---

First and foremost, Switzerland is beautiful. If there is 1 country you ever visit, make it Switzerland. Don't go without a camera and don't leave without visiting a chocolate shop - they are everywhere and they are to die for.

19/5/08 - Munich to Lauterbrunnen, via Liechtenstein.

Stumbling out of bed feeling bloody fantastic at 7am and quickly packing the bags, we made it just in time for our 7:30 departure to Liechtenstein. It was a 3hr drive from Munich to the border checks of Switzerland, just outside of Vaduz, capital of Liechtenstein. Unfortunately for us, it was a little overcast still and we could not see to the top of most of the hills around the area. We arrived in Vaduz for lunch, a quick currency exchange from Euros into Swiss Franc and it was off for a kebab and a juice in the pretty little township of one of the smallest countries in the world. If you blink, you'd miss Liechtenstein. It is proudly it's own country, but relies heavily on Switzerland as it's guardian. Like Switzerland, it's not part of the European Union and has roughly the same laws as Switzerland. Great little spot with friendly people and souvenir shops as far as the eye can see.

We headed straight off to Lucerne which was a further 1.5 hrs down the road. Lucerne was amazing, and probably the most picturesque place we stopped at on the whole tour. We had been booked into a Swiss Watch shop and a Swiss Army Knife shop for a little speal about what Switzerland is famous for. We crossed the famous bridge in Lucerne that had been burnt down by a boat that caught fire in 1993, but had been reconstructed since. Switzerland has an underground tunnel system big enough to hold it's entire population in case of war or invasion. Pretty amazing. We spent most of the afternoon strolling through the streets and taking in the scenery (and chocolate) before heading towards our campsite for the next two nights - Lauterbrunnen.

The drive between Lucerne and Lauterbrunnen was one of the most spectacular drives I'd ever seen. Twisting roads climbing higher and higher through farmlands and over huge bright blue crystal clear lakes with massive snow capped mountains in the background. Swiss cows were everywhere, all wearing bells and smiling at you as we drove by. We arrived in foggy Lauterbrunnen, a quiet village tucked away at the base of the Jungfraujoch, Europe's highest mountain. Huge cliffs were either side of the town, with massive waterfalls flowing down to the creeks below. Bloomin marvellous. We had a fast-flowing creek right outside our window of our room which was really nice.

It was my turn to be cookie - which was not too bad considering I wanted to get it over and done with. I had to arrive 15 mins early for dinner to help out with preparing meals (chopping a tomato or two) - nothing overly strenuous. We headed out to the pub which was across the creek towards the administration block for a few beers before heading to bed that night.

20/5/08 - Lauterbrunnen.

I was required at 745 for cookie duty this morning. Following breakfast, Beaver had the weather report from up the hill which was foggy but calm. Sounds good. We had the option of going up the cog train to see the peak of Jungfrau, which most of the group did. It was 120SFR to go, about $115 bucks, so it wasn't cheap, but the experience was unreal. After the team brief, we went back to our rooms and layered up in as many warm items of clothing as we could find (I had 5 layers on) and met back downstairs for the walk to the train station. 9:00am the first train departed from Lauterbrunnen to Jungfrau. We were on the train for a good 2 hours before reaching the top. Cog railways are not hugely popular, but it allows the trains to climb really steep hills in a short distance. As the train went on, the temperature dropped and dropped - until we reached the peak, and it was then we froze our bits off. Even though I had 5 layers on, it was still bloody freezing. Yeah, it's the top of Switzerland and we were expecting to be cold, but I had 5 layers on, it was just ridiculous. We went to the plateau first, which was outside the buildings to a small area roped off allowing everyone to get outside and have a snow fight, and a look at the view which was spectacular. Over the back they had ski fields and toboggan areas as well. Next was the ice palace, back inside, which was a series of ice caves and sculptures. Upstairs was a place called the Sphinx, which was the highest point you could reach, at just under 3500m above sea. We spent a few hours up the top and came back down at 1:30 for the 2hr ride back to Lauterbrunnen. The rest of the afternoon was spent at the pub again, sampling fine Swiss beers and chocolates. That night was a pyjama party, which was interesting, even though the disco at Lauterbrunnen (The Bunker) was crap and overcrowded.

All in all, Switzerland was amazing, even though we had foggy weather the whole time. The scenery was fantastic and I can only imagine how much better it would have been on a nice day. Definitely returning to check it out one day for sure.

Next we head back into Germany to the wine regions before heading to crazy Amsterdam. Brace yourselves.

---