| Jul 19, 2007 - Interlaken
| (click to enlarge)
 |  | (click to enlarge)
 | | (click to enlarge)
 | | show all 5 | | walking through the park after the hail storm | | after the fog rolled in | | the hail pellet that nailed me on the head, yow! | | |
| Today was a little more laid back than previous days. I think Rick is feeling a bit worn-out, which isn't suprising considering the pace he keeps. We left the stifling heat of Bern and took a noon train to Interlaken. It felt so good to get on a cool, air conditioned train after walking around and sweating all morning. Just sitting for an hour and reading was like heaven. We are staying with a friend of Rick's in Interlaken, Fritz. He and his wife have a great hotel on a quiet street not far from the train station. Interlaken is cooler than Bern, but it was still pretty warm. We did the usual routine, checking out hotels and going to the Tourist Information office before splitting up. Rick had me go check some hostels while he met a local guide for his walking tour. As I was getting near one of the hostels, I could hear thunder in the distance. Big black clouds rolled in and the wind really picked up. It started raining, then pouring, and just as I got to the hostel, it started hailing. Not just any hail, but big, golf ball sized stones. I got nailed in the head with one and it felt like someone hurled a rock at me. As I got inside, the wind really started blowing and the hail was coming down almost vertical. It broke windows, smashed flower beds and blew over chairs, bikes and anything else that wasn't nailed down. The whole storm lasted about half and hour. When it ended, it looked just like winter. The ground was covered in white. The hail plugged the storm drains, which flooded the streets. The water was up to my shins as I trudged back to my hotel. Then the fog rolled in, making it impossible to see more than 2 feet ahead. It was very surreal, and very cool. The air smelled like Christams, maybe from all the broken evergreen branches. As I walked back through town, I passed cars wth broken windsheilds and dents in the roofs and hoods. All the tables and chairs at one cafe had blown over and were piled against the neighboring building, plates of food and broken glasses everywhere. The laundry room in the basement of our hotel flooded when hail and water filled the stairway leading down to it. The pressure pushed the door in, and there was half a foot of water and hail stones covering the floor. What a mess.
Tomorrow I head out on my own to Murten. I just finished meeting with Rick and going over some last minute details. He showed me how he input the info and gave me some last minute advice before saying goodbye. I am a little nervous but also a bit relieved as now I can slow my pace down a bit. Wish me luck! |
| |
| |
