Switzerland: Berner Oberland

This is the last of the recent deluge of blog posts about our Spring trips. We only have a few weeks left before we move, so we're done with traveling until then. On our first full day in Switzerland, we visited the Berner Oberland region by Interlaken. The scenery was amazing! Since the cable lift we wanted to take up into the mountains near the Junfrau was closed, we opted for another hike at a lower altitude, but it was still beautiful and probably much better suited for the kids. As I mentioned in the last post, we forgot our camera on the first day, so we ended up borrowing the Pettys' camera for some shots and have used some here that they took on their much higher quality camera. Unfortunately, it was a little hazy that day, so the mountains in the distance do not appear very clear.

(Above) The three peaks in the distance are part of the Jungfrau

(Above) A view of the edge of Interlaken in the valley below

(Above) We went on a hike near Beatenburg on the side of Interlaken that is opposite the Jungfrau. I'm not sure how long it was, but it was long enough because Jack decided halfway through the hike that he didn't want to walk like the other kids his age, so we had to carry him on our backs the rest of the way. (See the pic below of Harmony lugging Jack along on her back.) It was a very picturesque trail with great views of the surrounding mountains. The weather couldn't have been better, sunny but not hot.

(Above) Snapshots taken along the trail.

(Above) "Ricola!" So we stopped for lunch at a little park along the trail. Another couple soon came along and and the woman whipped out an alphorn and began playing. The kids were enthralled. Then she let some of us pose with the horn and Harmony and Jack even tried playing it!

(Above) Family photo outtakes. It is hard to keep those boys still!

(Above) They actually behaved for this shot

(L) "I rock!" (R) A nice forced smile from Jack

(Above) Free range child

(Above) Amazing views along the way

After our hike, we proceeded to Gimmelwald, a tiny village with a population of about 120 that is only accessible by cable car. It felt like a truly authentic, pristine Swiss village that was not overrun by tourists and trinket-pitching souvenir shops. There was hardly anyone else up there while we strolled around late in the day. The deep cliffs and high peaks were stunning.

(L) A view of the valley while riding up the cable car to Gimmelwald (R) One of the many waterfalls trickling over the edge of the cliffs near Gimmelwald

(Above) A view of the valley where we ascended in the cable car (Below) These were taken in the village of Gimmelwald

(L) Near the upper cable car station, there was this really fast slide where waited for our ride down the mountain. (R) This was a small cheese store where we bought fresh alpine cheese made in Gimmelwald. It was delicious, but unfortunately it's all gone now.

(Above) Despite being ridiculously expensive, Switzerland offered a lot of free drinking water. This was one trough with fresh running mountain spring water in Gimmelwald. They charge for just about everything in Switzerland -- we were even told that grocery stores in Zurich charge for parking! After descending from Gimmelwald, we ate Rosti, a Swiss specialty that isn't much more than a fancy hash brown, at a mid-grade restaurant in a touristy town a few miles away from the cable car station. The Rosti came in several varieties, with cheese, meat, veggies, etc. In any case, I think we spent over $45 for just those two potato dishes. We didn't even order drinks.

We spent Easter Sunday with the Bergs, Frank's sister's family. The kids loved the Easter egg hunt, although I think there were some fights over Easter eggs.

(Above) "One, Two, Three, CHEESE!" Jack was probably thinking, "Mom, let us eat our candy in peace." Many thanks to the Pettys and Bergs for a wonderful weekend in Switzerland!