Switzerland: known for the Alps, Swiss cheese, and many extreme outdoor sporting activities. Switzerland has three topographical areas: Swiss Alps on the South, the central plateau, and the Jura Mountains on the North. There climate is generally temperate, but can vary from glacial conditions on the mountain tops to pleasant near Mediterranean climate. It is hard to image that in one spot on the mountain it can be cold and rainy, but in another spot it can be sunny and warm. Here is a website for more geographical information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland. For the three days that I was in Switzerland, I felt like I was in a postcard. The atmosphere and smell of the woods was so much different than living in Luxembourg City and I wanted to experience everything I could.
Switzerland is known for tourism through its outdoor activities. When I thought about going to Switzerland, I thought that the whole time I will be doing outdoor activities because that is something they are known for. These sporting activities identity and represent Switzerland as a nation with many different activities to get involved in. The first day we arrived to Interlaken, we picked out activities that we wanted to partake in. We found a company called Alpinraft and we got a package deal for white water rafting and canyoning. Here is their website for more outdoor activities www.alpinraft.com. White water rafting was the first day and it was so much fun going down the river and being able to look on both sides of the river and see the Alps. The next day we were supposed to do canyoning but because there had been too much rain the past few days, we were unable to do it but had another option to canyon swing. Because of geography, this is a sport that can only take place in two other areas in the whole entire world: South Africa and New Zealand. I had to do it to say that I did something that not many people will get the opportunity to do. My first reaction to canyon swinging was you are just jumping from a ledge that couldn’t be high from the water. I was way wrong and became sick to my stomach when I found out that it was a 300 feet fall, part of that was freefalling 150 feet at 80 miles per hour. I was terrified to say the least but was already in the car heading up the mountain to change my mind. We read the rules and signed our life away saying that if something goes wrong they are not responsible. No one was thinking that we could get seriously injured; we were trying to pump each other up.
The time came for the first jump out of fourteen people. Everyone was freaking out. We didn’t know what to expect or how it was really going to work. They showed us pictures before we signed up for us to get an idea, but still we didn’t know what it was going to feel like. When my turn came, freaking out was an understatement. I had tears in my eyes but I knew it was something that I would regret if I didn’t do. The instructor hooked me in and told me to not think about it and just jump. As I stood on the platform, I looked around and realized that I am diving into a canyon with water and big rocks below me. I didn’t have time to think about what if something went wrong, I just had to jump. I smiled for my picture and within 5 seconds I was screaming and running off the platform, taking the biggest jump I could. I do not remember much of it but as I was falling, I couldn’t scream anymore even if I tried. I kept my eyes opened the whole time and was waiting for the fall to end to start my swing. I was so excited when I saw my friends at the bottom of the canyon cheering for me. I did it!
If I had the opportunity to do it again, I would do it in a heartbeat. I had so much fun doing it. I never thought that I would be able to jump into a canyon with a few strings keeping me from dying. I can now say that going to Switzerland has allowed me to do a sport where there are only two other places in the world to do it.
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