A Photographer’s Paradise

 

 

I wish I could have this guy's view.

Random Observation/Comment #176: Fuji-san was such a remarkable experience that I compare every hiking scene to the rollercoaster of hardships and appreciation for nature throughout the entire journey.  From the exhaustion and freezing cold to the final reward of watching that Heaven above all clouds, I had truly stretched my boundaries of emotions.  Every short-breath I took and lactic acid build-up I ignored was for that payoff; however, at the end of the day, it was the full experience that made that one of my most memorable 24 hours.  Schiltorn was a little different.  We walked for 30 minutes and then took a series of gondolas to the top where we proceeded to drink a beer in a revolving 360 restaurant on a clear day.  This was nothing short of mind-numbingly beautiful, but I missed the hardships of the climb.  I undoubtedly loved every moment, but now that I analyze the day, my tiredness was not because of this mix of sleep deprivation, exhaustion, and frozen limbs, but rather due to an over-exertion of my eyes as to not blink and possibly shaft myself from an extra millisecond.  This makes me wonder if I rather be lazy to see the reward or truly badass to follow the road with potholes, killer hitch hikers, and all.  For now, let’s remember that I’m on vacation.

 

Schilthorn is not the Top of Europe, but it was recommended over Jungfrau due to its 360 view of over 200 peaks on a clear day, the rotating 360 restaurant, and the chance of having better weather.  The entire week I was in Interlaken, Jungfrau was always cloudy (or at least not as clear as Schilthorn).  I think there is an ice museum of some sort at Jungfrau, but I bet spending an hour in that spinning restaurant is much better than any pictures of ice sculptures.  I have never been to the Top of Europe so I won’t pass too much judgment, but I can’t imagine how it’s better than what I saw at Schilthorn.

The journey to Schilthorn from the bottom of the mountain was as follows: 7CHF train ride to Lauterbrunnen, 14CHF tram ride to Grutschlap, walk to Gimmelwald across the snowed-in village, 36CHF for the tram to Birg and then Schilthorn.  This is expensive, but it’s totally worth it.  I decided to take it to the next level and spend 15EUR at the restaurant – I mean, you just have to.  The prices at the top weren’t even that expensive.  It was basically the normal price of $4 a beer, which is standard pricing from NYC.

Each tram ride to the intermediate stops made me think that this place could not be any more beautiful; every single time, I was proven wrong by the next station.  There are only a few things that follow this trend and they should all be cherished for following that exponential curve (graphed love of life vs time).  I hope everyone has the opportunity to walk around this platform and actually try to choose the direction with the better view.  It took some time after walking in circles a few times, but there was one side that just whispered serenity.  To make sure I covered my bases, I took a million (like, a million) pictures and a 6-part video series of walking around.  The camera does not begin to capture my happiness, but it does its job of reminding my senses to rush me back to that moment.

The 360 restaurant takes about 45 minutes for a full revolution. After being to quite a few fancy places around the world, this was – hands-down – the best view I’ve ever seen from a restaurant.   The beer even tasted better when complimented with this view.  Apparently, a James Bond movie was filmed here, but that’s just one of those details that can be stored as a small nugget of information after looking outside.  It’s difficult to find a seat on the outer edge, but I would suggest waiting for one.  A good technique would be to sit next to a couple that looks like they’ve done this a million times, but happened to land a good spot.  If you can’t spot this type of couple, you should at least avoid sitting next to foreigners with cameras – they’re definitely not leaving anytime soon.  With that said, we stayed for 1.25 hours and had an extremely enjoyable meal.  The cheese platter was not as large as we expected, but the thinly sliced Swiss cheese basically transformed into milk after touching your tongue and lips.  I jizzed in my pants.  This would be one out of many times for this day.  Dare I say, this was deemed a day long jizz extravaganza.  I think you get the point; this place was incredible.

Even without this experience, my week in Interlaken would have been worth every second, but by adding this day of just being immersed in a blanket of peaks, I could not have been happier with my choices and life in general.  It was that moment that I fell in love with mountains.  They remind me of boobies (I know that was completely uncalled for, but whatever).

~See Lemons Happy with Life

 

This was my favorite side of the 360 view

Peddling Through Towns

 

 

Biking on a highway is a great idea!

Random Observation/Comment #175: Bike riding used to be much less painful for my ass when I was younger.  I’m not sure if it was the enthusiasm for peddling while standing, the shorter and more comfortable seat, or a more cushion-y blubber-butt, but I don’t remember having trouble walking and sitting down after an afternoon of bike riding.  The effects of the intercity bicycle-adventure in Interlaken felt like… well, I’ll spare the vulgar references, and just simply put it as unpleasant.  The sights were beautiful, but I’m not sure it’s worth the awkward stances and constant need to complain about a sore ass where more awkward silences ensue.  I’m never really going for speed, so I’ll probably sit on a pillow next time.  If you ever see a biker with a pillow duct-taped to his butt, that would be me (engineering innovation FTW).

 

Since it costs about 8EUR for Eurailpass travelers to take a train to the top of the small villages near the intermediate stations on the side of the mountain, I decided to save the money and rent a bike to ride around town with Olly.  The weather was not ideal for mountain-watching, and I was craving that bicycle injection into my life.  I remember my Japan experiences with bicycles and expected something similar.  Given the lakeside view and lack of tiring uphill climbs, I would say that this was better.

The bicycle costs in Interlaken are approximately 4EUR base with 2EUR for additional hours.  The one that I rented happened to be a fifteen-speed with kickass gear shifters.  Quantity of gears is definitely something I liked about the design, but I don’t think I ever used it to the fullest potential.  Professional bike racers can maintain their speed because they know which gears to use that let them peddle at a constant pace.  Based on the terrain and different inclines, the rider could change the gear ratio to adjust properly to prevent early fatigue.

My personal experience with professional cycling is limited (actually zero), so really, I would have preferred the basket in the front, if not to hold my backpack, than to be cool by being completely ridiculed.  It’s just like me to bring on the hipster status by starting new trends that are obviously terrible; but it’s done to prove the point that we’re creative.  The weird part is that the hipster dress code has become a trend amongst artists and architects, so they’ve become the corporate tools that they passionately avoided (nooooo twilight zone). 

Anyway, I don’t need 15 speeds: I only really needed 3 because those are the only ones I used.  It took too much time to change gears and I would rather just exert the little extra energy to feel the burn.  Besides, I was not racing against time or wearing any aerodynamic helmets with spandex tights; this was the equivalent of a leisure stroll, not a marathon.  When I was tired, I stopped.  When I saw picture-opportune moments (which was very often), I took the time to find the right angles.

My particular biking path was a combination of getting lost and following the biggest lake we could find (which, I guess wasn’t difficult to spot).  We accidentally got onto a highway going towards Thun and just went with it.  Most of the roads were just connecting between small towns, but the real treasures are the small pit stops near houses that had a full-lake view.  I know everyone thinks about this, but I really could have retired here purely based on the scenery out of my bathroom window.  I could imagine waking up to a windless morning with crystal clear reflections of the mountains in the water.  These views were absolutely stunning.  This would probably give me an erection.  Did I mention how difficult it is to ride a bike with an erection?  It’s hard (hah).

~See Lemons with a Sore Buttocks

Beautiful view from the lake

Useful Swiss Army Knife

 

 

Badass pictures of Jordan

Random Observation/Comment #174:  I never understood the nerdy Cooper kids that carry around Leathermans and Swiss Army knives everywhere they go (cough, JHG).  Do Cooper and the Computer Center reach the levels of intensity that require such a tool?  I guess the knife would be useful for opening a box if you’re in the stockroom, but that’s nothing a pen can’t do.  All engineers should have learned the essence of MacGyver-ing any situation (It was before my time, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know who he is).  After purchasing my own genuine Swiss Army knife in Interlaken, I expected I would have been smited (smote?) in some way by that part of my brain that stops me from being more geeky because this step had propelled me, head-first, into the next stage of new-age resourceful nerdom.  Oddly, the smiting hath not begun mostly because I quickly found magical uses for the knife, bottle opener, and scissors.  Yes, I could have hacked at it with my finger nails, ripped it, or used a lighter to open the bottle, but somehow I felt obligated to use this new device.  I think someone (maybe me) is putting me in positions where this tool would be useful – it’s very subconscious.  At least I smile every time I see that this money was well spent.  I would have probably blown it on chocolate anyway.

 

After sledging for the afternoon, the group decided to make a fire and cook dinner on the side of the mountain.  This plan was flawless, except for the whole lack of firewood detail.  There was plenty of kindling pieces and I provided the excessive supply of maps that I kept in my pocket (even I was impressed at how many I had accumulated in the past few days), but even with a lighter, this was a difficult task.  Unfortunately, the cheap plastic and ink did not contribute to making the fire hotter; it only made our nostrils swell and eyes tear from the toxic fumes.  We wound up cutting down a few trees and improvising with some alcoholic beverages.  What actually wound up working was persistency.

It took about 45 minutes, but the fire was eventually roaring and our beer burrowed in the ice was eventually cold.  We borrowed a few pans from the hostel and cooked up a mighty-good meal.  We brought sausages, eggs, and dinner rolls to make a legitimate omelet and some other rather good treats.  The cheese melted beautifully and everything turned out better than expected.  The Swiss Army knife was used excessively to cut meat, cut firewood, and cut open my finger – oops.  Luckily, I still have all of my digits.

On a side note, the box of eggs we brought had 4 out of 6 eggs with double yolks.  I’m not sure if this is good luck or bad, but I was almost convinced the entire box was double-yolked because the first three we cracked were doubles.  I understand scientifically how this happens, but that was the first time in my life I saw 3 in a plate, let alone cracked in a row, and from a package that was made for normal yolks.  I tried a rough estimation of the probability and then decided to think about more useful stuff.  Anyway, I’m sure these magical eggs contributed to making an amazing omelet.

Even during the summer, I would never prefer sleeping outside over any type of bed or surface inside.  The idea of accidentally eating insects or having them burrow under my skin while I sleep just makes my skin crawl.  I don’t mind hanging out with insects when I’m awake and I can react more naturally, but sleeping next to these creatures makes me feel dead.  Jordan and James used hammocks (which is pretty sweet in the summer), but the wind blowing under the hammock completely draws the heat out of your body.  For the best of both worlds, I stayed out for the fireside chat and then returned to the warm bed at night.  The hardcore outdoors-ies were more prepared than I could ever imagine, and they still said that it was rough.  Minimal hours of sleep really aren’t on my game plan when Interlaken has so many beautiful sights to offer. 

~See Lemons Go Camping (sort of)

 

Starting the fire with pine needles

Sledding or Sledging once or twice

 

 

Behind the scenes

Random Observation/Comment #173: I’ve always thought sledding (or “sledging,” as they call it with “proper English”) was a childish thing similar to tubing, or represented by those inflatable boxing gloves you fit around your arms in the swimming pool.  What I forgot was the level of creativity us more mature people apply to make these normal childhood pastimes much more exciting and hardcore.  Add a splash (or 8 splashes) of alcohol and a dash of forbidden ski trails and you get this delicious blend of danger and exhilaration.  The jagermeister keeps you warm, while the vertical drop into those powder sections gives fun a completely new meaning (probably much more fun when trashed).

 

If you’re traveling in Interlaken on a tight budget (like me and everyone else) and you still want to have a fun time on the side of the mountain, I would suggest hitting the slopes with sleds.  The full day rental of the sleds and lift tickets is only 37CHF (with 10CHF for the tram tickets to that section of the mountain).  As a photograph-enthusiast, I feel that sledging allows for many more stops and some more opportune moments to just enjoy the scenery.  While skiing, there was so many times where I just sped down and ignored beautiful sections.  The adrenaline overtook my desires to capture the scenery because to me, skiing was more about the technique and the freedom.  In the same way pictures try to capture a still life moment of a video, the videos would fall short in completing the extra dimensions of representing skiing.  However, sledging brings a different type of thrill.  Yes, there are definitely times where I thought I was going to die because I had no control of my steering or my speed, but there are purposeful walking-sections where the scenery is just begging for a photographer.  It’s obviously no comparison to the level of adrenaline involved in skiing, but there is a different connection with the overall experience of “being one with the mountain.”

I never thought that I would enjoy sledging so much because I had always experienced it on small driveways or down little hills where I would need to walk for 30 minutes just to get those few minutes of joy.  Sledging on the Swiss Alps, on the other hand, is extreme.  The gondola ride up to the top took 30 minutes and coming down as quickly as possible from the top of the mountain took 2 hours.  The scenic pauses were replaced with pictures, while the sharp turns made me feel like a rockstar drifter. 

If you ever sled, you’ll develop your own techniques of steering, but for the most part, you can just hang on to the bottom and keep your feet up.  The desire to turn will make you naturally shift your weight and all should be fine.  Besides, crashing into the side was the easiest way of stopping and it was completely painless.  The tracks were packed and groomed, but I could never tell where the track ended and the powdered snow began.  Everyone has that experience of thinking that a path existed and then, a few seconds later, finding themselves waist deep in snow with the sled halfway down the mountain.  Some of the best laughs I’ve had were a result from the ridiculous falls off the trail.  It is impossible to take shortcuts, but always fun to try.  I wore jeans both times, and by the end, the denim was completely frozen and I had snow up and down my calves from trying to stop with my heels. 

Later, I learned that stopping is a peaceful eventuality, and the moments should be lived with the thoughts of “holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, Where are the brakes?”  Even though these same thoughts pass through your mind while you’re on this run, the reaction of slowing down or staying in more control is a fleeting thought when the falls are sometimes more fun than the high velocity on the way down.  The thought of possible freak-decapitation from a crazy sled accident still enters your mind as an instinct and pure fear of this pain, but almost directly after every fall, I immediately thought, “That was Awesome! Did you see those flips I did?” 

It would be impossible for me to suggest that someone who has the opportunity to ski or snowboard to go sledging instead, but if a traveler wanted to save a lot of money, take pictures, and still have a great time with a group of friends; sledging is your answer.  I went twice with completely different conditions and it was worth it both times.  The first day, the low visibility with the constant snowfall made me think of the ideal winter wonderland.  The second day, the clear skies that just opened the entire side of the mountain made me think everything was a painting. The view was so beautiful that it was unreal.  It’s funny that real life reminded me of a picture.

Sledging is definitely a group activity.  Skiing could be enjoyed with your own little world of training and peacefulness, but the fun with sledging is this mix of falling, and then seeing someone fall when you’re waiting for them.  It’s almost like seeing a mime get kicked in the groin.  They tumble and you automatically laugh because you know that they are most probably fine (mimes aren’t real people).  Skiing falls, on the other hand, are a little more dangerous and could bring some worried emotions a split second before they get up again.  In this case, everything is funny because you can unknowingly veer off track for a small segment and then collapse into the snow.

~See Lemons Sledging

 

This is the most epic picture I've ever taken.

When in Rome…

 

 

Sticking my arm out the window to take pictures is my favorite pastime

Random Observation/Comment #172: No matter how much I love trying to find those hidden treasures in an unfamiliar city, I can’t help but feel the need to conform to those guidebooks and millions of suggestions online.  After all, these people are paid to travel and write these reviews – I think they should have done the job that I’m trying to do.  Why do I continuously reinvent the wheel with these things?  Fortunately, the reinvention of this wheel is enjoyable and not laborious or tedious.  I am seeing new things and pulling new opinions from thin air. The threads that connect everything in this collection of thoughts just get pinched for a closer look.  If it’s worth the extra analysis, another web builds around the idea.  It’s my own little, methodical clustering system for my scattered thoughts.  Anyway, the point I was trying to make was that the tourist attractions are famous for good reason – they’re awesome.

 

I’ve never been to Rome, but when I go, I will probably say countless times: “When in Rome.”  To me, it’s an excuse to do anything I want because I’m on vacation.  It’s this mentality that brings me happiness – lightly closed eyes and a grin as if I’m hearing a captivating melody.  It’s a similar feeling, but non-specific, yet in much more detail with all my senses.  It’s actually so abstract that it makes me feel like I have no idea what I’m talking about.  This is probably true. 

“When in Rome” sounded a little restricting for my personal taste at first glance.  It sounded as if I had to love what they loved – then I asked, “Why would I have similar tastes to Romans?”  I do not wear togas and walk around in sandals (in public or on weekdays).  It’s not like I have a council where I discuss some important philosophies while waiting for the next fight scene in Gladiator.  I did not see myself as stereotypically Roman, but did that mean that I shouldn’t at least try it?

In my world of logic, loopholes are plentiful because contradiction, debate, and an open-mind are praised.  For example, even though I doubted the idea of following what normal people do, I might just follow what normal people do to develop my experiences and finely chisel the details in my opinions.  But then, if my choice is the same from a state-action perspective, what have I done, but wasted a lot of extra brain power confusing myself?  I guess I just like confusing myself.  It keeps my brainstem on its tippy toes.

How does this apply to Interlaken in any way? I decided to contradict everything I thought about and just follow what I instinctively thought would be a good idea.  Over-planning and thinking over distributions and probabilities didn’t really help me make the decision.  I wanted to live on the edge and just do it because it worked for me at that moment.  It was an odd feeling, letting go of all of these plans.  My brain became the second stop where I looked for answers – I asked my gut first.  The gut is always right.  I know this because I asked my gut, and it told me exactly what I needed to hear. 

Hmm… I guess this was how the Romans would have wanted me to do it.

~See Lemons Just Go with the Flow

Thanks for posing, Jordan. There are no words.