Switzerland

Yudlayeeeoooo! We arrived back in London from a fun weekend trip to the land of the Alps, Swiss cheese, decadent chocolates, yodeling, everything Heidi-esque, and landscapes prettier than anything we could have ever imagined. Everything was absolutely delightful, I could just say that over and over!!

Neither of us had ever been to Switzerland before, but thanks to our good friends who honeymooned there, we had some insider tips as we planned our long weekend trip. (Thank you, Becky and Isaac!) :)

We flew the barely-over-an-hour trip into the Swiss-German region, landing in Zurich (and it was a lot colder than London--brrr!) and took the local train to Interlaken. (Let me take this moment to rave about Swiss Air; I highly recommend it as it was relaxing, clean, and food included fresh croissants, chocolate bundt cakes, and Swiss chocolates--divine. Please, fly this whenever it is possible! ) Ok, back to Interlaken... aptly meaning "between the lakes," this charming village is a blend of alpine culture, snowy mountain tops, green valleys, and blue lakes. ... It. was. breathtaking.

We stayed at Hotel Interlaken, and had a neat view over an old church and monastery, and the mountains--the hotel was definitely a legend as it's been in operation since 1491!

Each day, we boarded a train down the street that wound its way through the Swiss Alps, and we got off and toured several of the towns along the way. And on Friday, Interlaken had an early season snow! So, we moved a bit slower that morning, but that afternoon got to see some of the greatest views in the Jungfrau region of the country at the top of some of the mountains. I felt like we were on the polar express! We got off in the little village of Wegen, had dinner, and came back to Interlaken.

Saturday, we again toured the countryside, saw snow-capped mountains in Murren, and then we took several cable cars (yes I don't like heights, but we made it! haha) down the mountains and hiked to Trummelbach Falls, which are partially inside a mountain. Then we walked through the valley for several miles, past creeks and mountains, and yes, cows with bells around their necks!! This really does exist outside of Hollywood! It was so charming to walk along and hear bells all around us from the cows roaming the fields. I thought Heidi and Grandfather would appear at any moment after all.

We had a really fun time just spending the weekend together exploring such a fun, beautiful place, and hope we can make it back someday! As the Swiss say, "Auf Wiedersehen!" (goodbye!)

Early morning breakfast at the airport

Swiss chocolate truffles and coffee

Hotel Interlaken

Alps view from Murren

Snowy churchyard in Grindelwald

Train ride through the Jungfrau...

...at sunset

Trail walking and Swiss cows (look closely for his bell!)

Alpine countryside

fun together

Dinner in Interlaken at Grand Hotel

Lakeside views in Interlaken

Boarding for London