Day 7: Interlaken, Switzerland

Out of the ten cities we visited in Europe, Interlaken was one of our most favorites. Thanks to Meagan, we stayed at Balmer's and absolutely loved it. The hostel was comfortable, fun, and convenient. The facilities were great (laundry, restaurants, club, game room, lounge, etc.) and we met some really fun people. All in all, Interlaken is not only beautiful, but a refreshing change from the big city.

Ever since we put Interlaken on our itinerary, Robby knew he wanted to either go skydiving, parasailing, white water rafting, or canyoning. We decided on white water rafting and we were not disappointed. Unlike the mild and warm "white water" rafting trip with my family a few summers ago in Bali, Indonesia, this trip was INTENSE. The Lutschine is an extremely fast-flowing river and only a whopping five degree celcius (41 degree F)! It would've been fine if the trip only lasted 10 minutes. But after an hour and a half of rafting, I thought my fingers were going to fall off. At one point in the river, we had to get out and jump in the van for a few miles before getting back in the water. Apparently that section of the river is so dangerous that it is illegal for anyone to raft in it. We also made some friends and ended up traveling with them the next day to Venice.

After rafting, we showered, warmed up, changed, and went out for dinner. The weather was gorgeous and so was the view.

We went to a little Swiss fondue restaurant called "Les Alpes" and ordered some exclusively Swiss food.

Interlaken is definitely a place worth stopping at for the landscape, cleanliness, food, and adventure.

Day 6: Geneva, Switzerland

We left Paris early in the morning and got on a train headed to Switzerland. Our destination was Interlaken, but since we needed to switch trains in Geneva, we decided to spend half the day there to see what the city has to offer. Geneva reminded me a lot of Vancouver. Clean...and very rainy.

A quick stop at the first chocolaterie got us a delicious GOLD chocolate bar and a lunch recommendation. The lovely couple who own the cute store spoiled us with all kinds chocolate samples. Swiss chocolate really makes Hershey chocolates taste like poop.

The restaurant that the couple recommended was just down the street from their store. The supposedly "really good and affordable" restaurant turned into the most expensive meal of our entire trip. Despite the shocking price of our two entrees, we were so very happy with seafood spaghetti and spaghetti alla carbonara.

After lunch, we braved the rain and walked a few more blocks to Lake Geneva to see the Jet d'Eau. This particular fountain shoots water 460 feet in the air! Quite impressive really.

Day 5: Last Day in Paris

On our last day in Paris, we had lunch at the Eiffel Tower before visiting the palace of Versailles and coming back in the evening to climb the Eiffel Tower. We had baguettes and macarons for lunch. Strangely, macarons were not on our list of things to eat again!

The palace of Versailles is beautiful! We wished we had more time to explore the gardens and Marie Antoinette's estate.

 We wanted to be at the Eiffel Tower at sunset, so we returned to climb it after visiting Versailles. The weather was beautiful and it was a perfectly clear evening. We opted to climb the 700+ stairs to the second level instead of paying more and waiting two hours to take the elevators. Exhausting but worth it seeing how much food we've been eating!

 At the very top!

Day 4: Tout Autour Paris

Our second day in Paris can basically be summarized by one word: walking. Walked from day until night and then walked some more. The Notre Dame was our first stop of the day. It really was magnificent and much larger than I had imagined. The architecture inside the chapel is phenomenal. The photos really do no justice at all.

Left our mark in the guestbook.

Next, we headed to the Musée d'Orsay.

Then, the Louvre.

The Mona Lisa was tiny! We were a little disappointed. At least now we can say we saw it?

"Gabrielle d'Estrées et une de ses soeurs!"

Working hard carrying that backpack! Hahah (:

We enjoyed the Louvre more than La Musee d'Orsay and would say that it is definitely worth the time and effort!

Found a little French restaurant while wandering the alleys by the Notre Dame. Robby's caprese salad was delicious.

So was my French onion soup.

Then I got more carpaccio de boeuf!

  Ended the night by taking a stroll to the Pantheon (not to be mistaken for the original Pantheon in Rome). After some research, we found that the Pantheon was "originally built as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve, but after many changes now combines liturgical functions with its role as a famous burial place." It is also an early example of Neoclassicism, with a façade modeled on the Pantheon in Rome. See? Learning this way is much more fun and effective than Humanities or History of Creativity!