Mind you- this was our longest coach ride the entire trip, it took around 12 hours from Paris.
However, the only pro of the coach ride was that we got to see the breathtaking views of the alps along the way. We were very excited because we all know of Switzerland's freshness and remarkable beauty of untouched greenery and waters.
We went to a little mountain village called Wilderswil, and stayed in a hotel called Alpenrose Hotel & Gardens.The hotel belonged to the owner of the tour we took.
We really liked the hotel as it was quaint, cozy and had a rustic feel to it. However, we did not appreciate the fact that it had no lifts; but we understood that it was an old hotel and it was not made to sustain a lift. The tour arranged for the younger generation (like us- AHEM!) to be on the highest 3rd floor, so it was quite the gym work to drag our gigantic luggage upstairs. Ahhhh who am I kidding- my bf did it :x
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| lovely view from our room balcony |
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| The quaint little street outside our hotel |
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| our Expat Explore bus and the hotel. Our room is the one on the right with the balcony |
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| Warm enough to wander around in shorts! |
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| Took a lovely stroll around the very unhappening neigborhood |
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| Train station which we took the next day to Interlaken |
In Switzerland, they use the Swiss Francs. Throughout our trip, Euros were used so it was only here that we had to have a different currency ready.
Everything in Switzerland was really expensive. A key chain/ magnet can cost you 10 swiss francs.
Our first night in Wilderswil, our tour guide told us that there was a slight change in plans. Instead of having our included meal in Munich (because of Oktoberfest), we were going to have it in Wilderswil. It turned out to be really good.
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| Rosti |
Rosti, or röschti is a Swiss dish consisting mainly of potatoes.
It was really good!!
The other highlight was cheese fondue! It was sooooo good and I loved it. I also love how there was wine in it. We dipped the bread (as seen above) in the cheese. They had a house rule that if you dropped the bread inside while dipping, you have to buy the whole house a beer, kiss the person to your right, or run around naked in the garden based on how many times dropped. Sadly (or fortunately?!) nobody dropped any bread in the cheese!
Cheese fondue video ;P
Another highlight was this ice beer.
"a type of strong lager brewed at sub-zero temperatures so that ice crystals form. These are then strained off to remove impurities and excess water."
If memory serves me right, it was 5 Swiss Francs per pint. It tasted really smooth and heavenly. The waters of Swiss Alps are fresh and clean, it is said that you can drink the water flowing from the alps, as well as the taps along the streets. The water used in the ice beer, is that same fresh water that flows down the alps.
We had an optional excursion to go to the top of Europe, which is Jungfraujoch; a 4000m glacier, or to wander around by ourselves. Not wanting to miss the chance of a lifetime, we went to Jungfraujoch.
We took a train up in the morning. The ride took about an hour?
As everyone already know, Switzerland is the HOME of watches. They had watches everywhere.
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| Photo-worthy moment? yes please! |
It was -0.7 degrees Celsius out and it was FREEZING COLD! I remember wishing I had gloves.
I am also aware that my jacket made me look like a potato :(
The top included the Alpine Sensation, Sphinx Observatory and Ice Palace to name a few.
Alpine Sensation:
Ice Palace:
Alas- nobody, not even the tour guide, warned us of the crappy weather conditions up on the Swiss Alps. The weather was so bad, with such strong and vigorous snow that made it impossible to go out into the alps to play with snow, as I had been dreaming of. The moment we stepped outside, the snow was slamming into our faces like little bullets, making it impossible to stay outside for long.
I went back only to read reviews and advise not to go up as it was an utter waste due to the weather.
We were upset out tour guide didn't inform us. That, on top of how expensive the tickets were (charged by our tour). I think it was more than 100 swiss francs for each of us. We suspected that the tour took a good shove at commission from the price they charged us.
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| My bf embracing the cold for a photo op |
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| insane weather outside |
What didn't disappoint was the Lindt chocolate store at the top. It was amazing and it also had little mock-ups of how Lindt chocolate are made, which made cute photo ops.
We bought a couple, and I must admit Lindt chocolate is so good.
p/s Lindt chocolate is a Swiss pride :)
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| Certified! |
We also got to send my best friend and her husband a post card in England :)
You can purchase post cards, stamps and place them in the mail box. They received it only when I got back to Brunei, I think.
After our disappointing trip to Jungfrau, we had a bit of time left so we hopped onto the train and went to Interlaken which was only a few minutes away. I love Interlaken and can totally live there! It is so clean, quaint and has LOADS of Chinese restaurants! I swear- every corner was a Chinese restaurant and there were Asians everywhere, working.
Of course, Chinese food in Interlaken is very expensive :)
There were also plenty of watch stores (duh) and other branded products like Longchamp and MCM. I only remember these two because I went to have a look at them.
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| Somewhere in Interlaken with this beautiful river |
I would love to go back to Switzerland again, but probably not Jungfrau again. Maybe Austrian alps, as I heard that that is the next big thing.
We left after 1.5 days, and it was to Italy.
Until then! xx
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