Wise words spoken from Rick Steves- the man, the legend, the travel guru. It's been about two weeks since I've returned from a fantastic trip to Switzerland, but have yet to update my blog.
My friend Carly, her roommate Delia and I ventured to Switzerland for 7 days during one of our first but not the last paid vacations. We took the scenic TGV ride to Geneva, a beautiful city with evident french influence located on Lake Geneva- the town itself was picturesque. A clean, fresh city on a lake, with the Alpes only a short distance away. Can you say perfection? Switzerland is known for, among other things, their delicious chocolate and gruyere cheese. Oh, and their incredibly affluent economy. With that being said, it cost an arm and a leg to travel and stay throughout Switzerland, but it was worth every swiss franc. With lived off of bread, cheese and chocolate for a week (the cheapest food we could get our hands on) while exploring and experiencing Switzerland.
Geneva was gorgeous- the architecture, the shops, the people, everything. We were able to speak french to most people, despite the difference in accents, but for the most part, people could understand what we were attempting to say. We stayed in Geneva for two nights, explored the town thoroughly, and took an endless amount of photos.
Next stop: Gimmewald. For those traveling fiends out there, you may be familiar with Rick Steves. His funny and informative travel books guide you through not only a place, but an experience. Thankfully, Rick Steves absolutely adored Switzerland, and Gimmewald in particular. We took 2 trains, 2 buses and a very steep gondola to reach the tiny town of Gimmewald. Located in the heart of the Alpes, the isolated town, population 80, had just finished tourist season. We stayed at this fantastic hostel, recommended by Rick Steves, obviously, named Mountain Hostel. The log cabin catered to hikers was unreal: the front porch overlooked the beautiful landscape and the gorgeous mountains. I have never in my life seen mountains so vast- there were only a few other hikers staying at the hostel, seeing as how it was quite a random time to take a vacation to Gimmewald. There was no grocery store in the town, so we hiked to Murren, the next town up to fetch the necessities: pasta, cheese and of course, wine. The hike to the grocery store was stunning- a good indication of what the next 3 days had in store. We stayed in Gimmewald for 3 days, never wanting the sun to set. The trails were mapped very clearly, so a trail map was not needed. We were told which trails to take, and the ones that had the best view, and we set out. Over the 3 days, we did so much hiking and walking our legs felt like jelly. One afternoon, we took this one trail that was entirely uphill the entire way- after 3 hours of what felt like stair master, we called it quits and turned around just in time before the sun began to creep behind the mountains. We were able to cook our own meals in the hostel, which we did for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The hostel also had a restaurant attached to it, which tended to the locals on a regular basis. Each night, Petra and Walter's (the hostel owners) friends would come for beer and to play their accordions. We met this one man, who spoke Gimmewaldian (a mixture of french and german, aka the most bizzarre language I have ever heard) who attempted to tell us jokes in english and sing us traditional swiss songs. After a few pints of beer, we all turned in to our tightly packed rooms, ready for the next day. We were planning to go to Schilthorn, one of the highest peaks of the Alpes, reaching nearly 10,000 feet. While we were told it was possible to hike to the peak, there was no way that was happening. So, we took the gondola at a discounted price, thankfully, and slowly began the ascent to the very top. Once we got there, Carly, Delia and I were speechless: it looked like we were literally on top of the world. I felt like I was looking at a postcard- the sights and the mountains were not real. We were able to see the next towns over, as well as the other high peaks. After a million photos and a cup of hot chocolate in the revolving restaurant, we took the gondola back down before the altitude took a toll on us. We were in Gimmewald for 3 days and desperately wanted to stay longer. We met these two guys in our hostel who had both been there since the summer- they were traveling and stopped in Gimmewald and just never left. They work for the hostel now and in exchange, stay there for free. My photos and description do not do the town justice- the breathtaking views, the sound of the cowbells, and the local flavor are all things you have to experience.
After a sad goodbye to our new favorite little town, we ventured back down the gondola, took a bus and 2 more trains, and traveled to our final destination: Lucerne. Much like Geneva, Lucerne was located on a lake, with the Alpes as a nice backdrop. Lucerne, influenced by german culture as opposed to french, was a gorgeous city with that same clean and rich feeling as Geneva. We stayed in a great hostel in Lucerne, explored the city, ate a ton of chocolate, and indulged in a traditional meal of gruyere fondue (which cost an absurd amount but then again, we were in Switzerland).
As a whole, Switzerland was an amazing place to visit. I would go back in a heartbeat and could honestly live there. France is wonderful, but Switzerland had a special something, that je ne sais quoi- all of my favorite things were within reach: city, lake and mountains. We were gone for one full week, but I could've stayed longer. Carly, Delia and I discussed how we cannot wait to go back to Gimmewald during the winter (the ski season there is huge), and how once we are reach and famous, we'll all have fabulous apartments in Geneva or Lucerne, with of course, our vacation houses in the Alpes.
After Les Toussaints vacation, it was back to "reality." We celebrated a very french Halloween, and returned to our strenuous jobs (ha). Surprisingly, all my babies remembered what I had taught them before the break. Well, for the most part that is.
I still can't believe I've been here for almost two months- it feels like I have been here for so much longer because I have done so much already. The next thing I'm looking forward to: Thanksgiving. I'll be making two Thanksgivings, one with french mama, Chantal at her place, and one with all my friends. I am stoked because Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday back home. It would feel weird to not celebrate such a feast. So, during the upcoming week and a half, I will be running around, collecting ingredients and figuring out how to cook using the metric system. Again, another adventure I am looking forward to....
Bisous!
