INTERLAKEN 2024-12-11
A weekend trip to Interlaken and its surrounding areas in December 2024, part 4. Read all posts here.
For our last day in Interlaken, we decided to head to the "cute" area where we had briefly passed during our first day.
But first, breakfast.
We checked out of the hotel around 10 and stored our luggage in the lockers at the station. Then, we walked along the Aare River.
The water was a brilliant dark turquoise! It looked like the fake water you'd see on a ride. But it's real!
Another angle. It was so quiet too.
We came upon this swimming pool at the foot of the mountain. It looked like a scene from a Wes Anderson movie.
My best attempt at a "Wes Anderson" crop and edit.
Attempt #2. I took this photo while standing on my tiptoes because there was a tall hedge and fence surrounding the area.
Lunch break
Our destination was The Aarburg Hotel & Café. I thought it would be nice to have a relaxing day before heading back to Lucerne in the late afternoon. I had coffee, brunch, and journaled on my iPad.
I rarely order anything with milk, but I decided to try something different since I was on holiday.
It's brunch o' clock!
A little bit of shopping
On our walk back to the station, we stopped by effektief, a cute furniture store inspired by Scandinavian design. I bought a Hay box and ornament.
I love the colors and details of this building.
A closer look at the window display. I love the "Christmas tree!"
We walked slowly back to the station. There was still a bit of time, so I had another coffee and a slice of berry pie at a restaurant next door.
Finally, we took the train in the afternoon and arrived home in the evening. And that was our weekend trip!
Conclusion
There are places in the world where you can visit without any plans and find many things to do—Switzerland isn't one of them. Switzerland is one of those countries that reward the prepared.* I don't usually travel around the country during the winter, and I assumed a city like Interlaken, which relies on tourism, to be filled with activities.
* You can get discounts (i.e. Supersaver tickets) on train tickets if you book a day or more in advance, but it's only valid for the exact time of that specific train. I do this when I KNOW I'll make that train, but when I'm unsure, I don't even risk it. Daniel never buys Supersaver tickets.
During the winter, the only activity there is to do in the mountains are winter sports and hiking. If you're a sporty person, then this is a dream holiday. We're not sporty people, so next time, I'll stick to larger cities and research ahead of time, if I choose to visit during the winter.
I had thought about visiting Jungfraujoch Sphinx Observatory, but tickets were really expensive, which is why we opted for Kleine Scheidegg since it was a little closer and because I thought I could find that damn lake.
Since money is tight this year, I don't foresee myself planning any international travels (maybe London again, because I can stay with friends), so I'm thinking of visiting another Swiss city to check off my BUCKET LIST. It'll be another weekend trip, and I'll do some research and better planning!
For those who like watching videos, I made a vlog of my trip. I really enjoyed editing this one†, as it was fun to reminisce.
† On a side note, I think I'm going to stick to travel vlogs, because I have the most fun editing those. I don't miss making any of the body-doubling vlogs (e.g., clean-with-me, even home improvement) at all.
For my next trip, I want to dig deep into the archives and write something from my previous life. I need to organize and backup/clear out some photos from my Hong Kong days, so it'll be from that time, over 10 years ago!