Between two lakes #2

Arrival

After enjoying a beautifully enjoyable day in the capital city, Bern, I had taken the train and made my way to the town of Interlaken while the skies were still lit. The train ride from Bern to Interlaken ouest station took about fifty minutes. In the meantime I enjoyed a chit chat with a German backpacker couple who were doing their own Eurotrip. They were crossing through Interlaken to meet some mates. We talked about the beauty of Switzerland, sights to see, good places to travel to within Europe and the different mountain ranges.

As the train stopped, we said our goodbyes and departed. They entered into a car while I waited for my bus. Things got interesting for me pretty quickly.

As many of us know, Switzerland is not part of the EU. It enjoys some economic and visa benefits but is still not officially part of the EU (a deal shared by other European countries like Norway and Denmark). Recently, the European Union as a whole passed a law that allowed all roaming charges within EU member states to be completely dropped.

Armed with this knowledge, I had been using a Spanish sim card which I freely used previously in France. Unfortunately, I had forgotten this fact even though I didn’t use 4g in Bern. I spent the next thirty minutes trying to reach any wifi I could get my hands on. Two of them had not been working due to sim card technicalities. I then shamelessly asked (but mostly desperately as it was getting dark) for the wifi password from one of the cafes. The waiter was much obliged and I figured out which bus to take. Good start to this trip.

Interlaken isn’t exactly its own city. It's a town , part of the Bernese area. The initial feel was definitely that of a town. However, it seemed to be a popular destination as I was surrounded by Chinese, Russians and several German tourists. Fun fact that may be obvious to some, the reason why the town was named Interlaken is because it was between (Inter) lakes (laken).

The Lake Lodge area

Once my bus arrived, I grabbed my trusty backpack and stepped inside. The weather turned sour but it was a pretty warm summer’s day. The bus took a few turns and was already out of the town. We took a very narrow path that afforded a spectacular view of one of the two lakes of Interlaken, Lake Brienz. The reason I was heading there was because I booked my hostel in a lodge just off the shores of Brienz.

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More than once we had difficulty getting there as the road was very narrow and cars trying to get to the town caused a bit of a problem. Regardless to say, we had tense moments where the bus seemed like it was going to scrape another car. However, the bus driver exerted confidence as he skillfully maneuvered through this precarious path. After what felt like a lifetime, we finally made it to our destination.

We were dropped off at a beautiful small town. It really felt like being dropped off in Swiss Paradise. The townsquare was only meters from the beautiful green and blue lake. The houses were all wooden cottages, like something out of a Swiss history book. At the time I visited there was a town festival at the centre celebrating Swiss national day. I managed to reach the festival’s main performance just before it started.

The festival

There was a small barbeque going in the main area of the festival. There had been also plenty of little stalls selling Swiss food and desserts. Some sold hats and candles for children to enjoy. At the centre of the area there was a main stage and next to it an open area, both used for the performance.

It began with a traditional Swiss dance by four women dressed in Dirndl traditional clothing. They danced to Swiss folk music for about ten to fifteen minutes until we had the marching band performing. A group of men and women stood in a semicircle. It began with the cautious thrumming of drumsticks against the drum, it slowly accelerated until it reached crescendo and a spectacular performance played on for several songs I could not recognise.

After the marching band took a break, the next performers were on. It was a smaller group of the original marching band but the stars of the show were three alphorn playing individuals. It had been the first time I had ever seen that instrument at work and it's pretty much part of many Swiss stereotypes along with yodeling. Nevertheless, the pitch was very low and full. It was almost therapeutic listening to them in action. The performance ended with three highschool students looking musicians strumming three acoustic guitars.

After that, the mayor or leader or whomever that official person had been was giving a speech. I imagined it was something about commemorating the day. She spoke fully in Swiss so I couldn’t really catch the gist of what she was talking about. Regardless, I stuck around as I wanted to get a better idea of how the Swiss language sounded like.

Before the ceremony started concluding, I decided to make my way to my hostel. After a five minute trek walking just meters away from the turquoise waters, I finally made it to my home for the night.

Lake Lodge

I had seen my lodge when booking it online, but I had not imagined it to be as pretty as it did. The lodge was three floors high of chestnut colored wood. The ground floor was painted a tasted yellow that complimented the front garden. The garden sported a couple of large potted plants and trees. It was very inviting to lie down on in the sun after my long journey. The top two levels had windows peppered around with each having its own balcony which displayed a mini garden.

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After wasting enough time staring at the place I decided to go in. I’m immediately greeted with a cliched world map where people pin the places they are originally from. Unable to resist this cliche, I put up my pin and head over to the reception. The hostel has a large common room covered in tables, seats and sofas. Many backpackers were lounging about reading books and charging their phones. Apparently the wifi is only accessible from the main room. So like flies to a fire (I was also one of those flies). The room was connected to a kitchen area with a fully stocked kitchen and complimentary coffee and teas. They even had a box where all those that had previously left can give it off to future backpackers. The other small room had a t. v and multiple films in CDs to watch. It also included a little library which were mostly translation books and tourist rituals for dummies’ type of books.

I was greeted by a friendly receptionist with a warm smile. We juggled with conversations about points of interests and places to eat. After getting that down, I purchase a Swiss adapter, pay for my book then head off to my room.

My room wasn’t exactly a room, per se, but a large outdoor pyramidic tent with a round base. When I booked an outdoor tent, I expected a wooden structure that resembled more like a little house than a tent (which was the case with a past experience). I hesitantly made my way to the tent and zipped it open. I was greeted by a cheerful backpacker from America. We chit chatted for a bit as I unpacked, she mentioned how she was in Switzerland for the week while her mate was visiting another country of their choice and they were about to meet. I reckon it was a pretty good deal for backpackers mates with different interests but wanted to continue travelling together.

I finished unpacking the essentials and left for a quick shower. After a warm wash, I head back and drop off my stuff. At this point it was almost pitch black at night. I told myself I would plan the day early in the morning tomorrow. So, I grabbed my book and charger and head to the main room. I had saved some crackers and Swiss cheese for dinner. Thirty minutes into my relaxing period I heared some commotion outside. Just as I headed out, I saw some fireworks lighting up the dark sky. I heard the cries of surprise and excitement from locals and backpacker sitting in the sandy bar by the lake, just opposite the hostel. I quickly make my way there and found a comfortable spot to watch. The fireworks were spectacular. For a small town they hadn’t cut costs when it came to their explosive entertainment. The fireworks were being shot from two boats deeper into the lake. Every explosion lit up the almost pitch black valley.

That is also worth noting that this area is sparsely inhabited which meant that most of it was utterly dark from inactivity. The lake was almost completely surrounded by mountains, so every explosion lit up the sky and surrounding area, showcasing the spectacular landscape. The whole scene felt surreal, it was definitely one of my favourite moments in Switzerland. After about thirty minutes, with a couple of minutes break in between, the spectacular show was over almost as fast as it had begun. Since I was wearing only a shirt and jeans, I quickly realised how cold it gets next to a lake in this type of closed box humid landscape.

So I went back inside to the warmth of the lounge and continued reading my abandoned book. Less than five minutes later I heared the thrumming of drums. I headed outside and spot some torch wielding locals marching through the narrow street. I soon realised there were several dozens of them. Their flaming torches and drum beats illuminated the night. It would have seemed as if a witch hunt were about to commence if it weren’t for all the smiles and cheers. They must have been watching the fireworks from the lakeside centre where the performances of earlier had initially begun. It was a sight to see in the darkness. They must have been walking to the nearby town less than a ten minute walk away.

Nothing is more satisfying than having an unplanned day turn out so dynamic with so much to see and experience. I promised myself to enjoy some nice swiss chocolate for brekkie and a fun day ahead. I grabbed my two time abandoned book and headed off back to my tent to enjoy my not too comfortable stretcher that they call a bed. Budget travelling, not exactly the living on the lap of luxury.

Day at Interlaken

I started the day pretty early, I couldn’t really enjoy a nights sleep on my stretcher bed. Next time I’ll definitely pay the extra ten euros. I packed my smaller travel pack with water and leftover snacks, hid my bag under my blanket (Pro backpacker strategy) and planned today in the main hall. I didn’t spend much time as the Lake Lodge didn’t provide brekkie. So soon after brushing my chops I went to the small town, five minutes down the road. As you can imagine, this small town only has very periodic bus circulation. So I was forced to enjoy the beautiful sun by the glimmering lake. I ended up going into the post-office that doubles as a a small supermarket and grabbed some Swiss pastries I can’t pronounce to power me through the first hours of the day.

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Fifteen minutes later the bus finally arrives and I jump on, pumped for a day of sightseeing.

The bus dropped me off right next to the station I originally came from. Today promised to be a beautifully clear day. The first thing I decided to do was also the most spectacular one on my list: Harder Kulm. This is the name given to the sightseeing platform found high above Interlaken. You’ll need to buy a ticket for the funicular to get to it where you are afforded majestic views of Interlaken and the whole mountain range. They also have an amazing restaurant which I fully enjoyed on that beautiful day. (If you’re curious to read in detail how this place was one, if not the most spectacular views I’ve seen in Europe, check out Harder Kulm in my profile under ‘places to see’. ).

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The town

After soaking in the views, I returned back to earth and into the small town of Interlaken. I decided to spend the rest of the day exploring the little town. Checking all the little stores, a couple of cafes and some souvenir shops. I also enjoyed simply sitting by the crystal blue waters while enjoying my book. There were quite a few tourists and families running around, but it seemed overall like a quiet day, not too busy after the celebrations of Swiss national day. Interlaken is one of those fairy tale types of towns you should leave mostly unplanned. Let the magic of the place grip you as you travel to and fro from street to cafe. There were some areas where you had the lake flowing through very narrow rivers and stream. There was something magical about this light topaz colored water. Drinking the water here also seemed much more delicious and refreshing from what I’m used to. I enjoyed a delectable strawberry and mango Swiss roll for an appetiser at a bakery before hitting a restaurant.

I picked a place to eat at random, so unfortunately I can’t recommend you the place with a name. However, the food there was spectacular. I basically had a cheese overdose. I tried their Malakoff which is basically a large fried cheese ball along with some fondue with an assortment of goodies to dip into it. The quality of the cheese was sublime. Something definitely worth trying during your next visit to Switzerland.

After a long day of exploring and relaxing before the next stressful travel day, I grabbed my bus in the evening and returned to my lodge. I spent the rest of the evening in the cozy outdoor bar in front of the lodge with my book and plans for the next few days.

The next morning I packed up and left early in the morn to catch my train. I went back into the small town to grab some pastries and snacks for the train. I caught the bus straight to my station, and from there I caught one of several trains to get to my next destination, Parma, Italy!

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