Lauterbrunnen and Interlaken, Switzerland - July 1999
The Lauterbrunnen Valley is one of our favorite places in the world! We hope you enjoy the trip report and pictures from our second trip! We went with our friends Jim and Lisa and they loved it, too! (There are very helpful links at the bottom of the report.)
If you have never been to Switzerland, my words will not even begin to describe its beauty. Let me try to start out, then, with a picture.
This is our "evening walk" back into the Lauterbrunnen Valley from our campsite at Camping Jungfrau. We really enjoy this campground. The facilities are immaculate, you can wash your dishes and laundry in rooms set up for those purposes, and the showers and toilets are private! There is also a playground, and very helpful staff who can get you connected for almost any activity in the Lauterbrunnen area! Campsites cost about 20Sfr per night for 2 people incl. tent and car, and there are cabins available for 19Sfr per night per person. You should reserve the cabins ahead, in case of bad weather. The train station is a short walk away in town, and from there - the sky's the limit! Literally!
Click for the view from our tent. We met some professional thrill seekers on this trip - folks who get paid to do really scary stuff, like base jumping from the cliff overlooking the campsite. Look carefully for the parachute canopy in this picture! Just like watching ESPN - in real life!
Parasailing is a more "orthodox" sport enjoyed here. It is expensive, but you can go with a professional for maximum enjoyment - safely! You can get more info HERE. Costs seem to be between Sfr120 and 250, not including transportation, so budget-conscious folks - forget it!
We took the cog trains and cable cars up to the Jungfraujoch (top of Europe) last trip, so didn't do it again, though we still highly recommend it as a super day-long adventure. You can get info about the trip up at the Jungfraubahn web site. Another expensive pursuit, but budget it in! It's a "must do" event! There is spectacular glacier hiking up there in summer, snow skiing and even husky-drawn sledge rides. Don't miss the ice palace. My kids absolutely LOVED it on last year's trip. (More links for the Jungfraujoch below.)
We relaxed a little our first evening and went into Interlaken. We intended to take a boat ride on the Thunersee, but were too late to make the last boat. It looks like a great trip! There are dinner or evening cruises available from a variety of docks near Interlaken.
We enjoyed Interlaken immensely. We saw horse-drawn buggies for rides by the hour or half-hour and pedal-carts for a little exercise after dinner. The pedal-carts cost about 29Sfr per person per 1/2 hour. We never found a carriage stop with rates, so don't know how much that is. We did see the Summer Ball at the Casino. Click to see - tie and tails and immense quantities of champagne! We found a flyer for the event and it seems that tourists could go, too, if reservations were made before-hand. At the other end of the entertainment spectrum - there was a truck show and country music festival going on at the military airbase this same weekend. Something for everyone!
We wandered off the beaten path (as we often do) and got some nice surprises! A German friend had told Lisa about Raclette cheese. She said if you could "get past the smell" it was wonderful in fondue. Guess what we found when strolling around. A local festival with a fondue tent! It took us a while to get up the courage to go inside, but once we tasted it, we LOVED it! We asked for a beer and got some really funny looks - and were told "NO BEER." Apparently, certain types of wine are the ONLY alcoholic drink which go with fondue. Beer creates a very unpleasant chemical reaction in the tummy. So - bear that in mind if you want to try fondue! Here are some pictures.
We were also awed by the locks controlling the water flow through town. The power generated by the water is harnessed for electricity. Click for a picture.
If you'd like to read more about our trip, including our death-defying (I'm NOT kidding!) hike .... click here!!
Here are more links related to our trip:
