On sunday the weather was not great again but I had a good day. Early in the morning I got up and got some breakfast and started to walk around the city for a little. In the city of split they have a 17 hundred year old Roman palace right in the middle of city and there are many shops and cafes around it and in it. It’s quite cool the palace is kinda half gone but it was still cool to see.

After the palace i walked around for an hour or so i walked along the marina to look at all the boats and yachts. It was quite funny to see on the little boats compared to the giant ones. There was a boat that wouldn’t even consider a dingy, and I have no idea how that thing was floating then right next to it was a giant catamaran in Preston condition. It was quite funny to see the contrast.

Later i got some gelato and went home to watch my show. About an hour later someone texted the hostel world group chat and asked if anyone wanted to go the beach because it got nicer. I wanted to go to the beach but didn’t want to go alone so this was the perfect opportunity to go. I got up and got dressed the beach was an 55 min walk or a 8 min uber ride, So i chose the uber. I got to the beach and to was so pretty and not very busy so that was nice. I met 2 other people there. One of them was a girl from Australia, she was suer cool and just graduated college to. The other was an fella from Nepal but lives in India now, he was very nice but kinda awkward and he didn’t smell great. He is in the IT but before that’s job he was a Sherpa in Nepal for one of the giant mountain out there. We all went swimming and decided to head towards town and go get something to eat.

On the first day i got there i saw this place that was advertising stake for 13 euros with a “free”side. I thought to myself self what a deal but they scammed me. When i sat down and ordered i asked for the stake and my free side. It came and was very good i was very impressed. Then the bill came it was 31 euros I called the lady over and asked if there was a mistake or something and so proceeds to tell me that the price on the sign is for ever 100G that was news to me I was shocked. If i would have known that i would have found something else. But what could i do now i had 2 options i could have ran i knew i could definitely out run her and the cook or pay it, so i went with option 2.

After my dinner i went home and got showered because a big group of us were going to meet at a bar around 7. I was the only one on time so I ordered my beer, sat outside and enjoyed my time. We were only really expecting 5-6 people but there was easily 15 people that showed up we had a few drinks at the first spot and started our own little pub crawl. Next we went to this place named Charlie’s close by and this bar is very small out big group took up all the room and even more people showed up we shut the bar down at 11. Then the group split up and 5 of us walked around for a little and ended up at this club that was super fun but also kinda small but we had a good time i got home and went to bed.

Monday was the day i was dreading. I had a bus scheduled at 4Pm because that was the earliest and fastest bus. So i got up and got some breakfast went home and packed. I finished that Saban show, I cannot recommend that show more it is so good and very moving. I listened to some podcasts before i had to leave for the bus station. I got to the bus station about 30 minutes early so i had to stand around with my giant backpack on and wait. I got on the bus and was so down and lonely it was a very rough first 3 hours of the bus ride. I planed on taking some Dramamine at 8:30 trying to sleep until 5 when i had to get off the bus. I felt like Leonardo DiCaprio in the wolf of Wall Street, when he had his flight to meet the Swiss banker and was trying to time his quaaludes so he could sleep the whole flight. Granted my experience was not as memorable as his but i did get some sleep the seat next to me was open so that made it so much better.

I got off the bus at 4:50 and had a 10 minute walk to the train station. In hindsight i should have planed better a not wore shorts and a shirt with only a vest because it was so cold. Once i got to the train station i had to wait 45 minutes until the train got there i was freezing waiting for the train. I got on the train and made it to where i would transfer to the next train to Innsbruck. The second train was nice i got some more sleep on it but i had to get off at 8. I made my way to the hostel but it didn’t open until 8:30 so i got some food at this little market near by where i waited until it opened up.

I got my bags droped off i was really hoping they would just let me check in so i could go to bed, they pretty much told me to pound sand and come back at 2. I walked around for a few hours a got a coffee and doughnut before i just sat by the river for an hour. I got some lunch and went back to the hostel to blog before 2PM check in.

I got checked in and relaxed for a hour or so before went to a grocery store to look for some dinner and breakfast for the next few days. I ended up getting bow tie noodles with ground beef and pasta sauce. For breakfast I got some eggs with sausages and bread to make breakfast sandwiches. I went home to make dinner, they only sell ground beef by the KG so my pasta had half a KG in it. It was quite good and one of the better dinners I have made on this trip. The kitchen was very well outfitted with everything i needed so I was very happy about that. After i made dinner i took a shower and fell asleep by 8.

On Wednesday i got about 10 hours of much needed sleep. My hostel was offering yoga in the morning at 8 and 9 so i went to the 9 oclock class because why not what better do i have to do and i was hoping it would help my back pain. News flash it did not. After a very slow yoga session i made some breakfast and was trying to figure out what to do for the day.

I decided to go on a hike, i looked at some trails near by and found one that looked pretty/ fun i guess. Granted im not much of a hiker but i feel like when you are in the Austrian alps you have to hike. So i found one that was just over 4 miles. I started it and was enjoying my self but I didn’t see a single person for an hour or so, it was definitely peaceful but also kinda odd. My heal started to get a blister on it right as i was about to get to the cut off where i needed to turn off. But I looked on the map and i could a little farther up the hill to make it a touch longer so I proceeded up the hill to the next turn off. That extension might of added an extra 20 minutes to the adventure but i also found a water fall so it was worth it. After that hill the rest Back to the hostel was down hill and for someone who is out of shape i was loving it.

After my hike it was only 1 so I wasn’t sure what to do with the rest of the day so I just grabbed my backpack and started walking. I walked for a few hours before i went to get a coffee and sit down for a little. After my coffee and making a packing list for my parents for when they come to Spain. I just kept walking for a few more hours before i sat down at 4 along the river to call my Parents and listen to a podcast.

I made the rest of my pasta and ground beef for dinner when back to my room and just reflected on my trip because Wednesday was exactly 8 weeks into my trip and just all the lessons i have learned, everything i have done, all the wonderful people I have met. Before i left I wasn’t sure of it was going to be a good idea or if i would enjoy it or if I was even going to meet anyone. This has been the best idea I have ever had I have made so many friends and met so many cool people from all corners of the world and have met plenty of not so cool people. But I wouldn’t change the hard days from this trip for anything they were such great learning experiences and opportunities to grow.

On Thursday i hoped on a train from Innsbruck to interlaken Switzerland. I had to switch trains 2 different times with a total travel time of 7 hours. But switching trains ever two hours and walking 30 minutes makes it feel a lot shorter. And the ride was so pretty seeing the Swiss alps is breathtaking they are like no mountains in Colorado its insane.

I got to my hostel at 5:15 and when I was getting checked in they told me they dubbed booked the first night and told me i got upgraded to a single room for the night. I was thrilled to hear that, i figured it would be the same size bed i have been sleeping in but the bed was a king size with a sink in the room, i was living like a king for the night. The only bad thing is i have to check out and re check back in so that’s not ideal but it is what it is. After I got setteled in i texted the group chat from hostel world asking if anyone wanted to get some dinner. One guy replayed and we met at some park to find a place. We found a Mexican restaurant and had dinner there. His name was Ben and was very nice but a little odd and awkward. I have noticed most guy solo travelers are either kinda weird or WAY over the top. But most girl solo travelers are super laid back and chill. Granted there are exceptions but that seams to be a pattern.

They were not kidding when they said Switzerland was expensive i had a plate of enchiladas and a beer, and it was 45 dollars. After that meal I decided to go to the grocery store and get some groceries for the rest of my time i got 5 meals for 35 dollars so i figured that would be the more economical option for this Switzerland swing.

On Thursday i got up early because i had a lot of stuff to do in the day. First on the docket was breakfast, i made a breakfast sandwich at 7 then had to do laundry. Laundry was a nightmare i had to walk 15 minutes to the closest laundromat wait 1 hour for the wash to be done, then switch it over run back to hostel pack my stuff because i had to check out of that room by 10. I got packed ran to back to the laundromat fold everthing. Run back to the hostel put everything way and get changed. I had the weirdest outfit on because everthing was dirty so i got changed into a better outfit. And began the run to the train station because i had a train at 10:29 to go to a lake. When i say run i mean RUN. I looked like a fool running through the town with my backpack on, but nevertheless i made it on time.

On Thursday there was a group of us that were going to meet at the train station but there was a bit of a miss communication i was taking about one train station and this guy was talking about a different train station. But our connecting train was at the same place because we were going to a lake. So we met up on the platform and his name was Ronin and his friends name was John. This is a very small world because they were from the same small town in Canada that the first two girls i met in Dublin were from, and the funny thing is that John knew one of them they went to school together. It was just so crazy i met two different people from the same small town in two completely different parts of the world. Ronin looked just like Mr. Rocking & rollin, literally just like him the hair, face, same build and they talked the exact same. (Only some will understand that reference). We got off at the train station and had to get on a cable car to the top of the Mountain.

We made it to the mountain and both of us wanted to do a hike around the lake so we started on but, Jhon was kinda out to lunch and was just the biggest air head and Ronin was a strange fella. I’m not sure what it was but he was just a little strange, both of them were super nice. We were probably 15 minutes into the hike and Jhon just sat down in the middle of the trail, im not sure why but he did. Ronin seamed to be John’s handler reminding him just very odd thing and pointing out very strange thing that seamed super obvious. I kept hiking for 5 minutes or so and Jhon was just taking his sweet time, just a very odd situation. I feel bad but i kinda just irished goodbye them and kept hiking. The hike was So pretty around the lake it climbed about 1,500 feet up the side of the mountain over the lake with stunning views of the Swiss alps and the lake. I sat down a few time at some overlooks just taking in the views, then kept walking. The hike started to drop down to the lake at this little abandoned village in the mountain. Granted i have only watched the smurfs movie once but it reminded me of what the smurfs village looked like. I hiked down to the lake and sat there for an hour or so skipping rocks and enjoying the views of the alps. The hike was almost 6 miles so i was definitely tired by the end of it and the cherry on top was both of my heals had giant blisters on them.

I took the cable car back down to Kandersteg to find some food. Switzerland is famous for there fondue so i found a restaurant close to the train station that had fondue and outdoor seating. I had some fondue and a glass of wine. This was so good I can’t even begin to explain the cheese was so creamy and delicious. If you ever go to Switzerland you have to get some. I finished lunch/ dinner around 3:30 and jumped on the train back to Interlaken.

When i got back i got on the bus to my hostel but missed my stop. I didn’t realize that you have to click the stop button for your stop everywhere else the bus just automatically stops at every stop, but not this one. So i go off at the next stop and had to walk an extra 5 minutes back to the hostel, but I’m not too mad about it because the walk was vey present. I made it back got re checked in to a different room and relaxed for 30 minutes before I worked up the energy to take a shower and make dinner. I was in bed by 9 because i was so tired and had a big day ahead of me on Saturday.

Saturday i woke up at 7 made some breakfast and walked to the train station by 9. I got on the train got off 30 minutes later got on a funicular for 10 minutes then got on another train for 10 minutes and ended up in Murren. Murren is a small ski town in the alps of Switzerland that has no cars the only way to get around is walking, biking or golf carts. Earlier in the week i booked a via Ferrata at 10. So i had to make it up in time to do that, i got up there about 30 minutes early and got a coffee and just took in the views for a little while.

I got all the gear for the via ferrata and started it, it was very strange because it was self guided and I didn’t have to sign any wavers or anything i just payed and they told me start down a path and look for the painted footsteps to start it. This was the coolest thing i have ever done. It started off pretty slow with just hiking then we came to a cliff edge with a latter and rebar footholds drilled into the side of the cliff face with a 700 meter fall below us (about 2000 feet). And a little sign that said this section was a 100 meters long. The first 25 meters was so cool the next 50 meters the heart was pounding and i was taking some deep breaths to stay calm the last 25 meters you could see the end and that was very relaxing. It was insane there are no words to explain the feeling knowing that you were safe but there was a 2000 foot fall below you.

The next while was pretty calm with some steep hiking and laters, there was a guided group ahead of us that was taking forever to just do very calm hiking. There were some pros that came up behind us and told us we can pass up ahead that was safe. So we waited its out until they let us pass. The guide wasn’t that happy she just kept saying they were going to catch back up to us at the bridge but we didn’t listen and passed them. Over the next hour or so we crossed some cable bridges that were super mellow and calm compared to what was ahead of us.

The last bridge we crossed was about 60 meters long and was over a cannon that was 1500 feet down and that was definitely a little scary. The bridge would sway with every step and gust of wind, it definitely got the heart pumping for sure. But was so fun and i would recommend it 10/10 times. There was a dad a daughter in front of us and this was definitely the daughters idea, she effectively ran across the bridge and the dad was shitting bricks on the bridge. He got clipped in and started walking and the daughter started to make the bridge bounce and sway. He turned around and was going to let us go but we gave him some encouragement, he made his way over it slowly but surely. I couldn’t imagine the relief he felt to get to the other side. We made it to the other side and hiked another 5 minutes to the end and took a cable car back to the town of Murren. I met a couple in front of me because we started it at the same time so we stuck together and took pictures for each other. They were so nice and friendly I’m glad a found a little pac i could stick with.

I got my gear returned at 1 and started to look for lunch, I wanted fondue one more time before i left Switzerland. This is kinda there down season right between summer and winter so there wasn’t much open but i found a restaurant that had it. This lunch was so good and everthing i hoped for and some. I got fondue and glass of wine one last time before i had to leave.

I walked around the town of Murren for 30 more minutes before heading down to the town of Lauterbrunnen. I got to town and figured i should walk around it for a while, so i did there is a small water fall there so i went to that and just explored for an hour or so until it was time to go back to Interlaken. I jumped on the train and made it back then walked back to my hostel.

Stock up/ stock down

Stock up all the wonderful people I met in Croatia, everyone was so friendly and nice just very pleasant people to hang around. Stock down that bus ride it was hell. Stock down how expensive Switzerland is. Stock neutral Innsbruck it was very pretty but Switzerland blows it out of the water. Stock to the moon Switzerland this place is phenomenal i wish i stayed here a few extra days. But i booked my next hostel already. Stock down this kid staying at the hostel because in the kitchen i was washing my dishes and he came up and pushed me out of the way and looked at me and started speaking Chinese. I was so confused I should have burned him with my hot pan i was washing, but I minded my manners. Stock up the trains in Switzerland everyone single one of them have been on time and punctual. Stock down kinda i think, im pretty sure i stayed in a place with bed bugs because i have woken up a few days with red spots but i washed all my clothes and hopefully I didn’t get them if i did i will have a huge problem on my hands

What’s next?

Today i got on a train to lake Como in Italy. I will be in Italy for a week or so then i think I have to fly out if the Schengen area or somewhere where it doesn’t count against my time. So that will be Ireland, the UK, some countries in Eastern Europe or Africa. So I’m out sure but i kinda ran into a problem with the time because i am going back to Spain in December with some friends for a week. So i need to figure it out and do it soon. I will probably just go to Ireland and stay with Bergen for a few nights but I’m not sure. Next week we will know for sure.