Day One & Two – Travelling and Arrival at Our Chalet
After a plane, a bus, a night in
a hotel, another bus, two trains, another bus and then a mini van… I have
arrived at my destination! It was definitely worth the trip… there is snow
falling softly to the ground, the silence is profound as I look out to the
mountains surrounding the old wooden Chalet, nestled away just outside the town
of Adelboden. Everything is so peaceful here, definitely the place to come for
some relaxation and chill-out time! The plan for the days ahead are
snowboarding lessons, a swiss night run by the chalet staff, hiking around the
hills, a day trip to Interlaken (the highest peak in Europe), snowshoe hike,
igloo building, hike to Engstligen Falls, snowtubing, campfire and then time to
go home… I think I will definitely be sleeping on all that public transport to
get home! At least in Switzerland the transport is very well organized, always
on time and easy to understand! (Much like their watches really…)
By dinner the chalet was teaming
with people – a group of Scouts from Norway, a Guide group from England, and a
couple of individual members, like me. The dining room was packed and everyone
was deep in conversation over our meal. “Where
are we from, what do we do, how long are we here for, what activities do we
have planned?”
Day Three – Snowboarding
Lessons & Swiss Night
I awoke today with great
excitement – for the first time EVER I
was going to have a go at snowboarding! (nor have I ever been skiing, but I
will eventually!). I packed my bag, put on my warmest clothes and headed down
to the ski school in Adelboden. After sorting out my lesson details and hired the
appropriate equipment, I boarded the bus to Geils along with many people of
various ages all keen to learn the skills of skiing and snowboarding. We
started our lesson with a game a group tag to warm up, it was quite a challenge
in knee deep snow! After that our rather large group split into three smaller
ones depending on ability, I was, of course, in the “very novice, have never
even seen a snowboard before today” group. We headed off with our instructor
Katharina, who over the process of three and a half hours attempted to impart
her knowledge of snowboarding upon us. She was quite helpful, although it must
have been hard going on her as she had to deliver each instruction twice – once
in Swiss-German, and then in English! (I felt rather uncultured, as I was the
only person in the group who wasn’t bilingual, unless Aussie Bogan counts?). I
learnt how to go down a gradual slope facing both ways, and gradually became
better at controlling the board. At times it had a mind of its own, which often
ended up with me on my behind! I think I spent more time lying on the ground
laughing at myself than standing… By the end of the lesson though I had managed
to make it down the slope twice without falling over! (Three times if you don’t
count one very small fall towards the end… J)
Suffice to say I was VERY proud of myself! I would have liked some more time
practicing, especially once I seemed to get the hang of it more, but the buses
were departing for the village, and whilst I could choose to stay it was a
complicated journey to return on my own, and one I didn’t fancy attempting
whilst lugging the snowboard! Now that I have had an introduction to it, I will
certainly have another go in the future… most probably in Canada at Christmas
time!
Once I returned to the village of
Adelboden, I wandered through the local shops (I eventually purchased a new
pair of hiking boots to replace my old ones, as I had realized they really
didn’t have much grip left!) and I admired the view. I have more photos of
snowy mountains than I care to count! I will upload the best ones, but they
really don’t do this place any justice. The sun came out today and cleared the
clouds away, and it was beautifully clear. The night is amazing, the hills are
dotted with lights from the chalets twinkling in the cool night air… It’s like
standing in the Milky Way.
Back at the chalet we enjoyed a
dinner of rosti and ratatouille, I swear I could eat rosti forever and never
get full! It is a delicious mixture of shredded potato, cheese and a little
cream… kind of like potato bake but so much more delicious! After dinner we
participated in a swiss night run by the chalet staff, where we learnt some of
the history of Switzerland, searched for jigsaw pieces of the country and
competed in a trivia contest. The prize was chocolate fondue, one for each team
of course J.
A delectable end to an adventurous day!
Day Four – Woodcarvers Hike
This morning I set off for a hike
to the Woodcarver’s with a Kenyan volunteer from Our Chalet, Amina. We trekked
along the snow covered roads, enjoying the amazing vistas that greeted us at
each turn. The sun even came out to play for a little while! Eventually we
reached the Woodcarver’s, a little shop that sells all sorts of woodcarvings,
with some Guide and Scout themed badges, woggles, keyrings, etc. The front of
the shop has lifesize carvings of brown bears (now extinct in Switzerland),
snowmen, cats, and other creatures. It was mesmerizing to watch the very
talented woodcarver sit and carve shapes out of blocks of wood, that gradually
took shape as a cow, or an owl, or a bear. Whilst the owners are not Guides or
Scouts, they get a lot of visitors from the movements as both of us have
centers nearby. On the ceiling of the shop there is a huge collection of
different Guide and Scout badges, representing all the different groups who
have visited the shops over the years. I didn’t have one of mine on me, but I
promised I would send one with another group the following day. I managed to
locate a couple of Australian badges, but we definitely need to add more to the
collection!
On the way back from the
Woodcarver’s, Amina and I took a slight detour down to see a frozen waterfall.
We walked down and down the steps, which eventually led under a natural rock
bridge and out the other side. It turned out this was Choleren Gorge, which was
also closed during the snow! Oops! The sign on the side we entered was only in
German, so we didn’t realize! It was absolutely beautiful though, the
waterfalls frozen in time halfway down the rockfaces. It was very difficult to
capture the sheer beauty of it on film…photos really don’t do this place
justice. Every time I turn around I am amazed by the natural wonder that I am
standing in… truly a place to calm the soul (not to mention gather sore muscles
from all the physical activity!)
After our hike I had a nice quiet
afternoon and a bit of a nap before dinner. We both had ravenous appetites
after our exercise! Our night time activity tonight was activities and a
ceremony to celebrate World Thinking Day, the day Guides and Scouts celebrate
our founders, Lord and Lady Baden-Powell. We played some games, learnt some
information and then had a ceremony outside in the snow whilst we raised the
Guide World Flag, and the Swiss Flag. It was quite an enjoyable night, and
certainly one I will never forget. It seems quite surreal, that I have been
learning about this place for so many years, and now I am finally here… It is
everything I thought it would be, and more.
Day Five – Interlaken
I set off on my own this morning
on an excursion to Interlaken, a town that is “between lakes”. After taking a
bus and two trains to get there, I set off to explore. It was an amazingly
clear day, with a beautiful blue sky and crisp cool air. After getting my
bearings, I decided to head out to Lake Thunersee first, and took a circuitous
route through the old town. The roads were very narrow in some places, though
that didn’t stop buses and trucks! Eventually the houses thinned out to become
a nature reserve, and I enjoyed a peaceful walk along the river. I had lunch
along the way, admiring the spectacular view over my vegemite, swiss cheese and
homemade bread sandwiches. There was a little haze over the other side of the
lake, so you couldn’t quite see Speiz clearly, but the view was impressive
nonetheless! I then made my way back towards the town and walked along the main
tourist strip. After passing the many Chocolatier and Swiss Army knife shops I
continued on towards Lake Brienserzee. The view of the lake took my breathe
away… I was in awe! At my feet was crystal clear water covering round river
rocks, leading out to the main lake that was bordered by forests and snow
covered mountains… what a view! I was rendered speechless, which for me is
quite an achievement! I took many, many photos, desperately trying to capture
the sheer beauty of this lake, and whilst there are some pretty good photos,
nothing really does it justice. I could have quite happily sat and enjoyed the
view for hours. Unfortunately I didn’t have hours, as I had to get a move on to
catch the train… but I sincerely hope that I can return to this amazing place
sometime in the future. Until then, my photos and memory will have to suffice.
Day Six – Snow Shoe Hike &
Igloo Building
Today I joined the group of
English Guides that are staying here on a snowshoe hike. We set off up the
neighbouring valley, trudging through the very deep snow. It was snowing quite
heavily for most of today, at least 10cm! Visibility at times dropped down to
around 50m, and never really got more than a couple of hundred. We worked our
way up the valley, crossing roads by crawling across (so we didn’t damage the
snowshoes). Eventually we reached the pinnacle of our journey, an old gnarly
hollowed out tree, affectionately called the Magic Wishing Tree. In keeping
with tradition, we each stood inside and made a secret wish, followed by a
photo to prove we were here! The Guides tried to see how many they could fit
inside the tree, I think they ended up with 5 or 6. Afterwards we headed up
through the forest then back down to Our Chalet for a brief reprieve from the
snow inside for lunch.
In the afternoon we had a go at
making Igloos. Even though the snow was really light and fluffy, we compacted
it down and sprayed it with water to help it stick together. Gradually the two
igloos started to take shape! I was sitting inside the igloo for most of the
construction process, smoothing out the joins and putting in reinforcements by
way of extra snow, spraying water and adding sticks to help the roof
construction. I ended up with a lot of snow down the back of my neck, as every
time someone added snow on the outside, inevitably some would fall inside, onto
myself and Yuliya, my fellow construction worker. After almost three hours we
emerged from the inside of a completed igloo, very proud of our efforts and
more than a little soggy and frozen! It was definitely worth the effort though,
we were quite pleased with our little igloo hut. It will be interesting to see
if they survive the night!
Today it was the birthdays of two
people staying at Our Chalet, one is the husband of one of the Guide leaders,
and the other was a Norwegian Scout. We sang happy birthday to them during
dinner in a variety of languages, which was followed by an impromptu “sing-off”
between the Guides and the Scouts. It was a rather jovial and light hearted
atmosphere as we sang some old favourites and learnt some new ones. Our night
activity tonight was a ‘snow cinema’, a movie screened onto a screen rigged up
by the rovers staying at the Chalet in the previous week. It was a rather
chilly evening so we dragged out blankets and sleeping bags, and layered on
many warm clothes. We shared popcorn and hot chocolate as we enjoyed Ice Age 3…
a rather fitting choice really! After that it was off to our nice warm cosy
beds… I’m glad we’re not sleeping in those igloos tonight! J
Day Seven – Engstligen Falls
& Campfire
I set off this morning on a hike
to Engstligen Falls. The route followed the stream that is fed by the falls for
the majority of the way, and it was a very picturesque walk. It was hard going
at times though, as the snow was covering the path. Walking through snow feels
very similar to walking through sand dunes, except with heavier boots and
clothes! Suffice to say I have definitely got my exercise today. When I reached
the falls I enjoyed lunch with an amazing view, in front of me was one of the
snow covered alps, and to the left was the falls I was aiming for. They were
mostly frozen over but you could still hear and see some water running
underneath. I felt rather dwarfed by the large mountain in front of me, the
sheer scale of it was impossible to capture in a photograph! After lunch I
headed back down the path a little way to the gondola station, which I caught
up to the top of Engstligenalp. When I reached the top I was overwhelmed by how
white everything was! The sun was shining through the clouds, and the glare was
phenomenal. For the first time since I came to the Northern Hemisphere I
actually needed my sunglasses! I had a wander around for a while, and found
snowtubing (I was going to have a go but had no cash left – no Eftpos at the
top of the alp!) and an igloo that served fondue… I was very tempted by the
cheese fondue, one of my all time favourite foods… but it was rather expensive
so I had to give it a miss this time. Just gives me another reason to come back
in the future! Once I had seen all there was to see, I headed back to the
gondola and caught it back down the mountain. Then I headed off back towards
Adelboden for an afternoon nap and a well deserved dinner.
After dinner all the guests at
the Chalet shared a campfire. We sang many songs, some old and some new, and
had a lovely evening sharing our favourites around the fire. The campfire
itself was held in a round tent with a vent in the roof to let the smoke out,
and it got quite toasty in there, even though it was surrounded by snow! It was
a very special ending to my amazing week here at Our Chalet, certainly an
adventure that I will never forget! The people, the scenery, the food…
everything has just been fantastic. I don’t want to go!!
Day Eight – Back to Zurich
Unfortunately I didn’t get a choice,
I had to go back to London to keep earning the pounds! It was an absolutely
beautiful day, a gorgeous blue sky and not too cold. I decided to make a slight
detour on the way home by way of a suspension bridge a little down the valley.
It stretched across over the river, as I walked with my big pack and backpack I
was hoping I didn’t exceed the weight limit! It swung a little as I crossed,
and I can confirm I was holding on rather tightly! This is one bridge not for
the fainthearted, as you can see right through the metal platform down the
river far below your feet (better stay away from this one mum!). It was a great
view though, and definitely got the adrenaline pumping! There wasn’t really
much on the other side except for a small café that didn’t really appear to be
open, so I headed back to wait for the bus.
After my little side excursion I
continued on back to Zurich. I had McDonald’s for dinner, as it was the only
place around to eat at, apart from room service which was 30 Swiss Francs for a
burger!! Even at McDonald’s it was very expensive, 6.60 Francs for a Happy Meal
(12 or 13 for a normal meal!). That’s about even to the Australian dollar, so rather
overpriced for McDonalds!
Day Nine – Flight Home
As I had to check out of the hotel
at 10am, and my flight wasn’t until 8pm that night, I spent Sunday exploring
the city of Zurich. I was finished by around 3pm as it was a Sunday and
everything was closed! Zurich itself wasn’t really that exciting, but the lake
is quite pretty and has some interesting things along its shores. After walking
through the city and seeing some churches, I headed down the west bank of the
lake and had lunch along the way. I found some rock sculptures, mostly towers
about a metre high of small to medium river rocks stuck together, but also some
comical faces and even a foot! The local artist was sitting there collecting
tips as people walked by. I continued on through the gardens and found a small
lake with stepping stones across, it was quite pretty as the water was very
still and all the foliage surrounding it reflected in the water. After taking
some pictures I kept walking and ended up going through what seemed to be the
summer ‘beach’ set-up… A fenced off area in the water with slides, jumping
platforms, diving platforms, etc and lockers and change rooms nearby. A little bizarrely,
this was all next to the Zurich Casino, which was basically a small office
building. Not nearly as flashy as the usual casino! After walking for a little
while longer it started to rain, so I decided to head back to the city. I
eventually ended up back at the airport and checked in for my flight… which
ended up taking off an hour late due to previous delays. By the time I got back
to my house in London it was 12.30 at night! I fell into bed after an amazing
week for some well deserved sleep J
