The Swiss Alps

Hello to all. Melissa and I have entered Switzerland 2 days ago and we've been having a good time. Yesterday wasn't the greatest day because the weather didn't hold up but today was amazing! Hit the jump to check out what we did.

Lake Zurich

On our way to Interlaken we made a stop over into Zurich. Since Melissa and I have Eurail Passes we get to ride around Lake Zurich for free so that is exactly what we did. The weather was great and the lake was very blue and beautiful. Unfortunately, that is all we did in Zurich since we needed to get to Interlaken.

Chocolate presentation

Once we got to Interlaken the weather change completely. It was rainy and cold and gross. We didn't do much the rest of the night. The next day, the weather was also terrible and it effected our plans for some outdoor activities so instead Melissa and I went to this shop called Shuh (pronounced Shoe) where we did some chocolate tasting. To be honest, it was kind of a rip off. The whole presentation only lasted about 1/2 hour and it cost a little more than 14 Swiss Franks. Than afterwards they gave everyone an 8 Frank voucher to use to buy some chocolates but almost everything in the shop was more than 8 Franks. I just think that the voucher was an excuse to charge us more money in hopes that we would end up spending more money to buy some chocolate. However, on the other hand the chocolate was delicious!

Swiss cheese fondue...yum

A little later, Melissa and I were really craving some Swiss fondue and we went exploring to find a restaurant with a good deal on fondue. We came across this restaurant called The Taverne and had the salad bar and some cheese fondue served with bread, potatoes, and pickles. The fondue was really good, however, it didn't sit too well in my stomach a little later. (Then again nothing really sits well in my stomach).

Trummelbach Falls

Today, was amazing! Today was the whole reason we came here in the first place. Ever since I heard about Interlaken and the surrounding mountain areas I've wanted to ride bikes through the Swiss Alps; and that's exactly what we did! We took a train to this area called Lauterbrunnen. From there we rented bikes and were on our way. Our first little stop was at this place called Trummelbach Falls. These waterfalls are really cool because they don't fall straight off the mountain. In fact, they fall INTO the mountain. It sounds weird but in order to see them you have to go inside the mountain. We took a gondola up and inside there are a bunch of pathways that lead to viewing areas to see all different viewpoints of the falls. After the falls, we rode a little more to a lift that took us up to another little village called Murren. From there we could see Jungfrau point. This mountain top is the highest in Europe. Murren is also where we began our gradual ascension down the mountain and we got glimpses of some of the most amazing views I have ever seen in my life! I will never forget the views I've seen here or the feeling of riding down the Swiss mountains and feeling the crisp air run through me. This trip today will definitely go down as one of the most amazing things I have ever done. Till next time folks!

Murren, Jungfrau in the background

-Orry and Melissa