Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Interlaken, Switzerland: Clothing Optional





My faithful companions and I arrived in Interlaken yesterday via train ride through the Alps.  Switzerland is unreal - bright blue sky, crystal clear water, clouds appear to be just out of reach and the quaint colorful homes look like something out of a storybook.  
We walked in silence and awe to our hostel when a pair of hands covered my eyes from behind.
“What the?”
I turned around to find Opie grinning like an idiot.  Now I am all for romantic serendipitous twists of fate, but this was not fate at play.  I had told Opie of our Swiss adventure the night before we left Barcelona.  Opie’s plans involved nothing remotely close to Switzerland.  I should mention that I had lost interest in him the more we talked in Spain.  He was like a nervous fidgety 12-year-old with severe anxiety. 

We chatted for a bit and awkwardly parted ways.  Opie was staying in the hostel across the street from ours, so we would be sure to run into him again.  We unpacked and went off to explore our temporary home. 

The Funny Farm hostel is a backpacker’s paradise complete with a pool, volleyball net, Guinness tent and fire pit, not to mention the glorious mountain peaks visible from every direction.  After meeting and making late dinner plans with 2 hilarious Canadian cousins sharing our floor, we rented bikes and rode toward the outskirts of town around beautiful Lake Brienz.  On the ride, we noticed several sunbathers scattered around the lake with the penchant towards no clothing...When in Rome!

We pulled over after finding the perfect shady and secluded spot, ate our lunch of cheese and fruit and covered our eyes while we took turns throwing off our clothes and jumping in the water.  Surrounded by snow covered mountain peaks and crystal clear unpolluted water, we paddled around the lake, laughing at our bold inhibitions! Would any of us have done this a few weeks ago?  I looked up to check on our bikes. “Uh, guys, there’s a man watching us from behind the trees.” 


L: “Let him see what he’ll never have.”
K: “He’s taking off his clothes.”


The now naked man proceeded to hop in the water, within close proximity, and slowly swim in our direction.  Like a great white blinding flash, KB darted out of the water, naked as the day she was born, and grabbed our clothing (my hero!).  She tossed us our once dry clothes and we sped away on our trikes.



That night we sat down for a proper dinner of wine and cheese fondue, then went out with our new Canadian friends.  We ended up at a crowded little basement bar with Opie in tow.  KB met a Swiss townie, Phil, and L a hot Brit, name unknown.  I was not so lucky and ended up leaving with Opie.  He insisted on walking me back to my room.  I obliged and told myself that we could still be friends.   We ended up in my room—I kept the door open so he didn’t get the wrong idea.  I sat on my bed.  He followed.  “Gosh, I’m exhausted.  Thanks for walking me back.  Good night, Opie!” He leaned in, smelling of rancid sweat (he had been wearing the same clothes each time I saw him).  I nonchalantly propped my leg up as a barrier. “Welp, I need my beauty sleep.  See ya in the morning!”   Finally getting the hint, he left. That was the last time I saw Opie.

Today we went Canyoning with the Canadians and an American girl we have fittingly nicknamed “Brain Rot”, or “BR” for short.  Canyoning involves rapelling from cliffs, zip lining, and jumping off waterfalls and high platforms.  At one point, we were given the option to choose a baby or extreme jump.  K and I chose the monster.  Go big or go home to Pennsylvania.   We had just rapelled from a cliff, so I had adrenaline flowing through my entire body.  We climbed up the cliffs and jumped one by one.  I was first up.  L looked like a tiny yellow ant wading in the water. “You have to jump outward. Don’t just jump or you’ll land on the rocks,” our instructor, Grandpa Neil, told me.
“Excuse me?”
I looked down at the rocks below and thought about how pissed I would be if I hit them.  I hadn’t even made out with anyone.  I took a breath and pushed off the rocks with all my might...
Coming down from our high, we walked through town on the way home and rewarded ourselves with cheese and a baguette.  We grabbed a bench overlooking a beautiful fountain with a little old man perched on the side.  Like scavengers, we shoved as much food as we could in our mouths and reflected on the past few days.  Before our very eyes, the old man leaned to the side, lifted his leg and let out a loud “PPPPFFFffttttt.”  I swear it had an echo.  We giggled for about 40 minutes, kicked the Gouda and headed back to our home sweet hostel.


Kate

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6 comments:

  1. Interlaken is just as beautiful as ever.Picture postcard setting.
    Wasn't anyone getting their gear off when we were there many years ago...sadly.
    Try the word rapelling rather than repelling ...could be why you didn't make out. You repelled them. :-)

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  2. Fun account of your experience. Switzerland,wine, fondue, cheese, biking, nudity and meeting new friends makes for good reading.

    I had a wonderful time in Interlaken. Beautiful place.

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  3. Haha! Sounds like you're having a blast!! Just like the old man ... Interesting that bottom-ripper farts are the same the world over!!

    Happy travels!!

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  4. Didn't know they did clothing optional in those parts...

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