6 JUNE 2006

(TUES)
train at 13h20.

-bank
-grocery store
-pick up crap at hostel
-walk to train
* buy heavy things at the co op there
? or go to the co op at station? would have to go in with all the gear ..

grocery list: (again)
3 nights:
dinner: today, tom., next day
lunch: x3
b'fast: x3

hot dogs - 1 dinner, 1 lunch
sandwiches - 2 lunches
-buy meat for 2?
-have bread
cereal/granola for b'fast
juice
meat: for 2 dinners. one for tonite, one for next/last nite
rice
cheese

9h30
breakfast. collecting bread smeared with jam to make into pb&js for later.
Again thinking about how weird this place is. People come, do something Extreme, then they call their moms, then they leave. I guess I've never really thought about this type of vacation. I am excited & curious & a little nervous about gimmelwald.

23-/night
kitchen
sells beer, wind, groceries, pizza

train
I'l Ost - Lauterbrunnen (make sure to get into car to Lau., not Grindelwald)
bus - walk 50-100 meters to the right, after getting off train
bus stop: only one bus. it goes to Stechelberg. 12 minutes. (or walk. flat, 1 1/2 hours)
gondola - to first stop - 5 min.
(total 55 minutes)

co op: Murren - open til 6, closed 12-1:45


17h05
What and incredibly beautiful place. Gimmelwald is a tiny town. I feel like I'm intruding when I walk down the narrow streets and paths. There are cows up here, and chickens, goats, other goats, and probably other things too. Some places have signs up saying they sell cheese, or eggs, or salami, or milk or butter. I should buy some eggs and maybe cheese (I have some already) and make an awesome breakfast tomorrow. Then I should go for a walk/hike. just start going and see where I end up. Then the next day, do something maybe harder or more ambitious.
The hostel seems cute - I haven't checked in yet, that's at 6. There's free internet (for one person at a time) and a sweet kitchen with a big fridge. It seems like there are a bunch of people staying here. There's food and drinks for sale that aren't obscenely expensive like what they had in Interlaken. I already like it here much better than there. why'd I stay there, anyway?

20h20
"You just step outside... and it's th'Alps, y'all!!"
-girl at Mountain Hostel
made pork chops, potatoes, bread for dinner, drank a can of cheap beer with it. (went to the co op in Murren for groceries) I feel amazing. I love it here.
going outside to stare awe-struck at mountains.

some deserve tall tales... some of them wrote 'em....-aesop rock

??h??
some many of us traveling kids keep journals and records of what we do, see, and feel. what happens to all of them? why do we do it?

there are kids here who came in from Cinque Terre. must find out who they are & what they thought.

there is a hot tub outside with people in it but I don't think I will join. don't want to squish in and be hit on.

21h20
don't know how I feel about les gens qui vont a switzerland. beaucoup d'Américans affluents. en croatie et slovenie je crois qu'ils étaient plus intéressants. Je pense qu'en italie, je verrais des gens comme ceux que je vois ici. je ne sais pas si je veux aller aux grandes villes comme Rome ou.... je ne sais pas où.

22h
night 1: Gimmelwald.
Just talked to Megan, who is staying in the hostel for free in exchange for cleaning the kitchen or something. she says she will be here until the 12th, and then she leaves and then someone else will have to take the job...........................
she also gets free dinner
if ..... oh. I wish I could do that. she also just got a job babysitting and cleaning in a guest house up in Murren for the summer. gets to stay with the rest of the staff at the guesthouse. however......... I want to travel some more first. maybe I will talk to the owner here, maybe I could come back later in the month...? This is an amazing place.
the shelter hostel in Amsterdam was also hiring. Maybe I will get lucky and end up in a hostel in Cracow or something that is hiring.... that would be interesting.

Next stop:
on the beach. quiet, green, hilly. the Italian dream hostel version of the house in old saybrook.

yes..... on the beach...

TOMORROW:
WAKE @ 8
COOK EGGS W/CHEESE, HAM, ROSTI
PACK LUNCH: 2 PBJs, APPLE, GRANOLA BAR
BRING NOTEBOOK, CAMERA, PEN. BOOK?
START WALKING

just realized that my next open night is Friday. should figure out where to go, and get a bed soon, since everyone loves to go away for weekends.
stupid weekends.

hostels I've stayed in:
San Diego - back in the day
Venice - Santa FOsca - 4 bed - 18 euro
Ljubljana - Fluxus - 8 bed - 21 euro
Split - Al's place - 6 bed - about 10 euro
Amsterdam - Shelter Jordan - 24 bed? - 16 euro?
Amsterdam - Meeting Point - booth in bar - 15 euro
Interlaken - Funny Farm - 10 bed - 20 chf
Gimmelwald - Mountain Hostel - 16 bed - 23 chf

overnite things I've slept on:
Paris -> Rome (train) - april
Venice -> Zurich (train) - april
Split -> Zagreb (train) -april
Paris -> Basel (train) - 4 june
Rijeka -> Dubrovnik (ferry) - april
Ljubljana -> Zagreb (train) - april

I wonder what it's like outside with the sun gone...
I will go look.

comia: 06/06/06
b:
2 cups of mate
3 smaller cups of coffee
2 pieces of bread with jam & butter
l:
1 pb&j sandwich
d:
1 can of beer
2 pork chops (bone-in), marinated
1 1/2 slices bread
100 g rosti (potatoes)
1/2 chocolate bar
2 glasses red wine