A Woman's Directory For Travel and Life.

WAVE Journey is your one stop online resource for women oriented
businesses and services around the world.
WAVE Journey is for every woman to enjoy.  If you love to travel, cook, garden, read or revel in outdoor
activities this website is for you.   If you are looking to connect with other like-minded women or if you are
interested in finding businesses or services that cater to women, WAVE Journey is your number one online
resource.



Ich Liebe Dich Switzerland  ~
Article by Kelly Saunders
WAVE Journey
Women's Adventures, Vacations & Experiences ~
Your Journey Starts Here!
The snow-capped Alps provided a striking
background to the little town of Interlaken,
allowing photographer Kelly Saunders to capture a
glimpse into Swiss culture and culinary delights.
After a draining, overcrowded, eleven hour flight I was
whisked away from the mayhem of Zurich and set on
Höheweg Strasse in the charming town of Interlaken.
Sleeping for what felt like an eternity, I awoke to the
vast panorama of the Swiss Alps and the exhilarating
echo of the
mountains.  
Those ghostly, white, jagged peaks evoke magical
dreams and powerful emotions within. Finally alert
and adjusting well to the six hour time change, I
went on a search for the perfect cup of steaming,
frothy cappuccino. I wandered outside into the brisk
air to see what treasures I could unearth.
Interlaken, nestled between lakes Thun and Brienz,
BIO:
Kelly Saunders is a freelance photographer currently living in
Richmond, Virginia, USA. Her next destination is Mykonos
and Corfu, Greece. Previously her work has been published
in www.diveglobalmagazine.com    
Narrow side streets, secret courtyards, clandestine
gardens, local pubs, mystifying churches, whispers around
corners and hidden passageways, were just some of the
secrets of this city.  Meandering lazily through the town, I
happened upon a lovely tea room, and finally decided on
a warm cup of green tea with a tasty gingerbread cookie
on the side.  Completely forgetting about my cappuccino, I
took my first, real deep breath in almost a year, sipped on
my green tea concoction and sunk down completely in my
overstuffed, cushioned chair.
The misty, gray sky cleared just enough for me to spend
a few francs in some local shops. The boutiques around
Bahnhofstrasse, Centralstrasse and Marketgasse,
directly off of Höheweg Strasse, specialized in
expensive, beautifully crafted Italian fashion. This being
completely out of my budget, I headed to some of the
smaller boutiques which happen to have sales or
“dizkount” as they say. Even with a language barrier a
woman can always find a way to shop. Nile Trading®,
Boutique Häsler, Transit Boutique and Avantgarde Mode
Exklusiv® happened to be some of my favorites. During
my many travels I have come to collect Laufstock
Plakete which translates from German to mean walking
stick plaques. This is a very old tradition, when people
used to walk everywhere for days, collecting these
small, metal plaques to flaunt on their walking sticks.  
Switzerland boasts the richest, creamiest, most satisfying
chocolate in the world and it should be mandatory to
indulge just a little when you holiday. So, I was on a
mission for the best chocolate bars, crepes and fondue. In
town I found Backerei Biner Konditorei displaying the most
amazing truffels, cakes, pies, crepes and miniature
chocolate delights. Grand Restaurant Schuh has a
chocolate show every evening to display and showcase
the beautiful and delicate works of art created by the
master chocolatiere. A few brands recommended to me
were Toblerone, Moser-Roth, Milka, Schoko Bananen, Lait,
Orangette and Neuchatel. After satisfying my sweet tooth
it was time for me to go home.
Interlaken is set in a lower valley surrounded by the Jungfrau
(UNESCO World Heritage Site), Eiger and Mönch mountains
which includes Grindelwald, Schilthorn – Piz Gloria and Kleine
Scheidegg, all part of the Bernese Oberland. It started
pouring down raining while I was searching for my next
adventure, which forced me to take cover in a traditional
bistro called Restaurant National®.  I was greeted by an
adorable Swiss waitress, who was also one of the chefs. She
Flipping through a few travel pamphlets, which you should
never do, I tossed them aside and set off on my own
again. I wanted the local
feel of Interlaken and I got it.
recommended a few deserts and wine, as well as her own
homemade cinnamon parfait.  After much debate, I finally
decided on a German Riesling, pistachio ice cream and, of
course, the parfait. I was quite pleased with my choices.  
This took the place of postcards and stamps at the time.  After draining all of my money
on much needed clothing, hand-beaded jewelry, pashmina scarves, wooden trinkets and
schnapps, I needed a good drink and somewhere to unwind and admire my purchases.
The bars, pubs and nightlife are nearby, but you have to
ask around to find the really great, local spots. Stumbling
upon PositvEinfach®, which translates to mean Positive
Simple, I peaked in and saw hot pink walls, worn wooden
stools, tasty gnocchi and a wonderfully endearing
Hungarian bartender staring back at me. The bartender
insisted I should stick around for that evening's
entertainment; a salsa band from Los Angeles was in
town to perform. I grabbed a few friends and stayed at
the pub well into the night. Sharing great German beer,
such as Hefeweizen, Bitburger, Edelweiss and the
specialty Rugen Bräu, old stories, dancing and deep,
heartwarming laughs. I had made instant friends for life.
Having made friends, lasting memories, captured breathtaking photographs and
experimenting with different types of food, chocolates, brews, liquors, schnapps and
riding the Eurorail out to nowhere in particular, I had finished my journey in this magical
place.  I happen to see in layers and am blessed with the sixth sense to recognize it,
privileged at the sight of it and flourish by means of it.  Seeing the many layers of
Switzerland and Interlaken I was determined to venture back soon.
Ich liebe Dich Switzerland!
(named accordingly “Inter” between and “Laken” lakes) is notorious for being somewhat
touristy. But what I discovered was so much more.
The Riesling was crisp, tart but delicate, with a sweet after taste; the ice cream was
hand-whipped, had a buttery, nutty, creamy taste and the cinnamon parfait was, well
just that.  This being rather odd selections for lunch, I decided that dinner would be my
staple.