Berner Oberland

Another gorgeous day in the Alps!  Perfect weather in Interlaken.  We are enjoying the low humidity and it feels like home in the mountains.  People are laid back and dressed in hiking gear.  On Monday we drove from Interlaken up into the Berner Oberland to a town named Grindelwald. From there we took a gondola mid-way up a mountain to Bort and played at a neat playground that even had a creek to play in.  It was awesome to be surrounded by spectacular mountains while the kids entertained themselves.  Paige and Duane went back down on scooters and Clay and I returned on the gondola to get ice cream.  Fun to eat outside every night and watch people go by on the street.  This area is very popular for paragliding so we saw tons of people gliding down from the mountains.

Love the continental breakfast at all these places which includes:  fresh bread, yogurt, fruit, cereal, salami, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, and coffee.  Food overall has been superb. Hoping to get some fondue soon.

After breakfast on Tuesday we headed toward Wengen in another valley in the Berner Oberland.  We kept circling around trying to find the road when we finally realized there is no road. You have to take the train from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen.  So off we went on the train high up into Wengen at 1274 m (4180 ft). We then saw that to get to another hike we could take a gondola straight up to the top of a ridge to Mannlichen at 2230 m (7317 ft).  I was a little apprehensive but what a view!  Mountains all around with the spectacular peaks of Jungfrau, Monch, and Eiger looming right above us.  Hope the pictures do it justice.  Interestingly, the predominant sound was that of cowbells as there was a herd grazing in the high mountain meadow.

We did a short hike up to a rocky promenade at 2342 m overlooking the valleys below and with views of the lakes at Interlaken in the distance. We would love to return with more time, older kids, and proper gear to do some real hiking. It is hard to imagine a more spectacular setting.

                    

We hated to leave Sunny Days B&B in Interlaken.  We had an awesome apartment – if you go, book room #9 – with pretty landscaping and views of Jungfrau and Monch. The kids enjoyed playing with Twister the cat and Serena the 8 month old daughter of the owner.