The Secret Ingredient Is: Happy Cows!

Day: 93
Km travelled: 183.5km
Steps: 12,645
Location: Interlaken, Switzerland

December 8, 2017

93 days in, I was approaching the end of the first part of my trip.  With a return home looming, Tired of paying to use the washroom, I longed for a comfortable bed and a change of clothes.  I was also anxious to reunite with friends and family, my never wavering support network without whom I would be lost.  Throw in the holidays into the mix and I was showing the early signs of travel fatigue.  Could I really keep this up for another 8 months?  I knew when I start to ask those questions that I am venturing close to the edge of a precipice.  Yet how do I shake it off?  Hopeful that some mountain fresh air would do me good, I set off towards Interlaken, a town ruffly halfway between Geneva and Zürich.

Interlaken is one of Switzerland’s  oldest tourist resorts and remains one of its most popular.  Even after a short visit, its clear why.   Nestled 566m above sea level between Lake Brienz & Lake Thun, Interlaken is a traveller’s paradise.  The entire town is walkable under an hour and its the main transport gateway to the mountains and lakes of the region.  The entire town has 23,300 inhabitants and interestingly enough, 26% of the population are foreign nationals.  I could see the lure of the place…. maybe it’s something to consider…..

When I pictured Switzerland in December, I pictured a snowy paradise.  A cold one, but still a paradise.   To my surprise, the grass was green!  Don’t get me wrong, it was beautiful!  Stepping off the train, I took a deep breath in, *inhale* & vowed that things would be looking up, *exhale*.

My first sign that positive thoughts are a catalyst for positive outcomes was the taxi driver that brought me to my hotel.  I usually try to stick to public transportation as a more cost effective way of traveling, however I had mixed up my arrival train stations (there are two in town) and felt a little disoriented and stressed.  Ultimately, this shouldn’t have been a big deal as I’m well equipped with a data plan on my mobile and am able to look up walking direction or bus schedule.  Long story short, I took a cab.  Arriving at my hotel, the driver carried all my suitcases (yes, I have more than one now….shhhhhh…. no comments) inside!  What a sweetheart!. 

The second indication that this was going to be a magical time was the hotel.  Having booked a week prior, which was early for me yet late for the tourist season in Switzerland for this time, I y couldn’t remember exactly what I had booked.  Was this a sketchy hotel?  Was this the one with the reviews about cobwebs in the corners or the one about the drunken reception staff?  Turns out, it was neither!  The clerk at reception greeted me kindly and professionally and then escorted me personally to my room to ensure that everything was satisfactory.  Whenever I open the door to my new accommodations, I tend to hold my breath a little, because you honestly never know what you are going to get.  Lo and behold, this room had 2 beds!  Technically it was 3 as one of the beds was actually two twin beds pushed together (this is common from my experience).  It also had closets, a large writing desk, a shelf for luggage, lights over the bed (don’t ask me why but the last few places I’ve stayed had extremely poor lighting – try Skyping home in the dark!) and a table with 2 chairs.  

And the kicker?  A balcony with a spectacular view of the Harder Klum (1,321 m), Interlaken’s very own mountain!  I was so excited I immediately tried to video chat with anyone I thought would answer  and luckily my dad answered.  Though not the Hilton, I nonetheless showed off my sweet digs for the next couple of days.

Feeling more energetic that I had in days, I set off on foot to explore.  I wasn’t getting anywhere in a hurry, as every few steps I had to stop and take photos.  I was on such a quest to capture an amazing shot that I didn’t notice precisely where I was stepping. 

What a thought was a dirt patch between two cement sidewalk sections turned out to be some type of muddy sinkhole.  I was two steps in when I suddenly found myself sunk down to my shins in cold, wet, heavy mud.  When I tried to quickly life my left foot up to retreat, I found that I couldn’t.  I was stuck.  I tried the right foot, no luck.  The mud was acting like quick dry cement and had completely encased my boots.  I actually checked to make sure I hadn’t accidentally walked on wet cement.  That’s also when I saw the caution tape that covered the three other sides of this death trap.  The only side not blocked off,was obviously the side I chose to enter.   It took 15 minutes digging with my bare hands and bracing myself on the lip of the sideway to pry my feet from their stubborn prison.  I seriously thought that my boot would not be leaving with me and would forever stay as a warning sign to other distracted walkers.  Having freed myself, I now faced the walk back to the hotel with several inches of mud caked onto my feet and lower leg.  Luckily, I remembered that I always bring a small package of kleenex in my bag!  Hooray!  And then I remembered that had left it in the room.  Using leaves on the ground, I scraped off as much as I could and attempted to wash my hands in the itty bitty snow patch on the ground.  Walking back, all I could do was laugh!  Seriously, what else could I do?  It was a stupid move but no significant harm was done!  I would wash my jeans and attempt to salvage my footwear.   The expression “don’t sweat the small stuff” came into my head.  

This was what I was trying to photograph during the sinkhole incident.

I was still laughing as I rinsed off layers of mud.  Luckily, I had signed up for a Swiss chocolate making workshop just as this happened and left my dirty mess for later.  Switzerland is world famous for its milk chocolate and, in a former life, baking brought me great joy, so this seemed like a perfect activity.  And boy did Funky Chocolate Club deliver! Started by two university friends in 2014, this chocolate shop oozes a fun, funky vibe.  Excited 20 something’s squeal with delight upon discovering the shop’s many unique chocolate confections.  They offer daily workshops and by happy coincidence, they still had room left on the day I arrived.  Our chocolatier, Vladimir was fun and energetic and walked us through the process of creating 3 chocolate bars.  We had the option of choosing dark chocolate, which is full of antioxidants and good for the heart, or milk chocolate, the sinfully sweet Swiss speciality.  I’ll let you guess which one I chose.

Vladimir even let us in on the secret to Swiss chocolate: happy cows.  That’s right, happy cows.  Swiss chocolate is milk chocolate, which basically means milk has been added to the coco/sugar mixture.  As cows in the country are extremely happy to be Swiss, this is the magical ingredient that makes chocolate produced here some of the best in the world.   Happily we had ample opportunity to sample the country’s favourite export.

My handmade Swiss chocolate, still in the moulds. 

I ended the day in the most Swiss way possible: by eating fondue!  Hot bubbling Gruyère cheese with all the traditional fixings.  A perfect end to a perfect Swiss day!

When I awoke the next day, it was as if I’d been transported into another world, one pulled right from my very dreams.  My Swiss haven! Fluffy white snow blanketed the ground and completely transformed the landscape.  See for yourself!  

  The view from my room the next day.  A good example of a travel life lesson:  Everything can change in a day.  Best to make each day count.

It’s clear to see from the smile on my face that Interlaken was good for the soul.