summer camp.

where: interlaken, switzerland. balmer's hostel, aka. the frat house.
what: outdoor adventure and extreme sport capital of europe.
when: june 29 - july 1, 2006.
who: myself, kristin and carolynn. three stylish, outdoorsy chickitas ready for a mountain vaycay.
why: to celebrate carolynn's birthday in style.

interlaken is between two glacial lakes, and surrounded completely by the alps. skiing, hiking, swimming, sky diving, canyoning... pretty much any risk you have ever had the urge to take is available for the hordes of young backpackers who come though the city every day. interlaken is the kind of place where you plan to spend a day, and a few bucks, but end up leaving a week later with a rather large dent in your wallet.

if there was ever any doubt, switzerland is damn expensive. staying for more than a few days means that your budget temporarily is thrown out of the window. i met up with kristin and carolynn at our hostel - so nice to be reunited with home friends in europe! for a nice change, we stayed at the campy balmers hostel, in a three bedroom room. that's right: no snorers, early-risers or strangers stumbling in late at night! balmers is the oldest privately owned hostel in switzerland, and it runs like a well-oiled machine. bars, activities, a late night club (meat market), restaurant, internet... and full of rich american tourists.

the first day, we headed up to the mountains to go hiking. there are dozens of hiking paths in the interlaken area, but we decided to hike up to a glacier. challenging, rainy, chilly, but also absolutely stunning and motivating, the hike was worth every effort. when we got to the top, we ate our ham and cheese sandwiches in a cabin overlooking the glacier, with some sort of rescue movie being shot in the background. not an everyday sight!

on the second day, carolynn's birthday, we took a walk to one of the glacial likes for frigid swimming, champagne and sun tanning. then, in the afternoon, we took to the skies for a parasailing adventure! there is nothing like flying as high as the birds for 40 minutes. floating, spinning, taking photographs and relaxing above the trees, we definitely were witness to the most spectacular views in the area. we capped off the evening with a traditional swiss dinner of cheese fondue, white wine and toblerone for a dessert.

unfortunately, interlaken is the only place in switzerland that i will have time to visit. the land of delicious chocolate, home of swiss army knives, and frustratingly still on their own currency, switzerland should be every camp kid's vacation destination.