This past weekend was potentially one of the most fun I've had since I've been in Europe. (Besides Oxford, of course) Switzerland was gorgeous. I can honestly say that it was the most beautiful place I've been to. On Thursday night, we took the overnight train to Interlaken. It was quite an experience, having 6 people crammed into a tiny train couchette.
(There were 5 of us, plus a random Philippine guy who was studying in Rome) We got into Interlaken around 7:45 am, and Kristen and I promptly bought Swiss gloves. It was frigid out. Then, we made our way to our home for the weekend. We stayed in a teensy tiny town called Murren, consisting of perhaps 20 houses, a few assorted shops, and a Coop, all perched on the side of a mountain. It was so remote that cars were not allowed in the town, and we had to take a fenicular up the sheer mountainside.
a weekend stay, although I could have lived there forever. And when we went out onto the balcony... Phew... The view was literally breath-taking. 
The Swiss Alps were Right there, I felt like I could reach out and touch Jungfrau. We even saw some crazy paragliders going down through the valley. It was so cool, and must have been so fun. We were not down to pay 180 CHF however.The weekend pretty much consisted of lots of cards, hot cocoa, and chess. On Saturday, we walked over to Gimmewald, which was an even small village than Murren. The highlight of the village was the watertrough. There, we were attacked by (not-so)-hostile locals, who threw rocks at us (The older one had to tell the younger boy to throw them at our feet, not our heads) and nettles waved at us.
Then we played a rousing game of rock-soccer. Very fun. On the walk home, Kristen, Amanda and I stopped in a house selling Swiss goods, and bought hand-knit ear-flap hats, which is now 
my favorite item of clothing. I even had my hair in the Heidi slash Swiss-milkmaid style.
It was great. That night, we made some amazing chocolate fondue. Nick was a little crazy, attacking anything that fell off a fork into the pot. We had to watch our hands to make sure they weren't stabbed, because we would have had to have been life-lifted out of town to the nearest hospital.
So, basically it was a magical weekend. At night, the stars were so clear. I attempted to whip out my forgotten Astronomy knowledge, and even managed to find Pegasus, Cassiopea, Andromeda, Taurus, and we found Orian hiding behind the 
mountains Saturday night. The sky was soooo clear, free from Florentine smog, and the moon was gorgeous, rising up from the mountains like a huge pearl. Nick and I attempted to capture the beauty in our cameras, but had no luck. Regardless, it was beautiful, and I already miss it. I also miss our hot cocoa breaks, spiked with some Baileys, at 3pm. Although we did blow a fuse the first day there, trying to use the water heater. Ooops, sorry Edmee.
It was sad leaving. We did go down to Lauterbrunnen and decided to check out a Basar that we had seen a poster advertising. Little did we know... We put our coats and bags in the room once we actually found the place, and walked up stairs... to what looked like a small church gathering. After the initial mutual-awkwardness, we settled down and bought some cake and became the people who would eventually be the topic of conversation.." Hey Olga, remember those crazy American tourists who came to our Basar that one year? That was so bizarre (ha ha ha)." I don't think Olga is a Swiss name, but you know what i mean...We got some good cookies there too. They taste exactly like flat krumkaka. Mmmm. And Nick bought an amazing hand-knit blankie for 15 CHF. Awesome.
So we got in this morning around 7:45, and I dropped my stuff off at home and came straight to school. I am tired... But I am uploading some pictures now because Italian class was cancelled. Sweeet!
Ciao! Or should I say, Auf Wederseyn! (however you spell it...I swear, I don't speak German guys!)
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