First impressions of Switzerland - very ordered, clean and on time, I like this country already. Everything from Zurich to Interlaken is covered in a white layer that gets thicker as we get closer to the Alps. Our eyes, even though tired, are fixed out the windows as we watch the mountains get bigger and bigger. Our hostel offers us a warm welcome and the town an even warmer one, despite the below 0 temperatures. We stock up on supplies from the local supermarket and head out to enjoy a Thai dinner, that could just be the best Thai in Europe! We pick up a movie and settle in for a warm night in front of the fire.

We wake the next morning and the sight outside the window capivates us all, the snow is falling thick and fast (the most in 22 years we later learn, gee we've seen quite a few snow records this year). As Aussie girls do we rug up and throw ourselves in it and by lunch we have built the biggest snowman Bulmers has even seen. We spend the next two hours drying out our clothes!

We head to the skating rink in the afternoon knee deep in snow...after a few wrong turns we are shown how to skate like a local. We are ot long back at the Hostel and it is time to boot up for a night of downhill sleding in dark and waist deep snow. The trip takes us down a mountain edge past a frozen water fall and the only way you know where the edge of the path is, is to hit it...the only way to know someone is in front of you a little fluro light they make you were on your back....only problem is the snow is so thick and the sky so dark that you can only see the light metres ahead of you and by that time.....smack! At the bottom of the mountain we warm up with coffee and fondu and one of the local dishes. Once dry we start to make our way back to the hostel...but on the first incline the bus snaps its chain and 1 hour later we finally start to make our way again...with a kick ass movie script Wes Craven would be proud of!

No ski lessons today :( All booked out - well it has been the best snow in 22 years so no wonder! So I take my self around the town and visit all the shops the Swiss are known for and then a few more. With huge Swiss slabs of chocolate in hand, it's a bus trip out to see one of the lakes that sits either side of the town (hence the name Interlaken - inbetween two lakes). Got talking to a shop owner who reminded me of mum: she run the Swiss Army knife shop and had just got back from seeing the Tina Turner concert :)

Woke up, layered up, booted up and got on the bus that provided beautiful views and took my mind off how high up we were actually going. Then onto the longest Gondola I have every seen...not to mention the steepest! I saw little specks swish under us and marvelled at how well they were skiing - the downhill slope was so long...steep and looked awfully fast (if I only I knew that it 3 hours time I would be skiing down it myself - I may have turned back then and there). Got to the top of the Gondola and turned back to see how far we had come...OMG...pictures, words, all useless to describe the view I saw that day when I turned around, I will never forget the Swiss Alps!

My first ever skiing lesson was about to begin, I hired a private tutor for 2 hours. At the beginning I felt like I had 8 legs and 8 arms that all wanted to do something else and would not work together. The key to skiing I learnt quickly is to relax, centre your core and look exactly where you want to go and put your weight the other way and you will get there (somehow). For 20mins I stayed in the "baby pool" watching kids 1/3 of my age swish past me on the way to the bigger slopes....WHAT WAS I DOING?

But alas after just 30min my instructor was confident I would make it down a proper slope without injuring myself or anyone else (something she stressed she never normally does on a first lesson but she was convinced I have had previous lessons). So I strted to head towards where I had seen the kids go earlier...but OH NO none of that...we were heading down the slope I had seen from the Gondola....my head was screaming at me to turn back...the rush from going down that first drop kicked my adreneline into over drive and I thought if I could run down a mountain face first I could surely do this. At the bottom after 1 and 1/2 hours skiing I could honestly understand how people get addicted to this sport the feeling was amazing! I loved my day on the slopes and by the time I got back to the lodge I was very hungry and a little worn out - so early night for me!

Last day in Switzerland, I love this country so much and if I didn't have to learn about 4 languages to move here I think I would! Last stop is Zurich to see what one of their cities has to offer....the shops are a little out there and so are their Billboards but once again Switzerland offers us a very clean city and an on time one....so we better hurry to catch our train to the airport...no chance of a red signal here!