For David’s birthday this year we spent the weekend in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. David and Sally had seen some photos of this “valley of 72 waterfalls” last year so Sally suggested we go there to celebrate. It was amazing so she gets to pick all our trips from here on out.
We arrived late morning into Zurich and, after a pretty slow passport process, hit the road in the rain. We first stopped in Lucerne, a gorgeous town I’d like to go back and explore better. For this brief stop I merely googled “top 10 sites in Lucerne” and we found the 2 closest to the available parking lot. The rain did not detract from the town’s charm. We made our way to admire and cross Chapel Bridge, a wooden bridge (originally built in the 14th century) over the river Reuss. Then we explored Hofkirche St. Leodegar Church, bought some pastries, and hit the road for Lauterbrunnen.
One thing I’ve learned about Switzerland this year is that their highway engineers sure like a good tunnel. They do keep the country-side looking pretty and when you pop out, it’s always a fun surprise to see what lies ahead! Each new view was more spectacular, if that’s possible. All of us were staggered by the beauty and we counted upwards of 20 waterfalls on the drive alone (and that’s THROUGH the rain and mist so I’m sure we missed many).
Pulling into Lauterbrunnen valley itself was the final piece of Switzerland’s gorgeous puzzle. The Airbnb was modern and the back patio overlooked (underlooked?) Staubbach falls, along with several more waterfalls. There was also a goat farm across the tiny access drive, replete with two baby goats who entertained us by playing joyfully atop some logs. The pleasant ringing of cowbells in the distance and roaring river plus waterfall noise made for a truly delightful environs. The house host had left a bottle of champagne to celebrate David along with a lovely welcome note and perfectly appointed abode.
After briefly settling in, we took the train up to Wengen, a little car-less village about 1600 m up the mountain. We learned that it is still somewhat tourist off-season, so there were not that many tourists in these small towns. After oohing and ahhing over the views from the short ride up, we explored the little town and had and early fancy birthday dinner at Hotel Regina. The food was delicious but the service (and view from the bar before dinner) really completed the evening. It was the sort of place where food arrived on platters covered with silver toppers, which all the waiters removed at one time with a flourish.
On Sunday morning we walked about an hour to Trummelbach Falls, another UNESCO world heritage site through along a beautiful flat trail/road surrounded by happy cattle (and their bells), occasional goats, endless waterfalls, and a rainbow blanket of wildflowers. Here you take a small tram/elevator that was build inside the mountain up to a lookout point, and from there can explore inside the mountain the crazy series of internal glacial falls. The sound was overpowering and a raincoat was a must. After enjoying a coffee and treat back at the base, we headed back to our house.
An additional feature of this walk that merits mention is the cheese and egg vending machine we passed. Yes, one ambitious farmer had put out a regular old vending machine at the front of their property along the trail, which sold their cheese and eggs. I thought the bathing suit vending machine in Morzine was crazy, but this tops even that!
That afternoon Susanne and I explored the small town (1 street with some outdoor equipment and tourist shops and restaurants) of Lauterbrunnen in a nice drizzle. We had a quiet evening of dinner and a movie at the house.
Monday was David’s bday so we started off with some pastries then a walk (in the sun!!) to see the base of Staubbach falls (and show David and Sally the town). I had also noted a fresh donut stand the day prior that opened at 11 so we made sure to stop there (scrumptious).
For the afternoon we drove to Grindelwald, which is a valley over and a slighter higher elevation. There we wandered the slightly larger town, admired the glacier and different alpine views, and had a nice terrace lunch (with the town cat joining us; really). After a quick stop at their awesome playground (basically a small ropes course) we headed back to Lauterbrunnen.
That afternoon David enjoyed a birthday nap and I took a long run/hike through town up to Wengen. For the evening we strolled to a lovely bday dinner in town at Restaurant Schützen, then prepped to head home early the next day.
We are fortunate to visit many beautiful places, and I always so that almost every region of the world has something to offer. That said, Lauterbrunnen and this part of the world was truly the most breathtaking place I’ve ever seen; truly almost painfully beautiful. We were so lucky to spend some time there and I’m already plotting how to get back and do some more hiking!
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