By Grace Woodrow
I went to Interlaken and it blew my mind. We traveled through the night and when I opened my eyes in the morning I thought I might still be dreaming. The views of the Swiss Alps are incomparable to anything I’ve ever seen in real life before. Even the walk to the grocery store managed to be breathtakingly beautiful. (Please note: Lake Brienz is not technically on the way to Coop, but hot damn is it incredible or what?!)
To be completely honest, I didn’t expect to fall in love with Interlaken as hard as I did. For starters, I don’t like the cold and I’m a subpar East Coast skier. However, I quickly found out those minor details didn’t stand a chance up against all the Swiss Alps had to offer. By day three of my trip I had already reached “the top of Europe,” Jungfraujoch. Chilling (3,466 m/11,371 ft) above sea level wasn’t too shabby for a Wednesday. Sure it was a little cold, but the unbelievable views made it so worth it.
There’s a lot more to love than just the scenery. There’s night sledding and ice skating, snowshoeing and even chocolate making workshops. During my trip I met some of the coolest people there. The locals are the most fun and adventurous humans I’ve ever come across. Though I guess that shouldn’t be too surprising, as Interlaken is nicknamed “the adrenaline capital of Europe.” We had a fun night out with some of the staff from Outdoor Interlaken at a local bar in the center of town called Husi. I can’t wait to go back to see them again and this time take them up on their offer to go paragliding or skydiving. I have my own separate to-do list specifically for Interlaken.
Whether or not you think the cold “isn’t your thing,” Interlaken will be your thing, and it will blow your mind. If you’re skiing and snowboarding you’ll find the Swiss Alps is no joke. If you’re just hanging out enjoying the scenery you’ll have your breath taken away. If you’re free falling from the sky at 120mph you will experience an adrenaline rush like never before. I could sit here and tell you all about it, but the Swiss Alps is just one of those things you’ll have to see for yourself. And when you do…
