We have seen scenery like this all day: turquoise lakes and rivers, mountains, jagged rock walls, snow-capped peaks and a constant stream of thrill seekers paragliding through the clear blue sky high above us. It has been a postcard day since the moment we stepped out of our Swiss hostel.
After our 16-hour travel day Sunday, we started Monday a little later than normal. Our hostel serves breakfast until 10 a.m., so we made our way downstairs around 9:30 a.m. to officially register and have a continental breakfast: toast, cereal, Swiss cheese and juice. It is wonderful to see Nutella everywhere here. I had three big pieces of toast covered with Nutella -- a good substitute for the peanut butter toast I eat most every morning.
Chris and I decided over breakfast to spend the day hiking. There are hundreds of trails around Interlaken and the surrounding small towns. We would need a month just here to cover half of the trails. We decided to hike up to Harder Kulm to get some great views of the surrounding turquoise lakes, the snow-capped Jungfrau mountain peak and Interlaken. Chris' girlfriend Abby visited Interlaken and went to the top of Harder Kulm in May, and she recommended we see it.
We weren't disappointed.
Interlaken is located about 1,847 feet above sea level, and the peak of Harder's Kulm is located at 4,337 feet, so it was an ascent of about 2,500 feet. We started at street level and if you look below you can see a little building at the top of the mountain in the center of the picture. That is Harder's Kulm.
We started the ascent around 11:30 a.m. and had gorgeous views. The trail began in the forest but there were lookout points along the way. First, we went us a series of switchback trails. About half way up, however, we were above the tree line and hiking through a meadow with tall grass and yellow and purple flowers. The more we ascended, the better the views were. It was a moderately difficult trail but for the most part an easy hike. It took us a little less than two hours to reach the top. Here are some pictures from the hike.
One of the first meadows we saw once we cleared the first forest
A little more than half way to the top
Interlaken from above, with its turquoise winding rivers, big lake and mountains
View from the top
We has good views of the snow-capped summit of Jungfrau all day. Its summit is 13,642 feet above sea level ... I took this picture at a mere 4,337 feet!
We spent about an hour at the top and then began the hike back down. Once we reached the bottom, we came back to the hostel to make reservations for a day trip we are planning for tomorrow.
For several weeks Chris and I have been talking about paragliding while we are here. But, you are only up in the air for about 15 minutes and it is really expensive. So, we decided to do something else tomorrow: canyoning! It is a six-hour trip and cheaper than the paragliding. We will be rappelling, ziplining, descending through waterfalls and more during this adventure tomorrow. We leave at 8 a.m. and return at 2 p.m. ... look for an update tomorrow!
For dinner, we took one of "Lonely Planet's" recommendations and went to the restaurant Goldener Anker, which the book says is the best place in town. We both thought the dinner was in the Top 5 we have had in Europe. Here is what I had:
Chicken, French fries, a salad and some mustard-curry sauce
We came back to the hostel afterward and are about to call it a night so that we are rested for a day of canyoning tomorrow!
Hope everyone is well and having a great summer. Thanks again for reading.
Hasta luego,
Justin
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