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Interlaken, Switzerland Bungee Jump
Place: Simmental Valley in Interlaken, Switzerland
Time: Around 9:30pm
Went through: A place called Alpin Center located fifty feet from Balmers hostel
Cost: Around 280 francs!! (in 2006)
Event: I took a drink of crazy and bungee jumped off a swiss gondola.
Who with: A bunch of other people who drank a cup of crazy.
This video is short, sweet and too the point. There’s me (nearly drenched in rain) in a borrowed Balmers Hostel sweatshirt about to leap 80 feet over a swiss lake while looking down into a tiny boat where two people (more drenched in rain) wait to rope me in after a few bounces . . .
Note there’s an apology to my mother. The fact is, she told me in subtlety she didn’t want me to bungee jump. Her words I think were, “Don’t bungee jump.” So right before I leapt, my natural instincts were to tell her sorry and that I loved her. This was due to any extenuating circumstances where the girl who took the video had to mail it to my mother in Arizona with a letter stating: “I didn’t know your daughter’s name, but would have felt bad stealing her camera. So sorry for her death. Sincerely, the girl who saw her last.”
Then, I leapt. I leapt with all I had in me because I had to do it. The countdown ended and I was headed horizontal towards the horizon. Three milliseconds later, I was headed vertically to a very cold lake that was potentially my burial plot . . . instead, here I am alive and well writing about an adventure I took in Interlaken. And thankful a random girl didn’t have to write a letter to my mom 
Interlaken, Switzerland
I’m not Rick Steves. I’m not even going to get close to how much information his books provide about the cities he visits. But I can write something Mr. Steves doesn’t and that’s this - Interlaken, Switzerland changed my life forever.
It could have been the people I met while there, the delicious chocolate that encompasses every street corner and fat cell on my body, or the fact I bungee jumped over a Swiss lake off a tiny gondola . . . did I mention this place changed my life forever?!
This country deserves my complete respect and my week in Interlaken played out much like I was a character in a Lewis Carroll book. In fact, that’s how much respect I have for it. I’ll write a short story with chapters and everything . . . the title of my story: Calluses In Wonderland (okay, the one flaw is the blisters you get from walking!!)
Damn you Rick Steves, the blisters are somehow you’re fault
Chapter One: The hostel.
Balmers Herberge
Hauptstrasse, 23-25
Interlaken, BE 3800 Switzerland
It was a friend of a friend who introduced me to the idea of going to Interlaken and staying at Balmers Herbege. She’d gone there a couple years before and stated it was the most fun she’d ever had and I wanted my turn. Interlaken was the last city I’d actually planned on staying in as I was leaving everything else to spontaneity.
Balmers is the oldest private hostel in Switzerland and is celebrating 60 years of successful business. It is an ideal adventurous traveler location as it’s accessible to so many wonderful activities. The hostel is clean, fairly priced (around 22-28 francs) easy to get to from either Ost or West station, and a hotspot for meeting lots of fellow travelers looking for the same adventures.
The first thing I noticed was there weren’t any locks on the doors. Put your mind at ease: nothing I ever left in the room was disturbed, including my good ‘ole laptop. Like in every city, I always had my credit card, my passport, and a bit of cash securely tucked into my travel belt that I then tucked into my underwear (see Ali’s blog on Barcelona). But if you’re super paranoid about your I Love Swiss People t-shirt and dirty socks, there’s security lockers you can use.
Balmers is close to pretty much everything you’re going to need - restaurants (try My Little Thai right next door!), grocery stores (CO-OP) to use in the downstairs kitchen (bring some change!), bars (happy hour from 6-7pm @ Balmers), and of course, places to sign up for fun activities (you can use Balmers or walk the two blocks down to AlpSurf).
When I was there, WiFi was a thing of luxury and Balmers didn’t provide it. I believe it was a firm try to get people to get out and live. Which I and others certainly did. They have it now by the way, but don’t get carried away. Computers will be the last thing you’ll think of while in Switzerland. That takes me to the next chapter . . .
Chapter Two: The hikes.
Rick Steves. I hate to keep name dropping him, but he’s an incremental part of a lot of cities’ successes for getting more appreciation and visits. The question is though, can a quaint, humble village in the Alps remain “off the beaten path” after being featured in a television travel series and popular budget guidebooks?
This isn’t a yes or no answer. To me, the answer should be, it doesn’t matter. I kept picturing Mr. Steves hauling ass up the side of Gimmelwald and the more I did, the more it seemed important to share it with everyone. Hell, that’s what I’m doing. Every travel guide/book/website will tell you to ‘hike the Alps.’ I’m not demanding it, I’m not even suggesting it; I’m simply promoting it. Like a politician running for president, I’m campaigning for the Swiss Alps.
I’m not trying to be deceiving; the hikes are long, arduous, and certainly not all of them are climbable if you’re out of shape. But, bum knees, extra body fat, whatever. You’ve got to hike at least one mountain! As for me, I went on three. All different levels (although I didn’t know that at the time).
Sub chapter: Gimmelwald and Murren
Both of these towns are hikeable, even for the “non-hikers.” An option is to stop in Lauterbrunnen (a municipality that lies in Lauterbrunnen Valley, but is in the Interlaken district), which is beautiful as all Switzerland is, but I personally suggest continuing on to Gimmelwald. There isn’t any spot or walk you’re going to take that isn’t picturesque as the people take great pride and care of their country, but the entire point of being somewhere like Switzerland is to KEEP GOING!
You have to take a train from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg (sounds like I’m gargling) and an even smaller, slower train to Gimmelwald that seems expensive, but the reward benefits the purchaser more than a few Francs saved for an extra chocolate bar. Trust me, you’ll get back home to discover you have random foreign money from all over and then you’ll say: “Ah! I should have kept going up to Gimmelwald!” For example, I still have four pounds in my drawer at home that means two things: One, I hesitated and missed out on something in the UK like an ice cream treat or an extra bus ride, and two, in America, I’m a millionaire, due to the ridiculously high value of pound to dollar.
In Switzerland, the hikes are real hikes, but for the most part, I forgot I was hiking. The air is Outkast (so fresh and so clean) and if you’re like me, you’ll take forever to get to the top because every twenty feet is a “photo opportunity.” But if I’d lost my camera or dropped it in German beer (see my Munich blog), I’d remember these mountains. And I’ll remember with whom I shared such an incredible experience.
Chapter Three: The people.
It was the morning of August 21st and I was tired, but set my alarm so I wouldn’t miss breakfast (served until 10am @ Balmers). I accepted my free breakfast of juice, oatmeal or dry cereal (I love cereal), and either an orange or toast (carbs over fruit anyday). I was somewhat lonely after instant messaging Ali and not actually getting to hear her voice tell me a funny joke or laugh at one we retell over and over for a chuckle. But then I remembered where I was and then realized it was time to be brave again.
Target: two girls sitting at a table, eating the same breakie and speaking in (gasp!) English. Bingo. I gathered my almost empty tray and asked clear as day, “Is anyone sitting here?” The rest goes as follows:
Have a seat. Thanks. I’m Emily, this is Amanda. I’m Katie. Where you from Katie? Arizona. Sweet, I’m from New York. Me: I totally want to go there! (more people enter from upstairs). Emily: Oh these are our friends, Paul, Sarah, and Lucky. Me: You all traveling together? Amanda: Nah. Just Paul and Sarah, everyone else is on their own. We all met at happy hour last night, got pretty schnackered. Paul: Everyone up still for canyoning? Everyone: Yes! Paul: Katie, you in?
Sub chapter: Canyoning
Of course I was in. I didn’t even know what the hell canyoning was (taking pictures of canyons?) but I wasn’t about to lose these awesome new friends. And awesome is a dumb word that underwhelms how great these people turned out to be. Paul and sister Sarah from Tampa, Luciano aka Lucky the Italian, New Yorker Emily, and birthday girl Oregonian Amanda. Then the Phoenician Katie. We were the new millennium Euro Breakfast Club. They made it feel like I was home again, except none of us wanted to be home.
Interlaken became the standard I compared all other upcoming cities to, and my Breakfast Club still sets the bar when comparing new people I meet. They were that essential to my wanting to go on, try more things, visit more cities, and be more myself.
Some solo travelers like to remain solo and I get that. I myself was constantly in and out of wandering the cities I visited alone, and casually meeting great people at hostels.
But of course, I prefer the company of my best friend, fellow TGTG Ali because sharing something as beautiful as traveling around new cities can be best relived over a cup of coffee with someone who knows what it’s like to want to go back.
Chapter Four: Bungee Jumping.
I went bungee jumping. Whether or not it was in me my whole life, who can say. I know I can’t. But at the time, in Interlaken, Switzerland, over a lake surrounded by Alps mountains and 200 alpine peaks of the Simmental valley, off a shaky gondola 450 feet above the water, in the cold and drizzling rain, staring into the distant fields where cows stood at a slant eating nature’s best grass, it was me.
I leapt for nobody else either, which is, if you decide to go, the best and only way to do it. It’s not for everybody. Neither is knitting or buying lottery tickets for that matter. I hate to knit, so it would anger me if someone was telling me, you have to knit, it’s an experience you’ll never forget. That was bungee jumping for me. It was something I can’t forget - it was scary for cripes sake - but was a jump I don’t regret taking.
My mom (who practically forbade me to bungee jump before I left) took the news fairly well. She said it must have been quite a leap - scary, heart wrenching, and terrifying in its own way. I told her so was marriage. So what? People do it. Some do it twice! For me, it was its own entity and I’ll forever treat it that way. An alien force I encountered and conquered and, although fond of its qualities, can bear not doing again.
Why am I telling you this? To promote bungee jumping? To say do something crazy while traveling? Not at all. My solemn vow while in Europe and is everyday is simply to be myself and try new things. Every second of every minute of every hour of every day for the rest of your life, be yourself and be open to new experiences. If it leads you to bungee jumping, all right. If it leads you to knitting, excellent.
If I try to explain it any further, I’ll bore both my readers, our site regulars, fellow TGTG Ali, and myself. I shared it to make a point and now that it’s out there, I feel happy to have shared it.
Swiss Recap:
TGTG Apology: If you need some extra warmth, buy a kickass Balmers hooded zip-up sweatshirt. I owe them one! I didn’t have a coat and the English hostel worker lent me her sweatshirt and when I came back late at night, she was gone. So sorry British lady, thanks for your kindness.
TGTG (Katie only) recommendation: If you aren’t afraid of heights and my story made yourself think, ‘I want it too!’ then go to Alpin Center and say, “I too want to jump over Stockhorn Lake!” I tried to explain it to you, but there’s really only one way to feel it. . .
TGTG Photo Op: Switzerland
TGTG Advice: Take your time.
Biergarten at the Chinese Pagoda, Munich, Germany
What better way to start the Munich three-day stop than going to get a beer at the Chinese Pagoda Biergarten!
First morning, I arrived stinky, tired, and thirsty. Paul and Sarah, who I met in Interlaken and met up with again here at Wombat’s hostel, were asleep and hungover from the night before. The cure then, dropping off my bags, refreshing my deodorant, and off for steins of beer.
The Biergarten at the Chinese Pagoda was cool because it was set in the middle of Englischer Garden and along the way, you see surfers riding the canal’s small current, tiny restaurants opening up and getting ready for the day (at 11am!), and people just living life.
The look and set up of this adorable biergarten was both pleasant and humble. Wooden green tables surround the bar making it highly accommodating to order, grab, pay, and sit down to immediately enjoy your purchase. You’ll find along the way many other biergartens and I’m certainly not telling anyone they must go to the Chinese Pagoda, but it’s part of the Munich experience to stop by some of the less famous biergartens (Hofbrauhaus being difficult to always find a seat) and benefit from a new experience.
TGTG Advice: Instead of a purse, buy a daypack. Paul and Sarah introduced me to the wonders of these smaller bags that look like tinier versions of backpacks. It’s easier to carry around your shoulder or in front of your chest and it’s less likely someone can snag it too!
Hofbrauhaus, Munich, Germany
It’s part of every tour, it’s part of German history, and it’s part of the reason I’m going back to Munich someday (hopefully with TGTG Ali!!). The Hofbrauhaus is an essential stop for any tourist, backpacker, local, and/or lone traveler. Walk in and immediately you’ll see why!
The first thing I noticed was the live music and the band, which was wearing genuine lederhosen and my personal favorite, suspenders. The music stays with you as you journey farther into the bar and begin to get a sense of what everyone loves about the Hofbrauhaus (the more I use it, the less I have to look at my notes to spell it). The combination of the fun atmosphere, the loud noises (the music seems to increase in sonar strength), the variety of smells (sauerkraut anyone?), the people laughing and drinking, and of course, the beer.
I don’t want to make it appear all the Germans do is drink their delicious frothy beer and fill their faces with pretzels. That’s just part of the cultural experience, trust me. The Munichs know how to have fun (Oktoberfest was just around the corner) but they also know where they came from and the pride of their country rests on appreciating the everyday. Not one minute did I spend in Munich where I didn’t get the feeling I was IN Germany. The wardrobe, the mustaches, I could go on and on. They simply love being German. The Hofbrauhaus is the conglomeration of that very feeling.
The friendliness of the Munichs astounded me. They were dancing, singing, having fun with our tour group, all the while swinging their pints of Weis beer with great excitement and pride.
Make a stop to the Hofbrauhaus, you won’t regret it!
Hofbrauhaus
Platzl 9
80331 Munich, Germany
+49 89 290136-10
www.hofbraeuhaus.de
Top 10 Traveling Must Haves!
Sometimes living out of a backpack or suitcase means cutting your possessions down to a minimum, but make sure you save room for these top 10 traveling must haves!
10. sunglasses
9. phone card (to call home)
8. comfortable walking shoes
7. digital camera & charger & extra memory card
6. map of current city
5. a small amount of local currency in cash
4. travel pillow
3. a good book
2. iPod
1. passport/identification
Munchin’ in Munchen (Munich), Germany
It isn’t hard to get carried away while in a foreign city. Up until Switzerland, my palate hadn’t really experienced the local culture’s food. I made up for it and then some in Munich and for the rest of my trip, I made it a point to eat what the locals ate, and drink what the locals drank.
First off, the bratwursts. Oh man, the first day I was there I’m sure I ate three of them for different occasions. One was for brunch and everyone was eating them, one was for a mid afternoon snack because everyone else was eating one, and one because it was , I don’t know, 9:16p.m. and everyone around me was eating one. That or the delicious Bavarian pretzels always served with fresh mustard and washed down typically with a giant stein of Helles beer.
If you’re not a beer drinker, I understand the hesitance of trying something as thick and heavy as German beer, especially the Weizenbier that is made with more yeast. But if you’re going with the theme of Germany, I suggest ordering one and drinking as much as you can because it’s no ordinary brew you’re sucking down. There’s a history and long-winded tale behind it and if you’re lucky enough, a local just might tell you about it.
As for Paul (my new travel companion) and I, we wasted little time chatting and breathing. We had snacks between snacks, a dinner before dinner, and helped ourselves to lots of cheese and bread to help fill any tiny pocket left in our tummies. Like I said, it’s hard not to get carried away. I was constantly busy with the local goods – pretzels, brats, cheese, fresh fruit, beer, and weißwurstes with extra sauerkraut.
Thank goodness for Tums.
TGTG - Press Release - TRAVELING GIRLS: FLY SOLO BUT NOT “ALONE”
They’re the eccentric, the rogue, the savvy, and the quick-witted. Some have money, most are broke, but the ones dedicated always find a way to get the money. They’re the girls brave enough to take the world by the reigns and ride it to where they want to go and what they want to see. But is it safe to be a girl and travel? It seems each decade that passes is scarier and more threatening than the last in foreign countries.
Risk, risk, risk. A monosyllabic four-letter word with an enormous definition. Friends might tell you to take mace, mothers might try and hide your passport, and fathers might hire a male detective to follow you around, even in the bathroom. But how about taking another avenue to safe travel…why not plan ahead. It seems like a novel idea to many, but the key to safety is preparation. Why not do some research and see where you are going, what you will see, where you will stay, and what other people thought of the place before you even buy your airplane ticket. What better place to look than the Internet?
You’d need to find a website that contained more than just information, that could show you through videos and pictures the great beyond that seems so foreign and surreal. A website that could provide everything an antsy traveler can take confidence in. All of this is found in a new website travel blog and adventure travel planning site called The Get There Girls.
www.TheGetThereGirls.com gets right up close and personal – photo slideshows, video blogs, and fun, outstanding descriptions of the places the site’s creators have been. Like most things in life, it’s what traveling is about; connection, intimacy, and the passion for doing what you love to do. That’s what TGTG provides – the essence of the what, the who, the when, and most importantly, the how.
The Get There Girls was created and designed in 2007 by two women whose love for traveling, writing, and sharing their adventures translated into a thriving traveler hot spot on a computer screen. The site provides the standard elements of a traveling informational website – booking for hotels and hostels, links to ticket brokers, car rental agencies, etc. – but what’s different about this site is that The Get There Girls take you a step further and actually show you what you can see and experience on your newly planned adventure. Videos, pictures, and honest reviews of lodging, what to pack, when to travel to certain destinations, how to rush order your passport, and what to expect at the currency exchange, just to name a few. This is a site worth exploring if you want to peruse the guts of what traveling is all about.
If you’d like more information on The Get There Girls, or to submit your own travel tips, blogs, or tricks, please email Katie at katie@thegettheregirls.com
or Ali at ali@thegettheregirls.com and visit thegetheregirls.com for an additional look at the ins and outs of traveling!
Wombat’s Hostel, Munich, Germany
As far as hostels go, Wombat’s is the easiest to find from the Munich Central station (main station) - it’s about a ten-minute walk from exiting your train. More specifically - and I’m taking directions off their website - you exit the station towards Bayerstraße, cross the road and go left, then turn on the first street on the right. Wombat’s is the second house on the left. Easy peas. Voted as the ‘Cleanest Hostel Worldwide’ in 2004, the ‘Best Hostel Chain Worldwide’ in 2006 and 2007 (reviewed by those who booked through Hostelworld.com) and the number six hostel Worldwide in 2005 should be enough to convince one it’s a great place to stay. But just in case it you want more . . .
Wombat’s is a perfect hostel to stay in. It’s ideal location and friendly staff made it hard to leave, although it could have been the awesomeness of the city it’s located in. For whatever reason, Wombat’s is a perfect example of what I’m going to term as a true “backpacker’s hostel.” The inexpensive rooms, provided security lockers, WiFi in the lobby, 24-hour reception, a fun bar (womBar) with happy hour specials and a complimentary welcome drink, and the always sought after washer and dryers. Okay, it doesn’t include breakfast, but at an average of 22 euros a night, I thought it okay to spend a couple extra euros eating a strudel at a nearby bakery or a cheap bratwurst at one of the thousands of bratwurst-selling kiosks.
Another great thing? The walking tour starts every morning at Wombat’s hostel. You simply show up in the lobby by the couch at 10:15am and you’re set to go learn about the history of Munich, eat some good food, and walk by dozens of important Munich sites essential to any great tour!
Address:
Senefelderstrasse 1, D-80336 Munich
+49 89 59989180
www.wombats-hostels.com
womBar at Wombat’s hostel, Munich, Germany
The womBar is easy to find from any room you stay at in at Wombat’s City Hostel. The friendly bartenders make it hard to leave the fun atmosphere, but since you’re allowed to have drinks in the lobby as well, a lot of people congregate to the comfortable bean bag chairs and couches it has provided for many different scenarios.
Whether you’re playing poker (we didn’t get do that!) or catching up with people you recognize from the last hostel you crashed at, womBar is a cool bar to chill in either way. When I was there, our tour guide Ozzie was also our bartender a few hours later!
If anything, go down, check it out, and at least grab your complimentary drink (that includes a soda for you non-alcoholic drinkers). It’s a good place to start for you night owls, and on your way out the front door, grab one of the free city maps - you’ll be needing it for the giant maze of crazy Munich streets!
Englischer Garden, Munich, Germany
Perhaps I was jinxed as it had rained in every city I’d been to since my arrival in Europe. Five days worth of downpour in London, a couple days of regular ole rain in Paris, and one harsh day of slanted rain in Interlaken. Why wouldn’t there be a light drizzle in Munich to cap things off? I can’t be critical. It was, after all, the beginning of September and if I’d read a site like ours, I’d have known August and September are rainy months in Germany!!
A light rain poured and Paul (my current travel buddy) and I took cover under a large tree. Always the gentleman, Paul laid down his jacket for him and I to sit on, preventing our last pair of clean jeans from getting drenched. It was nice after all the eating, drinking, and walking, for Paul and I to meander through the park and catch up on all we’d seen and done prior to meeting in Interlaken.
As much as I enjoyed Luxembourg Garden in Paris and St. James, Hyde, and Green Parks in London, I loved the Englischer Garden just as much, maybe a smidge more. Maybe because it was such a simple park - i.e. minimal trees, sparse benches, etc. - I spent more time there.
It’s a remarkable open space that made it easy to see tourists and locals alike enjoying the garden’s curvy pathways and extraordinary landscape. From most spots in the garden, it was also easy to see downtown Munich’s unique buildings against the skyline.
For me, it was all leading up to Spain where I was to meet Ali and experience the time of our lives together. For Paul, it was the end of traveling with his sister and a start of something completely new. He was off to Amsterdam alone and I was headed to northern Spain, but for both of us, in the middle of the Englischer Garden, it was sanctuary within Munich, Germany.
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