Interlakken Switzerland

The first time that I visited this place was in April of 1999. I had the Hostel in Berlin arrange for me to stay at Balmers Herbage, the oldest youth Hostel in Switzerland. At the time it was full of Americans and there was always a party going on. From here I took the two hour train ride down toZermatt to ski the Matterhorn. This is possibly the most scenic train ride that I have ever had. I was able to rent a pair of skis at the hill which alleviated my worries of dragging my equipment all over. I had accomplished my goal of skiing the Matterhorn with my first trip to Switzerland.
My second journey brought me back to Interlakken 8 years later to visit an old friend. This time I was visiting in the summer and it was just as spectacular. The Jungfrau Region is right there. The ski area here is Grindelwald, but this place is also know for summer trekking. Having skied this area previously as well, I was happy to return to all of the region's beauty. Although this time we stayed inHasliberg. East of Interlakken and up on the side of a mountain I was so pleased to have been given this opportunity. This was a very different experience for me as we spent time climbing around on the mountain tops. The nice thing about the area is that you can either trek or take some sort of transportation to the top. The Alpine region of Brienz, Meiringen and Hasliberg is some of the prettiest in the country. 2250 meters above sea level, theMeiringen-Haseliberg Lift Co. has transported skiers and hikers to the area since 1973. When you stand on the top of these mountains you really do feel compelled to begin singing. The place we stayed was a wonderful B&B located at the bottom of the tram. Owned by a local couple it is the only one in town and not hard to find. My favorite excursions in the area was when we visited theAareschlucht. Carved out by Glaciers the Aare Gorge is a 1400m long and 200m wide wonder of nature. We were able to walk along a man made path up this Gorge to see some of the most amazing land scape ever. Tickets can be purchased at either the East or West entrances and the 45 minute hike is worth it. Make sure that you bring your rain coat as the spray from the roaring water does keep you quite damp.