We had the simple breakfast at the hostel then packed up, checked out, and put our luggage into the free day lockers in the basement. Our time at the Backpacker's Hostel had come to an end, and we were sad to go, as it was a pleasant place to stay. It was so much nicer than the Legoland Village Family Hostel we'd stayed at in Denmark.
Our next accommodation was only about an hour and half away, and we couldn't check in until 16:00, so we decided to take our time getting there. Our stay at the Backpacker's hostel came with free entry to the town swimming pool, which we hadn't taken advantage of the last two days because of our day trips. I wanted to walk around Interlaken, and the girls wanted to swim. Daddy took the girls to the pool and relaxed in a lounge chair while they played in the water. Even though we'd already checked out, the hostel was nice enough to loan us (for free) two beach towels to take to the pool. Aubrietta was ecstatic to get a Lion King towel, and wished she could take it home!
The girls had a great time at the pool complex, which had not one, but several outdoor pools, complete with tube slides.
Meanwhile I walked through town and tried to find the tiny hotel on the pedestrian street where my brother and I stayed in 1997. I came across a darling shop featuring items made in Switzerland. I'm not much into souvenir shopping, but I did have to buy this beautiful wooden memory game featuring Swiss icons. We love games in our family, and it would bring back happy memories each time we played it.
In my wanderings I also went to the large Migros grocery store, which was closed Sunday and was closed every evening when we needed it. We were now on our way out of town and would be juggling luggage on the train, so I could only look, and not do a big shopping. Tempting me from the coolers were about 50 different kinds of yogurts and custards. I couldn't care less about the knicknacks and jewelry most women swoon over -- just show me to the nearest gourmet grocery store and my wallet magically opens.
The hard-boiled eggs called to me as well, but even in the protective casing I knew they wouldn't travel well.
And cheese! These sampler packs with 4 different types of regional Swiss cheeses in each would have been perfect -- except that I had no way to keep them cold for 3 hours, and it was getting to be a hot day outside. If only the small convenience store in the little town we'd be staying in next had this much selection.
I did buy some things to take home. Paper napkins are lightweight and don't take up much space in the suitcase, and they are fun to pull out in the future and remember our trip by. The little embroidered felt hearts are table decoration, but I plan to add ribbon and hang them on our Christmas tree in December.
Here are some other things that made it home in my suitcase: Menthol eucalyptus chewing gum (great for cold season), assorted chocolate (some to give to neighbor kids, some for me), and my favorite Appenzeller Biberli: spicy gingerbread cakes with marzipan filling.
Around 11:30 am we met back at the hostel and I took the girls back to the Migros for lunch at their pay-by-weight buffet restaurant.
We absolutely love buffets. What a great opportunity to try lots of different foods in one sitting.
The girls will eat anything, especially after the last 3 days of hostel breakfasts and microwave / picnic dinners.
The canapes looked especially inviting. Aubrietta announced that she is expecting me to put these in her school lunches from now on.
In the end we got mushroom spatzle (potato dumplings similar to Italian Gnocchi), salad, potatoes, fresh fruit, and a big slice of ham and leek quiche. We split one giant cantelope lemonade between the 3 of us. At $4.50 USD for the beverage I wasn't about to get one for each of us. The total cost of all the food was under $20.00 USD, which was great for a meal for three of us. Daddy was resting in the garden back at the hostel (he wasn't very hungry and just had some leftovers while cleaning our things out of the hostel fridge).
When I got back to the hostel with the girls we barely had enough time to get the luggage from the lockers and rush out to the bus stop. We thought we'd missed it (we were 3 minutes late, and this WAS Switzerland after all), but miraculously the bus was late and rounded the corner just as we pulled the last suitcase over the curb.
At the train station. It looks like a lot of luggage, but it contains everything we needed for 6 weeks in 5 countries, from 2 pairs of trekking poles, to down jackets, to hostel sheets, to extra shoes. By the way, I brought only 2 pairs of shoes on the trip -- hiking boots I wear most of the time, and sport sandals (closed-toe like Keens). I bought a new pair of heavy duty insoles to put on top of my orthodics before the trip and this morning I had to throw them away because I had worn them to shreds with all the hiking we've done on this trip. Right now I would love a pair of cushy slip-on Merrells like I wear at home all the time. My husband brought 4 pairs of shoes (which I thought was too much), the girls have 3 pairs each (boots, athletics, and sandals) , and now I'm thinking I should have had 3 pairs, too.
We changed trains in Spiez and headed up a valley toward the mountains.
We'll get off in Kandersteg, just before the train goes into a long tunnel through the mountains.
We happened to get on a train car for the disabled. It had a beautiful, large bathroom, and everything was automatic -- except the toilet. Put your hands in the sink and the water turns on, move your hands to the right and soap squirts onto them, move your hands to the left and the air dryer dries them. Toilets, however, are push-button, which makes much more sense. I despise the trend in the US of auto-flush toilets, which often start flushing before you even sit down, and then flush a couple more times before you are finished. Europeans obviously trust that you are capable of flushing the toilet on your own.
When the train pulled into Kandersteg we saw a line up of cars going through some sort of toll booth. We weren't sure what it was, but we didn't have time to wonder for long as we busied ourselves with collecting our bags and rushing to the bus, which only ran once an hour. When we got off the bus at the camp (you can see the tiny blue bus stop sign in the right of the photo above), a loud whoosh from the train tracks above explained everything. There was only one tunnel through the mountains, and it was for a train only, so when cars, trucks, or even tour busses (!) wanted to avoid a 3.5 hour detour around the mountains, they drove onto the "car train" and were transported through, still sitting in their vehicles.
We checked in and were given a room in the most modern building, "KanderLodge," which had rooms with 2 single beds each sharing a bath with another 2 bed room. The lodge was designed for troop leaders, families like ours, and young troops not ready to sleep out in tents. Our lodge is that gray building wedged between the river and the train tracks. (The colored patches with numbers are group camping spots.)
Unfortunately our room looked out on the train tracks, and every time a train passed (which was every 10 minutes), the building seemed to vibrate. We didn't know how we would possibly sleep, but at least we weren't in tents!
The beds were like the ones at the Backpacker's hostel. Narrower than a US twin bed, but a lot longer (even long enough for me!). In the photo above you can see how this room opens into the common bath. Door to the left is for the shower and toilet. To the right is a sink and mirror. See the heated towel rack (such a great idea!) -- to the right of that is the door to the hallway. To the left of this long and narrow room is another room just like it in mirror image. The girls shared one room, Daddy and I the other. Daddy claimed his bed by the window and was soon sleeping. The girls and I went out exploring.
Many campers prepare their own meals at their campsite or in the communal kithcens, but there is a dining hall with food service that some troops treat themselves to. I'd signed on for dinner each night, and figured we could do breakfast and lunch on our own. We were curious to see if the camp food here was better than the horrible food at Girl Scout Camp back home.
The girls do not look pleased about tonight's dinner menu. You wouldn't find alcohol at a scout camp in the US, that's for sure, even for cooking purposes.
Camp staff come from around the world and are called "Pinkies" because of the pink t-shirts they are required to wear. And look, there's an espresso machine! Coffee was included with dinner, although it wasn't great quality. We liked how you could go down the food line and say, "a little more please," and "not much, thanks."
The girls are all smiles, but the "Pork in Beer" was pretty disgusting, reminsicent of dog food. We filled up on the potatoes (really tender German butterballs), baked eggplant & tomatoes, and fruit sorbet. I also asked for a little bit of the vegetarian option, which was cooked vegetables. There was also a meager salad bar containing only 4 items: iceburg lettuce, diced bell pepper, canned pineapple, and sliced tomatoes. Daddy was late joining us for dinner, and then returned to the room to lie down. His knee was really killing him, and the pain medication he was taking made him tired.
At 19:00 we headed to the sports field for the evening's all camp activity, "Race the World." It was a team challenge with relay games from around the world.
It was suddenly obvious that we were the minority here -- most of the campers were teenage boys. Teams of 10 were formed, and Aubrietta was the only girl on a team with 9 sixteen-year-old boys.
Kelsey refused to participate. She sat down and befriended this Boy Scout Leader from the midwest USA.
First up was a relay where two teammates sidestep across the field and back while pressing a balloon between their chests, no hands allowed. If the balloon falls, they return to the start and go again. When Aubrietta heard this she blushed deep red and wanted to slink away, but she's a sport, so as the boys paired up, she stepped forward when one of the boys chose her as his partner.
There she goes, chest to chest with a boy she has just met. I was so proud of her, although I know she was dying of embarrassment.
The next relays were not quite as "intimate," thankfully. Above you can see Aubrietta the white and tan blur to the right. I could tell she was pushing herself to impress the older boys and keep up with them.
"Pinkies" demonstrate the next relay, which is a classic game of leapfrog.
Teams listen as the rules are explained. In the background you can see some of the tents where campers sleep. Aubrietta is in the center of the photo above, just a few inches shorter than the guys on her team.
Toward the end, Aubrietta steps away from the team briefly to tell me that she is having the time of her life. She is just radiant, and dare I say a bit smitten with some of her handsome teammates. I didn't ask her, but I bet she was wishing for another go-round with that balloon pressed between her chest and that of another boy!
After the event the three of us walked around the campsites. Each area represented a different region of the world. There were lots of little signs and things to find. At the reception desk I'd picked up a scavenger hunt booklet, and we looked for some of the things on the list.
The camp ends where the train tunnel begins. The Loetschberger Tunnel was built between 1906 and 1912, so its 100th birthday was this year.
On some railway sidings extra vehicle transport cars were stored, so we got to look at them up close. It was amazing to us that huge tour buses and shipping trucks could drive onto these (with not much overhead clearance, obviously), and hurtle through the tunnel on a train going at full speed.
We continued through the campsites, admiring the different tents, and the views they had of the mountains.
Here's an interesting tent. Nice tall walls, but no windows. I bet it is dark in there.
The sun was setting, so we headed back to Kander Lodge. On our way to the room we went into the building's common kitchen and living area and met a troop of 11 to 14 year old Girl Guides from Scotland. There were 8 girls and 3 leaders, and unlike in the US where leaders are often the parents, these 3 leaders were young women in their 20's. Aubrietta and Kelsey started chatting with the girls while the leaders and I compared notes on our respective organizations (I've been with Girl Scouts for 6 years now, in several leadership roles).
We were joined shortly by 3 Eagle Scouts -- one from Texas and 2 from Louisiana. They were between 18 - 21 years old. The young man from Texas was so charming, had such a sharp wit, and got all the girls laughing hysterically when he belted out camp songs and various country music ballads in his Texas twang. This was exactly the experience I was hoping to have by coming to this camp, a chance for the girls to meet people from around the world and share good times together.
Sometime after 23:00 I pulled the girls away from the group and told them it was time for bed. Some of the Scottish girls were fading, too, whereas the Eagle Scouts and the young lady leaders from Scotland looked like they could go on for hours. (I wondered if any of them would end up in bed together later... there were signs in all the bathrooms saying that condoms were available at reception!)
The girls were so tired that they were quickly asleep, trains and all. My husband was snoring away as well, oblivious to his painful knee for awhile. I wrote for an hour or so on my iPad, until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, then reached for my earplugs and tried to ignore several passing trains, until finally sleep overcame me.
NEXT: Day 35 -- Part 1 -- The Girls Explore Kandersteg -- Wednesday, July 18th
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