Blogs from Matten bei Interlaken, Interlaken, South-West, Switzerland, Europe

We had intended to go hiking in the Emmentaler area today at a small place called Sumiswald but decided against it as it meant another 2 hours on a train to get there and another back again. It is our last day in the Berner Oberland so we figured there were areas close at hand that we could visit. We set off for Wilderswil first which is nearby and headed off down the Lutschine River to it's outflow into the lake of Brienz. One mistake. There was a really cold wind blowing and we were doing our Kiwi habit of shorts and a light jacket when longs and a windproof jacket was in order. The Lutschine flows down the far side of a huge unused aerodrome belonging to the armed forces. All around it are large ... read more

I opted not to write up a blog for yesterday as it was a travelling day from St Gallen to Interlaken and then to settle into our apartment and buy food. The apartment is up to standard and in a quiet location but not with the views we've been used to from previous trips. After a chat to the family at home, we headed off to Interlaken Ost to get the train to Lauterbrunnen. What a circus! Tourists everywhere and standing room only in the train. And we thought coming later in the year would downsize the tourist population. I guess there are some places in Switzerland which are an absolute magnet and this is one of them. On reflection, in perfect weather, why wouldn't people want to go up the Jungfrau or Schilthorn? However, we ... read more

Finally did it... It was unplanned since my budget is quite tight nowadays but the opportunity to experience it with friends was perfect. There was no preparation at all on my part. After the singles conference in Leysin during the weekend, we went to Geneva to look around and celebrate our winnings. Our roomates Keken and Flor told us aboit their plans the next day and Phoebe said she wants to come too. I casually said ok me too. And that's it. ? After our dinner at Molino, an Italian resto, we went back to our hotel and sleep. At exactly 6am, we woke up then ate our free breakfast and we are on our way to interlaken. Yey! The train ride from geneva took us 3 hours. I was worried i might not get back ... read more

Offense caused to locals - 1/10 (They were so nice! apart from some bitch in Lidls) Time spent remarking how scenic things are - 10/10 Ghostly experiences - 10/10 Shame experienced - 2/10 (Because of the bitch in Lidls) Blackness - 3.5/10 Deviant behaviour - 2/10 Total amount of time spent drunk - 4/10 Amount of food stolen by scenic mice - 7/10 Amount of Chinese mice related terror - 10/10 Amount of Korean angst - 9/10 Overall enjoyment - 8.5/10 Pro's - Harriets knife, The scenery, The hot tub, The lakes, The locals!, Death mountain Con's - How expensive it is, Clara von bitch, How massive the note denominations are, Koreans... read more

How things change. I have decided not to go back to Argentina, even though I loved it there, I was quite homesick and didn't want to go so far away, so quickly (I'd be out there now) for so long (about a year). I just want to go travelling again, back to Bolivia and up through Central America which is much cheaper to travel though, so hopefully that won't be in the too distant future (sorry nan!). I'd like to do some voluntary teaching whilst away as well so watch this space. So what to do in the interim to get some money together. I headed up to York for a bit but there was no work there at all, registered with 5 agencies and all I could get was 4 hours of being a catering ... read more