All posts tagged: switzerland

The Gift

Traveling can bring out the best and worst in you. It can break you and lift you in ways you never imagined.  There are some days when you feel antsy and the materialistic side of you overpowers your brain …you realize you miss your tempurapedic mattress bed, clean, crisp sheets and even your uncomfortable couch at home.  But, there are days when you feel alive and free when you hike for hours surrounded by towering cliffs and incomprehensible natural beauty.  And then, there are days you feel connected to strangers that you talked to for a brief passing moment. You get overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of people. People like this young brother and sister from Korea who were travelling outside their country for the first time. They were in the same room as us in the hostel for one night. We only talked to the sister since the brother was shy, quiet and couldn’t speak or understand English.  It was no different conversation than we had with several other travelers we met along the way. “Where …

Hiking in Grindelwald

Grindelwald: Another day, Another Hike

If someone could just pay me to be a full-time hiker and wander around in the mountains, the deep valleys and the lush forests all day, I would be in heaven, literally.  I wonder if I would ever get bored or tired of a job like that. Will I wake up in the morning and say, “Oh damn, I have to go to work again and climb these annoying mountains and look at this beautiful scenery yet again” and “My life is so hard. I wish I had a desk job.”  

Naan and Curry at the Top of Europe

I knew a lot of Indian people visited Switzerland, thanks to Bollywood. What I didn’t realize was the scale of it all.  When we first arrived in Zurich, we didn’t see a lot of my people. But, as soon as we stepped outside the Interlaken train station, we saw a sign for Indian Dinner Cruise on Lake Brienz.  It was the only sign for a cruise on that lake. It amazed me ‘cos I didn’t realize how many Indian people have started travelling abroad specifically to places such as Switzerland which are really expensive even by American standards!  The Switzerland government gets it and totally capitalizes on the situation. Hell yeah, I would too!  So, when I found out that there is an Indian restaurant called Bollywood at the top of the Jungfrau peak (also called Top of Europe. BTW, it is not the highest mountain in Europe), I wasn’t surprised.  Apparently, there has been a 25% increase year over year in people visiting Switzerland from India.  Even though we hold the title for the tallest …

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland: Hike to Frozen Tundra

The first hike in Lauterbrunnen had not only left an indelible mark on us (in a good way) but had also left our bodies severly sore. We woke up late the next morning and decided to take a break and just walk around the town. By 2pm, we were itching. We visited the grocery store multiple times, tried to kill time gazing at swiss cheeses at the local cheese shop, and wondered what people do all day in this town if they are not hiking or skiing. Although our bodies revolted, we decided to torture them further by doing another hike.. It was going to be a mere 3600+ ft elevation gain with 5 hours of sunlight….nothing that our already destroyed quads couldn’t handle!  Entertaining myself at the coffee shop by taking glamorous shots of Dan

Suls – Lauterbrunnen Day Hike

The first hike in Lauterbrunnen had not only left an indelible mark on us (in a good way) but had also left our bodies severly sore. We woke up late the next morning and decided to take a break and just walk around the town. By 2pm, we were itching. We visited the grocery store multiple times, tried to kill time gazing at swiss cheeses at the local cheese shop, and wondered what people do all day in this town if they are not hiking or skiing. Although our bodies revolted, we decided to torture them further by doing another hike.. It was going to be a mere 3600+ ft elevation gain with 5 hours of sunlight….nothing that our already destroyed quads couldn’t handle!  Entertaining myself at the coffee shop by taking glamorous shots of Dan