Interlaken, 2014

The Swiss Alps is easily the most beautiful land I have ever seen. My good friend, and fellow travel buddy, Tyler Visagie arrived in Interlaken, Switzerland on June 27, 2014. We stayed at Balmer’s Herberge, a world famous hostel that was the first private hostel in Switzerland. Owners Fabienne and Carmen Balmer who’s family has operated Balmer’s Herbage for three generations, have autographed pictures from the likes of Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan dedicated to their father, Erich hanging on the walls of the various buildings that make up the Balmer’s Herbage campus. Scattered between the three quaint lodges named after the three mountains rising above the city, (the Eiger, the Mönch, and the Jungfrau), is an eclectic collection of art, games and lounge areas, including a comically oversized chess set, and a well with the self-proclaimed “freshest mountain water on Earth”.

We arrived at Balmer’s late in the evening. After unpacking, showering and meeting our roommates (a large group of LSU law students) we went downstairs and ate our bread & orange dinner by the picnic tables. As with most good hostels, this dining area also served as a place to meet others. The table to our right had about six-eight individuals playing a game of cards. About halfway through our meal, Tyler looks up and notices a familiar face. He looks to me for confirmation and after realizing that this is an acquaintance from our hometown we yell an enthusiastic greeting to him.

Interlaken is a tiny, little town (pop. 5,504), halfway across the world, and here we are, two groups of weary travelers staying in the same residence, I was amazed.

He looks up from his card game and the three others he is playing with upon receiving our incredulous salutations and gives us a nonchalant greeting back–the way two acquaintances would at their local supermarket, “Oh hey, I thought I saw you there.” The enthusiasm in his greeting fell far short of that which we expressed in ours. Had we accepted the conversation for what it was it probably would have ended there, as he seemed to prioritize shuffling to conversation with us. I ask him what he’s doing in Europe and he tells us, although he starts and ends with a one word answer “traveling”.

We make a few last ditch efforts to converse before heading out to the “trucker festival” that is in town. Along the way we see much of what you might imagine in a small Swiss Alps community on a summer evening. We pass by quaint homes, each with their own flowering gardens, with the occasional cat rearing its head, just beginning its night of mice hunting. Many of the homes have open sheds, with tools, wheelbarrows and other valuables lying out in the open, a sign of trust, to both fellow townspeople and travelers alike. There is a pickup soccer game being played amongst the neighborhood children in a field just outside the town’s center, and we even pass by a tribe of goats at the edge of someone’s farm-one of which will only stop banging his/her head against a metal lean-to when I attempt to film his/he behavior.

When we arrive at the festival, we approach a scene what you might not expect of picturesque Switzerland. Hundreds of 18-wheeler semi-trucks are lined up back-to-back, with rock music blaring and a lively, drunken crowd moving about the festival. We even cross paths a toilet on wheels zooming between the semi-trucks!

After walking around the various booths, we play a few games of foosball with the town locals, and make our way back to Balmer’s. It’s a wonderfully, starry and pleasant night, but we are scheduled to leave Switzerland tomorrow, so we plan to get up early, hike the lowest, easiest mountain trail, come back in time to check out and make the train, all of which we want to go off without a hitch. And I’m happy to report that it did (see pictures below!).

For some of us anyways. While making our way back from the hike, Tyler and I come upon a dropped passport belonging to a North Carolinian woman. We decide to leave it with Balmer’s and head out for our train. When we arrive at the station we overhear three girls in frantic discussion with the rail attendant regarding a lost passport. After we tell them what happened the girls give us three big bear hugs in appreciation, which I am incredibly grateful for.

Friendliness goes a long way in Europe (especially if you’re coming from France or an encounter with a rude individual from your hometown). Our conversation with the girls, in addition to those pleasant encounters we had with locals over the last day and a half, was representative of my perception of a community in Switzerland, friendly, laid back, and full of others that are willing to help you out.

As of this writing, I have been lucky enough to have travelled to 16 countries (including the United States) in three continents. If someone asked me to move to a country other than my own, I would likely choose Switzerland largely for its natural beauty. If Einstein were alive and given the same prompt, I’m sure he would agree.

Until next time, Switzerland.

Interlaken, Switzerland