Just Like Heaven

As I mentioned in my last post, we had six straight weeks of company!  That's why I was off the grid for awhile. It started with Ben's sister and her little family who stayed for two weeks, and then a few days after they left, my super cute pregnant sister and her husband came to visit for a couple weeks!

 We asked each family where they would like to go and what they would like to do, and both of them chose Switzerland!  So, that's where we went.  TWICE.  I had been told that Lauterbrunen Valley in the Interlaken area was the best place to go.  So, that's where we went.  TWICE.  I didn't mind at all because I've had my heart set on this trip for a year now… so I was all over it.  And it was great because there's so much to do in the area, that even though we went to the exact same location just a couple weeks apart, we never did the same thing twice.  

The thing that's quite annoying about Switzerland is that they are not on the Euro, but the Swiss Frank, so the exchange rate is horrible.  Everything there is super expensive.  We would not have been able to afford to stay in this beautiful valley if we hadn't gone with another family to split the cost of accommodations.  Camping or staying at a hostel are other cheaper option.  We also packed in all of our own food… so that took quite a bit of planning and coordination.  And lastly, a lot of the hikes and recreational activities cannot be reached by car… you have to take a cable car and those lift prices add up quickly!  Not cheap.  Worth it?  Yes.  But now that we've been there we'll probably be looking to go to more affordable destinations. 

This pic was taken from our balcony when we arrived about 11 pm, since we couldn't leave until Ben got off work.  We watched the moon rise over that mountain.  It was amazing.  Can you see the waterfall on the right?

This valley has waterfalls and rivers galore.  It was so peaceful and so beautiful. 

I got the chance to go jogging a couple of mornings while we were there.  I loved those peaceful mornings… 

Our first day there we took a train up to Wengen, a town up on a ridge above the valley, which could not be accessed by car. The views were SPECTACULAR.  

I had heard about a hike called the Klein Sheidegg.  I inquired at the tourist office about it… the guy said it was like a two hour hike and when I asked if it was strenuous he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Nooo… just a nice walk."  We found a little nursery where we could ditch the kids for a couple hours and the four adults (with James in the pack) took off on what I thought would be a leisurely  nice hike. 

 Ok, the Swiss have a completely different standard of what constitutes a strenuous hike.  Either that or the tourist guy had a sick sense of humor.  About 30 minutes of going straight up hill, we realized that this was going to be way too hard, especially since we had a 34 week prego gal with us.

Filling our water bottles.  We assumed this random fountain had clean drinking water.

So, we decided to abort our plan.  After mulling all the different options, Bonnie and Greg took James and rode a train back down to Wengen, while Ben and I continued on.  We hiked another hour or two, and got very close to the end which is supposed to offer amazing views of the Jungfrau, a famous peak.  We made it to the NEXT TO THE LAST train stop, but didn't go further.  It was mostly I who wimped out… I have to admit. I was nervous about making it back in time to pick up the girls before the nursery closed.  But sometimes in life you just have to say, "It's good enough."  Right?

 A piece of advice to anyone attempting such a hike.  If given the choice between hiking up the mountain and taking a train down, or taking a train up the mountain and hiking down, definitely chose the latter. Or just do the train roundtrip.  I don't know what we were thinking.  But the views of the Jungfrau were pretty awesome.  Plus we had a piece of chocolate cake at the top.  

Meanwhile, down in Wengen, Bonnie and Greg had the right idea by kickin' up their feet and indulging in ice cream.  James was eyeing this venture with suspicion.

So the next day went a little smoother… we drove down to the lakes and visited one of the many castles on Lake Thun… it was just a short stop to get some nice pictures.  Simply gorgeous.  And hardly anyone was there so we had the place to ourselves.  

We then headed up a valley to a small town called Kandersteg, where we took a cable car up to the top and found a rodelbahn (an alpine slide) and a small hike to a lake.  I think this was my favorite day.  

Em was a HUGE fan

Caroline a little more nervous

The one mile hike was much more manageable than the previous day's... with my expecting sister and the kiddos

Ice cream always helps

The next day we took it easy and just hung out in the Lauterbrunen Valley where we were staying.  We did a small hike to Trumbelbach falls, a series of glacier waterfalls within a rock cavity.

That night we had yummy Swiss fondue.  When is Switzerland…

Since it was our last night, we decided to take a quick jaunt up to the Staubbach Falls, which I loved.  We could walk there from our apartment.

Underneath the falls

The next day (Father's Day) was our last… church, a stop by Lake Brienz, a stop by Giessbach Falls, and then on home.