Deja vu

Hello again, it's another beautiful day here in Switzerland and what am I doing? Sitting inside the University Library burying my nose in my textbook. Yes, finals are fast approaching here in the land of the Alps and I could not be anymore afraid of what the next few weeks have in store. On the bright side, I can bring a translation dictionary to all of my finals! Woot!

Anyways, I am taking a momentary break from my studies now to tell you about my recent trips (yes plural) to Interlaken in the Junfrau region of Switzerland. The Jungfrau is a particular range of mountains in the Swiss Alps that is known for its height and grandeur and I had the privilege to visit this area not only once, but twice in the last month.

My first visit was with my mom and Jim when they visited in mid-April. We rode the panoramic train with picturesque views through the mountains for 3 hours before disembarking in Interlaken. Unfortunately, the weather that day was atrocious. It rained all day long and even snowed in the higher areas during our train ride. When we arrived at our destination, we wandered the city briefly, picked up some souvenirs and post cards, and quickly took refuge in a nearby restaurant where we indulged in some authentic Swiss cheese fondue. It was the perfect way to spend a cool and rainy day in the Alps, stuffing our faces with warm cheese! 

My more recent visit to interlaken occurred just a week ago. A group of exchange students and I too two large vans up to the Jungfrau region, where we made our first stop in Lauterbrunnen. In Lauterbrunnen, we visited the mountainside caverns that are filled with glacial waterfalls. It was particularly amazing to me because I had never seen waterfalls on such a large scale before. 

After wandering the caves, we got back in the vehicles and drove to Interlaken. In Interlaken, we took a vernacular to the top of a mountain with a restaurant perched at the top where we stopped for lunch. We were served a traditional meal of Alpine macaroni, which is noodles with melted cheese, potatoes and onions. The view from the restaurant was absolutely amazing. From our table, you could see the three larges mountain peeks in the region and outside, there was a large viewing platform that hung over the side of the mountain which offered beautiful panoramic views of the city of interlaken as well as the surrounding mountains. 

After our meal and photo session, we took a two hour hike down from the top. It was a beautiful and sunny afternoon for a hike (although and bit slippery from morning rains). When we finally reached the bottom, we explored the city for a little while before returning to the cars and heading back towards Lausanne. We left just in the nick of time because just as we departed, it began to pour, and as we drove further into the mountains, that rain turned to snow. So, naturally, we all climbed out of the cars to play in the fresh flakes. It was the first time I have seen snow fall since I left Minnesota, it really reminded me of home. Speaking of home, I only have 38 days of this amazing adventure left before I come back to the States. Although I am having fun here, I can't wait to come home and see my family and friends again. I miss you all!

With love, from Lausanne

Mindy