Monday, 8 August 2011
The internet here is horrible!
we tried and tried again to add photos but the internet doesn't like us. hold tight, we will try again after a few glasses of wine.
Friday, 5 August 2011
THIS JUST IN......THIS JUST OUT
Heather just upchucked her dinner.....looks like we have a long night and day ahead of us! Good thing no cliff is too high to climb over for the two of us.
Interlaken: Onwards and Upwards!
After approximately 13 hours of sleep last night I finally woke up with a bit of an appetite, a headache as if I was hung over, and unfortunately still tired. HOWEVER, no sickness! So, do you know what that means? Time to scarf down a 
breakfast and hit the mountains because there is no time to waste when in Switzerland!
We took the train up to Grindelwald, which is at about 1000m elevation and then began our hike up to Mannlichen (~2200m) . This hike was suggested to take approximated 4.5 hours, and to cover over 1km in elevation. We began this steep ascent with lots of energy and wide eyes for the views we would see along the way, however after outpacing this suggested time at the half way point we decided not t0 play hero any longer. Exhausted beyond belief because I had not eaten anything yesterday and fearing the clouds rolling in overhead and ghosting the views of the gorgeous giants we were climbi
ng, we decided to jump the gondola up the r
est of the way. Lucky for us and our skills at getting things for free, the attendant was in the back so we jumped the bar and into one of the slowly creeping carts as it strolled through the landing. SCO
RE! This sneaky plan saved us 2 hours of climbing, probably 40 Swiss Franks and some great views along the hike at the top, as the clouds had not yet fully masked our view.
From the peak, we
hiked across the mountain for about an hour (probably more with all of our stops to gawk at the beautiful views) to Klein Scheidegg (~2000m) and had lunch at a little restaurant near the rail before heading back down. At this point the clouds had come in so dense that we could not see the peaks of the surrounding mountains
(Jungfrau especially) and the rain was coming down in sheets. So, we then hoped the rail back down to Interlaken with many pictures delightf
ully stored in our camera, and the dire need to shower and do laundry.
The rest of our evening consisted of making delicious omelets with some new friends from OC California, and enjoying some Happy
Hour beers with a guy from Texas we met in the train on our way to Lucerne!
Heather, unfortunately, seems to have a really bad stomach ache and went to bed early all in hopes that it is nothing serious (such as what she had to see me endure yesterday). So hopefully she will wake with energy for our day ahead! Early morning wake up at 7am to either hit the canyons at 8am for some canyoning, or hit the rapids at 9am for some white water rafting - yet to be determined yet as we like to fly off the seat of our pants sometimes.
So, thanks for the kind posts from yesterday because they must have helped me get over that darn bug so fast :) Send some luck over for Heather now that she doesn't wake feeling like a bag of shit like I did yesterday!
Love and miss you all,
Janelle
breakfast and hit the mountains because there is no time to waste when in Switzerland!
We took the train up to Grindelwald, which is at about 1000m elevation and then began our hike up to Mannlichen (~2200m) . This hike was suggested to take approximated 4.5 hours, and to cover over 1km in elevation. We began this steep ascent with lots of energy and wide eyes for the views we would see along the way, however after outpacing this suggested time at the half way point we decided not t0 play hero any longer. Exhausted beyond belief because I had not eaten anything yesterday and fearing the clouds rolling in overhead and ghosting the views of the gorgeous giants we were climbi
ng, we decided to jump the gondola up the r
est of the way. Lucky for us and our skills at getting things for free, the attendant was in the back so we jumped the bar and into one of the slowly creeping carts as it strolled through the landing. SCO
RE! This sneaky plan saved us 2 hours of climbing, probably 40 Swiss Franks and some great views along the hike at the top, as the clouds had not yet fully masked our view.
From the peak, we
hiked across the mountain for about an hour (probably more with all of our stops to gawk at the beautiful views) to Klein Scheidegg (~2000m) and had lunch at a little restaurant near the rail before heading back down. At this point the clouds had come in so dense that we could not see the peaks of the surrounding mountains
(Jungfrau especially) and the rain was coming down in sheets. So, we then hoped the rail back down to Interlaken with many pictures delightf
ully stored in our camera, and the dire need to shower and do laundry.The rest of our evening consisted of making delicious omelets with some new friends from OC California, and enjoying some Happy
Hour beers with a guy from Texas we met in the train on our way to Lucerne!Heather, unfortunately, seems to have a really bad stomach ache and went to bed early all in hopes that it is nothing serious (such as what she had to see me endure yesterday). So hopefully she will wake with energy for our day ahead! Early morning wake up at 7am to either hit the canyons at 8am for some canyoning, or hit the rapids at 9am for some white water rafting - yet to be determined yet as we like to fly off the seat of our pants sometimes.
So, thanks for the kind posts from yesterday because they must have helped me get over that darn bug so fast :) Send some luck over for Heather now that she doesn't wake feeling like a bag of shit like I did yesterday!
Love and miss you all,
Janelle
Thursday, 4 August 2011
Much Better!
Janelle is feeling MUCH better. On a scale of 1-10 where 10 is "I want to die," yesterday was an 11 and today we're at a 3. Game on!
The dehydration and lack of food has left her feeling a little sub-par (similar to a hangover, but without all of the prior fun), but nothing compared to yesterday. We are back to eating again, which makes for a much happier Janelle.
Someone mistook us this morning for two girls going canyoning. Janelle vetoed this prior to the trip, knowing her bad luck with jumping from heights into water. Break my cheekbone once, shame on you. Break it twice, shame on me! For someone to mistake us for two girls crazy enough to jump off waterfalls and cliffs means we must be looking much perkier!
We are off to explore the mountains, taking our time, lots of granola bars and water, our camera, and rainjackets as the weather looks slightly precarious.
Thank you for all of the get-well wishes, they really mean a lot. It's nice to know you have such support when you feel like you want to die. Thank goodness it is over, and Heather didn't have it to. Otherwise who knows what state we'd be in. Or country.
Love and miss you!
Janelle and Heather
The dehydration and lack of food has left her feeling a little sub-par (similar to a hangover, but without all of the prior fun), but nothing compared to yesterday. We are back to eating again, which makes for a much happier Janelle.
Someone mistook us this morning for two girls going canyoning. Janelle vetoed this prior to the trip, knowing her bad luck with jumping from heights into water. Break my cheekbone once, shame on you. Break it twice, shame on me! For someone to mistake us for two girls crazy enough to jump off waterfalls and cliffs means we must be looking much perkier!
We are off to explore the mountains, taking our time, lots of granola bars and water, our camera, and rainjackets as the weather looks slightly precarious.
Thank you for all of the get-well wishes, they really mean a lot. It's nice to know you have such support when you feel like you want to die. Thank goodness it is over, and Heather didn't have it to. Otherwise who knows what state we'd be in. Or country.
Love and miss you!
Janelle and Heather
HomeSICK
Okay, well it's likely not homesickness because I don't think I've ever seen a homesick camper vomit as much as Janelle did today. We don't know what it is from, but it is fierce. I will omit the details, but Janelle has come down with either food poisoning, the flu, or a short-term virus. This is an entirely solo post because my partner in crime is sleeping it off, or trying to at least. We have gotten all the necessary medications, as well as heart-warming generosity from Swiss women at a coffee shop who provided us with a damp towel, water, salt water, dry bread, and permission to lay on their couch for a few hours. Don't worry Tina, your girl is in good hands and is feeling much better!
We biked around Lake Lucerne for a bit before slowly making it back to the hostel. I biked around a bit more solo afterward to snap a few pictures of the quaint, yet tourist-laden town. I could have pro
duced a delightful post of more touring, photo snapping, and adventures with symphonies of cowbells (which did happen!), but this is a better reflection of the day.
We caught our train to Lucerne without any troubles, and were only scolded twice for putting our shoes on the seat before we smartened up and took off the shoes. Apparently socks are allowed - little do they know these are in dire need of a
washing! Two hours and a spectacular train ride later we made it to Interlaken. We are staying at the "first established private hostel" Balmers, which is unfortunately not right next to the train station. Janelle was a champ and powered on all the way to the hostel.
washing! Two hours and a spectacular train ride later we made it to Interlaken. We are staying at the "first established private hostel" Balmers, which is unfortunately not right next to the train station. Janelle was a champ and powered on all the way to the hostel. 
The rest of our plans are up in the air, but we are in Interlaken for 3 nights. It will be a nice break from the trains, and hopefully a chance to stretch our legs up the mountains. We are playing it by ear, as well as avoiding the bar. Interlaken is nestled between two lakes amid gorgeous mountains. The views are stunning (and will only get better and we hike higher up) and will be amazing to wake up to tomorrow morning!
Taking a page from my friend Matt's blog, here is a short list of a few of my favourite awful things to put a fun spin on the post:
1. Food poisoning - That feeling of complete body ache, nausea, and hunger from not eating for days. You thought that bite of sandwich, cheese, leftover meatloaf, or raw chicken was worth it, but your reasoning is being completely pummeled by your stomach. Never again will you try to pull a fast one. Your gut is punching with a strength and aggression that only steroid users know. You cry "Uncle", and then for your mom, but he shows no mercy. Your stomach won't even let you take a break for water. Food poisoning is a unscheduled opponent that has never lost a fight. Awful!
2. Smacking - The awful noise that your lips and mouth can make, but never should. Did your mother never teach you to chew with your mouth closed? Here's a quick lesson: It is not polite to share how much you are enjoying your food by replacing "mmm" with loud, vulgar sounds. If you are under 3 you can get away with this and I won't hold it against you because you are probably still cute when you do it. If you are over three and have control of your lips please keep their sound effects to a minimum, regardless of when/where/what/how much you are eating. Awful!
3. Being sick without your mom. There's nothing like the rub of your mom's hand on your back and the perfect chicken noodle soup she can conjure up to make you feel better. When you're without the comfort of her blankets, cool facecloths, and flat ginger ale, your sickness suddenly explodes by a power of 3. Drugs are no comparison for the power of mom medicine, and when you're without it you will likely become more dehydrated from all the tears you've cried. Awful!
So here's signing off from Interlaken, still with an optimistic attitude and some good training for my medical days ahead! We will be back in fighting force in no time at all!
Heather
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
Trainsitting
ng packs. Ah well – “character building,” we call it!We visited with some hostel mates from Brazil and Finland in the bar after making up a few games and setting off some spectacular runs with some dominoes. Our conversation stuck mainly to discussing country differences and animals (did you know a sloth only moves 1m/hour? Sometimes if a baby sloth falls out of the tree the mama sloth moves so slowly that by the time she climbs down the tree the baby has died. Heather has a few more fun sloth facts for anyone interested!).
We retired at a respectable hour of 11 so we could get our beauty rest (necessary to continue all the perks we’ve received from batting our eyelashes ;) ) and woke up bright and early for a run. We covered a flat 11km and tried to shake out the stiffness in the 
legs from our last workout. Unfortunately we think it might be another day until we’re doing our sit-to-stands without whingeing. Sorry to our friendly bootcamp boys for making your legs so mad at you. We promise we are suffering as well.
legs from our last workout. Unfortunately we think it might be another day until we’re doing our sit-to-stands without whingeing. Sorry to our friendly bootcamp boys for making your legs so mad at you. We promise we are suffering as well.
We read a message from Kevin this morning saying that he saw none other than Freddie and Zuzana from bodyrock in Kingston the other day. This was first time we were a little jealous not to be in Kingston! We got over the jealously relatively quickly with thoughts of the Swiss Alps, but what are the chances that we leave the 613 area and the bodyrockers come to visit?! If you are unfamiliar with the creative workouts of this inspiring duo check out their website. Heather may have done a backpack burpee this morning while waiting for the train. Then her legs yelled at her, so we will have to wait a bit before we do another workout in their honour!
As we learned our punctuality lesson the first time, we arrived early to our train this morning. However, the train did not show us the same respect. It rolled into the station 20 minutes late, which would not have been a huge deal if we did not have connecting trains. The original plan involved a total of 3 trains and got us into Lucerne just after 3pm. The final plan (revised as we went) involved 5 trains, one mistaken train stop (apparently Basel Bad SB is not the same station as Basel SBB, and they won’t open the d
oors of the train once they’re closed – even if they just closed them!), two overpriced Swiss coffees, lots of patience, 
and friendship building moments, and got us into Lucerne at 5pm. Good thing we went for a run this morning otherwise we would not have been able to sit still for that long. Crying babies, fellow travellers who also missed their trains, and massive sandwiches highlighted the journey, and we are so glad that we are making our way to the beautiful Swiss Alps. However, if our journey 
out of Switzerland is as long and potentially frustrating as today, we make no promise that any Swiss chocolate gifts will make it home.
and friendship building moments, and got us into Lucerne at 5pm. Good thing we went for a run this morning otherwise we would not have been able to sit still for that long. Crying babies, fellow travellers who also missed their trains, and massive sandwiches highlighted the journey, and we are so glad that we are making our way to the beautiful Swiss Alps. However, if our journey 
out of Switzerland is as long and potentially frustrating as today, we make no promise that any Swiss chocolate gifts will make it home.Ps: Our weather for the next few days includes thunderstorms everyday. Just perfect. We don't like sunshine anyway. It's too easy.
This post was powered by Swiss chocolate and French wine.
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