Hiking and Biking

[12:04:35 PM] Katie Symington: Troy-o!
[12:05:37 PM] Troy Symington: Well, hi!
[12:05:52 PM] Katie Symington: Hey! I'm talking to mom right now. What are you up to?
[12:06:17 PM] Troy Symington: Sitting in my hostel in the Swiss Alps!
[12:06:42 PM] Katie Symington: Dude, how awesome is it that you can even say that? ;
[12:06:45 PM] Katie Symington: )
[12:07:14 PM] Troy Symington: I know, right?
[12:07:57 PM] Katie Symington: Super coolio!
[12:08:03 PM] Katie Symington: What did you do today?
[12:08:57 PM] Troy Symington: Hiked around the mountains all day! That's seriously all we did. What are you up to?
[12:10:30 PM] Katie Symington: I am talking with mom and planning out our day. Nick and I will go jogging outside soon--it is BEAUTIFUL out, today will probably be in the eighties again. Mom might come visit us for a bit, maybe dad too, and I want to get some flowers for our patio. Then we are havin dinner with Nick's parents--homemade burgers, yum! Mom and Dad are going out for dinner for their anniversary, which I hope you said congrats to them about!
[12:11:23 PM] Troy Symington: I... might have forgotten it...
[12:12:19 PM] Katie Symington: Uh-oh!
[12:12:39 PM] Katie Symington: You'd better get a postcard or something from Switzerland and send it to them (or keep it and hand it over) because it's neutral territory and they can't get mad at you. ;)
[12:12:56 PM] Katie Symington: It was their 31st anniversary!
[12:13:02 PM] Katie Symington: they will go out probably tonight
[12:13:49 PM] Troy Symington: Very nice! And I don't know how anyone expects me to remember when their anniversary is. The only reason I even remember YOUR birthday is because it's the day after mine!
[12:14:18 PM] Katie Symington: lol
[12:14:34 PM] Katie Symington: Well hmm. I don't know how to help you there.
[12:14:47 PM] Katie Symington: I just remember it
[12:14:50 PM] Katie Symington: ;)
[12:14:57 PM] Katie Symington: Oh well. But perhaps you could give them a belated happy anniversary message on facebook
[12:15:36 PM] Troy Symington: Okay, sounds like a plan.
[12:15:56 PM] Katie Symington: :)
[12:16:00 PM] Katie Symington: What will you do tomorrow?
[12:16:06 PM] Katie Symington: And how is your hostel? Is it nice?
[12:16:55 PM] Troy Symington: Our hostel is pretty standard. It was a bit overpriced just like everything over here in Switzerland (plus this is a total tourist town). But the people are really nice!
[12:18:20 PM] Katie Symington: Awesome! I've never been to a hostel though bud. Can you describe it a bit better?
[12:20:01 PM] Troy Symington: Ummmm... we're in a dorm. Two bunk beds so it fits six people total. But by some stroke of luck we're the only ones in the room! The bathrooms and showers are downstairs, and this hostel is weird and makes you take off your shoes before you go to your room.
[12:20:42 PM] Katie Symington: LOL
[12:20:47 PM] Katie Symington: sounds like fun!
[12:20:55 PM] Katie Symington: What day do you come back again? Sorry I keep forgetting ;)
[12:21:08 PM] Troy Symington: May 19th.
[12:22:40 PM] Katie Symington: I just registered for the Race for the Cure on May 7th
[12:22:42 PM] Katie Symington: :)
[12:23:05 PM] Troy Symington: Do tell...
[12:23:50 PM] Katie Symington: It is a 5k race for the breastcancer cure--you know, Susan G Komen thingimagigger
[12:24:00 PM] Katie Symington: It's right by our apartment and starts at 7:30am
[12:24:05 PM] Katie Symington: I get a t-shirt for my $40!
[12:24:12 PM] Katie Symington: Nick and Andra will do it with me :D
[12:24:22 PM] Troy Symington: Oh wow! Are you gonna practice for it?
[12:25:18 PM] Katie Symington: Definitely! Otherwise I would be totally urgh on the day!
[12:25:45 PM] Katie Symington: I have been running in the gym here with Nick, and I can do 1.5 miles without being too dead. but I definitely need to work up to 3.1! We are goin for a jog outside soon.
[12:26:59 PM] Troy Symington: Ha! That's awesome. Yeah, 5k really isn't as far as it seems. When Quentin put on the run in the park it was a 5k. And I think I ran that pretty well.
[12:27:20 PM] Katie Symington: Cuz you are AWESOME
[12:27:26 PM] Katie Symington: I have never run 3.1 miles, I think.
[12:27:43 PM] Katie Symington: Unless I did in those 20 minute runs we did in pe in weimar
[12:27:51 PM] Katie Symington: But it is a goal for me to work up to!
[12:27:52 PM] Katie Symington: :)
[12:27:58 PM] Katie Symington: Nick and I biked 16 miles yesterday!
[12:28:52 PM] Troy Symington: That's awesome! There's a lot of mountain biking trails around here and it really makes me miss mountain biking. Is there any particular reason you guys bikes 16 miles?
[12:30:43 PM] Katie Symington: Nope. We wanted to go for a bike ride, and around 8 miles or so we realized we had to get back for me to go to work. I'm glad we turned around then though, because by the time we finished getting home my endurance was waning! :)
[12:31:48 PM] Troy Symington: I bet! Back when I was biking a lot we usually only did about 10-15 miles (but that was over hills and trails).
[12:32:00 PM] Katie Symington: Nice!
[12:32:35 PM] Katie Symington: Okay bud, I am gonna get going. I need to make Nick get up and jog! :)
[12:32:41 PM] Katie Symington: I love you! Be safe and have tons of fun, okay?
[12:32:51 PM] Katie Symington: Mwah!
[12:33:21 PM] Troy Symington: Do I have to be safe?
[12:34:13 PM] Katie Symington: YES
[12:34:16 PM] Katie Symington: PBBBT
[12:34:23 PM] Katie Symington: *that was a raspberry*
[12:34:35 PM] Troy Symington: *sigh*
[12:34:36 PM] Troy Symington: Fine.
[12:34:41 PM] Katie Symington: lol ciao dude. love ya!
[12:34:43 PM] Troy Symington: Love ya!
[12:34:54 PM] Troy Symington: Ciao!

Switzerland!

Lisa Symington 12:14 PM
Hey buddy, are you there?
Troy Symington 12:14 PM
Hey Ma!
Lisa Symington 12:15 PM
Where are you?
Troy Symington 12:15 PM
In my hostel in Switzerland!
Lisa Symington 12:15 PM
Care to share? Like in case you die and I have to come and pick up your body?
Troy Symington 12:16 PM
Ha, we're in the Valley Hostel in Lauterbrunnen in the Swiss Alps!
Lisa Symington 12:16 PM
You're supposed to let me know where you are, at least WHICH COUNTRY YOU ARE IN!!
12:17 PM
You bad boy! So, how is Switzerland? and the alps? and how cold/snowy is it?
Troy Symington 12:21 PM
Not very cold at all! And the valley we're in has hardly any snow. It's a big carved out glacier valley with sheer cliffs. It's very much like yosemite. And out of our hostel window we can see Jungfrau, the highest point of the alps!
Lisa Symington 12:21 PM
Sounds perfect. I was just looking at the website for the hostel and it is gorgeous. Are mosquitos out?
12:22 PM
You will need to go hiking on some of those beautiful trail I saw in the photos
Troy Symington 12:24 PM
As far as I've seen there have been 0 mosquitos (I think it might be a little too cold). It got a lot colder once the sun set. Tomorrow we're going to go hiking around for most of the day. That's more or less the entiretly of our plans, because the trains around here are SO FREAKING EXPENSIVE!!!
Lisa Symington 12:27 PM
Ooh, sorry about the trains.... but it looks like a good place to be stuck and you can relax not having to cram another city/spot in this weekend. How long did it take to get there? another night train?
Troy Symington 12:28 PM
Yeah, it took about 5 hours by train... and it was an expensive frikken train.
Lisa Symington 12:28 PM
Who is with you?
Troy Symington 12:29 PM
Alec and Nate.
Lisa Symington 12:29 PM
Great. More geek photos
12:30 PM
Any night life in your little town?
Troy Symington 12:31 PM
Ha, we walked through it a little while ago at about 9 and I think even the pub was closed.
Lisa Symington 12:32 PM
I guess that's a NO then... Any fun people in the hostel with you?
Troy Symington 12:33 PM
We met some girls from Texas on the train to Interlaken and ran in to them later in the day and walked with them for a bit, but their hostel is back down in Interlaken so we're not sure if we'll see them again.
Lisa Symington 12:33 PM
Sounds like a quiet night then ....
Troy Symington 12:36 PM
Yup. This entire place is marketed towards adreneline junkies. The only things to do in these towns is skiing, skydiving, hiking, base jumping, mountain biking, ect. So there's absolutely no nightlife. We're getting up early to enjoy the sunshine!
Lisa Symington 12:37 PM
OK, but I can't condone base jumping.....
Troy Symington 12:37 PM
If only I had the money...
Lisa Symington 12:37 PM
It's a good thing you're poor then, haha.
Troy Symington 12:38 PM
But I'll have the money eventually and then there'll be nothing you can do to stop me! Muhahahaha!
Lisa Symington 12:40 PM
Technically, maybe... but I'll try to think of something! We are having a really gorgeous day. I guess the weather was good earlier in the week, but I missed it at work. I have all the windows open now and recently returned from walking the circle with the dogs. Now I need to go work outside.
12:41 PM
You have a good night's sleep and a fun day tomorrow. Please try to stay in touch!
Troy Symington 12:42 PM
I'll try! I love ya!
Lisa Symington 12:43 PM
Love you too!