The Best Day

View from our hostel

Yesterday I took a day off of work. I start teaching on Monday (and I am VERY excited!) but I thought since the summer was almost over I might as well. I had a friend who I traveled with on Birthright Israel who was passing through Switzerland for 2 days. I figured I might as well go and meet him to explore for a day. So I woke up at 6 (!) and took a 2 hour train to Interlaken where I met up with Jake. He hopped on the train and we continued on. Another hour later and we were on a Gondola on our way up to Gimmelwald. We checked into a hostel with the most beautiful view I have ever seen. And at this point it was only 10am. We dropped our things, made a new friend, and started on a trail towards the ice caves.

I need to stop here and talk a little bit about the person who came with us. His name is Trent and he is Australian. He is also the quietest Australian and one of the quietest people I have ever met. We also nicknamed him the Mountain Goat. He is the fastest hiker I have ever met. I mean I think I am in shape, but I felt like I had never been on a hike before, let alone take a walk. I was huffing and puffing and picking up the back. Luckily Jake wasn't doing much better so I didn't feel completely useless.

Meadow near ice caves

So we hiked and hiked. We hiked in a beautiful canyon along a ranging river for about an hour. Mostly up hill but some downhill also. Finally, the canyon just opening up into a beautiful meadow surrounded by sheer cliffs with waterfalls spurting from the walls. It was just breathtaking and I stood there with my mouth open, looking all around. Scenes like that no picture can ever capture (which is good because I forgot my camera). We continued through the meadow and up to the ice caves. 

Entry to the large ice cave

The ice caves turned out to be natural openings under the glacier that was into the valley. They were like nothing I have ever seen before - so wide and tall a car could have driven through! We went inside and the temperature dropped immediately. It is such a strange feeling to be completely surrounded by ice. After some wandering and playing on ice, and soaking wet from the water dripping from the ceiling, we came out. There were three large waterfalls nearby another opening, so we headed toward those.

The three waterfalls

The journey up to the waterfalls was easy - slippery loose rocks but at least it wasn't too wet. A few minutes later we were standing against a wall with waterfalls on either side of us. I went to a rock to get my friend to take a picture and slipped - you forget how slippery they can be! Luckily I just landed on the rock and ended up with a slightly bruised hand. I returned to the wall to just enjoy the beauty. The wind started picking up and one of the waterfalls was spraying all of its water on us. In a few minutes we were soaked! We picked our way one by one down the hill of rocks to the sunshine. We found some rocks and laid out to dry (on the glacier!).

The rock of death!

It was getting later in the afternoon and we were hungry. After a short walk back on the same trail we had arrived in, we spotted a cave a short ways up another hill. After a 5 minute hike we were in a shallow cave. The walls framed the cliffs and the meadow, and the cave was full of butterflies. They landed on our heads and feet and fluttered near our food. It was almost unbelievable having such a beautiful lunch (of bread, turkey and cheese!).

Once again we were on the move, this time to a waterfall. Now the "path" to this waterfall is more like a shallow cliff scramble. The rock was smooth and weathered, with cracks here and there to put your feet in. There were also some trees and plants that had broken through the bedrock and were always in the place we needed to go. After 15 minutes of a 60 degree incline, we made it to our first waterfall. After changing into bathing suits, our Mountain Goat climbed down into the water. This waterfall/river area is hard to describe. There is no dirt or soil because the small river runs right in the bedrock. There are smaller rocks in the bed of the stream, but you can think of it more like a slide, made out of one big bedrock, that the water runs through. The first waterfall we went under had a small cave behind it. When I say small I mean that I could just curl up my body into the little alcove. I don't think the boys fit so the just stuck their heads in. The next waterfall we scrambled another 5 minutes up another 60 degree incline. That waterfall was much taller, falling from 30 feet above, and gave a great massage. We spent another hour or so scrambling on these rocks, into shallow pools and slide like streams, then napped/chilled in the sunshine to dry. It felt like paradise.

The last few hours of the day, Jake and I hiked up to the nearby "town" of Murren. It had a little grocery store where we bought some fruit and found a bench to eat and chat. Within 10 minutes a thunderstorm had moved in and we were getting drenched. We ran to the gondola station and got down quickly and dry.


The rest of the night passed like all the others in hostels. We had dinner, beer, and made friends with all the travelers. As the storm thundered on, a full rainbow appeared in the sky and we all stopped to admire it and take pictures. It's not often you get a full rainbow and a view like the one we had.

Rainbow!

It was funny with people asking me, "How long is your trip?" and I had to respond that I live in Switzerland and I was just taking a day off. I certainly don't sound Swiss, so that always confuses people. Either way, it was a great, relaxing night.


I forgot how amazing Switzerland can be, if you don't spend your time dealing with Swiss people. There are so many beautiful places to visit and travel to and with the trains it is all very easy. 

It's been a while since I've posted, and I don't want to be one of those people. You know those people - the ones who start a blog, write a few entries, then disappear. Writing in my blog has been on my "to-do" list for the last two weeks. I'm not really sure if it should be something on a to-do list, but it sure reminds me that its there.


These last two weeks it has been wonderful to be home. I have a lot of work to do and I have been stuck behind my computer, but it is nice to get things done. But this is not what my post is about.


Paul and I watched a thunderstorm this weekend. It was one of those incredible storms that starts in Geneva and moves across the lake until it is suddenly upon us with hail and big buckets of water. The sky was banging pots and pans and the clouds were lit up in flashes of forked plasma. But that is not what my post is about either. As I was standing there with Paul, watching the raging storm move closer to us, at first on the porch and then with our noses pressed against the glass as the storm moved closer, I had that strange thought that I get every now and then.


How the heck did I get here?


 I don't mean that in a bad way at all. I mean that in a holy cow I live in a different country, with a different language, and I am an ocean and a continent away from my family and friends. I mean really, how does anyone get where they are in life? What it really comes down to is just a series of choices. We make choices, every day, nearly every moment, about what we want to do. I often forget that little fact. Here are some of the choices I made today: 


What time should I wake up in the morning? (this morning I chose to get up at 8:15) What should I eat for breakfast? (a banana and some cereal) What should I work on first? (week 4 postings for GW) When should I eat lunch? What should I eat? Should I go for a run? Should I spend 10 minutes on Facebook or StumbleUpon? Should I work on LA8 or SS8? Should I watch Harry Potter 7 Part 1, before going to the theatre to watch Part 2? Should I buy candy for the movie? Should we walk home or take the train? (life can be difficult when you are indecisive!)


Do you see what I am getting at here? All of these little choices really add up, but it seems sometimes we ignore them. We have good intentions, but we make lots of little bad choice. Sometimes I am very unproductive because I choose to watch T.V. or use a number of social networking sites instead of doing my work. Sometimes I choose to sleep an extra two hours instead of running, or I stay up too late and I am tired the next day. Why do we make the wrong choice when we know it is wrong? Because RIGHT NOW it feels right. In an hour I will think - why did I just eat that Mars Ice Cream Bar? But right now it tastes absolutely delicious. 


So often people only focus on the big life choices. Don't get me wrong, those also can drastically change your life. Take for example the day I decided to move to Switzerland. I knew I had to travel and get out into the world before I was tied down and owned stuff. So I made the decision, found a job, and ended up here. That set off another chain of choices that eventually led to me meeting Paul, getting married, and in the end, sitting in this chair, typing about choices. I think a lot of people are afraid of making choices. They are afraid of what might be out there in the unknown. They are making the choice to stay in their current life. A current life that they are often unhappy or unsatisfied with. They chose that life over and over again. Every day they choose to live the way they do.


I have a lot of friends that say "I wish I could move to a new place!" Well it was a choice, and it took a lot of effort, but I believe if any of my friends really REALLY wanted it enough they would find a way. One of my friends, Kathleen, has made the choice to move to Denver. I can tell she really wants it. She understands it isn't going to be easy, but most of life isn't easy. I also understand that it is easier said than done. People have student loans, debts, jobs, significant others, blah blah blah. There is always an excuse. (Life is also full of excuses). In the end it all comes down to choice. I'm not saying it is practical for someone with 30K in student debt to pick up and run out of the country. I'm saying that you can search for a job that is based overseas, or travels, or anything. Move somewhere that makes you happy. Find a yoga class. Change your life. There are a million future choices out there. You can't make a choice that you don't know about. So get out there. Find those opportunities, and make those choices. In a few years you might be in Switzerland on your balcony overlooking lake Geneva watching a thunderstorm as it passes overhead. 


Wow I just reread this post and I'm thinking it could be a graduation speech... almost. Time for some sleep :)