When in Interlaken; do as everybody else does… throw yourself
off a cliff.
This
seemed to be the theme of this weekend’s excursion to Interlaken, Switzerland; the
mecca of extreme outdoor sports. From skydiving, paragliding and canyon jumping
to skiing and snowboarding in the Alps, options for adrenaline junkies were endless.
As soon as I heard there was paragliding
over the Swiss Alps, I knew I had to do it! The adventure began with a short
but beautiful ride from Interlaken and up to the mountains. From there, we
grabbed all of our paragliding gear and walked a few minutes to our jump off
point. Once helmeted, strapped into the appropriate gear and
parachute prepped, my tandem professional paragliding partner and I were ready
to fly. I was given the instruction to literally just run down and off the side of the mountain
we were on, while connected to various pieces of equipment and the parachute,
of course. I found myself aloft in a matter of seconds, gliding above the
hills, mountains and lakes below, while completely comfortable sitting in what felt like a lounge chair.
Connected to my tandem partner, who was
seated behind me, controlling our ascents, descents, speed and overall
elevation, I was left to absorb the breathtaking sights and witness an
experience that I could have never dreamed of. The vision of the three highest
peaks in all of the Alps – the stunning, snow-capped Jungfrau, Monch and Eiger
– right in front of us, the spectacular aqua-blue waters of Lake Thun and Lake
Brienz just below and jaw-dropping vistas in every direction we turned, I was
in complete awe. Honestly, I cannot say enough. The adventure was one that I
will never forget and I cannot recommend enough.
The rest of my weekend was spent
exploring the quaint little town of Interlaken. Picturesque is too little a word to
describe this idyllically located village nestled between Lake Thun and Lake
Brienz.
The beauty and majesty of the Swiss Alps
is absolutely unreal. While hiking one day, I was struck by how glassy the
lakes were. With a beautiful coral color, they were so clean and clear you could
see right through to the rocks and pebbles. This made for stunning reflections
of the vibrant green hills and rocky mountains towering above the peaceful
scenery.
We wandered. Learned about the making of
Swiss chocolate. Ate a lot of Swiss chocolate. Enjoyed a simple, but divine breakfast
every morning consisting of coffee with homemade bread and jam. We relaxed and played a great deal of card games and pool in our hostel. Saw snow for the first time in a month. And relished in the incredible views of the mountains right outside our window.
When people travel they hope
to see wondrous sights, but Interlaken showed me much more. This small town
resonates with peace and quiet. Here, you’ll find more bikes than cars,
impeccably clean streets, organized pavements and a disciplined traffic scene.
But most of all, you will find happy and content people.
