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Published: August 11th 2008
View from boat
They have driveways for their boats and look at that beautiful water.For the last few days we have been in Interlaken, Switzerland, which is at the base of the giant Swiss Alps. It definitely feels like authentic Switzerland out here with huge mountains, the best tap water in the world, mountain goats and other livestock around every corner, and of course, good ol’ alpine cheese!
We started our adventures with a cruise around Lake Thun, which is one of the two major lakes that Interlaken is sandwiched between, hence the name Interlaken. David and I could not believe the color of the water. It was the brightest teal we had ever seen. David kept saying that it looked dyed, like the water used in the Disneyland rides. After our Swiss cruise we went back at town and had an authentic Swiss meal of McDonalds because restaurant food is VERY expensive in Interlaken. Even a very basic meal at McDonalds: medium fry, two small cheese burgers and no drink cost $8.50! I went next door to a Kabob/Burger joint where I had a deep fried veggie burger (I didn’t know that’s how they cooked it, until I saw them throw it into the fry oil!)
The next day started really early. We
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Lake Thun woke up at 7:00am and shortly afterwards were picked up by Outdoor Adventures. We had booked a canyoning excursion the day before. While booking David and I had either a moment of extreme bravery or idiocy and choose the Advanced Canyoning Package, which had a special line under it, which read: “This excursion is for the physically fit and the emotionally strong”. Well, I don’t know if I am either of those things, but I AM thrifty and I noticed that this package was a better deal because it lasted for seven hours and was roughly the same price as the shorter trips… and yes, that was the primary basis of our decision!
I didn’t quite understand canyoning before the trip, but after seven hours I feel like I can adequately describe it. Although, I don’t know if you will believe me! First off, this adventure excursion is unlike anything that you would find in the United States because of liability. In Switzerland, companies cannot be found liable for injury or death of participants, so therefore, no litigation. As a result, there are many extreme sports available in Switzerland that would never be found in many other countries. Instead
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Hippo and R2D2 ready for action! of signing a waiver when we arrived, they had us sign a paper that stated we acknowledged that what we were doing was dangerous and that we believed ourselves to be physically able to complete the excursion. It wasn’t a waiver to prevent litigation, but rather a statement that we wouldn’t hold the group back! That was different.
So back to canyoning. The best way to describe canyoning is to tell you what our day looked liked. Basically you are driven to the top of a mountain and given wetsuits, a lifejacket, a repelling harness and a helmet. All the helmets had names on them. I was called R2D2 and David was Hippo! After we were fitted into our gear we hiked deeper into the woods through muddy ground and slopping hills. I kept thinking I was two steps away from spraining my ankle because the ground my so slick. I had no idea what was yet to come!
We then reached a swiftly moving stream with large rocks and a strong current and the guide got in! So we followed him and tried to half swim/half walk until we reached a waterfall. Here the guide told us
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Check out David's face on this one! zoom in for full effect. we were going to jump over the waterfall into the water below. At that moment I began to pray that God would protect me because it was then that I realized that this wasn’t a touristy or family friendly excursion! On the contrary, I looked around and the group consisted of 13 guys ages 20-30 and one other girl. They were all in excellent shape and looked like “extreme sports” was their middle name. So not me!
But I jumped and I survived. Well, at least until the next waterfall, this was a slide. On this one we laid back and were told to guard our face as we slip down the narrow crevices created by the running water. At this point, I thought that I had seen the hardest part, but I was very wrong. The next six hours were filled with progressively terrifying challenges. The scariest part was that I knew there was no other way down the mountain but to do them!
So by the end of the trip, David and I flipped off a 15 foot cliff, braved a 50 foot jump, rappelled down a massive waterfall, climbed the side of several steep mountain
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Look mom no harness! crags, jumped into whirlpools, and basically had the time of our lives, all despite my better judgment. I do truly believe that it was a miracle that we survived and with all our limbs intact! It was an amazing accomplishment for both David and I. It was both physically intense and mentally exhausting. Every time we approached a new obstacle, I had to give myself a long and inspiring pep-talk. It was a great feeling to reach the end and to look up at over 100 meters of waterfalls and mountain side and to know that we made it down the hard way!
As unsafe as it was, I knew that if I just listened to the guides we would most likely be safe. They had canyoned a million times and knew the river better than anyone else. I was more worried about falling on rocks while we hiked than I was about drowning or a dangerous landing. David was awesome and his comfort in the water definitely showed. He wasn’t scared throughout the whole trip and kept saying that he wanted to do the jumps again! My husband is so brave!
That night we returned home exhausted
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David's flip. and hungry! After a great (and expensive) dinner; no McDonalds this night! We tried to go asleep early knowing that the next day would be just as busy as this one had been.
The next day was crazy, but in much different way. Our goal was to get to one of the highest mountain vantage points in Switzerland and to spend as little money as possible doing it. The vantage point was called the Schilthorn and was in one of the old James Bond movies, In Her Majesty’s Secret Service. To get there we took two trains, a cable car, another train, a walk through the town Murren, and two more cable cars! It was definitely worth the hassle though!
From the Schilthorn we could see the peaks of the Swiss Alps and into many of the valleys of Switzerland and neighboring countries. The view of awe inspiring and despite the cold (we were at 9,000 feet elevation!) David and I could have stood there all day and enjoyed the view. Thankfully though there was a rotating restaurant that made enjoying the incredible view even easier! David and I had our Swiss coffee and just basked in the
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My flip. They told me I had too. beauty of God’s creation!
Then came the money saving part… the whole trip is really expensive, even for Swiss standards. But it is much cheaper if you only do it one way. So the way up we enjoyed the transportation, but on the way down we walked. Well, I thought it was going to be a walk, but in actual fact it was a HIKE and an extreme hike at that. We left the top of the mountain at 1:00pm and didn’t get to the base until 7:00pm. David and I were the most unprepared hikers out there too.
At the beginning of the hike, when the ground was flat and easy, David kept making jokes about all the people wearing hiking boots and carrying hiking sticks. Halfway down the mountain, the joke was on us! Man, those hiking sticks would have been helpful!
Although tiring and much longer than the little walk I can anticipated, I wouldn’t have changed our day for anything. It was incredible to climb down the Alps and we experienced unbelievable views and sights that we would have missed out on if we had remained with the crowds. Nothing beats picnicking on
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David's repelling down a waterfall. He is a little disoriented and can't find the camera man. the side of a mountain overlooking miles and miles of tiny Swiss cottages, bursting waterfalls, dark green forests, blue skies, and towering mountain peaks. It was incredible! And besides, now David and I can say we are Swiss mountaineers!
Today we are heading for Geneva for 2 days and then begin our 20 days in Italy. We are excited for Italian food and hopefully, good Italian prices! Although we are majorly sore from our few days in Interlaken, we are both so thankful for those amazing experiences and again, would highly recommend Interlaken for people as crazy as we are! Love you all!
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Mary
non-member comment
Ahhhh.....you guys are crazy!!!
But what a day! And so glad you are both in one piece! I had tears in my eyes while reading and then looking at the pictures. Thank the Lord for his wonderful protection. oxoxoxoxo