Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, Stop 7

June 30

I get up early and go for a walk around town before the rest of the gang wakes up. It’s overcast and crisp and wonderful. The Swiss are putting us to shame. There are always people out at 7 and 8 am, no matter the weather, geared up with packs and hiking poles. And bikes. (Today I see someone with skis! Ski! On the last day of June!)

I’m not talking about “youngsters” in their 20s and 30s. Haven’t seen too many of those—probably because they can’t afford Zermatt! The hard-core hikers I see are mainly couples in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. #goals

After we enjoy another scrumptious breakfast, we are starting to get organized and we realize that a train leaves in 10 minutes. The next one is another hour so we quickly zip up our suitcases and get out of the hotel and to the train station in under 10 minutes! The Williams family is running like (Swiss) clockwork. The route today is Zermatt-Visp-Speiz-Interlaken- Lauterbrunnen. We are starting to learn the Swiss rail system and after several transfers, we make it to Lauterbrunnen, a place I was most excited to visit. First, even though it goes without saying, I will say it. Switzerland is cliché pretty.

Lauterbrunnen does not disappoint. It’s called the Valley of 72 Waterfalls and we can easily see why—literally we can see one from the platform of the train station.

It is RIDICULOUSLY beautiful here. We are in a cozy 2 bunk room with a shared bathroom at the Hotel Hornerpub. Really, why call it a hotel when it’s a hostel???

We have downsized quite a bit since leaving the States.

No matter. It’s a great price for Switzerland and you can hear the waterfalls from our open window.

Hornerpub with waterfull just beyond it!

We pass a laundromat on the walk from the train station to the ho(s)tel so that is good news for us. Also, Dmitri has gone online and located a post office. After a few weeks of travel in a wide range of temps, it is time to reassess and mail back some things we aren’t using.

We decide to eat at the aforementioned Hornerpub and the food is edible. That’s about all we can say about it.

July 1

There is a light drizzle on the walk to get breakfast and even in overcast weather Lauterbrunnen is ridiculously charming. We visit the local Coop and are pros by now at navigating Swiss grocery stores.

Today is a mini work day as Dmitri catches up on some things for his students, Mia edits videos, and Cindy does some basic accounting There is also an assessment and repacking of bags. At this stop, we will be mailing things home. While hanging out in the room, the building starts to shake and rattle and we are very surprised that Switzerland is having an earthquake! For real. 4- point-something. We leave LA and get a quake.

Dmitri and I rent ebikes. We ride from Lauterbrunnen to Schtechelberg. We take a very steep gondola up and ride through the very cute villages of Gimmelwald and Murren where the views are spectacular. Once again, rain is in the forecast but we escape it. We have a very long and very bumpy ride back down to Lauterbrunnen and return the rental bikes.

***Dmitri: The views from the top of Murrun are stunning.

We can see the Jungrau range across a deep valley, and we are near the top of one side. It’s majestic in a way only the Alps can be. I mean I love the Sierras and the Rockies, but this (literally) is a whole other level, matched with green, running water and little villages dotting the hillsides. If we heard yodels, we would not be phased. We can hear the distant roar of waterfalls from a couple miles away. Unreal. I’d previously thought that of the many places I’ve seen, Switzerland was #2 in beauty (#1 being Bora Bora) and it does not disappoint. Lauterbrunnen is a post card come to life, and the peaks all around us are icing.***

July 2

We are back on the bikes first thing in the morning. Mia comes along this time as well. We ride to Interlaken, where she and Dmitri have booked a paragliding experience. After the paragliding and a short lunch, we ride a little more around Interlaken before heading back to Lauterbrunnen. Mia opts for the train and Dmitri and I hit the bike path. Not far up the road, the e part of his e bike stops working. Dead battery. We text the shop and a nice woman brings us a new battery and we continue our ride. Jack takes a turn on Mia’s ebike before we return and we all are ebike converts. Best things ever! At least in alpine villages.

***Mia: I took the train back to Lauterbrunnen alone because my parents wanted to spend more time in Interlaken, and I decided I was ready to head back. I dragged my ebike through the train station and hopped on last train for that hour with about 20 seconds to spare. Sweaty and exhausted, I sat down, mildly proud that I made it safely onto the train all by myself. This seems like no big deal, but it was my first time on the trip that I’d been out on my own without the help of my parents or google translate. A minute later, the ticket collector came around and informed me that I was not, in fact, on the train to Lauterbrunnen. Oops. I got off at the next stop and switched trains, eventually making it back. It was during this stretch of time that I really noticed how much heavier and harder to move ebikes are than regular ones, especially when you’re dashing from one train to the next!***

***Dmitri: Paragliding. That was not on my bucket list and frankly I was nervous about it, but it was pretty great. I mean once you leap, you can’t take it back. It’s that first step...Actually, it’s more of a ramp and we trotted down the slope until the air caught the canopy and then we were just smoothly floating out over the middle of nowhere. It took me a few minutes to relax and appreciate it. It was easier because my pilot was in fact a test pilot for new chutes and this was roughly flight #30,000 for him. So, I could relax. The views are pretty spectacular gliding on thermals higher and higher, way up over Interlaken. Did you know that thermals float up and then form into clouds? I did not. My pilot enjoyed the conversation and kept us up an extra 15 minutes just floating around up there under wisps of clouds. I think Mia has some good footage from our flights in her video.***

***Mia: since the other half of the family was too scared, Dad and I went just the two of us to paraglide. We took a van up to the top of the hill in Interlaken and got suited up. it was about 20 minutes from jump off to when we touched down on the ground and was completely worth it. Although we were up really high, it wasn’t scary at all and we had a stunning view of Interlaken and the surrounding alps. We of course rode tandem with an instructor, my guy let me take the handles and control the parachute for a few minutes while we were in the air. It made me nervous at first, but I got the hang of it after a few minutes

Wow, Mia. That's way harsh. It's not like we WANT to be afraid of heights.