This weekend I had the pleasure of Vivekananda’s visit.
He landed on Friday evening, sms-ed me that he will take the train to zurich, I wrote back saying that it will take him 5 mins, we shd meet in ~1 hr at the station, as I was caught up in work. We met after more than an hour, and when asking him, he said that he arrived just minutes ago. I was shocked – from the airport it took you more than an hour? Yes. Impossible. Impossible is nothing – it took more than an hour. How come? Anyway, after a minute or so of confusion I realize he had landed in Basel, which is, of course, more than an hour away.
After a walking tour + raclette dinner in Zurich, we played this new board game I bought for decoration, Abalone, till late in the night, but said we’ll wake up at 9-10ish.
We woke up at 12ish.
In traditional fashion, we looked at the map, looking for destinations for a day trip, ~1 hour around zurich, I suggested. V. put his finger on the map, asking “how about this one”? Interlaken? 2 hours away. Lets do it. Lets do it.
So we left.
Wanted to take some brekfast to-go at the small bakery across the street I had discovered with Lumi and Sean, so we did, but after getting water from the gas station we decided to turn back to the bakery and eat it there. Which we did.
This is how we arrived in Interlaken, after a nice scenic trip, around 3:30, exactly as Jane had predicted.
Interlaken, the most touristy spot in Switzerland, was busy with the Christkindlmartk, Christmas market. A bit too touristy for our taste, so after a quick tour we took off to Lauterbrunnen, a small village further up in the mountains. It is still a touristy place, but much nicer, much less “in-your-face-commercial”. It is a village which hosts tourists, but still a village spread all over a steep valley guarded by tall mountains, climbed by one train which was winding up every 10 mins or so. Picturesque.
We climbed a small foothill, which took my breath away, as I had run a marathon, pix after pix, and back, since it was long dark.
Interlaken was much nicer during the night, hiding some of the plastic. Crepes with rubarb and strawberry jam and some grilled chestnuts were a good fit with the American group singing Christmas carols in one square.
So we took off. Fortunately we decided to have dinner in Bern, half-way home. Which was a good thing, because it was raining. I mean, Bern is good when rain, since walking areas are covered. Made for some nice pix in the night, with stuff mirrored in the watery pavement, one of V’s findings.
Today we had to wake up earlier, since we were invited to a brunch by two friends, Cristina & Long, we went to the airport to get Cristina a present (the airport and railway station have the only shops open on Sundays). V. asked me, since it took us 5 mins to the airport, why did I make him land in Basel? Well, coz that’s where easyjet is flying into. Well, actually, no, its flying into zurich as well. No way. Yes. NO WAY! Yes. And cheaper.
Damn.
Sorry.
After a pleasant “salata de vinete”, romanian eggplant salad, at Cristina’s, a nice preview of my going home in a few weeks, V. took off. Not before I discovered that he had been to Romania (!), stories I am looking forward to reading.
Another weekend worth working for.
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