Today I’m telling you the story of my bike ride around Lake Brienz in Interlaken, Switzerland in the fall of 2015. If you know me, you’ll know that this is one of my favorite travel stories to tell because it was truly an eye opening and soul changing experience, and one that I will never forget.
Our story begins in Bern, the capital of Switzerland, where I was staying in a 6 bed hostel room traveling solo. I had read the night before about a beautiful bike path that went around one of the lakes in Interlaken, and I was determined to try it. That morning, I hopped on a local train and departed an hour later in the tiny town known for extreme sports like paragliding: Interlaken.
After finding the bike rental store and being told there was no need to lock up the bike because ‘this is Switzerland, no one will steal it’, I consulted my offline map and started to bike toward what I thought was the beginning of the path.
About 45 minutes later I realized that the ‘path’ was just the side of the road. I made my way down the main street, passing cows and sheep, and pausing to take photos periodically. I was already stunned by the beauty that spread out around me. I’ve never seen water so blue in my life. It was a perfect fall day, crisp and cool but sunny, and I was ecstatic.
I stopped for a snack in the next village, and for a cappuccino in the village after that. A bit farther on I saw a large church tower and decided to check it out. I passed more cows grazing in their fields, bells tinkling, parked my bike (no need to lock it!) and walked up to the top of the tower. There was no one around and I could see the entire lake, complete with snow capped mountains and puffy clouds. It’s still one of the most beautiful moments of my life.
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