Waking up this morning we chose our clothing a little more carefully and my beautiful red boots came out to play (Thanks Deb)!! At breakfast I knew it was going to be a good day as I had been having a craving for cottage cheese for days and this morning… Ta Da! There it was! It is funny the little things that you think about when you are traveling far from home. Cottage cheese being one and also Canadians! It would take me quite a while to get used to the lack of smiling, good mornings and politeness overall if I were to move away from our amazing country! I will not give up trying to get someone to return a smile (who isn't paid to do so) but overall, the score is not in my favour!

We hopped in the car and to the dismay of the staff at the SeaGarten Marina we are heading to Interlaken to go…. drum roll please… ParaGliding!

It was in St. Moritz at the top of the mountain where we first spotted the Paraglider club running off the mountain and flying through the air that got our attention. Well, actually by "our" I mean Grant's. This is something that I NEVER thought he would do but of course I forgot the magic word… FLYING!! So when the conversation came up and I asked "would you do that?!" and he answered "YES!" , it was only hours before we were signed up to go the next morning before anyone had time to change their minds!

We traveled about 20 minutes through more beautiful mountainous scenery which just never gets old. We arrived in Interlaken in the Bernese Highlands between the Brienz and Thun lakes (Thus… the English meaning "Between Lakes). Here you will find the mountain peaks of Elger, Monch and Junfrau and here is where we fly! It was recommended to make sure that we say Junfrau by both guide books and friends. We just decided to do it from the top heading down instead of vice versa!

We found the "Paragliding Interlaken" booth where our group began to gather. If you are familiar with the song from Sesame Street "one of these things is not like the other" it would be fitting to tell you that everyone else in our group were in their 20's. Hmmmm….

We had our safety check to make sure everyone had on the appropriate clothing… some were given coats and alternate shoes to wear accompanied by humorous stories of Korean girls not wanting anything to clash against their outfits for their selfies including the chute colours!! We got them thumbs up (red boots getting their own accolades of course!!).

The van takes us about a 20 minute drive UP the mountain while we receive our safety talk and get matched to our tandem pilots (after a really awkward silent moment after we were all asked if we wanted to choose a specific pilot who were staring blankly back at us) we were assigned randomly. Grant got matched to Matthew which he took as a very good sign! I had Nick who was the one who was doing ALL the talking, ALL the organizing and was obviously IN CHARGE which of course was the perfect match for me! (Resist commenting!)

Once at our destination I was handed a heavy backpack to carry up the rest of the way (about a 10 minute hike). Grant was not carrying anything I should point out! Struggling to breathe in this thin air is something that I have been battling (nothing to do with being out of shape of course!!) so I managed to get Nick talking about his life so I would not have to say much and in that ten minutes I learned more about him then you might expect!

Once at the top of the hill and our runway (Literally!! We were about to run!) the chutes were opened and checked for signs of tangled lines etc. I was the second flight to take off which was both good and bad. I did not want to wait much longer as the butterflies were settling in but also watching the first young lady disappear off the side of the mountain surprisingly did not inspire me to run at all. However, Run I did… as Nick shouted Run Cheryl Run (yep… like Forest!) and when my brain was telling me to stop as I was about to run out of ground, Nick was forcing us forward and then… after that overwhelmingly conflicting 2 seconds…we were airborne! It is just thrilling and incredibly beautiful to be surround by the peaks of the mountains and seeing the village below in miniature. We were at an approximate altitude of 800m from Interlaken and 1350m from sea level. Or simply… really high!!

Of course you cannot describe this experience. I can use the cliche expressions but i will refrain. Grant's pilot Matthew was very interested in flying and small planes so they discussed the similarities of the rules that apply to both flight in and outside of an airplane here. They flew close enough to the tree line that Grant was sure he would be able to touch the trees. He also got to fly for a little while. Meanwhile once Nick realized that I was not as old in spirit as I am in years, he took me and my red boots on a thrill ride of free falling and diving in the air. It was exhilarating and I can assure you that Grant and I were both ready to pile in the van and have another go once our feet gently touched the ground. Highly recommended my friends!!

Grant managed to capture some photos of me taking off and I managed to get a video and some photos of him landing. We both purchased the photographs of the adventure which of course is part of the gimmick but we considered it the pilot's tips as that cash goes directly to them. The purchase of the photographs is well worth it for me personally as I can sense myself free falling again when I look at them and reminds me to be so very grateful to have such an amazing life and an amazing partner to share it with.

The next part of this day will also remind us of our "time" (punny joke!) in Interlaken as apparently this is one of the places that attracts the tourists hunting for the perfect Swiss watch. Here was one giant store that took up a city block where you will find the names you know and the names you don't in Swiss artisan mechanics. Also, this turned out to be the place where either good luck or adrenaline blocked my common sense and the hunt for a new watch came to an end after a decade of searching. Although not at all what I had set out to purchase I am very happy with my new watch and although earlier then usual, my birthday celebrations had begun. The salesman was knowledgable, just the right amount of interested and gave us a discount which was almost as exciting for Grant as the free hat, key rings and pen! We are pleased by the simple things obviously! Armed with the tax free receipt to be turned in at the airport, we left, still walking on air and it was only just coming up to midday!

Our next drive I can barely remember other then it involved admiring my wrist and comparing our flying stories as we drove along to the famous town of Lucerne.

Lucerne's history dates back as far as 750 where a monastery was founded. The famous wooden bridges crossing the river Reuss are mentioned as early as 1168. Lucerne became part of a major trade route when between 1230 and 1240 the technique of suspending wooden catwalks into the steep rock allowed passage from Lake Lucerne to Milan Italy. Lucerne today is most famous for being a tourist destination and as you arrive into the heart of the city it is not a surprise why. There are many beautiful buildings and much of it is pedestrian only to allow you to explore. Every turn looks like postcard including the famous Chapel Bridge that is the centrepiece of the town. This is the one of the oldest wooden covered bridges in Europe and you will still find an actual chapel part way across as well as original artwork placed in the crossbeams of the structure.

Lucerne, in hindsight, is my only real regret of our travels this time. I wish we had been able to spend more time in this city. We just didn't have the time to really appreciate Lucerne and we were disappointed about this. We had a nice lunch in an Italian restaurant (where we learned ordering a half litre of house wine in Switzerland is not the same as doing so in Italy!) The money here is outrageous!!) and did a little shopping (for the twins mostly) as we walked through the old town enjoying the afternoon. Then the rain came in quickly and started to become an afternoon storm so we decided to take our leave well before we were really ready. If we return to Switzerland in the future, Lucerne would be on our "must do again" list and perhaps we will throw ourselves off and fly down Mount Pilatus in the future. However, for now we were off to Weggis for our much needed downtime and re-charging stop. The rain encouraged us to find our way there a little earlier then we had planned but that turned out to be a very nice choice as well.

Weggis, which translates to "Place of the Ferryman" is meant to also be a tourist destination for Switzerland but it is most certainly off season for our visit. It is quiet town with a few shops including a chocolatier and local bakery filled with delicious sights and smells. It is the home to what turned out to be one of our very favourite stops; The Hotel Beau Rivage. This beautiful hotel is situated on Lake Lucerne and has panoramic views of the harbour. We learned later that Queen Victoria was once a guest here so we know we are in the correct spot as this trip is all about romantic stops for royalty like ourselves! We checked into our room. I know it sounds ridiculous to say this every time but once again we were amazed at the space that we were given for our two night stay! Another incredible view and this time we got to watch the ferry on Lake Lucerne cruise by accompanied by some visiting swans.

Grant, who cannot stay out of the water was excited to and explore so once we had dropped our bags we went to see what the property had to offer. Here we found the "heated pool" which only felt heated if you had gone swimming in the glacier (aka freezing cold) lake. Grant did both while I found myself a lovely spot in the crystal saltwater whirlpool which was very relaxing. For me this was followed by a nap while Grant who was very energized by the cold water dip went off to explore and buy us some groceries for tomorrow so we can stay close to "home" and enjoy our location and R&R. A true reversal of roles today! I could get used to this!

Dinner this evening was at the Beau Rivage restaurant which was a very lovely dinner with a lakeside view table. The food and service was excellent and until now I had never been served soup under a glass dome! (Just when you think you have seen it all! ) The memorable part of this dinner was not the service or the presentation or even how delicious the food was but in fact, what has now happily turned out to be a funny story and not a trip to the ER for me. I had ordered the vegetarian option of the curry dish for dinner. This consisted of a tofu and some vegetables in a light curry sauce. It was delicious. What I missed once we got into our meal is that the red garnish on the top of curry was not sweet red pepper but in fact, some variety of "this pepper could kill you if you eat it" red pepper. I can remember thinking how excited I was to be eating vegetables that were crunchy and not covered in cheese for this meal. The rest I don't remember all that well except that I could not breathe for what seemed like a long time. Grant was trying to decide whether to call 911 as I single handedly ate the whole basket of bread to put out the fire that was my tongue, my mouth, my throat and was on it's way down. It took quite a long time for the heat to subside and of course I was mortified at what was happening to me. The poor chef apologized and took my meal off the bill and I savoured the ice-cream I was given for dessert to try to counteract the situation. I'm pretty sure there was steam coming out of my mouth with each bite. That night proved that it was not just that I am a wimp (which I am) when it comes to spicy food but my body rejected this meal and likely a few before and I was eating Tums like Tic Tacs! TMI (too much info)? Yes… but still part of an extremely memorable day from start to finish!! There is something here about starting "up in the heavens" and "the fires of hell" but I will resist. Here endth our time on this Tuesday in Switzerland! Wait… did someone ask the time??