THE LAND BETWEEN TWO LAKES

Last weekend we took our first European vacation!!! We have some dear friends who are here only for a few months. They have been a shining example of how to take full advantage of living in Germany. They say it’s because their time is short here, but perhaps they also have a stronger “go get ‘em” spirit than we do.

Friends like this are fantastic to have, because they become a quick resource for what weekend trips are valuable and how to go about booking them. Last weekend, we were fortunate enough to hitch a ride along with our friends – who had booked a weekend in Interlaken, Switzerland.

We didn’t know much about Interlaken except for the fact that it was in the Swiss Alps and that it was a ski area in the winter. We had opted to share a “family suite” in a small hotel that put our whole group (4 adults and 1 kiddo) into interconnected private rooms that were part of the proprietor’s home.

Hubbalicious had a conference call that didn’t end until 8:00 on Friday night. So the plan was that I’d pack us up during the day, pick up a portable dinner, and we’d leave directly from the base – and arrive sometime after midnight. So, we drove up in the dark. We noticed after we crossed the Swiss border, that we could make out a few lakes and mountains as we made the drive. We laughed about how pretty we assumed it was. We got to our room at about 12:30 and dropped instantly into bed.

The next morning, we woke up slowly. I went in to take a shower and curiously glanced outside of the bathroom window. This is what I saw:

Yep – it was the cutest little Swiss Mountain Town you ever did see!! I ran in and jumped on the bed to wake up Hubbz like it was Christmas morning!! The pictures don’t even do it justice – it was like living in a movie set. Mother Nature - 1,000,000 / Industrialized World -0

We had a grand time. After a yummy hotel breakfast of strong café au lait and fresh croissants, we chose a mountain and worked our way up. The girls took the kiddo up on the gondola. The guys did a rather strenuous hike and met us at the top. While we waited for them we explored the little area up there. There was a trampoline and slide for the kiddos. There were cows (with big bells around their necks) and pigs in a field nearby. They didn’t mind at all that we walked right up to a sleeping, snoring pig and rubbed his ears. 200 yards away they had placed benches at overlook points where you could sit and enjoy the amazing view (no rails, no signs – they just assume you won’t be too dumb to sit on a bench and enjoy the view safely). We sat on a deck overlooking the valley and had some beer and snacks as we waited for the men to join us for lunch. The sun was high and the breeze was light. We couldn’t have asked for a better day!

When the guys arrived and lunch was done, we headed for the highlight of the day’s activities: The Alpine Slide – or as the kiddo called it “The Pineapple Slide”. The Alpine Slide is basically a bobsled that runs on a track in the hills. We have seen a few of them here and there – it’s kind of a summer activity to fill the time until the snow arrives. Here’s a picture:

It has a hand brake and zips along a track until you get to the bottom. This particular track had a cable that would pull you and the sled up to the top again when the ride was over. Staying on the sled at that sharp incline may have been the most challenging part of the ride!! We had a lot of fun – each adult took two rides – one with the kiddo, one without. That allowed the kid to pretty much ride for an hour straight, and the adults got to test their mettle just once, with only themselves as the possible victim of a crash (we saw no crashes all day long). I am seriously thinking that a little setup like this would be a huge moneymaker for a certain piece of property I know of in NorCal :)

When the sliding was done we decided we’d walk back down to the town together. We took the “easier” trail this time. It was well marked, and in most places paved – so something a hard-core hiker would scoff at –but it was steep enough that we spent pretty much the whole 90 minutes of leisurely walking, trying NOT to slide on the gravel – so there was a significant decline to most of the trail. It was yet another way to soak up the beauty of the Alps. So lovely!!

We spent a few hours poking around our host town. We window shopped and ate gelato (we’re going to have a serious ice cream addiction here any minute now…) Then we cleaned up and drove to Interlaken proper for a lovely outdoor dinner on the park. It just so happened that the park was a major landing site for the hundreds of paragliders we had watched soar around the sky all day – very cool!!

Sunday we poked around town a little more, and bought the souvenirs that we had been contemplating all night long :) Then packed up and headed to one of the lakeside towns. We put our toes in the water and had lunch by the lake, before driving back to home sweet hotel room.  It was a lovely weekend – and a much needed break from our routine!

**We have a Flickr account where we keep all the pictures of our adventures. We're careful about putting everything out into the ether - so if you'd like to see them, send me an email or FB message and I'll help you gain access.