Friday, September 19, 2008

Interlaken...Awe Goodness

We left Bern after around 10 or so to get to Interlaken, my part of the trip. Don't get me wrong I love art and history and the culture of Italy and Greece. And I miss Greece often, however I hold to my words "Switzerland is what I would go back for..." It is beautiful. God is evident in the mountains, the water, the lakes, the water falls, Absolutely Amazing. 

Now Erin had some apprehension about the cold. If you don't know Erin, let me explain. Warm=Good! Cold=Terrible, Awful, Bad, Pain, Yuck, and Hate. She hates it.  My Erin is a trooper but after a night in Bern in almost freezing weather and a fairly cold Venice, she had decided canyoning was not going to be our thing. It was going to be my thing. That being said we got to Interlaken(the prettiest place in the world) and she warmed up to it along with the weather. After talking to a few people( and by that i mean girls who had gone) she decided to stick it out. That A Girl Erin! So it was off to the Swiss Alps for 30ft jumps, 20ft rockslides, 30ft repels, and waterfall repelling.

Our helmets have names on them so guides don't have to learn your name. Mine was "Duck" and Erin's was "Paris". So Duck and Paris met up with some Mississippi Boys and we headed up for a great time. Erin held her nose every time she jumped but came up out of the ice cold water with a smile. The girl was rocking out the canyoning. I on the other hand while haveing a blast was suffering from cold water allergy. My hands swelled and turned red. Everyone in our group was intrigued by how big my hands were getting. I pressed on and finished the trip of a life time with slightly larger hands but memories and experiences with my wonderful wife that I will always cherish.

It is amazing what people are willing to go through. It is also amazing how many people aren't willing to sacrifice, help, or even make an effort for others. So when you find someone who will or if you can be that person for someone take the opportunity. We all had fun canyoning and cheering and laughing for each other, but it meant a whole lot that Erin was willing to face a few fears for me. The whole trip was like that, we learned to help, sacrifice, and make an effort for each other. And I'll be honest, not even counting the memories, I love my wife more just for those little efforts and comforts along the way.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like fun...for YOU! Glad you enjoyed it.

You and I would not make good vacation buddies. You have yet to talk about all the good food you're eating across Europe ... and that would be the number one topic of my posts...including pictures of my plates.

Then again, you look like you and I look like me.

And I hate heights ... which are required when jumping, diving, or 'canyoning' (a new one on me).

And I LOVE cold weather!

Above all of that, I am enjoying your posts so much! Thanks for sharing your trip with us! Looking forward to seeing you guys soon.

Anonymous said...

Erin, I'm so proud of you!!! I know what a big deal that was for you and I'm so glad that you decided to face those things!! I can't wait to give you a hug and hear you recount all the details. Enjoy those mountains! It really is the most beautiful place I've ever been.

Anonymous said...

I only hope to find the happiness it seems you have found in Erin. I throughly enjoy reading your blog.