lack of internet...

hallo hallo. i have not had internet in a while, hence the gap in updates.

so i left salzburg and my midnight train ended up being a 2am train due to delays...and in zurich i decided to go straight on to interlaken, only i had to take a train to bern and transfer there to my final train, which would have been fine, had i not slept through my transfer in bern and continued on toward geneva...bummer. oh well. i hopped off and cought the next train back to bern, and transferred to the right train. i got to interlaken by 2pm... not too much of an inconvenience.

interlaken is a huge draw for backpackers from arround the world because of its' adventure sports! ice climbing, sky diving, bunjee jumping, canyoning, paragliding, rafting....you name it, interlaken has it...for a price. i was immediately faced with the major dilemma of what to do, how much to spend, how long to stay! i immediately made friends with a couple guys from michigan and southern illinois (one of the guys had the same exact voice as dan the man... quite odd, especially once i realized that they had very little else in common). they tried to influence me to go glacier climbing the next day, and canyoning the day after that. i decided i would take the brochures, find myself a beer and a bench, and ponder over my different options alongside one of the peaceful rivers nearby.

$250. that is what i decided to allow myself to spend. it was a lot, but i would choose activities that i could not do in the states, things that i may never have the option to do again. what would they be? well... i've been sky diving and bunjee jumping and paragliding and rafting... so those were all out. ice hiking and glacier climbing? that sounds pretty unique. canyoning was one of the most popular activities, and people seemed to love it.

so by that evening, i had booked one more night in interlaken, a glacier climbing adventure, and a canyoning trip, with an extra day allowed for hiking (the only free activity... IF you don't take the tram back down). ha... ya only live once, right?

the next morning i woke up really early and hopped in the van that picked us up for glacier climbing. i was with the guys i had met the day before, plus a couple of guys my age from texas (they had just graduated from UT), and some aussies! a fine group! and an excellent guide. it was an hour trip out and a 45 minute hike up to the glacier. wow. i think i got my money's worth just after the hike. the view was spectacular, and we were hiking a real, moving glacier! what?! really really cool. when we got to our base we had a picnic lunch in the ice, and then got ready to climb! our guide (a liberal, middle-aged, jack daniel-drinking swiss guy with a dirty sense of humor) had decided that i would be the model for the trip. so i was used as a prop to show everybody else how to do things properly. this was all fine, until i realized that i would be the first to descend into the depths of the glacier. oh dear! fortunately, the first climb was an easy one, and i set a fine example!
throughout the course of the day we did a whole bunch of different climbs. some were pretty simple, and others were really difficult! a couple times i was convinced i would NEVER back it back to the top! my upper body strength is limited, and some of the ice was very slippery! luckily my belay was really encouraging and patient (one of the aussie guys, named matt). the climbing was really fun! but also very challenging and exhausting! by the end of the day i had added to my collection of bruises, ripped my pants, cut my skin, but most importantly, climbed a glacier! it was all worth it! and i cannot explain how cool the view was... and i'm sure the pictures will not do it justice either. by the end of the day, when the clouds hid most of the sun, the glacier - this live piece of ice making its way through the alps - was a bright blue! it radiated blue from each crevice... really, really amazing.
that night i hung out around the hostel (which had one of the most happening bars in interlaken) and chatted with my new friends, while meeting even more.

the next day was my hiking day! i got a good night sleep and then met some friends for breakfast. (all of the guys i had gone glacier climbing with the day before were going on an all-day canyoning trip. i was a bit disappointed i had not booked the same trip, since the group had been so fun). we made a picnic lunch and set out for Harder Kulm, a 5-hour hike away. the hike was challenging - each step up-hill - but interesting, with great views of interlaken below us. when we reached the top, we sat and took in the beautiful city and enjoyed the conversation. our group was pretty diverse - mayank from india, tressa and devon from University of Georgia, and kevin and pete from Wheaton College in Illinois... a christian college. it made for interesting conversation - kevin, mayank, and i talked about culture and religion for a couple hours... each of us coming from a different background with different beliefs. very interesting.

back at the hostel, we made a big dinner of potatoes and other vegetables, and bought a few bottles of wine. later, pete and i went for a long walk and had some interesting conversations about our pasts and distinct spiritual beliefs. it was a good time... though i have to admit after a while i just wanted to go back and hang out with some of the other people i had met during the day. oh well.

more updates to come!