Day 5: Switzerland, an action packed day!
Our driver, Matt, was kind enough to save us the public bus ride up the valley and gave us a ride directly to Tremmelbach Falls first thing in the morning [Thanks again Matt!]. We were one of the first through for the day and it was very nice being able to take our time to really check out the sight, its amazing the power mother nature can exhibit! Be careful on the path if you go, definitely be able to navigate slick stairs!
- Be there when the falls open. As we were leaving tour buses arrived full of tourists. It was nice to be able to see the falls before it became too busy!
- It can get misty or rainy here in a hurry! A small umbrella is very handy, but pack light for long walks!
Beautiful Walking Trails
The Falls took us about 45 minutes to visit and we had the rest of the day to explore! We really would have been happy just finding a bench and taking in the scenery, but we caught some walking trail signs on our way out of the Falls and decided to follow them. It lead us on a very nice, easy, walk through the valley. We wound through various farms and neighborhoods back to Lauterbrunnen. We cannot describe how nice it was to just walk through such a beautiful area with hardly any place to be; very relaxing!
After the walk, we stopped at a local pub for lunch. It was reasonably priced, had great food and friendly service! We really enjoyed being able to eat just at the "normal" places while on our trip and not constantly being at hot-tourist locations. While in Europe, slowing down a bit to enjoy our meals and take in the atmosphere was a great change of pace. Immerse yourself into the culture!
After the walk, we stopped at a local pub for lunch. It was reasonably priced, had great food and friendly service! We really enjoyed being able to eat just at the "normal" places while on our trip and not constantly being at hot-tourist locations. While in Europe, slowing down a bit to enjoy our meals and take in the atmosphere was a great change of pace. Immerse yourself into the culture!
Get Ready for Lots of Pictures!
Our guide, Colleen, had mentioned she was going to go for a walk through the valley in the afternoon and anyone that would like to join her was welcome! We did a ton of exploring already and powered through to take in as much as possible! We could rest when we got back home, right?!
"There's a base jumper!"
Base jumping here in the valley is a huge interest to many. How could it not be? It's beautiful and the cliffs just call thrill seekers to jump off of!
On our walk, we ended up near the valley Gondola station and the weather had cleared some. We decided to head the mountain for lunch in Gimmelwald. As we waited for the Gondola, Colleen said "hey look, there's a base jumper", she had spotted a base jumper in bright yellow pants [as seen in the pictures]. She walked over to him and asked if he was going to jump soon, trying to see where he would be taking off from so we could watch. They chatted for a minute and we went on our way up the mountain, we decided we were going to try to keep up with him and watch his jump! How cool!
As the Gondola arrived to the station, he seemingly walked at a pace to where we were halfway into a jog to keep up! We relentlessly followed him through the town and then he eventually went off the beaten path! Unfortunately we missed the jump, but we had fun on our pursuit!
On our walk, we ended up near the valley Gondola station and the weather had cleared some. We decided to head the mountain for lunch in Gimmelwald. As we waited for the Gondola, Colleen said "hey look, there's a base jumper", she had spotted a base jumper in bright yellow pants [as seen in the pictures]. She walked over to him and asked if he was going to jump soon, trying to see where he would be taking off from so we could watch. They chatted for a minute and we went on our way up the mountain, we decided we were going to try to keep up with him and watch his jump! How cool!
As the Gondola arrived to the station, he seemingly walked at a pace to where we were halfway into a jog to keep up! We relentlessly followed him through the town and then he eventually went off the beaten path! Unfortunately we missed the jump, but we had fun on our pursuit!
"I need more cowbell!"
After our base jumper event, the walking group had a quick lunch in Murren. It was so nice to be surrounded with our new friends in a new place, it makes traveling to remote places like this a little less intimidating and much more enjoyable. Nicole had been in search of a Swiss Cowbell, for reasons unknown really, but we were in search of one nonetheless. The gift shops in Lauterbrunnen had them on the racks, but they were quite expensive and we had just decided to go without one. However, once up on the mountain, prices dropped significantly and we picked one up! So if you're on the lookout for things to bring back, be sure to shop up on the mountain!
Once we had acquired the mentioned cowbell, we chose to walk down the mountain trail to Gimmelwald, then catch the Gondola back down to the valley. We shopped and walked down the mountain with our group members, April and David. Check out the scenery!
Once we had acquired the mentioned cowbell, we chose to walk down the mountain trail to Gimmelwald, then catch the Gondola back down to the valley. We shopped and walked down the mountain with our group members, April and David. Check out the scenery!
Saying "Hello" to the locals
While descending down the mountain, we came upon a girl brushing her ponies. We chatted with her a minute and were able to pet them, learn their names and let her get back to it. Everyone in this area just seems to be delighted to talk with you and are easy going.