Swiss Miss

The Hills Really are Alive with the Sound of Music!

Greetings, friends!

The international travel bug bit me once again this year, prompting me to invite myself on another European summer vacation with my brother and sister-in-law, because apparently my family hasn’t yet learned to stop telling me their travel plans. Adding to the frivolity, this year’s trip also included my college-aged nephew along for the ride. The family hopped across the pond a week ahead of me for some time in the United Kingdom, so your favorite Big Suitcase Girl, armed with one passport, two over-filled suitcases, and an unreasonable amount of confidence, made the solo trek and met up with my peeps in Zurich. And another memorable adventure was on!

Up, Up, and Away

Please note that the no smoking sign is on, and your captain has requested that you buckle up and settle in. This one may feel more like a thesis than a mere blog post. No one should be surprised that, as always, I’ve got a lot to say. I’ll have you know that I cut a huge chunk of the flight details and will add that to a future post about “the glamours of traveling”.

Much of my non-stop flight from DFW was overnight, in darkness with many of the windows closed. With about 90 minutes remaining in the flight, as we began our descent, a soft pinkish hue of cabin lights, mimicking the Swiss dawn’s lovely sunrises, slowly came up with the flight crew issuing “good morning and welcome to Switzerland” in quiet whispers. A lovely way to be awakened versus the harsh reality of my insufferable daily alarm.

Killing Time

My flight landed at Zurich Airport about five hours before the fam was due to arrive from Edinburgh, and since there isn’t an Admirals Club at that airport (the horror!), I had some time on my hands. Enter: The Capsule Hotel. It’s a helpful option to utilize if you have a long layover, need somewhere to chill, and don’t want to leave the airport. Capsule #107, in the “day pass” section provided a twin-sized mattress, that offered a shocking amount of space for a relatively limber 5’6” female. Picture two levels of sleeper pods featuring a sliding door, adjustable lights, ventilation, and an interior lock that only the customer knows. Want to touch three walls at the same time? Then this human burrito is your ticket to paradise. After stowing my two, let’s change it up and say “ample” suitcases, I climbed in, took off socks and shoes, set my alarm for an hour or so and off I went into slumberland. I woke from a fever dream known only to me and took a moment to remember where the heck I was. I then decided it was the perfect time to work out because, apparently, my old pal jet lag wasn’t yet punishing me enough. After shredding my abs (JK), I cleaned up, donned my “chilly” weather attire, and attempted to do damage control on the hair and makeup. Finally, I gathered my things and returned to the lobby to enjoy a tasty cappuccino and biscotti to kickstart my day. I learned that there are capsule hotels throughout Europe and Asia. 10/10 – would recommend and book again in a heartbeat. Not to mention, my five-hour day pass cost me all of $49 USD!

The Long and Winding Road to Interlaken

My sister-in-law, who embraces a good challenge, told us immediately that she’d be our driver from Zurich to Interlaken and climbed behind the wheel of the Mercedes rental van, a vehicle big enough, mind you, to comfortably seat the four of us AND stow all our carry-ons, backpacks, and luggage. There was no finger-pointing going on when we were loading up – it’s obvious that the BIG suitcase syndrome is hereditary. During the first 15 minutes of the drive, it became crystal clear that perhaps I’m not the best co-pilot to have by your side, at least not in a foreign country (or if I haven’t had anyone to talk to in the past 12+ hours). My tenure as co-pilot lasted approximately one Swiss roundabout and into the backseat I went. As should surprise no one, my brother and I felt compelled to provide the comedic relief – whether the front seat road warriors wanted it or not. To know us is to love us. At this point, I want to share a quick observation – when they (whoever “they” are) talk about the legendary “Swiss precision,” they aren’t kidding. The highway from Zurich to Interlaken is scattered with well-built pristine tunnels, countless switchbacks (eek), and some of the cleanest roadways we’ve seen. I mean, if Switzerland ever starts building IKEA furniture, the instructions will make perfect sense. For those of us not driving, we ooh-ed and ahh-ed over countless breathtaking waterfalls, serene pastures dotted with cattle donning their signature cowbells, and the spectacular Swiss Alps. At times, we may have audibly gasped at the sheer drop-offs on either side of the road. Do not, I repeat, do not look down if that kind of thing gives you the heebie-jeebies.

Adorable Accommodations

At long last, we arrived at the Aarburg Hotel and Café in Unterseen. This fascinating lodge oozes old-world charm, complete with striped awnings, dormer windows, and soft blue shutters. The hotel offers a lovely staff and delightful café, and, of course, glorious views of the mountains, Aare River, and adjacent town of Interlaken. What it doesn’t offer is an elevator. So, we got in quite the workout hoisting our luggage up the stairs. I know, I know – we over-packers absolutely deserve it. We had a family room…read: two-bedroom “suite”. One room featured a lovely river view. The other featured an intimate relationship with a brick wall. Variety is important after all. The furnishings were tidy but spartan with the bedding reminding me of summer camp and my brother of the month, back in the day, when he and some friends visited several European countries via Eurostar while staying in youth hostels along the way. Unsurprisingly, we lovingly began calling our place of respite “the adult hostel”.

Frolicking Through the Playground of Europe

The bubbling Aare tributary separates the beautiful city of Interlaken and the Unterseen municipality. The waterway boasts some of the clearest aquamarine (and frigid!) water seen in our collective many years. Stateside, I’d compare it to the likes of the lovely Lake Tahoe. The road along the tributary was our daily route to get to various points of interest in Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, and, on our final day – up, up, up the mountainside for vistas and views that left everyone speechless – and a bit breathless to be honest.

Throughout each day, we found ourselves enjoying the treasure trove of waterfalls and miles of peaceful walking paths. We took in charming villages surrounded by verdant pastures and woodlands, and, as always, the stunningly beautiful Swiss Alps, dotted with challenging hiking trails and ski runs. Speaking of ski runs, three of us brave souls took on the somewhat questionable Rodelbahn Toboggan Run. My brother stayed at the bottom, heckling and filming the merriment as we went flying by (some maybe faster than others).

Side note: For those of you linguists out there, multilingualism is a vital part of Swiss identity with four official national languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansh. The language distribution heavily depends on the region, so we were treated to Swiss German. My efforts were generally limited to a “danke” and “bitte” here and there. Might I also add that the locals were rather patient with us as we stumbled through conversations.

On our last full day, we took the state-of-the-art aerial cableway to the Schilthorn summit (our highest altitude of the trip, clocking in at 2970 meters or 9750 feet). We boarded what I later learned is the steepest funicular in the world that overlooks the valley floor and wooshes along the hulking cliff face, taunting passengers from the opposite side of the car. The ride takes about 30 minutes, with stops along the way – Stechelberg to Mϋrren (a quaint car-free mountain village) then to Birg and, finally, to the magnificent Schilthorn. Much to our dismay, as we climbed higher, the cloud coverage grew thicker with each passing tick of the tram. The iconic “Big Three,” known locally as Das Dreigestirn (The Triumvirate), are formally named Eiger (3,967m), Mönch (4,107m), and Jungfrau (topping out at 4,158m). It’s a massive and imposing range of dramatic mountain peaks, providing a legendary, year-round snow-capped wall stretching across the Bernese Oberland. Evidently, those ancient giants decided to take a day of PTO but the women in the Piz Gloria gift shop cheerfully assured us, “It looked the same yesterday.” I can appreciate a local who refuses to oversell the weather.

Fun Facts

• According to local ancient folklore, the renowned Swiss mountains are dramatically nicknamed the Virgin, the Monk, and the Ogre. The steadfast Mönch (Monk) stands guard in the middle, protecting the Jungfrau (Virgin) from the menacing and shadowy Eiger (Ogre). The more (creepy trivia) you know, the better!

• Part of the 1969 James Bond film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” was filmed at the Schilthorn and is also the site of the famous Piz Gloria revolving restaurant. We could only imagine the brilliant mountaintop views one might see when said mountains are not blanketed with thick clouds.

Pro Tip from Big Suitcase Girl, MD

• If you’re planning to spend significant time at high elevations, talk with your physician about whether medications like Diamox are appropriate for you. Equally important is Zofran as it helps with the queasiness some might feel when in or coming down from mountains. Felt tip top the entire time, even when I found myself embarrassed for being slightly out of breath climbing up a portion of a mountainside to gaze out from “under” a waterfall.

A Symphony of Flavors at Every Turn

Now, as one does on any memorable vacation, we feasted on some incredible food at each meal. Chicken Cordon Bleu, pork schnitzel, beef stroganoff with hash browns (rather than egg noodles), and…pause for dramatic effect…cheese and mushroom fondue. I’m now convinced that fondue served with chunks of baguettes is the Swiss equivalent to chips and salsa. Foodie side note: When in Switzerland, please treat yourself to the sweet things in life. Go to the Lindt store in Interlaken’s town square. They’ll kindly greet you and generously treat you (to tasty samples). The Swiss have undeniably mastered the fine art of chocolate wizardry. Interlaken is also where I met my latest crush, Mr. Hugo Spritz. Hugo and I became fast friends. Things moved quickly after that. Truth be told, he may now rival my love for the Aperol Spritz. More on that debate later. Later, as in the next installment which will cover our time in Italy where copious amounts of those refreshing orangish red spritzes may have been consumed.

Pro Tip: The Sequel

• BSG is now a true believer (and potential future stockholder) in the vacuum seal storage bag packing method. I planned my trip while obsessively reviewing weather apps and packed, in my trusty BIG suitcase, a puffer coat, scarf, gloves, and other cold weather clothes and am pleased to report that I wore just about everything at least once. Take that, you Doubting Thomases out there!

Hittin’ the Road…

The final day in Switzerland found us trekking back to Zurich to return the rental “moving” van and embark on the next leg of our journey. With hearts full of gratitude and amazement at the past several days of wondrous exploration of central Switzerland, we made our way to catch the Trenitalia train from Zurich Flughafen on to the magnificent Milano Centrale. Like last year’s Eurostar trip from London to Paris, this offered a view of countryside and parts of Switzerland and northern Italy we wouldn’t have otherwise seen. And, also like last year, I’ve chosen to split the trip into two segments. Watch your inbox for the next installment for my musings of our week exploring the Cradle of the Renaissance.

Until next time, I hope Big Suitcase Girl continues to offer insights, highlights, and the occasional travel “oops” sprinkled with humor, gratitude, and curiosity for this wide, wonderful world – no matter on which continent you explore or if you’re traveling with enough luggage to suggest permanent relocation.