Interlaken, Switzerland

Switzerland was by far one of the most insane places I have ever visited. If I wasn’t a die hard mid-westerner, I would move there ASAP. My friends Maggie, Kalya and myslef took a bullet train from Milan to Switzerland.

We stayed at the most adorable hostile I have ever seen in my entire life. We stayed at the Gasthof Hirschen in Interlaken. All of the doorways were so small and the rooms were a vintage red and white cabin vibe. Even our room keys had the cutest hand carved key chains. Everything about this place was kitschy and quaint.

We walked around town for a bit and chose to go on a hike to a few pretty lakes. We visited the lakes of Thun and Brienz. We walked on pebble stone beeches and just gazed at the beautiful mountains in front of us. I swear this is where they make postcards. The bright blue lake bounces right off the incredible mountain ranges. The reflections were beautiful. It was a sight to see. We had a tiny photo shoot and just enjoyed the wilderness on our way back to the city.

One day we asked around for the best views in town and a local suggested a hotel. We decided to grab lunch and order a few bottles of wine. The views did not disappoint. We ate pizza and pasta white we watched para gliders glide down from the mountains. This rooftop restaurant was no joke. It got a little chilly so we ordered gourmet hot chocolates. I swear I never knew that Switzerland was the chocolate capital in the world. It was one damn good hot chocolate. After lunch we went on a chocolate tasting tour and learned the chocolatier process at a near by factory. We went to the Swiss Chocolate Chalet and took a tour. It was cool to see how they manufacture different chocolate treats and molds. We of course ate way too much free chocolate and bought a ton at the gift shop. We had major stomach aches by the end of the day.

We had a few bizarre dinners in Switzerland. Almost every meal involved cheese. I have no idea what Switzerland’s obsession with cheese is, but I’m not mad about it. Every damn menu we looked at had cheese, cheese and more cheese! We even got a plate of just melted cheese with a tiny pickle on it as an appetizer. It was strange yet delicious. We of course had to get fondue while we were in Switzerland. There’s just something about a giant glass a beer, soft warm pretzels and warm gooey cheese that just hits different. We ate like queens there.

After dinner we were looking for some fun bars, but we stumbled upon an ice skating rink in the middle of town. It looked like a club and it was fun as fuck. We rented skates and had a dance party on the ice. The music was blasting and we were all skating our butt’s off. At one point we noticed some kids who were struggling to skate and the rink had these giant penguins to help little ones balance on the ice. We were so fascinated by these adorable penguin buddies that we all stole one and started parading around the rink like idiots. We must have looked like three drunk idiots on ice, but I don’t think I have ever smiled more in my entire life. What a killer night.

The most incredible experience I had in Interlaken was paragliding. What an adrenaline rush. We booked a day trip with Bus to Alps and they drove us up to a site in Beatenberg. We had spectacular views of the three famous mountains peaks, the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau on the way up and when we were in the sky. Running off a mountain is no joke, but my guide Dominic was pretty awesome. We strapped ourselves together and ran as fast as we could. When we took flight it was so fucking scary, but absolutely incredible. We glided right over a huge snowy forest and I was petrified to look down, but after a few minutes it was just serene. It was pure bliss just floating in the crisp air up in the mountains. I gazed down at the lakes of Thun and Brienz that I visited the day before, they looked so clear and blue from up here. Dominic was the lead guide, so he asked me if I was okay with doing a few tricks in the air; of course I was down. He flipped us and dipped us nearly 20 times. I got so dizzy from spinning to fast but It was insanely fun. We paraglided for about 20 minutes. The wind was on our side that day. We somehow floated down from the top of a mountain back into the center of Interlaken. 100/10 would recommend paragliding in Switzerland because it was absolutely EPIC!

Kayla had to leave a day early but Maggie and I stayed behind and decided to take a train ride up to Grindelwald. The train ride up the mountain was beautiful. Maggie and I split a pot of tea on the way up. Our eyes were glued to the window, the views were picturesque. Grindelwald is postcard-perfect. It was so charming when we arrived. It is a huge ski resort area, so it is packed with hotels and athletes. There are slopes for all experience levels, plus plenty of snowy activities for people like me who don’t ski. Maggie hit the slopes and I hit the shops. She also went sledding and snowshoeing. I took a beat and enjoyed some fancy meals at three different hotels. My mom always taught me, find the fanciest hotels around and just order dessert. These five star resorts spend a lot of money curating the experience for tourists. My favorite activity was to try all of the different chocolate desserts in Grindelwald. It was so nice to journal, sip tea, eat incredible treats and to just cozy up by crackling fire. I don’t know what it is about Grindelwald, but there is just a merry atmosphere. It felt very magical and special. I loved every second of it. I scored some cute beanies, hats, gloves and sweaters at all the shops in town. After a long day, we met up and I swear nothing’s better than lingering over a pot of Swiss fondue and a glass of crisp wine as you take in a breath taking view.