I could not believe the location of this place and the fact that I was only paying $15/night to stay there. It made a little more sense when I checked in & she said “oh yes a tent room” & walked me back outside to show where I would be staying. I guess next time I should take it a little more literal when they say “tent room”- don’t ask what I thought I’d be staying in cause I don’t know! After unzipping my door I found 4 cots placed in a large teepee style tent. I had myself a good laugh before I got myself situated and figured out my plan for the day.
With the sun coming up I decided I better get my day rolling & headed back to interlaken to hike Harder Kulm. After hiking for a little while the signs for the hike disappeared & different ones had continued. With no expectations & being alone I decided to keep going anyway. I finally came up to an area with many cows & figured I was definitely lost. Another 50ft later I saw a sign saying I was on the right trail but it was still a ways up. I continued for another 10 minutes then saw the dark sky moving in, realized I had scene what I had wanted to see & headed back down.
This was the beauty in traveling alone. I simply did whatever I would want to do. Saturday morning I was able to wake up, make myself some coffee & breakfast, enjoy a short walk along the lake & then sit down & figure out how I wanted to spend my day. I decided to head to grindelwald,another town outside of interlaken to do some hiking. When I arrived I saw the trail I had intentions of doing was closed but there was a bike rental place right next door! I figured I was already there why not enjoy a bike ride through the Swiss alps! I asked the bike mechanic for a trail recommendation that was easy but would offer beautiful scenery. I don’t know who he thought I was when he suggested a trail that would be 2.5 hours incline then forty five minutes back down. And I really don’t know who I thought I was when I took his recommendation. About half way up I decided to take the bus the rest of the way! The bus’ had a funny horn they would honk to warn bikers they were there around sharp turns & after riding the bus up I was sure I would be taken out by a bus on the way down! Once we arrived atop the mountain I decided to sit for a little & enjoy the view and the snacks I had packed. It was much cooler than I had expected at the peak then I remembered that the mechanic had mentioned on a clear day you could see jungfraujoch, “the top of europe” & should have expected the breeze. The ride down was beautiful, winding through the fields covered in wildflowers, between the mountains. There was a certain way the mountains made me feel I can only begin to describe; free, curious, tiny, alive.
I’ve always thought I’ve been pretty funny but after traveling alone I think even stronger of this. As I coasted down the mountain, I rode the brakes for most of the way, and about half way down they began to screech terribly, all I could think about was how I’d have to call my parents from a hospital bed & explain to them that I had a need for speed & apologize for hauling ass through the Swiss alps.
When I returned to my hostel I cooked up some dinner & enjoyed an evening stroll around the lake & up into hills I had yet to wander. After the long day I sat down on one of the day beds that lined the front of the hostel. I chatted with other travelers and laughed with another visitor over the small victories that we recognize when we travel alone. I was pleased that everyone at the hostel was so friendly & willing to share their recommendations.
This trip came at the perfect timing, as I was just beginning to miss sunsets over the lake! The waters were so blue it wasn’t incredible!
On Sunday we boarded the bus & headed to Lake Como, a famous resort town in Italy! Our trip only allowed for a 3 hour stop which wasn’t quite enough time to track down George Clooney. Instead, we enjoyed lunch, wandering the boardwalk & relaxing near the before boarding the bus for our last leg back to Florence. It was nice to have Monday to catch up on life before our next session of classes started! This session I am taking Art & Architecture of Florence and Tuscany and continuing to work on my Italian with my host family during dinner!
Longitudes, latitudes, altitudes + adi-tudes 