Now if you have been following the blog, you know that Petey butchered her toe on her birthday (5 days before my birthday), and was bandaged all over. Excellent. Well, funny thing is you can’t go skydiving with a wrapped up toe because it doesn’t fit in a shoe. Hmm…Well we decided to postpone that bad boy until the end of the month. She was momentarily getting out of skydiving, but she promised we would do it. The date would be the end of July. Excellent.
This is the tale of the time we booked a trip to Switzerland for 24 hours, it rained and we turned a ridiculous day into a legendary one. Only us eh? Grab a muffin and read on. This one is a winner.
The night of July 23rd we took off for our 13 hour train ride from Berlin to Interlaken, Switzerland for skydiving. Can you say psyched?! I couldn’t believe we were going to do this. This has been on my bucket list for eternity and I was going to be able to scratch it off in under 24 hours. Wow!
Naturally being on a train for 13 hours isn’t the most thrilling, but we read, chatted and even witnessed the world’s craziest fight in Frankfurt. Yikes. We were ready to arrive in sunny Switzerland when the last couple hours of our train we noticed some rain; but no big deal. When we get to Switzerland it will be beautiful and warm (that had been there weather for the past several weeks; gorgeous). Not ONCE did it even occur to us that skydiving would be cancelled. No way. No how.
We arrived at the train station in Interlaken to rain. Of course. Okay, still breathing at this point we awaited the van to pick us up at 8:30am, like they had mentioned. Waiting, waiting, still waiting. It was after 9am, and we’re getting a little nervous at this point. All of a sudden this green van pulls in with writing saying “Outdoor Activities”. Excellent – maybe this was our ride. Absolutely not. The guy was super nice and called our skydiving company and officially broke us the news that everything was cancelled due to rain. LUNCH BOX LET DOWN. And then since he seemed to be our savior of the day…he offered us this alternative: “I’m actually here to pick up a bachelor party of germans and I am taking them glacier water rafting and then 450ft bungee jumping in the afternoon. Do you want to come?”. Two words: hells yes. Being pissed at life and the weather lasted momentarily, and then the realization that we were only here for 24 hours hit and us and why the hell not? How cool!
If we were gonna be insane and go skydiving…mine as well continue the streak of ridiculous outdoor activities and go with glacier rafting and bungee jumping.
Right: so we jump in this van and wait the group of boys who without fail were in sailor costumes. Excellent. We get there and quickly tossed our suitcases in the basement of their building, grabbed our towels and met the rest of the group. Fun fact: we did not bring bathing suits. Why would we have right? So jumping into wet suits was the most ridiculous event of my life. A) they are wet b) we were in our undies/bra and c) it was just so damn cold. We got our wet suits, lifejacket and helmets and then hopped on the bus. We were told the water would be 6 degrees Celsius and to prepare for the cold. ARE YOU JOKING? We’re gonna die. Not from falling out of the boat, but the damn water. Yikes.
When we arrived at our site our boat guide led us through some dry run stuff; simple right, like the way you paddle, different instructions and how to rescue a drowning friend. Ha. I was the demonstrator and had to pull Petey from her knees outside the boat back into our boat. Excellent. Petey may say I epically failed, however, I think I got an A++ for bringing her back to safety. So the boat commands were “left”, “right”, “hold”, “hold on!”, “GET DOWN” and I’m pretty sure a “holy crap GETTT DOWNNNN” was quickly added.
Then the moment we were all waiting for: going in the water. Now I have down water rafting before in Ottawa, but the conditions were polar opposite. It was warm, sunny, no wet suit required, bigger boat but funny enough the same month…only 10 days apart. This time our boat only had 7 people, wetsuits, rain and freezing water conditions. Awesome. So we get our boat down and of course are warned that the water is rough and to follow everything the guide had to say. I was on it. So you are jacked on life, feeling the adrenaline and I swear to you….not even 30 seconds into the ride we lost someone. We hit a wave and myself and the guy behind me flew into the air.
Thank goodness my foot was shoved in the safety piece because that was the only thing that kept me in place. We both go up, 2 hands in the air, dropped our paddles and he fell out and I slammed back into the boat. Ouch. I guess I must have nailed my hand on a rock because it was cut open with a nice gash and then the part where I must have bit down extremely hard on my lip…because well it swelled big time. Let’s just say that Angelina Jolie and I could have been sisters. Ridiculous. Of course the boat thought it was hilarious, but my speech sounded a tad sloppy. Excellent. Always good with first impressions.
Our boat had 5 Americans, myself and our guide who was Aussie/American. Great combo. The day turned out to be sensational. Our first stop we even got to drink the water, it was beyond cool. We did first half of the river then got back on the bus to take us to the second section which was dubbed the hardest area of the river. The title says it all, but it was called “double effer”…but not censored. The name alone had my adrenaline running and our guide said if anyone falls out that’s it, goodbye. Super. Note to self to hold on for dear life the whole way down. Got it. At the end of the river we came out into a large lake and all I can say is “wow”. It was gorgeous! The mountains, the water, there were even swans. Picturesque to say the least. We were told that the water here was a lot warmer than what we had been in before so we all got to jump in. Talk about cool; no pun intended. It was cold of course, but the worst was when the water came up and over your wet suit and touched your skin. No good.
Our boat had 5 Americans, myself and our guide who was Aussie/American. Great combo. The day turned out to be sensational. Our first stop we even got to drink the water, it was beyond cool. We did first half of the river then got back on the bus to take us to the second section which was dubbed the hardest area of the river. The title says it all, but it was called “double effer”…but not censored. The name alone had my adrenaline running and our guide said if anyone falls out that’s it, goodbye. Super. Note to self to hold on for dear life the whole way down. Got it. At the end of the river we came out into a large lake and all I can say is “wow”. It was gorgeous! The mountains, the water, there were even swans. Picturesque to say the least. We were told that the water here was a lot warmer than what we had been in before so we all got to jump in. Talk about cool; no pun intended. It was cold of course, but the worst was when the water came up and over your wet suit and touched your skin. No good.
We got back to our hostel at around 1pm and were finally able to check in. What a hostel. It was like Heida and her grandfather had done it themselves. Super cute, great location (literally 5 minute walk from where Alpin company was located) and although the rooms weren’t fantastic, we didn’t plan on sleeping much. First things first though: a shower. I can’t even begin to express how cold I was. I literally could not feel my fingers. Not even a little bit. That might be the record for the worlds longest shower and I was fine with that. I must have stood there for a good 30 minutes waiting for the sensation to come back. Well worth it though. Once we managed that hurdle, it was time for some food. Eating, but not eating too late since we would be bungee jumping at 4. Oh baby.
During lunch we met a guy named Ryan who was travelling on his own and turns out he was bungee jumping as well. Awesome. We had a buddy! It was time to walk back to Alpin and there we met the other 30 something people who would be jumping as well. Nuts. When we got to base, we were greeting with a beer which they liked to call “liquid encouragement” which just made me laugh. Petey’s face said it all and I could tell more of those were in our future to say the least.
Waiting to load the buses we met Paige and Kelly; two other Canadians who were travelling. Go Canada. The bus ride wasn’t too long, 30 minutes, and when we got there the excitement began flooding in. We took some pictures, had a nervous pee and were off to the races. We jumped in the first gondola which would be taking us up the what we called ‘the base’ for the night. It was the half-way mark to where we were going. As my face was nearly pressed against the window taking in the scenery, the silent treatment had began from Petey and she was ready to throw me overboard for convincing her to do this.
We got the speech on how this is going to be the time of our life and the basic ‘jumping’ technique we should have. Mental pictures were being taken every second. We were then split into two groups: I was the first and Petey was the second. This one sucked until we realized we could watch each other fall! I gave her my camera and we were off. I got the yellow harness put on, then the red bits that go around your ankles to hold another cord that would be attached. “As if I am going to jump 450ft” was all I could think. My thoughts were working in the sense that skydiving I would have been tandem, so attached to someone, he would push me out the plane, he would pull the cord and he would land us. Bungee jumping I was responsible for pushing my own ass out of the gondola, soaring and landing. Solo.
So the first group (about 15 people) loaded up the first gondola and we started moving. The half-way point where I left Petey was the perfect spot to watch us jump. We would be jumping from the gondola into a lake. Of course there would be a boat there to get us, but we were dropping 450ft towards water. Excellent. Sadly, when we boarded we were the first ones in the gondola meaning we would be the last to jump. Turns out I would be the second last one to jump.
When we got up the system was clockwork. They strapped you in, fixed the cords, did the countdown from 5 and you had no choice but to jump. OMG. This was no longer a joke. I was in the gondola, in line, and this was happening. Adrenaline on maximum: absolutely. There were three guys working on the gondola with us: 2 did the cords and 1 photographer who kind of dangled outside the gondola. He would take a picture of you pre-jump and then catch every second of you falling towards the ground. Right. Great job.
So the music is playing to get us jacked up and people are dropping one by one. Finally it came down to the last four: Ryan, Paige, myself and Kelly. We got a group photo of the four of us and it was go-time. All of a sudden one of the guys looks at us and says “here is some food for thought: the white cord that gives you that bounce and the rebound in your jump is made from the same elastic in your underwear”. Pardon? Are you kidding me right now? Oh yes. He was serious. When you looked at the cord, it was millions and millions of white elastics. I could have killed him on the spot. I mean underwear aren’t THAT reliable are they? Frig.
Then it was my turn. I took the step forward and the 30 second process began of them attaching my cords and double checking I was hooked up properly. I took the step forward, the photo was snapped and the countdown began: 5-4-3-2-1! JUMPPPPPPP! I soared. I was freaking Pocahontas alright.
I cannot even begin to describe the feeling. I soared out trying my best to get that ‘perfect arch’ they talked about in jumping techniques and was off. You feel like you are floating; it was so smooth. Then you finish the arch and go straight towards the water: the boat looked so tiny. Still soaring. And then comes the rebound. Probably one of the coolest sensations I have ever felt. I’m trying to look back up at the camera that is still taking pictures every other second while trying to focus on how far I am from the water. Only did then I scream the classic “wooooooo!” which I later found out is how Petey identified me as the jumper. So cool! I had just jumped 450ft! Wow, wow, wow!
Once you stop spinning, the guys on the boat hand you this enormous stick that you are supposed to grab onto. You hold on and they slowly pull you down into the boat. Unreal. Once in the boat, they asked you “So – how was it!?”. Amazing. Simply amazing. I started taking in the scenery around us: the fields, the mountains, the cows, and this little lake we were in. Then I noticed Paige dressing down. “What the hell are you doing?”, “I’m swimming back to shore!”. WHAT?! I’m sorry but I was in that water earlier that morning and you could not have paid me a million dollars to jump in with bra/undies. Absolutely not. Funny thing is this water was really warm. No way. Count me in. Ignoring the two guys working the boat, we undressed and dove in. Wow, the coolest experience by far. It was cool but surprisingly warm. It was a pleasure swimming back to shore where we were then greeted by some locals. We got ourselves dried off with towels and dove right into the drinks and food they had made.
Imagine the locals afternoon? Watching all these people jump out of the gondola and then sharing some drinks, food and stories with them. Not to mention watching the last four of us from the first group swimming back into shore. Surreal. While we nursed our beers, and warmed up we were able to watch what the second group had: the jumps.
I had no way of actually identifying anyone, but all I knew is that I had to capture someone jumping to be able to show what the drop was like. I got out my camera and waited for the next person to jump. Then you hear the 5-4-3-2-1 from the crowd and the cheer parade that follows; granted when you are the second last person jumping from the gondola your cheer parade is quite small (4 people to be exact) but that doesn’t change your excitement one bit. So I am in the midst of filming someone when Paige says “Isn’t that your friend Paddy?”. No FREAKING way! OMG – IT IS! PEETEEYYYYYYYYYY! I later learned that she heard this while jumping – excellent. But I mean c’mon, what are the chances of the ONE person I decide to film jumping that’s its Petey! So neat! So I caught the whole thing and even took some pictures of her dangling in air. A++ for Sarah!
I am still to this day 99% sure Petey passed our mid-jump because she didn’t scream. I am thinking someone terrified of heights is going to let out a good ol wail, but nothing. Silence. Even when she got in the boat; nothing. She passed out. I’m sure of it. I went in and out of thinking it was Petey. It is her! No, its not. Yes it is, no, maybe? Then when the rowboat came back in I saw the red Michigan shirt and knew for sure. She did it! I could not have been more proud. Like a proud mum and I ran out to greet her with the biggest hug and a beer. Hey, she just jumped 450ft: she deserved a beer.
We spent the next hour plus sitting by the campfire with the locals eating, drinking, singing (more so the locals…and in German) and watching the second group of jumpers. In hindsight I was glad I was the first group. By the time it was time to go, my blood pressure had returned to normal and I was pure happiness.
The ride back to the site was a quiet one with people sleeping and Kelly and I chatted in the front seat about all our travels. Once we got back, we planned to meet the girls in an hour or so for some drinks and dinner. Naturally, we chatted about how ridiculous our day had been and with it being such a small world, ran into the guys we had glacier water rafted with! It was not a late night since Petey and I had to catch our train at the hour of 8:01am. We had managed to have a train that would take us directly back to Berlin – how sweet. For 13 hours? Wonderful.
We were prepped and ready to go. We bought our shotglass and magnets, had breakfast and asked for directions to the train station. 15 minute walk you say? Wonderful! Simple, simple. Or so we thought. We had given ourselves tons of time to get there…except we didn’t account for getting lost. Right. Turns out her directions were garbage and we absolutely ended up in the middle of nowhere. I’m talking…the forest/field middle of nowhere. Are you kidding me? We kept watching the time and the point came to start running. We had no idea where we were going but we just kept running. Now in case you think this sounds easy…my 8 months in Europe was not spent at the gym. Shocker. Cardio? That would be dancing at the club all night. Oh yeah, we were feeling it, but damn adrenaline kicked in and we were NOT missing this train.
With our bags (mine = big blue, Petey’s = Bertha which had travelled to 12/13 countries with me) we were sprinting like that Bolt guy in the Olympics. With minutes to spare we hear a car horn honking. It’s the “Outdoor Interlaken” van – the company that was supposed to pick us up skydiving. Ironic much? So we jumped in and turns out we weren’t even close to the train station. We pull in at 8:03am and book it. We get to the platform…just as our train is driving away. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! We had freaking missed it.
Now Petey and I are used to these things happening you know, but seeing as we were 13 hours away from Berlin, trains don’t come every hour. Oh man we were mad. We sat in silence (which for the record – NEVER happened before and hasn’t happened since). Thank god Petey is German since she was able to talk to the ticket guy and figure out how the hell we were getting back to Berlin. With some luck we only had to wait an hour until the next train and it turned out we could use our tickets we had and just pay the price difference when we were onboard. Excellent! Can’t be that bad eh? I’m guessing like 50 Euros or something. Nope. 120 Euros…each. Right. Good feeling gone.
Oh baby when we got back to Berlin, we made ourselves some Ramen noodles, put on some episodes of the office and called er’ a day. We were exhausted, surprisingly sore, and still suffering the blow of an extra 120 Euros. Thank goodness for the Office, which we quickly became obsessed with, but man that saved the day.
It has been the craziest 24 hours of my life. And I wouldn’t have changed anything about it. Well…maybe the 120 Euros. But still…we can now laugh about it. Kind of. We might always be a little bitter against that part, but the pictures and the stories: epic.
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