Interlaken: JD and the Charlie Horse

Interlaken was incredible. The bears of Bern LOVED our cameras, especially Alice's. They also loved the sandwiches brought out by tourists to entice them, which Alice and JD strategically stood beside. Everyone climbed a... very large hill... in Bern. While we were unable to swim in a lake in Interlaken due to cold, rainy weather, the horses we rode did go in the water. Yes, horses! You are all so excited now... more on that below. One morning when the four travellers woke up Alice and JD were wearing complementary clothing while Ash and Britt were wearing the same pyjama pants. Totally unintentional, we all still swear. Jungfrau was even more beautiful than we could have anticipated - a great way to spend Britt's birthday.

Where we stayed: In a lovely hostel located next to a river and nestled between mountains. It was a bit confusing due to the fact that the building had three names: Bellevue Hotel, AlpLodge Backpackers, and Riverside Bar. Our window overlooked a rushing river which invoked various responses: for some, a constant need to pee, for others, a constant feeling like we were on a river raft. For Alice`s last two nights we all had a sleepover together! The hostel also had a full kitchen and a rooftop patio which was great for cooking our own meals, drooling over other peoples' meals and making new friends.

What we ate: A traditional Swiss meal during our day trip to Bern, including cheese fondue, mushrooms in cream sauce with rosti and meatballs and mashed potatoes. The cheese fondue was also served with an assortment of pickles, onions, tomatoes, peaches and radish. Note: these are not meant to be dipped in cheese... if you try to do this a waiter will politely teach you how to eat fondue. We also had delicious street meat at the Interlaken train station after learning that grocery stores close even earlier there than in Zurich. Once this lesson was learned, we bought an assortment of grocery store food for the rest of our meals, with the exception of a fancy dinner out at an Indian restaurant for Britt's birthday.

What we drank: Beer and wine from the grocery store, Swiss of course! We also purchased a very large bag of hot chocolate... when in Switzerland!

What we did: A day trip slash stop over in Bern en route to Interlaken. Our five hour stopover allowed us to spend ample time with and to take ample photos of the bears, climb up a hill for a view, and walk around the Old Town. It also allowed Alice time to find a 6 swiss franc bathing suit at H & M, that`s right, 6 swiss francs! Not that anybody would know what a swiss franc is, but it is roughly equivalent to the Canadian dollar. When we got to Interlaken it was sunny, allowing us a beautiful view of the mountains. Luckily we took many mountain photos that day as the next day when we woke up (at 5:15 a.m. to check the weather before deciding whether or not to take off to JungFrauJoch), it was raining. And overcast. It remained this way for a full day so we decided to a) catch up on this blog and b) ride horses! Horse back riding had mixed reviews. JD: It was a pain in the butt (literally). Alice: I loved every minute of it. It was wonderful. It was magical. I want to ride horses for the next seven hours. Britt: Oh my God, what if I drop my camera? What if my horse decides to take a dip in the lake, will the passports get ruined? What if our guides are leading us out into the middle of nowhere for slaughter? Ashley: We didn't sign a waiver, so we must be safe. This is so beautiful! Questions unanswered from horse back riding: Why didn`t they give us instructions on how to use the horse... was it because they couldn't speak English? How do you deal with a hungry horse? (JD's horse Charlie was a bottomless pit, feeding on greenery along the way and often leading JD astray.) Why are Britt and Ash chained to the tour guides while Alice and JD get to roam free? (Britt and Ash had horse envy.) The next day Ash, Britt and JD said farewell to their love Alice and hopped on a series of trains up to Jungfraujoch, aka the top of the world, aka Europe's highest railway station, aka, on the same mountain range where a James Bond movie was filmed. Besides the view, the most spectacular thing about Jungfraujoch is that it allowed Britt to fulfill one of her lifelong dreams of skiing on the alps, on her birthday, no less. Ash is already plotting how to top that birthday for Britt next year.

Lessons learned: When it is sunny, do everything. The sun may not return again for another week. Make sure to check that the chocolates you want to buy at the fancy chocolate shop are not available at the grocery store for three swiss francs less, before you buy them. When a beer spills, don`t pick it up upside down. This will not stop the spillage.

Saddest moment of our journey: When Alice found a hat on the ground in Bern, wore the hat all day, then forgot the hat on the train to Interlaken. She still hasn't recovered from the loss of the hat. She may never recover.

Questions for Munich:

1) Will JD, Britt and Ash be able to function without their co-blogger, co-pilot, partner-in-crime and German teacher, Alice? We will MISS YOU ALICE!

2) Will JD, Britt and Ash find Christie and Drew in Munich?... will they be hungover for their flight home after drinking away a night in a beer garden?

3) Will Alice find her missing hat?

4) Will everyone make it home without a single bed bug bite or lice? They`ve slept at a lot of hostels and borrowed a lot of random head gear.

Stay tuned!

Our motto: Everyone needs a good co-pilot.

Photos and text contributed by JABA.