Did I eat my shower sandal???

---

Geo: 46.948, 7.44815

My slow descent into insanity continues ... despite somehow going to the bathroom in the middle of the night and returning with both of my shower sandals, I woke to find only one of them. The other? It was nowhere to be found. This is getting to be too much ... it must be a conspiracy!!! They stole it from me .... the bastards .... I'll kill them all!!! Of course, I did dream about eating some really funky-smelling blue cheese ... maybe I ate the sandal?

Crappy hostel breakfast - I expected more than instant coffee and muesli. I assumed incorrectly that the German influence in the region would mean that there would be a hearty breakfast with cheese and cold cuts. Wrong!!! It's a good thing that I ate my shower sandal last night, because the muesli won't tide me over for much time.

Off to town for a walk. It was very cold out - I could see my own breath for the first time in ages. I walked to the train station with Chip, a traveler from Virginia. I am getting sicker ... a sore throat and a cold. Terrible phlegm, too - but not as thick as the phlegm sauce I had at that cafeteria in Rome.

Came across a McDonald's with a very nice, contemporary interior and decided to check out the prices. 11 CHF for the cheapest value meal! Approximately $10 CAD!!! Craziness.

I also looked at some clothing stores - most European chain clothing stores have price tags indicating all European currencies - British pounds, Euros, Czech Korunas, etc ... usually the prices are identical once you do the conversions. But that doesn't hold true in Switzerland! Their own prices apply and believe me, they are EXTREMELY high.

Switzerland is very expensive, but in all fairness it is comparable to London for food and transport. London is still probably a little more expensive. At least the hostels in Switzerland are very cheap in comparison - around 20 Euros per night. The average hostel price in Italy was more than that.

You do have to watch what you spend here ... you can spend a decent amount of cash in a grocery store or restaurant and get very little for it. I did manage to find some incredibly cheap sweet bell peppers - $2.50 CAD for 3! That's cheaper than in Canada! They do have a great selection in the grocery stores here - salads, prepared foods, etc.

Had something a little different for lunch today. Two open-faced sandwiches - one with tuna, egg, pickles, and tomato. The other was with lox, capers, and cream cheese. It was decent, but nothing special. Still, it was a nice change from what I've been eating. I also sucked down 1 L of orange juice. I am trying to combat my sickness.

I've noticed that I've gotten very sick since going without gelato. Coincidence? I think not!!! Gelato is the cure for everything! In fact, that's how I finally got my toes to stop splitting open from all the walking I do. I liberally applied gelato all over it - but it took several applications every night because I couldn't help sucking the gelato off of my toes. It was weird, though - every time I ate gelato off of my toes it had a slight blue cheese flavour .....

I took the funicular up the mountain (Harder Kulm). I could've hiked it, but I was too sick and too lazy. The operator was pretty funny - he rigged up a seat consisting of a plank attached (complete with cushion) to two ropes, and tied it around a pole and a hook. "First class - very gute!" he told me. It was an expensive ride, but worth it.

Gorgeous vistas at the top - Interlaken is sandwiched between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz and you can see both. The famous Jungfrau mountain can also be seen in the distance. The air was clean and fresh ... a perfect spot for some R&R - just what I needed! I ate a salad that I had brought up with me - nothing special. I also had an aloe vera yogurt - very fragrant and unexpectedly good. But the best part about it? I slathered it all over my body and afterward, my skin was as soft as a baby's butt!

I chose the yogurt over a ubiquitous chestnut puree that seems to be a local specialty. It looks interesting and you can even buy it in a tube. I'll have to try it before I leave Switzerland.

My intent today was to relax, read, and write at the top of Harder Kulm. But I got a bit restless and did a little hike. Supposedly it was only 20 minutes long ... but well after 20 minutes I still hadn't seen anything, only more signs with more hiking times. I hiked some more and got to a fork in the path - but there was no indication of the correct route. I ended up in some tall grass and decided to turn around. The bugs were also eating me alive. They must like dark meat.

I sat and wrote in my journal for awhile and munched on some hazelnut chocolate. It's replaced gelato for me. Something needs to fill the void in my heart and stomach that sweet, sweet gelato once filled! I also watched some fighter jets fly overhead.

Back down Harder Kulm ... I went to the grocery store in search of cough drops. The lady at the store couldn't understand what I wanted so I faked a cough and said "Ricola?". Worked like a charm! Maybe it was the way I sang "Ricola", like they do in the commercials. Of course, I didn't play the giant horn and wear lederhosen like they do in the commercials. I had to leave those at home because they wouldn't fit in my backpack.

I walked around looking for dinner. 13 CHF for a single California roll!!! I guess sushi is out, though I do have a wicked craving for it. I ended up going to the grocery store for dinner. Pasta salad - not too bad. Roast pork (deli meat) - good. 1 L of juice - not good or bad, but a necessity with the way I am feeling. Hazelnut yogurt - delicious, of course! A hazelnut "stick" - a flaky pastry tube encasing a chunky hazelnut filling. Wow!!! I ate it on the way out of the store ... after walking about 30 metres, I turned around to go and get another one.

Back to the hostel to eat - it's actually a pretty cool hostel, but I'm too sick to enjoy it. Oh well, I came to Switzerland to rest anyway. I chatted with two bunkmates, Lee and Matt, from Texas. They just finished college and this is their last hurrah. They are traveling the world for the next seven months. But get this - they're taking a 6 day train ride from Moscow to Beijing. That is guaranteed to be the train ride from hell!

We got to talking about travel and Scientology. One of them has read a tell-all book on it - I always knew that it was a bizarre religion, but never knew that it was THAT bizarre! Apparently the founder, L. Ron Hubbard, once wrote a story about a man that invented a religion that attracted many followers. One day, the inventor revealed to everyone that it was all a big joke. Apparently there are many that believe Scientology is a real-life version of Hubbard's story - they think that he never had the chance to reveal the joke before he died.

Lee and Matt also mentioned that there was a big commotion in our room last night. I guess a bunch of people were drunk and threw somebody into our room. Some guys in our room got into it with them. Maybe that's how I lost my sandal!

---

Photos

a
The view from the meadow in the centre of town.

b
b

c
Home of the finest (but man-made) "peaks" in all of Switzerland!

d
A beautiful little park

e
Cool internet terminal - inside a gondola, no less! But it still doesn't explain the absurd hourly rate.

f
It was the last sex shop before the Jungfrau! That's the only reason I went inside, I swear!!!

g
The open-faced sandwiches that I had for lunch.

h
The view from the top of Harder Kulm. I can't remember if this was Lake Thun or Lake Brienz. Take your pick! The odds are 50/50 that you'll be right.

i
i

j
The famous Jungfrau is the mountain right in the middle of the picture.

k
My attempt at a postcard-esque photo.