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This past weekend we visited Interlaken, Switzerland for a weekend of skiing, chocolate, and fondue. The trip started off with a 12.5 hour overnight bus ride and we finally made it to Balmer's Hostel. Balmers is the place to stay when in Interlaken.
It is a very quaint hostel, with a very friendly staff, and the fireplace in the lobby definitely won me over. Balmers is great primarily for one reason: Metro Bar. Metro Bar is the bar/club located on Balmers premises where everyone goes to hang out after a day on the slopes.
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Overlooking the city |
Our first day we walked around town and went on a walking tour of the town. We went up to the highest building in Interlaken where we got a panoramic view of the city. Interlaken is such a beautiful city, that it doesn't even look real. The highlight of our tour was visiting Lake Thun which had the most gorgeous views. We spent about 45 minutes just looking at the lake, taking in the views, and trying to take as many photos as possible!
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Later we went to a local chocolate shop known for their truffles, for a chocolate show! We were given a lesson on how to make truffles and what makes Swiss chocolate so superior. And no chocolate show is complete without free samples! After many samples, I can attest that Swiss chocolate is by far the best chocolate I have ever had. |
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Schuh's famous truffles |
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The next day we got up early to hit the slopes! The one unfortunate thing about skiing in the Swiss Alps is that since the mountain is so large it takes forever to get to the top. 1 bus ride and 2 trains later, we finally made it. I've gone skiing in Vermont, Colorado, and Utah in the past but they don't compare to the Swiss Alps. The skiing conditions were amazing and we were later told that it was the best day of skiing all season. It was clear blue skies, fresh powder, and fairly warm for being on a mountain in Switzerland. The largest difference between the slopes in the Alps and back home is that instead of skiing for half an hour and having to take the chair lift back up, the slopes are a lot longer. It took us about an hour and a half to get down a trail, and we weren't skiing slowly!
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We finished up our day on the slopes with a traditional swiss fondue dinner. Swiss fondue is definitely a different experience from The Melting Pot. Instead of a whole selection of food to dip you are only served bread. We decided to go wild and order a side of potatoes. This might be slightly blasphemous, but I preferred the Melting Pot...
Overall I loved Switzerland! The people are so friendly and willing to help. Any any country that excels in chocolate gets an A in my book!
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Swiss Fondue |
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