For the final part of our European adventure, we took the scenic Golden Pass train to the land of mountains and lakes in Switzerland. From Avignon, we headed to Geneva and transfered to the Golden Pass line to a small town called Lauterbrunnen.
Lauterbrunnen Train Station
This little town served as our springboard for trains, gondolas, cable cars, and hiking trails into the alps. After gathering some supplies at the local Co-Op grocery store, we went to bed early to get an early start on hiking the next day.
The forecast for our first full day in Lauterbrunnen was mostly cloudy, something that was unfortunately common given the fantastic views. In the morning, we strategized a bit and watched the local weather channel with live web cams from several mountains and saw a clearing on the top of the Schilthorn. That was enough for us to change our plans and start with a journey to the top. This involved taking a gondola to a train, to two more gondolas through a lot of clouds and fog. Eventually, we pierced throug the clouds at 10,000 feet and had some great views at the top of the Alps with the clouds finally below us. Fun fact: the Schiltorn was featured in the James Bond movie "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." The chief villian's layer was actually the building at the top of the mountain.
View from the Schilthorn
More of the Alps
View from the Birg Gondola Station
Later that morning we headed down to lower (and cloudier) territory to take the North Face trail through a series of small Swiss Alp towns and farms. It took us a little bit to find the trailhead, mainly because there were three cows standing smack in the middle of it. Although the clouds were obstructing the higher mountains, we had a nice view of the valley as we winded through swiss farms. We had some excellent super fresh cheese along the way and even almost got hit by some wood being thrown to a wood pile.
Hiking Through the Cows
After eating a quick lunch with some food from the local Co-Op, we headed to another hike on the other side of the mountain (toward Jungfrau). Unfortunately, the clouds descended again and what was supposed to be one of the most scenic hikes was mainly spent in the clouds and fog. We returned tired and hungry for a traditional Swiss dinner. The cheese fondue was yummy, but it was odd that it only came with apple dippers and we were charged a dollar for each shot of tap water I drank.
This little town served as our springboard for trains, gondolas, cable cars, and hiking trails into the alps. After gathering some supplies at the local Co-Op grocery store, we went to bed early to get an early start on hiking the next day.
The forecast for our first full day in Lauterbrunnen was mostly cloudy, something that was unfortunately common given the fantastic views. In the morning, we strategized a bit and watched the local weather channel with live web cams from several mountains and saw a clearing on the top of the Schilthorn. That was enough for us to change our plans and start with a journey to the top. This involved taking a gondola to a train, to two more gondolas through a lot of clouds and fog. Eventually, we pierced throug the clouds at 10,000 feet and had some great views at the top of the Alps with the clouds finally below us. Fun fact: the Schiltorn was featured in the James Bond movie "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." The chief villian's layer was actually the building at the top of the mountain.
Later that morning we headed down to lower (and cloudier) territory to take the North Face trail through a series of small Swiss Alp towns and farms. It took us a little bit to find the trailhead, mainly because there were three cows standing smack in the middle of it. Although the clouds were obstructing the higher mountains, we had a nice view of the valley as we winded through swiss farms. We had some excellent super fresh cheese along the way and even almost got hit by some wood being thrown to a wood pile.
After eating a quick lunch with some food from the local Co-Op, we headed to another hike on the other side of the mountain (toward Jungfrau). Unfortunately, the clouds descended again and what was supposed to be one of the most scenic hikes was mainly spent in the clouds and fog. We returned tired and hungry for a traditional Swiss dinner. The cheese fondue was yummy, but it was odd that it only came with apple dippers and we were charged a dollar for each shot of tap water I drank.
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