No such thing as a Late Lunch

Interlocken Alps
Originally uploaded by klheckert

<< I regret to inform you that Europe is Closed. Please come back when it is not between seasons. Thank you for your consideration. With affection, Switzerland.>> (They don't use apostrophes here.)

Today we hung around Interlocken- and learned that a late lunch does not exist here. If you don't eat by 1:00, hope you didn't want any lunch, because everything is closed except McDonalds and they are charging $11 for a BigMac. Not including fries or a drink.

So, we skipped lunch and headed to the ice rink, where I attempted to teach Matt to skate. He did very well for his first time, but more practice is needed for such advanced skills as turning and stopping (or even really going straight). We still had a very entertaining time- as I spent most of it giggling in stitches! (The 3-13 year olds playing hockey didn't help either- they were staring at us as if they had never seen an adult who didn't know how to skate...which they probably hadn't...)

Not much going on here- everything is closed because we are splitting the summer season and winter season. I recommend that no one come to Interlocken during this time period, because really all there is to do is the indoor ice rink. But a down day is okay (especially for those who need to do laundry). Tomorrow we head up the mountain to Gimmelwald, which should be beautiful and may result in better photos. On the other hand, probably no internet for a couple days, so prepare for radio silence :)

Things we are missing right now, 4 weeks in, with 2 to go:
- Sandwiches. Europe apparently doesn't believe in the American concept of a sub sandwich with lots of toppings. Good luck ordering one, they will be very confused (and really just won't make it).
- Eggs. Maybe you can find them hard-boiled, but never scrambled or over easy to Matt's great lament.
- Personal space/somewhere to live. Moving every 1-2 nights gets a bit exhausting after a while.... and closely related:
- A real bed. Haven't seen one in a long time, even when we book private rooms, often there are just 2 twin beds pushed together, or a mattress much too short for us, or just extremely hard.
- A kitchen stocked with staples. I am really missing cooking and "normal" home-cooked meals.
- And, most of all, our friends and family. I got several really nice emails and texts the last few days from you all, and that really makes me feel happy and loved even though I'm so far away- but makes me miss you even more. We're really looking forward to Thanksgiving!!! Give each other a big hug for me until I see you soon!