Nick Wears it in Switzerland

Switzerland started out rough for us. We had taken an overnight train here from Barcelona and made one key mistake…we decided not to get a cama (bed) for the train because it was going to cost us an extra 30 Euros. We assumed we could force ourselves to sleep by not siesta'ing in Barcelona and then popping a sleeping pill on the train…good theory, bad plan. I could hardly sleep at all, even after 3 sleeping pills and a bottle of wine, Nick on the other hand was passed out for the majority of the 11 hour train ride, but still felt tired the following morning when we arrived in Bern, Switzerland.

After arriving to Bern, we quickly hopped on the next train to Interlaken and soon found out we were far from Spain. As the train proceeded down the tracks, the windows lit up with the glow of snowy mountains and colorful trees, completely foreign to us Floridians. When we got off the train in Interlaken, we made a short hike to a hostel recommended to us by Kevin Patterson named "Balmer's." As we walked up we noticed an underground club, a recreation room (ping pong, billiards, football, the whole 9), and a hot tub all on the premises. We were sold. This hostel stole the title of "best hostel on the trip" from the one we had the first night in Madrid. Along with the amenities listed above, we had our own room with a skylight showcasing the Swiss Alps, free wi-fi, free use of the gameroom, free electric plug converter, and free use of all above amenities.

The first day we decided to explore the city by foot as opposed to renting a bike or "scooter car" (basically a convertible Smart Car). We made a short hike up a mountain and saw a ram farm….really, a farm where the only animals were rams. The town as a whole wasn't a lot different. Our best guess as to the way of life was that many people were wealthy but also many people made their living from farming.

For lunch we stopped at a place called "Des Alpes." The Swiss receptionist at Balmer's said it was her favorite restaurant and that it was authentic Swiss cuisine. She also made a point to tell us to order the Roshti, her favorite dish. When it came to the table we were in fat kid heaven. On a giant skillet was a bed of hash browns, fried onions, cubes of baked bacon, thick slices of ham, melted swiss cheese, and a fried egg to top it all off. The presentation was flawless, it was definitely a sight to see as well as a delight to eat. Afterwards we were completely stuffed and could hardly even think about eating again all day. But then the restaurant hit us with a curve ball; a separate bar that served only Swiss chocolate deserts. We sat down for a chocolate cocktail that did not disappoint. Now….completely stuffed to the brim with food, we decided a walk was in order so we walked the mile and a half back to our hostel for some down time before the night's festivities.

After skyping with the family and doing 1.5 loads (notice the 1.5) of laundry, it was time to shower and get ready for happy hour. Note, skipping dinner (lunch was very expensive (28 Francs, or ~$32/each) and waiting to get the last load of clothes out of the drier after happy hour both seemed like good ideas at the time. We showed up about 15 minutes late to happy hour but when we got there we learned that the specials Happy hour were B-O-G-O beers (0.5 liters) and mixed drinks so it didn't take us long to catch up. We mingled with a local bartender and even met someone from Florida that had gone to school with a friend of ours from FSU #smallworld. By the end of happy hour, we were about 4 liters of beer down a piece, and decided to leave the laundry in the dryer until morning #riskydrunkmove.

The second day in Interlaken we had planned to go canyon jumping. Long story short, it was closed (we took pictures of the "Closed" sign for proof). So we decided to then rent a scootercar. That was closed. Then we went back to the hostel to ask around about what to do. There we ended up meeting Eric Balmers, the owner of the hostel and a local celebrity in Switzerland. He was one of the nicest people we've met all trip. He loaded us up with free Toblerone chocolate bars, Balmer's Hostel hats, and an itinerary for the day; take a short train ride to Bern, the capital of Switzerland and take a walk around the city, making sure to see the Corn House. Solid idea, we're in.

Before getting on the train, Nick decides it's finally time he sees a doctor about his leg (long story short, he burned it on a grill at the Bucs tailgate the day before the trip and has been limping all over Europe because of it). We locate a Swiss doctor and luckily he is able to see Nick right away. A glimpse of a side-by-side ankle comparison, a feel of his pelvic lymph nodes, and one blood test later, he finds out the burn has become infected. Doc prescribes some penicillin and we're on our way. He'll live.

I laughed more in the next 15 minutes than I have all trip. We get to the train station and begin trying to find out when the next train leaves to Bern. We quickly give up looking on our own and ask the lady at the information desk for help. "That one" she says, "That one will take you to Bern, but hurry, you have to get on now." We dash out the door and I hop on to the train, Nick following right behind me. "Good thing we asked, huh?" I asked. No response. I turn around and see no one. Six Swiss high schoolers are giggling in front of me pointing back to where I had came from. I walk back to the window and see Nick, standing outside the train, "Wtf?!?" look on his face. I try to pry the door open. Not happening. I try to call for assistance. No one in sight. I look back at the window as the train begins to take off. Nick's eyes say "Wait for me," my shoulder shrug retorts "Meeehhhhh, wear it!" I end up getting off at the next stop and hopping on the next train back to the station in Interlaken where I left Nick and all was resolved in about 25 minutes….but for the first 10 minutes off that train ride, I couldn't help but laugh to myself, thinking about the event that had just taken place. Nick said literally right after I stepped on the train, the door slammed shut. He had thoughts off blocking the door with his arm, even diving with his whole body. But the door was coming in too hot and he didn't want to risk another bodily injury.