I took an overnight night out of Rome to Milan, then 2 hour train from Milan to Spiez (in Switzerland), then on to Interlaken. Had to get to Gimmelwald (the town I stayed in) by a Gondola. I went through WSA (a new company started by Andy Steves, Rick Steves' son), and he rented out the WHOLE chalet for our group! It was sooooo cute! Our first day there, we didn't have much time to do too much skiing, so instead, a group of girls and I hiked up to the next town (where the skiing is) called Murren. Yea, a bit more intense than we expected. We were stripping layers as we walked, the sun was SO hot! The town was adorable, the epitome of a Swiss mountain town. We wondered through town, then went ice-skating then relaxed, went hot-tubbing (more like luke-warm tubbing) while being yelled at by the German woman in charge of the pool to keep rotating, then went back down. A friend and I actually decided to sled back down (like tobaggon sled) in the dark. Not the smartest decision ever. There were points where there was a drop off on on side, a concrete patch in the middle and to go around the concrete, we had to stay on the tiny strip of snow right next to the edge. Most terrifying thing EVER! But we made it back alive just in time for a dinner of cheese fondue. JUST cheese fondue. Not exactly filling, but it did the trick. After dinner, we hiked UP THE MOUNTAIN, in the dark, 1.5 hours. UP THE MOUNTAIN. When I say up, I MEAN UP! Steep hills, in the snow, parts of it all of a sudden you're up to your knees or hips in snow. I was wearing jeans and sneakers (I didn't have much snowgear). It was interesting. But we get to the point we needed to, light torches, and sled back down on our wooden sleds. 30 young adults, some of whom have been drinking, sledding down a mountain in the dark with only torches to light our way, being led by a mountain man named Oli. Again, not the smartest thing in the world, but seriously, who can say they've done that before?! It was absolutely terrifying at times (I was by myself on a sled, most people were doubled up), and when I lost the people with torches, I was flying blind, no idea if there was a drop-off next to me or in front of me. It was an adrenaline rush to say the least. The last bit I was completely blind, but it was the same place I'd sledded earlier, so I was a PRO!!! Wasn't even as scary, even though it was darker and more dangerous. I could have a future in sledding.... When we got back (around 12), not too many people were in a partying mood, so we had a couple drinks and PASSED OUT! Slept like a rock!
The next day, we woke up early to get a full day of skiing in. It was SO amazing. Hadn't skied in about 5 years, but it came back pretty fast. The first time down was slow, but after that we got the hang of it and had a blast. Got about 4 runs in, went back down to eat lunch, went back and got 2 more runs in, one of which was a RED route!! Yea, I'm a badass. Oh and guess how many times I fell?! NONE!!!! On some of the scarier parts, I went pretty slow, but still! No falls in the Swiss Alps. We went back, and I took a nap. I was out like a rock. Had a delicious dinner, had a little party, and just took it all in the rest of the night. Must say, it was a wonderful weekend.
This morning getting to the airport was also eventful. Took the Gondola to the next town down, then a bus to the train station, then the train from Interlaken to Basel (accidentally got to sit in 1st class for a while), got to Basel, took a bus to the airport, got there 15 minutes before our gate closed. Then, one of the girls was told the paper she had was not her boarding pass when we were going through security, and she had to go back. That was when panic set in. We waited for her on the other side of security, she came back, everyone allowed her to pass, and then she was stopped for things in her bag, which she just told them to pitch. When we were all through, we literally sprinted to our gate which was supposed to be closing, but oh, it was just boarding. Panicked for nothing. Oh well, at least we made it! We then had a nervous breakdown of laughter. People must have thought we were crazy. But we made it back alive! Exhausted but alive!!
I must say I don't remember the last time I was this thoroughly exhausted. Mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted from such an adrenaline, physically-challenging, nerve-racking trip, but it was one of the most amazing weekends I have ever had.
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