This past week was exam week and luckily, my only exam was on Tuesday morning providing a nice open window of time for traveling. So my friend and I decided to use this opportunity to head to Switzerland! As much as I love living in the city and appreciate how flat the landscape is for biking, I had been really missing the mountains that I am surrounded by at my home school. So what better cure than a getaway to the home of one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the world: The Swiss Alps. I can honestly say there were multiple times throughout the trip that my breath was taken away by the landscape. The colors were so dramatic and the vastness of the mountain range was overwhelming. On top of all this natural beauty, we also were able to enjoy some incredible Swiss chocolates and cheese, including fondue!
The first day we arrived we were met with rain, but luckily one of the workers at the hostel recommended we explore the St. Beatus caves which turned out to be an amazing trip! We paid for a tour guide who walked us through the caves and told us of various Swiss legends about St. Beatus and how he supposedly defeated a dragon that once resided in the caves. We also went to a beautiful outdoor thermal pool (and happened to be the only people under the age of 50 in it) which was incredibly relaxing. The next day we set out on the Harder Klume hike, a popular trail that leads to the highest point in Interlaken. The hike was steep and difficult but the views from the top, and scattered throughout the hike were unquestionably worth our heavy breathing. This hike also provided some fantastic fall foliage which I was so happy to see as I have been really missing the classic New England fall. On Friday, we set our sites a bit higher and took a train to the Jungfrau region which is known as the 'Top of Europe.' The train ride alone was incredible, featuring views of cascading waterfalls and never-ending mountain ranges. After we reached the base of Jungfrau we began our hike which offered different views than the day before because we were now in the region of snowcapped mountains I’m so glad I was able to visit this beautiful country! Pictures below:
Lindsey Foster
<p>"It feels good to be lost in the right direction" </p>
<p>Leading a dangerously caffeine dependent life and learning as much as I can wherever I go. </p>
<p>University of Massachusetts Amherst ---> University of Amsterdam </p>
