Colorado has spoiled me. Growing up with mountain peaks in my backyard (kinda), was something I always took for granted. I never truly appreciated all the beauty that Colorado has to offer, until I left. All my adventures to big cities throughout Europe and living in Sevilla, has been wonderful, but I have missed fresh air and snow covered mountain tops.
I needed a taste of home, I needed to breath fresh mountain air, and Interlaken, Switzerland was the place to go. My travel plans were a little more complicated than I was use to, but I knew this was a place I had always wanted to go, so I was willing to travel on planes and trains to get there. On Thursday I took a flight from Sevilla to Milan, Italy. I arrived late that night and wandered through the streets to find my hostel hidden in a quiet, dark alley. As I navigated to my hostel, I found Milena’s Boutique, which I found funny since I rarely see my name spelled correctly anywhere.
I slept for a couple hours and then had to wake up early to catch my 7:25 train to Spiez. Half asleep, I stared out my train window as the train wound through small villages and alongside beautiful landscapes. Crossing the border into Switzerland, the train arrived in a little Swiss town and everyone on the train was asked to get off, for a reasons I’ll never know. Following suit, I got off the train confused and slightly concerned. A nice gentleman saw the confusion on my face and recommended that I take a different train to Spiez, that would be more scenic. I waited in the cold for an hour then boarded a new train that would take me to my destination. Sometimes things happen for a reason, and even though my original plan fell through, the train ride was stunningly beautiful as the train chugged up the mountainside and stopped in little Swiss villages. By midafternoon, I arrived in Spiez and had to catch one final train to Interlaken. Before even getting off the train, I already felt at home in the mountains.
Later that day, I met up with two friends who happen to be in Interlaken that weekend, as well. Before the sun set, we went for a leisurely stroll to get acquainted with the town then met up later to indulge in Swiss fondue.
Saturday, the three of us met up early and headed for the hills. We were told by locals to take the train up into the mountains to truly experience the Swiss Alps. It was opening day for the local ski area, so the train was packed, but we arrived in the small city of Lauterbrunnen. After we took a bus to the base of the cable car that took us up a steep cliff to the town of Grimmelwald. We arrived before the sun had peaked up over the mountains, and the day was already gorgeous.
Every direction I looked, the views were incredible. The peaks that surrounded us soared higher than any mountain I had seen. It is fair to say that pictures did not do justice of this place. Everything was impeccably beautiful. The entire day we walked from one mountain village to the next and took in all the views. We watched as paragliders started sprinting and were suddenly airborne and flying through the alps. We drank the freshest, cleanest and coldest water I’d ever tasted. By the end of the day, I had taken over a hundred photos and my feet were tired so we headed down the mountain back to our warm hostels. Hands down, it was one of my favorite days abroad.
By Sunday I never wanted to leave. I never wanted to stop exploring this beautiful place. Sadly, it was my last day so I planned one final adventure. My friends had left, so the day was all mine. I headed for the mountains, again, and found a trail head for a hike called Harder Kulm. The hike was steep and my calves could feel it by the time I started the descent, but after a two hour climb to the top, the views were magnificent. I stayed there for awhile, gazing over the town of Interlaken and reflecting about how fortunate I was. I reflected on how lucky I was to be there, how lucky I was to be able to climb mountains, and reflecting on all the places I’d seen in the past three months.
Best. Hot. Chocolate. Ever.
After being abroad, I’ve gain greater perspective on the world and become a better thinker. I’ve had so much more time to think as I travel alone and sit on trains and planes for hours or go on solo hikes; my mind is constantly racing. I’ve had time to think about where I want my life to take me, time to think about how much I love seeing the world and time to think about how lucky I am. I know that I will greatly miss this time for thought and reflection, but it is the reason I have grown so much through this experience.
“We must take adventures to know where we truly belong.”
living unbound. 