Aareschlucht

Last night I spent a really long time trying to figure out what to do today. Originally we'd planned to go to Chateau de Chillon in Montreux, but it would have been 3 hours each way and that was just more than we wanted to do. The weather forecast wasn't very good so I finally came up with a rainy day option and a not so rainy day option. If it was really rainy we were going to go to the castle in Thun and possibly to Bern. We decided if it wasn't too rainy, we'd go to the Aare Gorge. This was something I had highlighted in my Untours book because it looked interesting. When I showed the pictures to Dan he thought it looked fun too.

We got up and it was cloudy and drizzly but not pouring. We decided to take our chances and head for the Aare Gorge, the trip was about an hour and a half on the train. We didn't leave until later in the morning, it was nice to have a slow start and leisurely morning.

We arrived at the gorge and decided to start the walk right away. There is an entrance fee, I think it was 7.50 for adults and 4.50 for kids. We started at the east entrance and walked to the west, the gorge narrowed in the direction we were walking. There is a path and tunnels that you walk on through the gorge, it was really cool to see how powerful nature can be! Over thousands of years the Aare river forced it's way through the rock formation to form the gorge. It took us about 45 minutes to walk from one end to the other.

Beginning of the walk

Bundled up because it was drizzling

Pathway through the gorge

Cool waterfall

Starting to narrow

Towards the end it was very narrow

When we arrived at the west entrance we realized that there wasn't really a good spot to eat our picnic lunch, we decided to head back to the train station in Meiringen and eat it there. This was a good plan until Ali saw a playground, she was pretty unhappy that we didn't stop and play especially because they had bars to play on. We continued on with our plan and the poor girl didn't get a chance to play, she didn't let us forget it for a couple of hours!

We found a bench in Meiringen and at our lunch before we caught the train back home. It was a very laid back day but the gorge was interesting. We arrived home before it got too late and stopped at the store because we knew it would be closed all day Sunday. Dan and I got some chocolate and cookies to bring home in our suitcases. We watched a bit of the Olympics when we got home, the commentary was in German but we could still tell most of what was going on. Overall it was another good day!

 

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Oeschinensee

Today we decided to stay closer to home. We tried to sleep in, but Ali was up at 6:45 and Connor was up soon after. Even with everyone up so early, we stuck with our plan of a more laid back day. We had breakfast and then took the train to Kandersteg, just one train stop away. Kandersteg is a town with a lot of hotels, restaurants, and the home of the International Scout Center. We saw many Scouts during the day.

It was just a 15 minute train ride, then we walked about 10 minutes to take us to the gondola lift up the mountain. The lift was 50% off with Swiss Pass, so the round trip ticket was $12 per adult and the kids were free. The ride up was beautiful like always. Once we arrived at the top the kids saw the surprise we had for them. At the top of the lift there is a summer toboggan ride which would be our first stop! The kids were super excited. We decided to buy a ticket so that everyone could have 5 rides, Ali was free because she had to ride with an adult.

View from the gondola

The toboggan track

On the first ride Ali and I went first, followed by Connor, and then Dan. Dan went a lot faster than Connor, I think it was a combination of Connor being lighter and using the brake more. After a couple of rides Connor went with Dan and he went much faster when they rode together. The ride down was really fun with amazing views. It started getting a little busier as we were getting done, the busier track slowed down our rides a bit. If you get behind a slow person you have to brake more so you don't hit them.

Dan and Ali heading down the track

After our rides we headed down to the lake. The walk was 20 minutes or so, it wasn't a hard walk but it was a hot day which made it seem long. You can't see the lake until you get very close to it. Once we spotted it though it was more beautiful than we'd imagined. Ali was very excited to see a group of cows who were grazing at the edge of the lake. We'd brought a picnic lunch with so we walked around the lake a bit to find a spot to sit. Ali saw people swimming and she was mad that I hadn't brought her suit. We had a great picnic lunch, I think the setting made the food taste even better.

View of the lake

Cows by the edge

Beautiful waterfall

The cows must have been hot too!

Our view from our picnic spot

After we ate, Dan and Ali went wading in the water. Dan said the water was cold but tolerable. The water was very clear! While they were in the water one of the cows decided to walk over to where some people were eating. A lady tried to shoo him away but she wasn't very successful. It was a pretty funny sight! Ali took the opportunity to get close enough to touch the cow, something she'd been wanting to do since we got here. The cows are huge here and they are really pretty.

Ali and Connor wading

The nosy cow

Ali making friends with the cow

Ali chatted with the cow a bit and then we walked over to see how much the rowboat rentals were. I think it was 22 Francs for an hour so we decided to do it. There was a beautiful waterfall on the other side of the lake so we rowed that way, well technically Dan rowed that way. I was so thankful he was there, he's great at rowing a boat, I would have had us going in circles! The kids took their shoes off and dangled their feet in the water. Both kids took a turn rowing, it was pretty funny to watch them try to get the hang of it! We made it over to the waterfall and back in our allotted hour. It was really fun! If you are at the Oeschinensee on a nice day, I definitely recommend renting a boat!

Our Captain

Happy Passengers

Gorgeous!!

Having fun on the lake!

We returned the boat and headed back to the lift station. The walk back to the lift station is uphill and it was really hot. Dan and Connor were walking a lot faster than Ali and I were. It was not a very fun walk, on a cooler day it would have been fine, but on a hot day in the bright sunshine it was yucky. Finally, we made it back to the top and we bought ice cream at the little shop for both kids. When they were done, we headed back down to the lift. We stopped at a shop in Kandersteg where Ali got a cow bell that she'd been wanting, then we caught the train to Frutigen. We were back by 3:30 or so, it was a nice short day.

My parents arrived home from their outing at just about the same time. My dad and I did some grocery shopping on the way home. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what to do the next day, the weather forecast wasn't very good so I needed some different options depending on what happened with the weather.

We really had a good day, the lake was beautiful! The shorter day was perfect, you just can't be gone 8-10 hours everyday. We all needed some downtime so today was really perfect!

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Jungfrau

Dan doesn't normally get involved in trip planning, he's always willing to go on vacation and has a great time when we are there but he leaves the planning up to me. Sometime last Spring, Dan sent me a text message at work asking me if we were going to go to the Jungfrau. I thought it was very odd and asked him how he even knew about the Jungfrau. He told me that he was watching the Today Show and they had a segment about it. I told him we certainly could go to the Jungfrau especially since he wanted to. Later when I got home we found the segment online and showed it to the kids, they thought it looked awesome.

The Jungfrau is the highest point you can get to in Europe via train. In 1893 Adolf Guyer-Zeller came up with the idea of blasting a tunnel through the Eiger and Monch mountains to construct a railway to the Jungfrau. After many years of construction his dream was realized in 1912. The trip to the Jungfrau is not cheap, our tickets were 118 Francs per adult with Swiss Pass, the children were free with the Swiss Family Card. I can tell you without a doubt, the 236 Francs was definitely worth it!

We'd been watching the weather closely and tried to choose the best day for the trip, you definitely want clear weather for the trip. We left Frutigen on the 7:03 train, we switched trains several times. In Kleine Scheidegg we boarded the train for the hour journey to the Jungfrau. We saw some of the resident goats while we were waiting for our train to leave, these goats are very tame and fearless. I saw one stick his nose into a ladies bag looking for food! The train was crowded but we all got seats. Much of the journey is dark as you are traveling in the tunnels through the mountain, the train stops several times on the way up and there are viewing spots. At the second viewing spot my mom and dad got out quick and some guy took my mom's seat. I thought that was kind of rude. If you get out of the train at one of the stops I suggest you leave your bag our backpack on your seat. I ended up putting Ali on my lap so that everyone had a seat.

Goats on the tracks in Kleine Scheidegg

Once we reached the top the area where you get off the train was very busy with tour groups. We quickly tried to distance ourselves from the big groups. Our first stop was the Sphinx Observatory. The research station opened in 1931. We took a crowded elevator up to the observatory. The view from the terrace was amazing! We also realized that on this bright sunny day it was warmer outside than inside. In the underground tunnels where you arrive it was very cold but out in the open it was a lovely day! It was crystal clear with not a cloud in the sky. We looked down over the Aletsch Glacier and we enjoyed the views of the surrounding mountains. When we went inside we found an empty bench and sat down for our picnic lunch, our view for lunch was pretty awesome!

Sphinx Observatory

View of the glacier

Family picture

Happy kids

Our view at lunch

After lunch we went back down on the elevator and went through a section that tells the history of the Jungfrau railway. We all enjoyed this and it was nice and quiet.

Look who the kids found!

Cool carving

Wall with names of the men who died building the rail line

Then we went to the Ice Palace which was created in the 1930's but needs to be recut constantly. They have to cool this section because of the heat generated by all the visitors. The ice sculptures were amazing!

Walking into the ice palace

Polar bear sculpture

Seals

My kids spotted this guy from Ice Age

Ali and Grandma all bundled up

We headed out to the Glacier Plateau to walk around. There were great views of the glacier and the top of the Jungfrau. The kids had fun throwing a few snowballs!

Dan and I in front of the Jungfrau

Finally, we went to the Snow Fun section. We walked out into the snow and saw people sledding, skiing, and zip lining. We checked out the prices for zip lining, it was 20 Francs for adults and 15 Francs for children. The kids really wanted to do it, so we bought tickets for Dan and the two kids to go. I really thought Ali would chicken out but she didn't! Connor went first, then Ali, and finally Dan! They all loved it! I decided I didn't want to be left out of the fun so when we walked back up I paid to go. It was so much fun! We are hoping to go to Costa Rica next summer and now I know that neither of the kids will be scared to go zip lining there! It was gorgeous out on the snow, I was comfortable in short sleeves. It was a beautiful sunny day!

Ali was determined not to chicken out

My turn!

Woohoo, I'm flying!!

We went back inside and checked out the gift shop before we headed to the train, the trains leave the Jungfrau every 30 minutes. Apparently there is one gate for groups and one gates for people not with a tour group, we didn't know that and ended up at the wrong place. Luckily though, after we walked to the other one we still were able to make the train and get seats.

Silly kids waiting for the train

We stopped in Kleine Scheidegg on the way down. We had decided to eat there as we knew everyone would be exhausted by the time we got home. We ate at the restaurant by the train station, the portions were good and the prices were fair. We went to a few of the shops in town before taking the train down to Lauterbrunnen.

It was a long ride back to Frutigen and everyone was tired by the time we got home. It had been an amazing day though. If you visit Switzerland I definitely recommend a trip up the Jungfrau, it is awesome and unforgettable!

 

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Schilthorn

Well today was the day we'd finally head up to the Schilthorn. Connor especially was very excited to go and eat in the revolving restaurant at the top. We left on the 7:03 train with a plan to get up to the Schilthorn for a late breakfast and then to be back by 3:30 when Dan was scheduled to arrive on the train. The Schilthorn had been closed for several days due to a malfunction with the lift, I was a little worried that the crowds would be big.

When we arrived at the first cable car station there was a huge tour group in front of us, we had to wait 30 minutes to get on a different cable car. Once we were on our way things went smoothly though. The ride up is beautiful. The cars were busy but we tried to stand near windows to have a view. After 4 cable car rides, we made it to the top a few minutes before 10:00 am. It was a clear day with good views. We went up to the restaurant and they were still serving breakfast. They had a champagne breakfast buffet that we all enjoyed. The restaurant was in one of the old James Bond movies so they have 007 on the windows and the napkins too I think. It takes one hour for the restaurant to make a full revolution, I'm not sure we were up there quite that long. The food is pretty pricey at the top but you don't have to order food, if you order drinks you can sit at a table and enjoy the views.

Connor in the restaurant

Views from the restaurant

007 on the window

Ali ans I enjoying our breakfast

With Grandma on the terrace

The kids on the terrace

Enjoying the view

Dan's plane was supposed to get in at around 11:00, he got in a few minutes early and got his baggage and went through customs really quickly. He made the 11:15 train instead of the 1:15 train meaning he'd be in Frutigen 2 hours earlier than planned! I quickly started checking my phone to see how quick we could make it back. We tried our best but we couldn't get there very fast, he ended up having to wait for us at the train station for 2 hours. I felt terrible, we really tried but the train schedule just wouldn't get us there any faster. We walked through Murren on our way back, it is a cool mountain town.

Walking in Murren

Cool chess game in Murren

Ali in front of a great view

The train ride back to Frutigen was long and we were all anxious to see Dan. We spotted him right away when our train pulled up, we were so happy to see him! We walked back to the house and chatted. Dan was pretty tired so he took a little catnap before dinner. At dinner we checked the weather and decided that the next day would be our best bet to go to the Jungfrau. The Jungfrau is great on a clear day but not nearly as good when it is cloudy. We'd have to be up early again, we packed the backpacks the night before and tried to get everyone in bed early!

The Schilthorn is nice, it is a lot cheaper than the Jungfrau. Our tickets to the top of the Schilthorn were 37 Francs with the Swiss Pass compared to 118 to the Jungfrau, the kids were free on both trips with the Swiss Family Card. There isn't much to do at the Schilthorn except for to admire the views and eat a the restaurant. It was nice but I'm not sure I'd go back.

 

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