THE HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUUUUUUUUSIIIIIIIIC!!

So today I decided to take a ME day and retreat to the mountains. I booked a train to Grindelwald, near Interlaken, which is smack in the middle of the Swiss Alps, complete with Heidi and cows with bells on them!!

There are absolutely no words to describe the beauty that is the Alps. f*** comes close. Holy s***, holy s***, holy s*** holy s*** comes at a close second. But it was something you have to experience to see.

The day was for me. I have one week left. ONE WEEK LEFT of French and then Kelsey comes to visit and we get our feet to the ground. It's amazing how quickly a month goes. Another month from today and I'll be in Iceland. Four weeks is not enough. So ya, decided to take a day for me and my camera, have some one on one time, get acquainted with Suisse Allemande (Swiss Germany) for a change. The French are nice, but a change of scenery (or language) wouldn't be a bad idea.

Anyways, back to the view. I had the whole day to myself, to hike, to chill, to just see. And while I was walking through the mountain pass with only the clinking of cow bells as a companion, I came to the conclusion that you don't realize how beautiful the earth is until you see it for the first time. And because I was alone, I'll admit that I did try my hand at yodelling and trying to remember the rest of "The hills are alive with the sound of muuuuuusiiiiiiiiiiiic" but alas, that's as far as I got.

It was a complete sensory overload, sounds, smells, sights, touches, thoughts, too much; only heightened by the rain that brought the sounds and smells to sight. I took the gondola up to First, the mountain peak in Grindelwald, and hiked to the lake called Bachalpsee, a meltwater late overlooking the mountain range behind the village, complete with glaciers!! Once at the lake, I had my lunch of cheese and croissants (Adventurous, I know!) and then deliberated over what to do next. The Swiss have done one thing right, they have an awesome hiking system. Everything is labelled, all the flowers, and there are consistent markers so you always know you're on the right path. And they do all this without making you feel like you're being constricted by the parks people.

I'll have to put up pictures cos the whole time I kept muttering "wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, and gasp, wow, wow". Peaks, valleys, glaciers, and COWS!! That was probably the most exciting part, was the truth behind "the hills are alive with the sound of music." The cows are allowed to roam free so long as they have a bell around their neck to let their owners where they are. This benefits the hiker by providing a soundtrack for the hike. Bells clank, twinkle, and echo throughout the mountain pass. It's eerily friendly as Bessy and her posse of heifers mow through the short mountain grass for hours on end, paying little attention to the lone hiker gawking at them.

It was amazing. A perfect way to spend the last weekend in Switzerland before I head off to Germany and then beyond...The week coming up a friend and I were going to head to Gruyere, the place where the cheese comes from, and then take in the outdoor theatre in Lausanne. I think I have a test on Thursday that will give me a certificate or something fancy like that to prove I can speak French. THEN KELSEY COMES!! And we leave!!

Hope y'all are well in Canada and abroad!!

1 month down, 1 more to go!!

Morning After Update: MY LEGS HURT LIKE A #()$)(*)$(*%#)$(%*