No, it’s not a backdrop! It’s the Alps!

As you may know, I ventured to the Swiss Alps 2 weeks ago with a few friends and a large group of new friends. I went through a company called Euroadventures that takes a bus. The company is basically a bunch of guys who studied in Florence back in the day and loved it so much that they now live here and travel with students on weekends. I looked into getting to Interlaken on my own, but getting there via plane or train was just too difficult and too pricey. Speaking of price, let me preface this blog entry by saying that my adventure to the Alps was no cheap excursion. I’m still holding out on my money for now, but, Mom and Dad, I may need some assistance in the near future. Not only because of Switzerland (in fact the Swiss franc—their currency—is weaker than the dollar, which was a nice change of pace from the euro), but Europe is just pricey. I try to save money and cook and take advantage of free Bruno dinners, but I always seem to be astonished at the cash I can spend. It’s just too easy and things are too expensive. BUT, back to Switzerland. We arrived in the wee hours of Friday morning to our accommodations at Mattenhoff Resort, or more commonly known among travelers as Funny Farm. Caitlin and Laura (both of whom are on my program) were my roommates for the weekend. As we entered our room, half awake and half zombies, we B-lined for the balcony to look at our view. To our disappointment, there was nothing. What happened to the breathtaking views of the Alps that we were promised? We were quite upset, but too tired to really care. When we awoke in the morning, pulled back the curtains and took in the view, our jaws dropped! There were the Alps! Snow-covered peaks with clouds lingering between them, we could believe our eyes. We laughed at ourselves for doubting the view over our “free breakfast.” Free, yes. Breakfast, that’s questionable. It included bread, butter, jam, coffee, tea and milk. So much for thinking we were getting a great concierge breakfast, but I will admit that the bread was better than any bread I’ve tasted in Italy, and the jam wasn’t so bad either. We all stuffed our faces to avoid lunch time stomach grumbles. Friday we roamed Interlaken and got a feel for Switzerland. We also took a hike with the "resort" dog, Splif. She is a 180 lbs. St. Bernard that just hangs out, gives hiking tours when she feels like it (not kidding), and is loved by all. Thank you, parents, for everything. By everything I mean this Life at it's finest. The opportuniy to be in Europe and experience a once in a lifetime opportunity. It's truly surreal.
I am still unsure what language the locals speak. Lots of things are in German but some people spoke “swiss,” which is more or less a mix of German and French. Though I will say, Italian is sticking with me. Si, grazie, va bene and other random words and phrases are definitely a new part of my everyday vocabulary regardless of what country I am in. Friday night we went night sledding, which you may think is simply sledding in the dark. BUT, let me tell you, it is much more than that. Everyone gets a small durable, plastic sled that is made to fly! The guides take us to the top of the mountain, give us little instruction beyond how to hang on to the sled, and set us free with the crazy Swiss sledders. The slow track was more of a workout but as soon as we high the speedy slope, it was game time. Alex was my “sledding buddy” for the night. Let me clarify. Sledding buddy—one who acts a partner; person who has the responsibility of knowing your whereabouts at all times; person who notifies others if you fly off the side of the mountain and die. We took quite a few pointless pictures that don’t show the moon reflecting on the snowcapped mountains, which is typical. Once again, pictures do nothing justice. Though Alex lost his sled at one point, he survived, and we both walked away injury free (not counting my sore body the next day). Saturday morning Alex, Laura and I debated our activity for the day, but settled on paragliding. The thrill seeker in me was stoked to run off the side of a mountain, but the other part of me was pleasantly surprised when the paraglide took Nick (my flight guide) and I gliding into the air over Interlaken. It was the most relaxing “extreme sport” anyone could ever experience. You truly feel like you are soaring like a bird. If if wouldn’t have been weird I might have busted out into song—“I believe I can fly/I believe I can touch the sky/I think about it every night and day/ Spread my wings and fly away” Once again, breath taking views that pictures don’t do justice. We were done before noon and didn’t know exactly what to do with ourselves, so we went to Grindelwald (halfway up a mountain) and relaxed on a deck just taking in the beauty . It was absolutely amazing! I finished my weekend on Sunday with a nice, thrilling canyon jump. If you are saying to yourself, “That sounds extreme. What is it?” I’ll tell you. I geared up in a harness, trekked up a trail for a while, signed my life away to crazy European people, attached myself to a rope, prayed for my life, and proceeded to jump off a cliff into a gorge that is 90 meters deep. The free fall was exhilarating and I transitioned smoothly into a swing. As I swung within a narrow canyon, I thanked God for letting me live another day. It was a mad rush! People asked me to compare it to when I bungee jumped, but it’s just completely different. I would absolutely do it again. I should be getting pictures in the mail soon of my actual jump and will be sure to share them, but the picture posted here is a look down into the narrow gorge. Dad, aren't you glad I didn't tell you exactly what I was doing beforehand? Haha. I saved you the worry.
Post my thrilling jump, we headed back to Funny Farm to hang out before taking the long bus ride back to Firenze. I was less than thrilled that I had 2 assignments due Monday at noon, especially since we didn’t get back to Firenze till midnight. But you all know my motto—If you wait till the last minute, it only takes a minute. And indeed it did!
I have more to tell, as always, but midterms are this week so I will work on that later. 3500 word paper due in 13 hours, and I haven’t even taken a whack at it yet. Procrastination at its finest! Don’t worry, parents. I am still making good grades. You won’t be disappointed.
Love to all from Italia!