A Storm This Way Comes

Sitting under the steely gray sky
Pregnant clouds hanging heavily in the heavens 
Waves crashing crashing into the shore
A dark horizon - what is coming? The storm, the storm
The sky lights up again and again and again
Zigging zagging streaks bright as fire
Blinding my eyes roaring in my ears CLAP CLAP CLAP
The earth and the sky and the air is pounding shaking flashing
Then....................................................silence.

Just Another Day in Switzerland

My posts have been sporadic at most in the past months and I apologize. I think the problem is that I feel like I need something VERY exciting to write about. The truth is, even though I live in Switzerland (which some people feel is very exciting in itself), I live a pretty normal life. I get up early -too early for my taste - go to work, work all day, come home, work a bit more, maybe run, make dinner, sleep. Repeat over and over again.  Then again there are the weekends, which can be a bit more exciting. A few weekends ago, Paul and I decided to go to Interlaken and Gimmelwald for our four day weekend. Here is a short recap if you missed it:

We arrived in Interlaken Wednesday evening without a problem. The train connections in Switzerland are amazing and I love being able to travel everywhere in the country in a reasonable amount of time. In just about 2 hours, we pulled into Interlaken West and jumped off the train. We ambled down the streets until we found the hostel. It turns out it was the same one we stayed in the last time we were in Interlaken together! It was a good night because the hostel is just above a lovely pub.

The next morning we set out for adventure. I really wanted to ride around a lake, so we found a bike rental place, and decided to ride an electric tandem. Although it took us a while to get used to it, we decided to give it a go. After taking an initial wrong turn and having to backtrack, we began our ride. The first hill was unbelievably hard, even with full assist. After a little break, we continued on and enjoyed the flat street and the beautiful views. An hour or so in, we passed a lovely restaurant and pulled in for lunch and a well earned beer (or two). After lunch we were too full to move, so we walked across the street to a little park on the lake and took a nap.



 

So after our little nap, we got back on our bike and kept going. There was a lot of up and down, with a nice stop at a beautiful waterfall.

 

This is the best part of vacation - you can do whatever you want!  Before we knew it, we had finished our ride. If you have never ridden on the back of a tandem, you should know it is a pretty fun experience. You don't have any control, which means you don't watch the road, change gears, or use the brakes. It also means you have to trust the person in front of you, and use good communication, especially with starting and stopping. Overall, our trip was great fun, but it was definitely a bit exhausting!

After returning the bike we headed to a Mexican restaurant that had been recommended in Interlaken West. It had delicious margaritas and great food, which is difficult to find in Switzerland. We headed back to the hostel for a well earned sleep. The next day, we packed up and did a bit of shopping in Interlaken and wandering around. We found many beautiful bridges, a big market, and of course, benches galore. We found a cozy bench and snuggled up to read and enjoy the nice weather for a while before heading up to Gimmelwald. The trip there took about an hour and included a train, a bus, and a gondola. From there it was minutes to the next hostel. We checked into the "Lovers Dorm" and ordered a few beers on the beautiful balcony. It was a nice rest before our hike the next day.

As a former girl scout, I firmly believe in being prepared. Unfortunately, on this hike, I was not living by my motto. I left with a lot of water but no first aid kit, and only my little Vibrams on my feet. It all started out well, thinking we were going for a little, 30 minute hike. After climbing over a few piles of snow, we were worried early on but kept going. We visited the beautiful valley I had seen in the previous summer, and it was not nearly as beautiful but still unique in its own way. We backtracked a bit and started on a different path up to a restaurant that looked quite close by. The several fallen trees in our path should have been a warning for us to stop and go back, but we didn't listen.

The path continued to get worse and worse as we got higher and higher. In places the path was completely washed out, and we had to hike across terrible icy avalanche areas. On the last traverse, I was fairly sure I was going to die, digging out footholds, and only holding on to the edge of a cliff with two sharp rocks. Paul and I are lucky we made it past that, and wanted to be back home immediately. Unfortunately, we had another 2 hours ahead of us. Oh, and did I mention that Paul broke his toe? By the time we arrived back at the hostel we were dirty and exhausted. We showered and joined some of the other hikers for beers and dinner. By 10pm I was too tired to keep my eyes open and I went straight to sleep.

 

Our next day was slated to be a hiking day, but with Paul's broken toe, and all of our muscles ached more than they had in a long time. So instead of hiking, we found a nice cafe in the town one gondola ride away. We settled in for a good day, with beer on tap, a gorgeous view, and interesting books. Time creeped by as we enjoyed each others company and relaxed in our last day of vacation. Finally, we decided it was time to make our journey home. We picked up our suitcases and caught the gondola, bus, and two trains and another bus home. Finally I was home sweet home.


Since then I have been enjoying quiet weekends, with a week of being sick in between. I loved the Caves Ouvert Saturday where all the wineries were giving samples for $12! This weekend has been a quiet weekend with Paul. Like I said, there is not much to tell in my boring, day-to-day life.