A New Year Started in Switzerland

Hello 2025!

But first, a little end-of-year recap:

Whew! December flew by! Bryan and I ended the year working: Bryan at the hospital and me at Rota Elementary. We also enjoyed a few social gatherings with the Lutrell Family (the general dentist, Dean, who shares an office with Bryan and his wife, Beth) and the Trivedi Family (Bhavin is the Oral Surgeon at the hospital and his wife, Meloni, who has become a good friend of mine!)

We crammed in a few final doggy playdates with Hugo and Reynolds' best friend, Millie. Our good friends, Meghan and Peyton, PCS'd back to the States the weekend before Christmas, so we had to soak in as many good memories with them before they left! Hugo and Reynolds are going to miss Millie, while Bryan and I are going to miss all the dinner get-togethers and real conversations we had with her mom and dad! As with all military friendships, moves happen and friendships become long-distance, but it's well worth it. It's never goodbye, but see ya real soon Seagos!

Since Bryan was on duty at the hospital, we had a quiet Christmas in Rota. We enjoyed the holiday at home, smoking a ham and playing board games. The dogs loved the extra-long walk on Christmas morning, and Bryan and I enjoyed a few hours on the beach!

Monday, December 30, 2024: to Geneva, Switzerland

With a quiet Christmas at home, you know we weren't sitting around for New Year's! Bryan worked December 30th, and as soon as he came home we were off for the airport and headed to the winter wonderland of Switzerland! Oh, and this trip marks our FORTIETH country: the big 4-0 hits with Switzerland!

Geneva Airport: Aéroport International de Genève

After a flight delay, we finally landed in Geneva, Switzerland at 11:45 pm. Thank goodness I booked us at a hotel near the train station because tomorrow's departure is going to come early! We checked in at Hôtel Résidence Le Montbrillant, showered, and passed out for a few hours of sleep!

Tuesday, December 31, 2024: Night Sledding for NYE

That's right, we were in bed by 1 am and then at the train station by 8 am for our early morning snow ride! But first: coffee. The only thing open and close by was a Starbucks, so we grabbed a quick coffee for €15 and then boarded our train to Interlaken! (That's right, people aren't lying when they say Swiss prices are HIGH!)

Interlaken West Train Station

Our three-hour train ride took us through the Alps, where Bryan was like a giddy schoolboy excited to see snow! The deeper we got, the more snow we saw! With one train switch in Bern, our train ride passed with Bryan sightseeing out the window while I finished reading my 76th book of 2024!

Downtown Interlaken, Switzerland

We quickly dropped our bags at Hotel Lötschberg before heading out to find a bite to eat. Google taught us that Interlaken has a big Indian and Pakistani population, so you know that means we were eating Indian food! Bryan found Indian Gourmet Restaurant and we enjoyed a killer meal of various curries and rice! That meal hit the spot! We then spent some time exploring all the small shops around the downtown area.

Barrel Brewing Interlaken

Needing to defrost a little, we stumbled upon Barrel Brewing, where we spent a few hours sitting, chatting, and drinking! Some of my favorite times while traveling consist of sitting with a beer and having deep conversations with B. Being married to your best friend is the best!

OUTDOOR - Interlaken Base

But we weren't sitting still all night! It's New Year's Eve and we are ringing in this year in style! We made our way to Outdoor: Interlaken to meet our guide for an evening of night sledding!

Isenfluh

Our guide drove us up to Isenfluh, where we trekked through the snow to reach a ski lift that took us up the mountain for our evening of sledding!

Sulwald

We reached the summit of Sulwald and the view took our breath away. Standing at the top of this mountain and looking out over the valley below, Bryan and I were reminded of why the Swiss Alps are the most famous mountains in the world. Standing here, spotting mountains all around us and seeing innumerous stars in the sky, including the Milky Way; things just don't get better than this.

After standing in awe over the scenery and realizing no pictures would do it justice, it was finally time for our adventurous night! After learning how to steer and brake on a toboggan, our guide set us loose and we were off! For the next hour, we laughed at each other and screamed as we both nearly wiped out along the bumpy ride!

For nearly 2 miles, Bryan and I enjoyed the exhilarating twists and turns of night sledding! I added a new core memory: watching Bryan hit a bump and launch two feet in the air with legs spread and arms out as he miraculously landed on his sled! It was the biggest laugh I have enjoyed in a long time! While we don't have many pictures (I mean, it was night and those headlamps only supplied so much help) the memories will last a lifetime!

Barrel Brewing Interlaken

Back in Interlaken, we went back to Barrel Brewing for a bite to eat! With an early morning scheduled and a quiet, sleepy town around us, we headed to our hotel for some rest before midnight. Instead of staying out, we were woken up in our cozy bed by a few fireworks as the New Year rang in!

Wednesday, January 1, 2025: Paragliding through the Alps

Our New Year started with a glass of champagne from our hotel during breakfast. With a little food on our stomachs, it was time for our big start to 2025!

Skywings Paragliding Interlaken

We met our guides at Skywings, signed some waivers, and had our warm gear approved for a morning of flying. Then we hopped on the bus and headed to our launch point. Guys, we are starting the New Year in the sky over Interlaken!

Amisbühl Hang Gliding and Paragliding Launch

While Daniella and Reto set up our gear, Bryan and I watched the sun peak over the Alps. Another view to take our breath away! After a short tutorial, we donned our helmets and geared up for takeoff! Then it was time to go; Bryan was the first person to glide over Interlaken in 2025!

Then it was my turn! After a short countdown, Daniella and I took off running towards the cliffside. Nothing like running off a cliff to get your blood pumping in the morning! As the ground disappeared beneath our feet, the parachute (thankfully) picked up wind and lifted us over the mountain!

I don't think words can do it justice, so here's a video of our flight:

Hang Gliding & Paragliding Landing Field Lehn

This experience now goes in our top five greatest. We thought paragliding would be an adrenaline rush like skydiving was in 2019, and it was, but I can honestly say paragliding is significantly better for the views! Skydiving is a "holy crap, the ground is coming up fast!" while paragliding is a relaxing, comfortable ride filled with time to look around and experience the stunning landscape!

Because we went paragliding first thing in the morning, the cloud coverage forced us to land outside of town. Thank goodness it was clear enough for us to jump, but flying over the town as the fog snaked through Interlaken below us, was a sight to see! What a memorable start to 2025!

Café de Paris

After landing and returning to the city's center, we headed to Café de Paris for coffees and to pass some time as the city woke up!

As the clouds began to clear, Bryan and I enjoyed a serene walk through town. Spotting beautiful buildings, winter decorations, and crystal clear waters running through the Aare River, we had a relaxing stroll through the outskirts of Interlaken.

We also enjoyed some traditional Alphorn performances! Other than the Ricola commercials, I have never seen or heard an Alphorn before! What a cool, traditional musical instrument, and hearing it in the valley was pretty amazing!

Hangar32, TapBar

Things started opening for the day, so we enjoyed some time at Hangar 32, where Bryan tasted several local beers straight from the tap! They even had a Radler on tap for me!

Touch the Mountains Concert in Höhematte Park

Interlaken may have been quiet last night for New Year's Eve, but that's because this town amps it up for January 1st! At 1 pm, the festivities began at the Touch the Mountain New Year's Concert in Höhematte Park. Filled with food vendors, beer huts, and merch tents, this event was packed with tourists and locals alike!

After walking around and checking it out, Bryan got a mulled wine, I picked up a lemon beer and we found a spot in the crowd to jam out to DABU FANTASTIC, one of the most successful Swiss dialect bands! As the Swiss music played, we enjoyed people-watching and jamming out with the crowd!

One food vendor was selling "fondue dogs," and not knowing what that meant, we had to try it! I mean, Switzerland is known for its fondue, and this baguette stuffed with cheese fondue was pretty great! With our warm treat in hand, we left the crowd and found a quiet bench to sit and eat while looking out at the surrounding landscape. This place is amazing!

Bebbis Restaurant

After a few hours at the concert, it was time for dinner and we had to have a traditional dinner of cheese fondue before the end of our trip! Walking into Bebbis, the smell was quite offputting. I didn't realize how stinky traditional Swiss fondue smells...but we weren't backing out! Made by melting Gruyère cheese, white wine, lemon juice, and a few spices, traditional fondue is served with bread over an open flame. It wasn't bad...but the cheese mixture wasn't one I have to try again. I think the smell was the main culprit for my distaste!

Bebbis claims to have the best fondue in Interlaken, and while the food was good, the show was what really made the meal! The restaurant owner made his way around the restaurant singing, dancing, and welcoming visitors. He even whipped out an alphorn to play mid-meal! Here's just a little taste of the atmosphere:

Touch the Mountains Concert in Höhematte Park

With warm bellies full of bread and cheese, Bryan and I picked up our backpacks from our hotel and headed back to the Touch the Mountains concert. We enjoyed the final band of the night, PLÜSCH. Known as one of the most important bands in Swiss pop history, PLÜSCH was a big hit with the locals! They performed at the first-ever Touch the Mountains concert 20 years ago and returned for the 20th-year celebration! We didn't know what they were singing, but their beats were sick and the vibes were in!

At 7:45 pm, the concert ended and the lights went out all over the town as Interlaken set off their New Year Fireworks!

Click Here to See a Clip of the New Years Fireworks in Interlaken

It was a great show, even if my toes were frozen! Thankfully my lovely husband gave me his Gator and wore my pretty (but not nearly warm enough) scarf for the night! Whew! You would think after surviving Sapporo's winter in 2023 that I would be prepared for a cold trip, but I'm realizing the older I get, the less I enjoy the snowy cold! The things I do for my love; Bryan loves the snow, so I suck it up!

Lausanne Train Station

After the fireworks show, we headed to the train station to begin our journey back to Geneva. We boarded our 9 pm train and, after two train changes in Bern and in Lausanne, and another 3-hour journey, we made it to Hotel Edelweiss in Geneva. Another 1 am bedtime in Geneva is in the books!

Thursday, January 2, 2025: Homeward Bound...eventually

I won't lie, these two thirty-year-olds needed to sleep in, so our morning started at 9:30 am. That counts as sleeping in, right?

Jet d'Eau de Genève

With our bags packed, we wanted to get a little sightseeing in Geneva before our afternoon flight. We walked to the edge of Lac Léman to see the city's main sight: the Jet d'Eau de Genève. The Jet d'Eau de Genève is a "fountain" that shoots five hundred liters of water per second into the air. This water fountain jets 460 feet into the sky! While not the prettiest fountain, it probably is the highest fountain we have seen!

Geneva Airport: Aéroport International de Genève

A quick train ride led us to Geneva Airport, where we faced the packed airport with other New Year's travelers! We were supposed to leave at 1:10 pm...but after several delays, we finally left Switzerland at 3:30 pm. While long delays aren't ideal, Bryan and I agree that delays are better than sitting at home for the holiday!

As we close out 2024, Bryan and I are proud of the last year. A full year in Spain has been packed full of family visits, turning 30, traveling to another 16 countries, and growing closer together. While this military life brings the struggles of being far from family, the experiences and life we have built together make it worth it.

Cheers to 2024! I can't wait to see what 2025 will have in store for us!

--Katie