Ciao, yet again, from Italy! Tomorrow marks the “one month left” date for my travels in Europe. If my detailed blog posts haven’t expressed it already, I have been fortunate to travel far and immerse myself in the Italian lifestyle. I cannot believe how much I have already done and how much adventure I still have left.
This past weekend, my travels took me to Switzerland. I have been anxiously awaiting this trip as it has been called my “adventurous trip” since I first planned it. We (my friends and I) traveled by bus and it took just under 8 hours. Our bus arrived in Switzerland at 5:00 a.m., so we slept briefly before beginning our day on Friday. We stayed at a hostel in Interlaken. This quaint city means “between two lakes” as it is right in the center of two gorgeous lakes and surrounded by white mountain peaks.
To begin our day on Friday, we woke early to travel by van to a ropes course located up in the mountains. I loved many details of this trip down to simply riding in the car and looking out the window. Once we arrived at the ropes course, we were given harnesses for the Vertical Rush challenge that we would embark on. The challenges took place in the forest near an open area with extremely high trees. We were high up in the air attached to either the tree or a rope by harness. To begin, we were pull up the tree by harness and met the “tree man” (I don’t really know what else to call him) at the top. He maneuvered our harness to the other side of the tree where we would walk across a tight rope up in the sky. I channeled my inner spirit (or whatever weird thing people do to stay focused) and walked across the rope and back successfully.
Next, we did a base jump off of the tree. It simulated a bungee jump and was exhilarating. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t fear for my life when the “tree man” said, “on the count of three you are going to jump out straight into nothing and the skinny rope tied to your back will hopefully catch you.” Okay, I sort of exaggerated what the “tree man” said, but, nevertheless it was scary.
After the base jump, we were pulled back up the tree to ride the swing. To ride the swing, we sat on a seat holding tightly onto the sides while the “tree man” adjusted our ropes. Slowly, he tightened the ropes and again gave us a three count to let go and fly forward dropping 30 meters while swinging through two trees. I love adventure and this swing definitely tested my fears. But, I am so glad that I did it. We ended the vertical rush with a long and fast zipline ride from one side of the forest to the other. This ride was very exciting, but when compared to free falling from high up in the air, it seemed like a cake walk.
Of course, we weren’t finished with the adventure yet. Next, we were trained on how-to operate the ropes course. After some practice with another “tree man”, we were left to climb and swing through the tall trees in the forest. We started with a very beginner course that was fun and cute. Feeling confident (maybe too confident), we moved onto an advanced course. Although I’d like to think I’m in pristine physical shape and could easily compete in the Hunger Games… the second course proved me wrong. Luckily, I had my dear friend Jess alongside me to motivate my tiny muscles through the course. She captured some great pictures of my sad puppy dog face hanging up in the trees but, luckily for me, she has sworn to never share any evidence. To paint a picture of me struggling through the ropes course, just imagine the worst contest on Survivor competing blindfolded with one broken arm. Although it was definitely a challenge, I made it to the finish and kissed the ground upon meeting. Please note that, although I just made the experience sound painful, it was so much fun and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Following our ropes course, we warmed up in a shed in the woods and returned to our hostel for a much deserved nap. That afternoon, we roamed the city of Interlaken to find quaint shops, chocolate stores, and several Swiss watch shops. We ended the evening early to get some much needed sleep (four hours of sleep doesn’t look good on me) and rest up for the following day. A pin drop would have been heard in the hostel that evening as were all fast asleep the moment we laid down.
The next day our adventure continued with an early morning trip to go paragliding. We left by van in the morning and stopped to change into outdoor boots and leave our belongings with the company. From there, we traveled up the mountain with our 6 pilots for the adventure. I was paired with Kurt who has been paragliding for over 20 years. (A huge sigh of relief followed this detail from Kurt.) Once we reached the top of the mountain, our pilots set up the parachutes and gave us our helmets (yes, mine did fit) and strapped us into our harnesses. The parachutes were placed in an order and Kurt decided that we should go first. Why? Because Kurt said I looked graceful. (I fooled him.)
To begin our flight, Kurt and I were attached by harness and started slowly running down the hill. Luckily, my mediocre running experience allowed me to follow Kurt’s exact directions of “do not fall down otherwise everything will get messed up.” Slowly, I could feel the parachute rising behind us. Once it was high enough, the wind from the parachute picked both Kurt and I off of the ground. From there, it was a beautiful and peaceful ride. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done in my life. After some time in the air, Kurt and I landed gracefully in a field. I couldn’t stop smiling from the experience and I wanted to immediately do it again.
After paragliding, we headed back to the hostel for a walking tour. We went on a tour of Interlaken that took us up a hiking trail with amazing views of the Jungfrau mountain peak. Like my mother and grandfather, I took too many pictures but was shameless because of the breathtaking views. That evening we went to dinner at an authentic restaurant where I had brautwurst and a hearty beer. This is not my usual menu for dinner so it was nice to make a change. The day came to an end and we were all giddy from the adventures and views we encountered that day.
On Sunday morning, we woke up early to hike to one of the lakes on the outer edge of Interlaken. It was a 30 minute walk that ended with gorgeous views of the water. In comparison to Midwest lakes, I had never seen water that blue. I could have spent the entire day there. After lots of pictures with friends, throwing sorority signs, and capturing the scenery on my camera, we left for the hostel to meet our bus for the ride home.
Of all the trips I’ve been on, I felt the most at home in Interlaken. It was a gorgeous area with a quiet peacefulness. After living in city, it was nice to get some fresh mountain air. I enjoyed every minute and absolutely want to go back in the future. Currently, I am back in classes finishing up another week of studies before I head to Paris this weekend. I am feeling like a “lucky duck” across the ocean. Please know I am sending a huge hug from Italy! Thanks, as always, for reading and being so supportive!
Ciao a tutti,
Mary Kate
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