The answer to this question is obviously NO, but there is 1 exception. If a Swiss stranger tells you to jump off a mountain and/or canyon, YOU DO IT! This past weekend I stayed at the Funny Farm (yes, haha, laugh it up) in Interlaken, Switzerland, and I had the best time of my entire life. I pre-apologize for the length of this post, because too much happened, and it needs to be told. My goal of this is to inspire you to travel to Switzerland.... And to express my love for Interlaken and Grindelwald, so that my parents are not surprised when I move there after college.
Day 1: Paragliding over the Swiss Alps
I love this man. His name is Peach, and he's the best flier in all of Switzerland.
Reasons why I love him:
1) He told me I'm "pute", have pretty eyes, & could be on TV. (He could tell my dreams from just looking at me!)
2) He gave me this sexy suit to wear, when all the other biddies got black or grey ensembles.
3) He called me Amanda Panda (I got a nickname, so obviously that means I'm special.)
But anyway, paragliding was amazing. We had to drive 20 minutes up a mountain, and then hike 10 minutes to the top of a hill. Once attached to the pilot and the parachute, you both have to run down the hill until the wind picks you up, & you FLY! Now, try and picture the action of running down the hill in that puffy suit, attached to a stranger, with a large butt pouch hanging from your rear. It was a quick waddle that I wish I had on camera. My friend Britni went before me and had a false start. Her pilot and her waddled down, got picked up a foot, and then dropped by the wind. After the incident, her pilot dragged her in her marshmallow outfit and butt pouch up the hill. I almost peed my pants.
Let's talk about the flying! Once Peach and I got into the air it was UNREAL. Everything looked like a picture, and I didn't even feel like I was moving. We got close to the mountain to where we could almost touch the trees, and as we did that a few mountain GOATS starting hopping along. I love goats. It was so precious. We did spiral tricks when we landed, and I tripped on the ground. It was a breathtaking experience that everyone should try. Even for those who are afraid of heights, you don't feel like anything is real or like you're even in the air. It's just like you're floating through a painting. (Deep stuff, right?)
Day 1 night: Bonfire with the Swiss
Everyone was being ultra-LAME the first night, but not Britni & me! We went to the bar in the lobby of the Funny Farm called the Lounge (it was so sophisticated), to grab a nice tall, blonde, Swiss German ale. In the process, we became besties with the bartenders Johnny (a Denmark-ian, or Danish, whichever your prefer) and Roger (South Afrika!). Johnny is so nice and signed postcards for us, and Roger is a sassy South African with a crazy laugh. They refilled our brews for free and made fun of the other people staying in the hostel with us (so it was only natural we'd become friends). The Lounge closed at 1 A, and Roger invited us to a bonfire in the back of the Funny Farm.
I can honestly say this was one of the most fun nights of my entire life. There were only 7 of us, and we built a huge bonfire in the middle of 6 inches of snow. They taught us how to say some words in Sveess German like "Arss"(ass), "Shizah"(the s word), and "ape-al joo-oose" (apple juice). We made fun of the fact that How I Met Your Mother and Spongebob are in dubbed in Swiss German on he TV, and we played a log game that resembled something from MXC. I fell in the snow 4 times, because it was so dang slippery, but the fire was so toasty I was never cold.
As we said our farewells and headed back inside, I had my first extreme intercultural communication experience. Rog said goodbye and then added "you guys are a bunch of good see you next tuesdays". Yeah, what the hey! Brit and I were like OH NO HE DIDN'T (snap, snap, arms folded). Then he apologized when he remembered that is not an appropriate word for Americans. Apparently in South Africa and Australia, a good see you next tuesday is a good friend. We didn't really believe him, but according to Google it's true (& if Google says it's true, it must be, der).
That night I made soo many memories I will never forget. Who else goes to Switzerland, and actually chills with Swiss people (don't acknowledge the fact that Johnny & Roger are not Swiss). This is the first place in Europe where I feel I could actually belong, and I don't feel scared to say I'm American, because of the discrimination that usually comes along with it. Viva La Switzerland!
Day 2: Canyon Jumping
Before I tell you my experience, I will inform you on what canyon jumping actually is. It resembles bungie jumping, but you can only canyon jump in two canyons in the world: one in Interlaken, Switzerland and one in New Zealand (of course they said Interlaken has the scarier one, because the canyon is so narrow). You are attached to a rope and harness at your midsection and then jump and free fall over 300 ft. When you think you are about to hit the stream and rocks below you, you turn into a backstroke position and swing hundreds of feet horizontally within the canyon.
To get to the canyon, Marc (the awesome instructor man) had to drive us 25 minutes up a mountain before we had to to hike 20 minutes to the top. It's supposed to take 10 to 15 minutes, but I wore the slipperiest shoes in the world! Marc and Ziggy (the harness man) had to literally carry me and piggy back me up the mountain.
Brit and I were hysterically laughing from this experience; it made us forget we were even jumping to our possible deaths. Once at the platform, I signed my life alway and prepared to jump. I was not really nervous until I slipped on the snow of the platform and almost fell off of it. Ziggy caught me just in time. As I caught my footing, I looked down for about 45 seconds. That is the WORST thing you could do in this situation. Staring down over 300ft, I almost pooped myself! As a raging panic attack erupted inside of me, I bunny hopped off the platform.
The free fall was intense! I cannot even describe the feeling it gave me; there are no words. It was just AMAZING. The swinging back and forth after the fall was so peaceful. You lay on your back, swing hundreds of feet, and take in everything around you. There were hundreds of icicles on the canyon walls that looked between 30 and 50 ft long. The Swiss Alps and sunshine were poking through the top of the canyon. The snow covered stream below was breathtaking. It has been almost a week, & I still cannot get over the fact that I did this and the feeling it gave me.
The rest of Switzerland:
Since I completely fell in love with Switzerland, it is only natural that I fell in love with a Swiss person, right? The second night I met a guy named Dom. He is 22, in the Swiss Army, had some of the best teeth in all of Switzerland (that is the country's one downfall), and spoke funny English. Unfortunately, I will never see this fellow again, as I may never see Switzerland again.
I am not high on life. I am high on Switzerland. I stalk my pictures everyday, and wish I was still there. There are so many things to do, and if you don't want to do anything, you can just sit on a bench for hours staring in amazement at the Alps all around you. I advise anyone who reads this to go once in your life. Even if you can't afford it (It is the most ridiculously expensive place! It's minimum wage is 20 Swiss Francs, and that's like $23.), go. There are no words to describe it, and no pictures can give it justice.
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