Swiss Chocolate and Stellar Views (Cunningham)
By Madden Cunningham.
My first trip of the semester took me all the way to the lakes and snowy Alps of Switzerland – more specifically the beautiful town of Interlaken. The name Interlaken also gives a picture of its location, which is a place between two magnificent lakes, Lake Thun to the west and Lake Brienz to the east. My friend Avery and I arrived at Interlaken via Zurich and we took the train from there. Stepping off the train, we were surprised to see there was nobody on the streets, and we were welcomed by an unfamiliar sound compared to our time in London – silence. It was so peaceful, and although it was a little bit cold, it was nothing two New Englanders couldn’t handle. After checking into our hostel, we spent the rest of the evening eating Swiss chocolate (like A LOT of it), and planning our next few days in Interlaken.
The following morning, I was able to catch my first glimpse of the sunrise over the mountains. We arrived when it was dark out, so I had no idea when I woke up the mountains would be surrounding me at all angles. I was stuck staring out the window for what felt like hours taking in the peace and quiet – it was truly the perfect weekend getaway.
History can be found all around us . . . you just have to be willing to look.
After Avery woke up, we realized our plans from the night before were entirely pointless and everything we needed to see was within walking distance from our hostel. We ended up walking around five miles with no end destination, just taking in the view and seeing where each path led us. As we were walking, we found an abandoned castle, and of course, being me, I wanted to go inside and see what it was all about.
Avery was so nervous to go inside, but I dragged her along with me, and trust me we did not regret it at all. We climbed the old stairs to the very top and had a perfect 360 view of the Swiss Alps. It was truly breathtaking. After several minutes of taking in the view, we went to go find out what the castle was and what its purpose served. We found a sign that said the castle was called Burgruine Weissenau in Unterseen. It was a former imperial castle, designed both as a warehouse and a stronghold securing a main road through the Alps on behalf of the German King. It was built in the 12th century by Emperor Frederic Barbassoa and served as an important sight for the flourishing of small trading in the market town of Unterseen.
To put it simply, I cannot stress enough how history can be found all around us; you just have to be willing to look. We would never have found this castle had we stayed in our comfort zone back at our hostel, and we would never have acquired such information had we not approached this trip with the exploring mindset we had. Walking through the castle, we could see the remains of the living quarters, including a courtyard, residential apartments, and a tower.
We spent the remainder of our time continuing to explore the picturesque downtown area of Interlaken. We feared that our language barrier might get in the way of our time spent there, but most people were able to speak English when we asked them for help and directions. All around us, paragliders were soaring through the crisp air. We were lucky enough to have received a free item as a part of our hostel stay, so we made out way to the jewelry store to redeem this and it was a Rolex spoon with Interlaken engraved onto it.
Going back to our hostel for our final night, we were relieved to see that other American girls who were studying abroad in Lugano had checked into our hostel. We hit it off immediately and spent a great last night with them at one of Interlaken’s incredible restaurants sharing stories of what we’ve done so far abroad – but I have to say, this trip might take the cake.
