Picture perfect.
Lauterbrunnen sits in a valley surrounded by towering mountains, with water falls carving down the side of the mountains, slowly making their way to the rivers. Every now and then snow-capped mountains and blue skies would sneak a peak down on the valley below as clouds hover above.
It was raining when the bus finally makes it’s decent down the winding roads and eventually revealing a small village nestled in this cosy valley. Rich green grass unfold before us as we watch Swiss chalets settle into the hills with smoke from chimneys the only sign of life within.
There are not too many cars or people on the road, I imagine everyone sitting indoors all rugged up with hot Swiss chocolates cradled in their hands. Swiss flags jut out proudly on the side of the houses and shops as we enter what looks like the centre of town. Every now and then German sign posts flash quickly past us.
Our tour guide has already painted a picture of the Swiss Alps, with its deep history and colourful culture and amazing people. Switzerland is home of the Swiss Bank, Swiss Guard, Swiss Cheese, Swiss Knife and Barry the Dog. For those interested, only in Switzerland can you purchase green Swiss Knives (so of course I could not resist!).
In case you have missed it, Lauterbrunnen has fast become one of my favourite places in Europe, despite being one of the earlier places I visited.
I stayed at a place where there was no lock on the door! How is that for safety and trust?
Some photos:
Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe
You can reach Jungfraujoch by train from Lauterbrunnen, changing at Kleine Scheidegg. The climb was steep and people sometimes experienced altitude sickness – so make sure you go prepared with OJ to get your sugar level back up. At one stage, I experienced sleepiness especially as the train entered the tunnels.
At the top, Jungfraujoch is a winter wonderland. Outside, blindingly white, super fine, powdery snow and so soft to touch. Visibility was poor with only two, perhaps metres visibility. Crazy visitors would take their shirts off and run in knee-deep snow towards an unseen flag located 20 meters away. I was not quite so daring but I did run, knee-deep in snow to the flag to take a photo!
Murren
On the way down, I noticed a cable car running on the side of the other mountain. Not wanting for the day to end too soon, I decided to see where it lead. So I bought a return ticket, admiring the valley below, watching the train make another journey up the mountain. On top was another train that went to Murren – so I hopped on, a little worried that it will be dark by the time I catch the next cable car back to Lauterbrunnen.
Murren seemed like a sleepy little down, just content to be nestled on top of the mountain. It was late in the afternoon and the shops were closed – so no hot chocolate for me.
Some photos:
The one thing I had wanted to do in the Swiss Alps was sky dive. On the morning of Jungfrau, I was scheduled in to jump. Alas, the weather has not been great and the instructors cancelled. Perhaps I am not supposed to sky dive :(
It was good to have spent some time in Lauterbrunnen after the fast pace city of Paris.
Next stop: Avignon, France
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