Balmer's Beach Party (Day 44)

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Started off my day with a nice run through Lyon with my host Michael. Got to see a little more of the city and the main park. I was pretty shocked to turn the corner on a path in the park and see a small free zoo right in the center there. Did a little run through there before heading back the way we came along the Rhone river. As I said in the blog before I wish I had more time to check out the city since I only saw a small part but I guess I cannot see everything this trip. Made it over to the station just in time to grab a quick lunch to eat on the train. The plan for the day is take the train to Geneva and find a bar as soon as possible so I can watch the US-Algeria game before heading back to the station for the second train to Interlaken. I knew the train ride through the Alps from Geneva to Interlaken would be nice and was pleasantly surprised to see how pleasant the ride to Geneva was as well. The French Alps were amazing as well as we passed tiny alpine village after village as the size of the bluffs and peaks increased as we neared Geneva.

Found a bar pretty quick and decided to have dinner there which was pretty rough on the budget as most of Switzerland would prove to be. Of course the bar was overrun by Brits so all the TVs showed the England game instead of ours but I just stuck it out and had a burger and fries and a couple of waters for the fair price of $30. OH, I almost forgot. I needed to hit up an ATM right off the train since Switzerland still uses the Swiss Franc (soooo annoying) and the first ATM I got to was from my old friends at UBS ha. I cannot get away from them. Brought back some good memories of my little cubicle and grunt work from the summer before. It looked like the US was doomed in the game but as everyone probably knows by now Donovan saved us in the 92nd minute and I celebrated in private as I was the only American in the bar and the only one who seemed to be paying attention. That last minute goal gave me a little bounce in my step and I headed back to the station to catch train #2 on to Interlaken.

The hour long train ride to Interlaken was just as I expected. The train meandered through the Alps slowly and after each turn there was a new lake or peak or small village to look at. The first time we did this I looked up from my newspaper and saw we were high above this lake with a gorgeous backdrop and I mouthed some words of disbelief that you may be able to guess. I guess some woman nearby saw me as she started to laugh to herself as I did this ha. It's always nice when a place lives up to your expectations and always funny when it lives up to the preconceptions. Switzlerland and Interlaken definitely do this. It's just so quintessentially Swiss. I got into the station after dark but never once felt threatened. The place is just too safe and clean. Everyone recycles, no one honks their horn. People leave their bikes unlocked at the stores or at their house. Just so Swiss. I made it to the hostel with no problems and after checking realized just how crazy this hostel is. It can hold up to 300 people and has its own beer gardens in between some of the buildings. It also has its own club in the basement that the locals go to since it's the best club in town with the cheapest beer ha. That night they had a "beach party" in the basement and if you dressed the part you got drinks half off so of course I did that along with everyone else and went to check out the action. Had a pretty fun night downstairs especially talking to the townies. I cannot get over how weird it is that they go to a hostel to party. Its supposed to be the other way around.

Anyways, after talking to a bunch of people here it looks like I have to go canyoning when I am here. This place is a backpackers hubs because of all the action sports they have: paragliding, skydiving, bungee jumping, rafting, biking, hiking, etc. Canyoning seems like a good fit for me since there is no damn way I am jumping out of a plane no matter how cool and easy everyone says it is. It's also not a bad price either and I can't leave Interlaken without trying something like this so I am going tomorrow with a couple guys from SoCal who I am sharing a room with. Should be a pretty good time and am surprisingly not too nervous about it. We'll see.

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Photos

view
view from the train to interlaken

balmers
balmers hostel

bar
entrance to bar/club at the hostel

Comments

[Heather]

Hey Matt, I really enjoyed your post from Switzerland! And, it's always nice to see a fellow American out on the road. I know what you mean about being the only American at times, but sometimes it's nice! My blog is looking for travel reviews, photos, etc, to share (like maybe of that giant hostel with the beer garden!?). I actually just featured Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland as my "destination of the week". It's not too far from Interlaken and is another great little city, with lots of hiking, waterfalls, etc! If you have the time, check it out at dirty-hippies.blogspot.com, or email me at [e-mail]. Continued fun on your travels! Heather :)