Switzerland was awesome! It was the first place I saw snow on this trip. And it would also be my first experience couch surfing.

The 19 hour bus ride from Barcelona was obviously very long and I thought it was very boring until we came near to crossing the border. Driving through the Swiss and Austrian alps is breathtaking. It's amazing to be completely surrounded by snow covered mountains. I was shattered I didn't have my board with me!

After finally arriving in Bern I found the bus to take me to the front step of my home for the next 5 nights. Elias, my host, was at the door to welcome me. He is a champion. We went upstairs and he showed me around his flat. After catching up for an hour or so his flat mates started to come home. They too were very interesting and all spoke great English. I soon found out they were all students and we had plenty of shared interest.

The next day I got up early and went to check out the town. I still couldn't believe that I was walking through a large amount of snow. There is so much to see in Bern which was surprising because it's not too big but one of the bigger towns in Switzerland. That night we all just watched a movie and had a few beers.

The next day I went back into town and got some new clothes as for I needed new tshirts because all mine had shrunk in the dryer in Barcelona. This turned out to be the worst place to go shopping. Same stuff as anywhere else but more expensive! After spending more than I wanted I returned back to the flat. That night was similar to the last.

Over the next couple of days I climbed the nearest mountain which was much bigger than I thought but at least it had a nice view, saw the nearby cathedral, went to the Christmas markets, went to the amazing light show at the parliament building, and went out with my new friends.

Switzerland is an absolutely great town. Very friendly and perfect size. The snow was just a bonus.

My first couch surfing experience was terrific and I can't wait to do it again!