Wong Plays Pong

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Geo: 46.7243, 8.34036

Had breakfast and then said goodbye to John and Nugget before going off to the train station. While I was there ... I saw the Sardinia lady! She was the one that was looking after her sister's B&B in Oristano. Small world - I guess she lives in Florence. She also recognized me, but we had that whole "I know you ... but I don't know from where" moment as she walked by in the train station. I managed to blurt out "Sardinia!" in Italian when I realized where she was from. Apparently, she works with Japanese people and thought I might have been one of her previous clients. Anyway, I thought it was a cool story.

Didn't get enough sleep last night (this has been a theme for the past several evenings) and wanted to nap on the train. But career thoughts prevented me from doing so - I had wanted to avoid thinking about work until I got home, but was unable to. What to do? Maybe I should sell everything and keep on traveling!

I barely made my first train connection. I had to run with my big backpack (no easy feat) and ended up dropping my water bottle (I usually tuck it into a slot in the backpack, but it had bounced out). I was going to leave it, but some guy that was also running for the train picked it up for me. I had no time to grab any food between trains ... it's a good thing that I brought some cookies and bananas on board with me.

The train passed by Lake Maggiore - it's a beautiful sight located right on the Swiss/Italian border. There are some small islands in the middle of the lake with huge mansions built on them. Talk about exclusive!

It was a sad day today ... goodbye Italy! I will never forgive you for Naples, but thank you for Sicilian food, granita, and gelato! Ahhh ... gelato ... I'll never forget all the good times we shared. Through rain or shine, you've been by my side to cheer me up! Though I should hate you because you've probably caused me to gain 10 lbs! You bastard!!! Oh ... who am I kidding? I could never hate you ... you taste far too sweet as I gently caress you with my lips .... it's a good thing that I don't have a girlfriend, because she would be very jealous hearing how I talk about gelato. But what can I say? Gelato and I have a connection that transcends time, love, and the universe!

It was a long travel day - but it wasn't the worst thing. Maybe I can relax and recuperate a little bit. The late nights in Rome, coupled with the early mornings in Florence, have taken their toll on me.

I changed trains again in Spiez - I just barely made the connection. I was hungry so I had to grab some food at a grocery store - but first I needed to find an ATM to get some Swiss Francs. I waited in line to pay for the groceries for what seemed like forever. Luckily I made the train with 1 minute to spare.

Prices aren't TOO bad in Spiez - I'll see how they are in Interlaken. The train from Spiez to Interlaken was aboard a "Panoramic" train. Great views of the lake - Lake Como-esque. Interlaken itself is Banff-esque, but not quite as touristy. The hostel was pretty decent - they play some good music and have good recreational facilities. Ping pong, foosball, pool, a kitchen, TV room, movies, big common areas, piano, bar, etc.

I relaxed for awhile and then went off to the grocery store, but it was closed at 18:30! I am used to the Italian hours - but at least here they don't shut down for an afternoon siesta. It's a trade-off. As I walked away from the store, I heard the sweetest little voice ask me if it was closed ... ahhhhhh .... petite, cute, and brunette ... with a huge honkin' wedding ring!!! D'oh!

Nina's from California and has been in Europe for more than 2 months. She was studying French in Paris for 5 weeks, hung out in Nice for 4 weeks, and is now traveling around the rest of Europe. Her husband owns a clothing company and travels to Turkey frequently.

We walked down to the main street looking for another grocery store. We found an Asian store - they charged 4 CHF (Swiss Francs) for a bowl of instant noodles! That's about $4 CAD!!! While Switzerland is expensive, I do think they are totally gouging Asian tourists. Interlaken is apparently very popular with Koreans.

I ended up grabbing a very expensive doner (8 CHF). It's almost double what you would pay in Rome - at least it was big, filling, and good. Back to the hostel - they have a cool "Metro" bar where you descend into it via what looks like a subway entrance. I never ended up going - instead, I sat outside enjoying the cool, crisp air. But then it got too cold. Nina was trying to figure out where she could plug in her camera while keeping an eye on it. She couldn't, so she ended up staying in her room all night watching over it.

It was a beautiful night - sometimes it is nice to just relax for a change. Interlaken is considered the adventure sport capital of Switzerland - canyoning, kayaking, sky diving, paragliding, ice climbing, even zorbing! Very pricey, however - from 60 Euros to well over 100 Euros.

I trashed my LG Italy guide today. Good riddance! Though I must say I've been using the Lonely Planet guide for Switzerland - it might be even crappier than LG, in some ways.

I read a little bit of "A Tale of Two Cities" and went off to bed. To be more accurate, the book PUT me to bed. Very boring so far!

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