Blogs from Interlaken, South-West, Switzerland, Europe - page 2

We have arrived in Interlaken by car. This is a cute town with a river running through it. It has a huge green field in the center of town. It is located between two lakes Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. It is surrounded by mountains, forests, meadows and glaciers. We are staying in an Airbnb rental, a 117 year old home owned by a young couple. They are renovating the house and it is very plain inside but has a great location near the center of town. In Interlaken everyone speaks German so we change to guten Morgen (good morning) and danke (thank you). Our main reason for coming here is to hike, the weather report is not looking good but in the morning there is a change and we head offf to Grindelwald. If you ... read more

Last night I went out to eat and had a Swiss tradition for dinner: fondue. Appenzell, the town where I stayed, has its own cheese and its own beer (see photo). I thought both were pretty good, although I couldn't help thinking that eating fondue is a little like eating a cheese pizza in bite-sized chunks. This morning I drove into central Switzerland and paid a visit to Fortress Furigen, a decommissioned WWII defensive fort buried deep in a mountainside (see photo of entrance disguised as a shed). At the beginning of WWII, the Swiss were concerned that Nazi Germany might cut through their territory on their way to invade France. Later they were concerned that either the Nazis or Italy might invade just because Switzerland was the only unconquered nation left in central Europe. Their ... read more

Monday, 24th April 2017 As touristy as it sounds, I still opted for a 2-night stay at the Stella Hotel in Interlaken. This is a fine property in a quiet neighbourhood away from the main tourist drag that overlook the Jungfrau Mountains. The German budget supermarket, Lidl is 5 minutes walk away. I arrived at Stella Hotel sometime after 4pm this afternoon. What I loved about the wooden-style cabin room was it opened straight into the mountains through the balcony. The weather is warm when I arrived this afternoon even though the reception informed that rains are expected and temperatures would plummet if I were to visit the Jungfrau mountains the following day. After gathering some useful insights pertaining to my travel plans, I quickly settled down at the comfort of my room. There is even ... read more

So here I was. I had made it to the last leg of my European jaunt; Switzerland. The night I arrived in Bilbao four-and-a-half months earlier, seems like a lifetime ago. Switzerland boasts some of the most beautiful countryside in the world. That was my main observation as my train went from Austria, through Liechtenstein and then into the green pastures, cobalt lakes and snow-capped mountains of the Swiss countryside. Travelling on the Swiss trains is so easy as well. On-board screens automatically keep you updated with the next stops, the train's speed and the ETA at each stop. As we pull into Zurich's hauptbahnhof, it even tells you which platform to catch your connecting train from. However, this beauty, ease and efficiency comes at a price. I managed to get my train to Lucerne from ... 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