Day 4: Black Forest and beyondToday is a big travel day as we head to the Lauterbrunnen Valley with some great stops along the way.
Our first stop was at a luge track. All four of us were up for this ride. Even though Lori and I feigned a little fear, we were excited to do it. Abby went up to the front where the "fast dare devils" were to go. The ride was awesome, and Abby lived up to her name with the fasted time of the four of us. Go, Abby! We were so efficient as a group, that Iris even let us go a second time, and this time, even the more hesitant tour members took a turn. Good times! |
The open air museumOur next stop was the open air museum, which was just a short quarter mile or so up the road. This museum focused on German farming and agriculture. We had an extensive tour from Frau Schmidt. We learned how the animals lived in the house with the family, how they tried to stay warm and how they processed wheat into flour. We even got to see the flour mill face called Bran Puker spill out some grain. The grain barn and grinder mill date back to 1609. This was another great history lesson and gave us a little insight into our German ancestors, some of whom were farmers.
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A taste of Europe: After the tour, we ate lunch on our own at the local shops, and then Iris treated us to homemade Black Forest Cake (Schwartzwald Kuchen), made by her friend at the shop. She also treated us to a shot of Schnapps, the same kind that is baked into the cake. That one burned going down!
Supper in Murren!
We hit a little road construction on the way, so Wim and Iris took us on a shortcut through France. Now Lori and Abby can cross that country off their list too--even if just for a short distance. Once we arrived at the Lauterbrunnen Valley, we took the gondola up from Stechelberg to Gimmelwald and then up to Murren, perched atop the high walls of the valley. Once we had settled into our rooms, we met for our group fondue dinner with Chocolate souffle for dessert. Yum!
"Happy Anniversary, my dearest Pam! Here's to another 31 years together!"
Happy 31st Anniversary, Pam! I love you more than anything, and we are so blessed to be able to spend part of our anniversary in our favorite place in the world, the Lauterbrunnen Valley. The beauty of the valley is surpassed only by my love for you! Together, we toasted to another 31 years together. Prost!
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Day 5: Hike in the Swiss AlpsToday is a free day in the Swiss Alps, and Pam is in heaven. She's been looking forward to our return to Murren and the Lauterbrunnen Valley, and we are really looking forward to exploring the beauty of the area again. Because we've been here twice before, we gave Lori and Abby some recommendations and agreed to go our separate ways this morning and meet up later in the day. This is one of the beauties of a Rick Steves Tour. As the guides always say, "This is your trip," so we can adjust to what makes sense for us. We've already been to Schilthorn, so a hike made more sense for Pam and I today.
The weather today is beautiful, so while Lori and Abby headed up to Schilthorn with Iris and most of the other group members, Pam and I headed out for the North Face Trail. We love to hike (especially in Switzerland), so this was a great choice for us, and we knew Lori and Abby would love the views from Schilthorn--two different paths to stunning beauty on this gorgeous day! |
The magical views from Schilthorn
Lori and Abby took the gondola up to Schilthorn with Iris and the majority of the group members. They were greeted to amazing views and clear blue skies where they could see the three famous peaks of Lauterbrunnen--Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. Lori and Abby both found the views to be breathtaking. They also checked out the James Bond themed attractions at the top, including a bathroom that talks to you!
Hiking the North Face Trail
The North Face Trail was amazing, and we thoroughly enjoyed our hike. After taking the funicular (uphill train system) from Murren up to the starting point of the trail, we spent two hours hiking back down through pastures, gates, mountain trails and along stunning vistas. We also walked through fields of beautiful flowers and friendly cows with bells. The clouds in the valley added extra beauty and mystique to the day. As we neared Murren, we were treated to another interesting view--para gliders sailing off the mountainside and over the valley. That's something that Abby really wants to do sometime.
A little more hiking and an evening surprise
After spending some time together in the early afternoon, the four of us decided we just couldn't get enough of the outdoor beauty of the Murren area. Abby and Lori joined Iris on a hike down to Gimmelwald, the quaint little mountain town so loved by Rick Steves. Pam and I had been to Gimmelwald before, so we decided to hike along the train line trail to Winter Egg which was just up the valley a little ways. The views were stunning in both directions.
Just when we thought the evening was finished, we heard music from our hotel windows. We remembered seeing banners in town earlier in the day advertising a local folk fest, so we quickly headed out to find it. We only needed to travel a few buildings over to the local sports center to find the event, and we caught the last half of the show. We were treated to performances of the traditional alpenhorn as well as yodeling by the Lauterbrunnen Yodeling Club. It was so cool to get a taste of traditional local culture! Ah yes, another great day in Switzerland!
Just when we thought the evening was finished, we heard music from our hotel windows. We remembered seeing banners in town earlier in the day advertising a local folk fest, so we quickly headed out to find it. We only needed to travel a few buildings over to the local sports center to find the event, and we caught the last half of the show. We were treated to performances of the traditional alpenhorn as well as yodeling by the Lauterbrunnen Yodeling Club. It was so cool to get a taste of traditional local culture! Ah yes, another great day in Switzerland!
Day 6: More of the Berner Oberland
Today was another divide and conquer day. Abby and Lori went with the group to witness the amazing power of Trummelbach Falls, a series of subterranean waterfalls that roar behind the walls of the Lauterbrunnen Valley. It really is an amazing display of nature's power. After visiting the falls, the group hiked back to Stechelburg and rode the gondola back up to Murren.
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Mountain view hike
Pam and I had previously visited the falls, so we chose to go on the Mountain View Hike instead. This was actually our third attempt at this hike. The first two times, we missed a trail split and ended up walking along the train line back to Murren. While the views were still stunning, we really wanted to experience the actual trail. The third time was the charm!
To start our journey, we hopped on the train line down two stops from Murren and set out on our hike. It turns out, we had gone wrong almost right away on our previous attempts and had missed some stairs that led up to the Mountain View Trail. Getting on the correct path this time, we were treated some new and stunning views of the valley as well as the three big mountain peaks--Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. The path was steep and a bit challenging but worth every step! We love to hike, and it felt good to get a workout while being rewarded with stunning vistas. The meadows were spattered with splashes of wild flowers which gave the views added color and beauty.
It took us about two hours to climb the path up to where it ended at the funicular station. In all, we had climbed 157 flights (according to Pam's Fitbit, anyway). While the path was a little shorter than the North Face walk from yesterday, it was more rigorous, which was fine with us. At the top, we enjoyed the flower walk where there were signs labeling the various flows, and then we rode back down to Murren.
It took us about two hours to climb the path up to where it ended at the funicular station. In all, we had climbed 157 flights (according to Pam's Fitbit, anyway). While the path was a little shorter than the North Face walk from yesterday, it was more rigorous, which was fine with us. At the top, we enjoyed the flower walk where there were signs labeling the various flows, and then we rode back down to Murren.
Family time!
We met up with Lori and Abby who had both really enjoyed Trummelbach Falls. We shared stories from the morning and then took the gondola back down to the valley for a walk. We walked down to the end of the valley and enjoyed some more views and a well-deserved cup of coffee at the Stechelberg hotel store.
Before supper, we headed to the edge of the valley for some group pictures. We love the Lauterbrunnen Valley and wanted to capture some images of our group here. We had a good time doing that, joking around and laughing a lot. |
A special surprise before supper
At 6:00, we met our group. Iris had planned a special surprise for us which turned out to be a private concert with local musicians playing traditional music. They were great musicians and entertaining as well! They even capped off their hour long concert of accordion and alpenhorn music with a line dance to supper, led by the accordion player! That was really fun, unexpected and led to many smiles and laughs from the group. Our music leaders even capped it off with a traditional brew-house toast song which we'd be revisiting later in the trip.
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We enjoyed another great group supper together, swapped pictures from the day and headed back to our rooms to rest up for a big travel day tomorrow. We were sorry to be leaving our beloved Murren, but we were anxious for the next adventures that awaited us!