I had a rollercoaster of emotions come over me the weekend of Thanksgiving. I was feeling homesick from not being home for Thanksgiving, excited because I was going to be spending the weekend in Switzerland, but then a little mind-blown because I was about to be on my last trip in Europe before coming home. I can not believe how fast the time has flown. I remember getting here and thinking 110 days, wow. Now I am telling myself that I am leaving tomorrow, and I am trying to figure out what happened in the 110 days that passed by already.
Switzerland was the perfect last trip abroad. I was instantly taken back by how beautiful the landscapes were that I was surrounded by. We spent the weekend in Interlaken, but we did a little traveling by train to a small town called Lauterbrunnen. The hostel that we stayed in was quintessential Swiss architecture. The only fallback of the whole weekend was that Switzerland is a little more expensive since it has its’ own currency. We packed food to make breakfast and lunch in our hotel room and then may or may not have spent a night at Hooters because it was cheap. 🙂
If you follow my personal Instagram account, you are probably wondering about the picture that I posted of me hanging 6,000 ft in the air from a parachute. No, I did not skydive. My mom would have flipped out. Instead, I did the little less extreme but just as intense: paragliding. Basically, I ran off the side of a mountain, and the parachute just started carrying me over this valley above Interlaken. It was undoubtedly the most insanely awesome thing I have ever done. I was floating through the air, all I could hear way the wind. It was so peaceful, and I was so high up, I saw the tops of all the mountains with the clouds below me. I had never felt so free before, just floating through the air. I am happy I did this versus skydiving because I hovered for about 15 minutes and got to take in the view for a lot longer than free falling through the sky.
I did a lot of walking through Interlaken because it is a town that is sandwiched between two lakes. I walked to one of the lakes, and it was so beautiful. Just check out the pictures.
Then, we decided to take a train to Lauterbrunnen. This town is only about a 20-minute train ride out of Interlaken. I loved the train because it was older looking and it weaved through the mountains to the next town and followed along a crystal clear river. I wish I could have captured a picture. Once we got to Lauterbrunnen, it is known for having a 45-minute train through it to the next town. You walk through the valley of two mountains. Wow. I was trying to figure out when I would find something that was less breathtaking than what I had seen before. It never happened.
While we were walking, we also saw base jumpers. If you aren’t familiar with these people, they wear suits that have a mini parachute that connects from their arms to their torso and in between their legs. It is one of the most dangerous sports, and it is very popular in Lauterbrunnen. I looked up and just saw men jumping off the side of a mountain and pulling their parachute out at the last second. It was horrifying to watch because all weekend we had been told about all the deaths that happen in the valley. Thankfully everyone we watched landed safely.
I don’t want to end this post on a sad note, so I will tell you about the last activity I did in Switzerland. I MADE SWISS CHOCOLATES! It was so much fun. My roommate and I went to this place called Funky Chocolate and took a chocolate making class. We learned about the melting points, the types of chocolate and the process from start to finish. Then we got to actually melt our own chocolate, mix it, and dump it into molds. It was so much fun and got a little messy.
Switzerland was a trip to remember and one of the most beautiful. If I am ever lucky enough to own a second home outside of the U.S., it will be in Switzerland. See you all soon! Also, thank you so much to everyone that loyally followed along with Classically Clad abroad. I love seeing how many page-views the posts got! It has been a great adventure and I am so happy I got to share it with all of you. Until next time….
