Blogs from Interlaken, South-West, Switzerland, Europe - page 3

Decided today to go to Lauterbrunnen and from there to Murren, which are jumping off points to the Swiss Alps and, in summer, to dozens of walking and biking tracks. Old friends, Diane and Lindsay Toole of Nelson, have been coming to this area for years and have walked the mountains for 100's of kilometres in that time. They had given us some pointers for stuff we could do in a short time hence the visit to Lauterbrunnen etc. It was a train from Interlaken to Wilderswil then a change to another train to Zweilutschinen then another change up to Lauterbrunnen with another change to a mountain railway train to Murren where the height ramps up a bit to 1645 metres or 5,400 feet. This was still not very high by Alps standards but an interesting ... read more

If you have ever felt daunted by the idea of taking a road trip in a foreign land, such as Switzerland, you are not alone. At first, I didn't know what we were getting ourselves into! There weren't that many useful resources explaining step by step how to take a road trip around the Swiss mountain range. Most message boards warned against the idea of driving here, especially in the winter when the roads are covered in snow, so we really didn't know what to expect. I'm glad we listened to our intuition and did it anyway, because we got to experience the most magical land with unbelievable landscapes, guided by an innovative route system that is very driver-friendly. We even got a chance to jump off a mountain paragliding! The surprising fact about Switzerland is ... read more

Hey everyone, I am in the beautiful Swiss alps rounding out a fantastic day 4 of my Top Deck trip. I am so impressed with the landscape and the villages here it makes me want to buy some cows and start making cheese. Day 3: We left early from our hotel in Paris boarding the coach for about a 10hr trip across the boarder to the stunning mountains and lakes of Switzerland, the bus ride was very long and knowing myself I should have had the fore thought to wear some uber sexy compression stockings to stop my ankles from swelling up like soft balls, alas I did not and after a few hours my feet and ankles where swollen to the point of a pregnant woman in her third trimester. After the long day in ... read more

As soon as we arrived, we were told, "It's been raining a lot, too much". The vegetation is a lush, emerald green and beautiful, but the fields are soggy and the trails are somewhat muddy. We feel very fortunate to have had 4 days of partial sunshine amongst all the inclement weather. We have latched on to every sunny moment and have spent it on our favorite trails in the mountains. Even a cloudy day is a good day for a boat trip on one of the lakes. We also know many good trails to walk/hike in the rain. So, we are making the best of it and not letting a bit of wet spoil our good time. The cooler temps are divine! It has been a delightful respite from the Florida heat. The rain seems ... read more

Interlaken on 26 Oct, Bern on 27 October 2013 After leaving Luzern (Lucerne) we headed south, towards Interlaken. The weather was gloomy and on the way to Interlaken, it rained. Fortunately, by the time we got to Interlaken, the sun was out. The drive between Luzern and Interlaken was very typically Switzerland – snow-capped Alps, bright green plains, two story farm houses, cows grazing, areas were very neat, and the trees were of autumn colours. It was very beautiful. As you can imagine, because there are so many mountains in Switzerland, there are also many lakes. The next twin set of lakes was Brienzersee (see in German means ‘lake’) and Thunersee. These lakes are separated by a town called Interlaken. From Interlaken, you can catch a train and funicular and cable car to get to Jungfraujoch ... read more