Fantastic Voyage
A scrapbook of our Rick Steves Tour
Lauterbrunnen and the Alps
France to Switzerland
We had a hearty breakfast in the hotel and then boarded our bus destined for the Swiss Alps. Today would be one of the longest bus rides, with our estimated time of arrival in Lauterbrunnen by 5:00 PM.
Along the way, the bus stopped at La Galerie Chateaufarine (Rue de Dole, 25057 Besançon, France), a shopping mall, for lunch. While walking through the mall, we ran into another Rick Steves’ tour group that was on the 21-day tour and traveling in the opposite direction as we were. They were coming from Italy and Switzerland and heading toward Beaune and Paris.
Dawn and I grabbed a quick lunch at A La Bonne Heure – our last meal in France - and then jumped back on the bus for the ride into Switzerland. Our bus crossed the border and began navigating the multiple tunnels. The bus crossed into Switzerland at Jougne, France and enjoyed the trip as the scenery slowly evolved into view of snow-capped mountains and vast, flat lakes.
Lauterbrunnen
Lauterbrunnen Valley was yet another highlight of this trip. The town is situated between two sheer mountainsides and a backdrop of the Alps and waterfalls. As we walked through the streets, we could hear the bells on the cows and the faint rush of the waterfalls. There isn't much in town, a church, a bar, a small grocery store (the Co-Op) and our Hotel. We were fortunate to have been assigned one of two front-facing top floor suites that made for a surreal view at night.
Our first night in Lauterbrunnen included group dinner at the hotel complete with fondue. Who knew fondue was just cheese and white wine? Also, the sausages, sauerkraut, and potatoes were delicious.
Hiking from Lauterbrunnen to Murren
After breakfast, the group headed out to hike to Murren. From that point, most of the group took a gondola to the top of the Schilthorn. Once again we were blessed with perfect weather, which isn't always the case for people who want to go to the summit. Along the way, we stopped for fresh yogurt and drinks. Dawn stopped to ride the rope swing.
Schilthorn
Made famous by the James Bond movie, In Her Majesty's Service, the summit of the Shilthorn is loaded with James Bond references. The views are amazing. We were actually above a pack of hang-gliders swirling around the mountain tops like hawks. Once again, Dawn overcame her fear of heights, and we walked out on the mountain ridge. I've seen YouTube videos of people skiing from here looking down from this peak, but nobody was thinking about it today as much of the snow had melted after the long summer.
Trümmelbach Falls and dinner on the balcony
Running largely on adrenaline, we took the gondola back to the valley, hopped a bus and decided to climb the Trummelbach Falls. It may have been just a little too much, since after it was done, we were too tired to go to the Alpine Horn concert and instead spent the evening on our balcony, with food from the Co-Op and the remaining cans from a 6-pack of Heineken. It was wonderful.
