On the road to Interlaken

One of the nicest things about having a car here is that we can just hop in at our leisure and explore the countryside. A few weekends ago we decided to drive out to Interlaken and see what there was to see. 

Interlaken is...odd. There are really charming bits of it and then bits that look like they were really popular in the 1960's and have remained that way ever since. There was some great wall texture though and the sign above which delighted my designer's soul to no end.

Also lots of these floaty gentlemen about...not sure what the proper term for this past time is: paragliding? Hang gliding? Slow parachuting? Testing fate? Hanging from an umbrella in a jumpsuit? 

This is located in one of the many little towns we drove through on our way to Interlaken (I just like typing Interlaken, so I am going to use the word frequently throughout this post. Interlaken.) This gem looks out over a gas station where we bought some bread. It also marks the spot where I attempted to use my rudimentary German skills and learned that Swiss German (Schweizerdeutsch) is absolutely nothing like the German I learned high school. They say 'merci' for starters. Are you serious right now Switzerland? Thanks for leaving me stammering like an idiot at the cash register trying to choke out the one German word I know with any certainty and then throw another language at me. Color me confused. Although stammering like an idiot has pretty much become a way of life for me here. Along with looking forlorn and hoping people will read my mind without me having to utter one more bastardized syllable of French. Buuuut we can expand on the trials of French in a later post. One that is filled with complaining. For now, back to pastoral loveliness.

En route, we stopped occasionally to have "no, but do you SEE how amazing this view is?!" moments.

Guard of Interlaken.

The two Lakens of Interlaken.

Maidens of Interlaken.

Shingles of Interlaken.

Fancy Domiciles of Interlaken.

Future Nightmares of Interlaken.

Dueling Crests of Interlaken.

Signs that say 'Interlaken' of Interlaken.

So, there you have it. Interlaken in a nutshell. A cute sleepy little town that has much water flowing through it. I did a little reading about it after visiting and it seems like it is mainly a good place to go due to its close proximity to other places. Food for thought.