Switzerland

Ciao!
Sorry for the delayed posting, but my friends from school have been in town, so this week has been much busier than usual.
Last weekend (March 7-10), Julie and I went with Bus2Alps to Interlaken, Switzerland. This was a trip both of us were looking forward to, and it definitely exceeded all of our expectations. At about 10:45 p.m., I zipped up my bag, picked it up, and cringed as I watched the zipper split. Maybe I should've picked a bigger duffel for weekend trips. Luckily, Julie and I fixed it and headed to the train station to meet at 11 and drive through the night.

Friday (Day 1)
After an 8 hour bus ride, we arrived to the hostel, Backpackers Villa, and checked into the room. Julie and I were with 2 girls studying in Rome. The hostel was very nice, clean, and new. The beds were comfortable and the free breakfast was delicious. The best part was the hot chocolate! It reminded me of the hot chocolate we used to have after a day of skiing in Taos.
Once we settled in a little, Julie and I signed up for paragliding and then went and walked around the town; it was exactly what I imagined a little Swiss town would be like.
We met back at the hostel at 10:45 to meet the people from Paragliding Interlaken. They first took us to get some ski pants. I obviously did not have room to pack these, so I'm glad they had some we could use. We also got some really attractive hiking boots.

 I was loving the red pants!

After "improving" our wardrobe we got in the van to drive up to the top of a mountain with our pilots. While in the van, they showed us a instructional video and gave us the consent forms. The expected jokes were made when the pilots found out Julie and I are going to law school.

Nervous selfies

We got to the side of the mountain and put on our backpacks with carabiners and other safety stuff while our pilots set up the parachute.

Ready to go with my backpack!

Standing on the side of the mountain

Our parachutes matched our pants

My pilot, Kusi, counted to three, I ran down the hill, the parachute popped up, and suddenly I was flying! It was so surreal to fly over the Swiss Alps. What a great way to see the breathtaking mountains powdered with snow!

Birdseye view

After paragliding, we walked around the town and went to a delicious juice bar called Blueberry's. Since my diet consists of a lot of pasta, it was nice to have some fresh squeezed juice. That afternoon we went to a chocolate show where we learned about the process of making chocolate and watched a man craft artisan chocolate. The best part: free samples! So much for that healthy juice...

That evening we went night sledding. We took a gondola up and sledded down a 6 mile course. In a group of northerners, the two Texas girls really stood out. We had absolutely no idea what we were doing. I had some mysterious bruises the next day, but it was worth it! How did I go my whole life without sledding? The trail ended at a quaint cottage where we ate a classic Swiss dinner with fondue. This was one of my favorite things we did! I really felt like I was experiencing the true Switzerland. 

Saturday (Day 2)

We woke up early and boarded a bus to drive the 2 hours to Zurich. Maggie, one of the Bus2Alps staff members, was our guide for the day. We went first went to a Starbucks because we can't get Starbucks in Italy. After a quick stop for coffee, we went to a cathedral in town and then walked to a classic Swiss beer hall. I ordered bratwurst with rosti (the Swiss version of hash browns) and the house beer. I loved the atmosphere and the food wasn't half-bad either! 

Outside the beer hall

After lunch, Maggie took us to her favorite chocolate place in town called Teuscher. I quickly detoured to the Cartier store conveniently located across the street and then went in chocolate shop to try their famous champagne truffles. Maggie knows the owner, so we got a lot of free samples (this seems to be a theme of the trip) and I bought some extra champagne truffles for the bus ride home. There is a Teuscher store in NYC, so I will definitely be making a trip there next time I am in the city. 

When we returned to Interlaken, a group of us went to a Thai restaurant. Don't get me wrong, I love pasta and cheese and pizza, but a little change in flavors here and there is nice. When dinner was over, we went to a bar called Metro Bar for a little while and then went back to the hostel to hit the hay. 

Sunday (Day 3)

Sunday morning we woke up and went on a walk to the lake to take some pretty pictures. It was so relaxing to stroll around the town and end up at a peaceful, beautiful lake. 

This background looks fake

Always cheering on the Frogs!

Once we had a nice photo shoot, we walked into town and got some juice at Blueberry's before we had to be back on the bus for the drive home. 

That's all for now! Stay tuned for a post about the crazy adventures of the past week!

xo

S