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Switzerland is a mountainous country in the heart of Western Europe, and famous for it's spectacular scenery. The Swiss vigorously maintained their neutrality during both world wars, and enjoy a high standard of living. Nowadays the country excels in banking and finance and has become a financial hub in Europe. The three official languages are German, French and Italian, but of course you can easily get by in English! I took the train from Verona to Zurich via Innsbruck, and gazed on spectacular scenery as the train wound through the legendary Brenner pass in the Austrian alps, before the journey continued into beautiful Switzerland.

I purchased a ticket at Zurich's main station, dear reader , heading to the resort town of Interlaken via the capital Bern. I then had to race to board a train that was just about to depart. There were business people in the plush carriage working on their laptops, and it was only when the conductor checked my ticket that he informed me I was in first class. It was quite embarrassing as I was forced to gather up my backpacks and slink away, leaving the high life behind for my intended seat in second class. After arriving at our destination I checked into the superb Funny Farm hostel in Interlaken, and it was superior to the hostels I'd experienced while travelling in Italy. After getting sorted I set out to explore Interlaken, which is famous as a picturesque resort and adventure town. Interlaken is surrounded by imposing snow capped mountains, but during my visit I was lucky to have two days of relatively mild weather. Some of the adventure activities on offer include great ski and snowboard runs, tabogan runs, and the chance to jump out of a helicopter from a great height if you are so inclined.

The first night sleeping in the dorm proved to be a memorable experience, after an American guy staggered in around 3:00am. Our dorm mate was totally off his head at the conclusion of an evil night on the drink. He banged into walls, clattered coins around, and then suddenly fell into a deep sleep in the bunk below me. As soon as his head hit the pillow our favourite roomie started snoring like a trumpeting bull elephant. To top things off he left his ipod blaring heavy metal music at full bore while he snored away, completely oblivious to the fact he was sharing a full dorm room. What a great night, and it menat three in the morning was the end of sleep time for the rest of us! At one stage he staggered out of the room mumbling loudly to himself, probably so he could light up another gasper, and I raised my head up thinking I was the only one awake. In fact the entire dorm room were looking back at me like night owls one Aussie girl sprang into action, racing over to turn off his ipod. We had to make the most of the brief window of opportunity away from our rampaging American dorm mate.

We were up early the next day, except for our American friend of course! A pair of vivacious young Aussie girls checked into the dorm during the day, and a good atmosphere developed as we explained the exploits of our dorm mate from the previous night. It became apparent the party would be in our dorm that night, and we purchased some take away drinks from the supermarket as we settled in for a great night of laughs. Things got a little crazy out in the hall for the stayers later on, as we attempted to perform headstand push ups and other larks. The night finally concluded with an impromptu fashion show by the crazy Aussies, as we showed off our larish thermal long johns. I always wondered why thermals were in such outlandish colours, but on this occasion it was a great laugh as we posed shamelessly for the camera.

I left my dorm mates the next morning and caught the train back to Bern, the capital of Switzerland. I was impressed with the city as I strolled around for the afternoon, and once again the Youth hostel Bern was good quality. I spent a quiet night at the hostel while sharing the dorm room with another Australian guy. But to be honest it proved a blessing in disguise, as I was pretty exhausted after the antics at the hostel in Interlaken. I purchased a ticket for Paris on the TGV, and was all sorted for the next day and ready to hit the hay for an early night in.

Switzerland has been an excellent stopover during this trip, though it's an expensive country for travelling. I was lucky to pass through most of the country travelling on the train from Austria, and the scenery is absolutely beautiful. The Swiss countryside features endless rolling fields of green, pristine lakes, and gorgeous snow capped mountains. The houses in Switzerland are attractive, the people are friendly and super efficient as you would expect, and the country is spotlessly clean. Even when you venture onto a pedestrian crossing in Switzerland it's a pleasure, as the drivers slow down and wave you across the road. That's in stark contrast to Italy and Naples in particular, where you step out on the road and simply hope for the best. It's been an absolute pleasure to experience some genuine Swiss precision where, basically all of you should be here now!

As I continue my travels, until next time it's signing off for now

Tom

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