Lauterbrunnen

The Lauterbrunnen valley was one of the most unreal places we have ever experienced. Staying in the middle of the Swiss Alps, surrounded by cliffs, mountains, and waterfalls was like nothing we've seen before. In doing research for this trip, we came across a lot of pictures and videos which is what made us want to check it out. But being here, you realize they don’t come close to doing this place justice.

Wengen

We stayed in a place called Wengen, a small ski town up above Lauterbrunnen. When I booked it, I picked this area because it was a little more affordable than Lauterbrunnen, and our friend Cale was joining for the first half, so I wanted to make sure we got something big enough for three people. After being there, though, I’m not sure how it wasn’t the most expensive part of the valley. Wengen had the best views with a ton of cool stores, restaurants, and one awesome bar called Tanne Bar. It's a small car-free village so there are fewer people which gives it a more local feel. 

Another thing you get in Wengen is cows. There are cows everywhere grazing the sides of the mountains. Each one has a massive bell tied to its neck, so you hear cow chimes all throughout the day, which made it sound like a yoga retreat or something. Many of the dairy farmers also put refrigerators outside of their house full of their cheese, yogurt, and milk. If you want something, just grab it and leave cash in the honesty basket.

Wengen also has two good grocery stores, which was needed for us because Switzerland is expensive, especially their restaurants. On the rare occasions we ate out, a hamburger would cost roughly $35. We had a small portion of chicken fried rice in town one night that cost us $40. While most everything we ate was good, it was pretty hard to justify the price. The one thing we could justify, though, was the fondue. It's a must try in Switzerland since they were the ones to invent it. 

Other than that, we can’t say enough good things about this area. There are tons of hikes and nature activities to do out here. However, some of our favorite days were just hanging out at the cabin, having coffee on the porch, and admiring God’s creation.

Via Ferrata

About a month before Switzerland, Kaitlyn came across a TikTok showing a via ferrata near where we’d be staying. Neither of us had heard of a via ferrata before, but it’s basically a way to traverse the Alps with iron rungs, ladders and cables. They were originally set up during WW1 and allowed soldiers to move more quickly through the mountains. Now they let people do it for fun. They don’t check your experience. They don’t make you sign a waiver. Just bring or rent a harness and clip in. And one person apparently died 6 months ago on it. Kaitlyn decided she had to do it, I wasn’t as excited. My number one fear is heights… and dying. But after a few weeks of pep talking, I gave in and decided to go with her.

We knew it would be intense, but neither of us had a full grip on it (pun intended). For most of the route, we were balanced on small metal steps, clipped into a cable that ran along the cliffside. We tried to just move through slowly without slipping, all while praying everything held because it was roughly a 2,000 ft drop down to the bottom.

The scariest section was scaling the side of a cliff, above the paragliders, carefully placing each foot on the next rung. The usual advice for people afraid of heights is “don’t look down,” but that doesn’t really work when you have to look down to see where your next step is. The climb was difficult and kind of scary, but incredibly rewarding and I’m glad I gave into her relentless peer pressure.

After two and a half hours, we reached the end and unclipped our harness for good. The trail finished in the next town over, Gimmelwald. We were starving, so we set out to find somewhere to eat and ended up at the Biergarten at the Pension Hotel. Coincidentally, as we settled down at our table, our wedding song started playing over the speakers. Of all places, a tiny hole-in-the-wall spot in a village of about 100 residents, that song played at the exact right moment. It was a really cool moment. The day will easily go down as a top memory and experience for us on the trip.

Oberhornsee

We were running out of days left in Switzerland, and we weren't leaving without an official Alps hike. So the day after the via ferrata we went on a 12-mile hike from the town of Stechelberg up to Lake Oberhornsee. The distance wasn't really the hard part. We get in 12-mile days fairly regularly on this trip. However, the 5,000-ft incline then steep decline was what made this one a little tricky. 

The views on the hike were unlike anything we had seen yet. Every few miles, the landscape seemed to change completely. Starting as an autumn forest, moving to cold waterfalls coming down the mountainside, then massive boulders and grey dirt up in the clouds that felt like we were on another planet.

After about two hours of climbing, we came across a little hotel in the middle of nowhere. A lady there sold us some raw milk from their cows as a little pick-me-up. We continued on and got higher into the clouds. A little while later it actually got challenging to see out ahead of us. Thankfully someone had painted marks every fifty yards or so, which helped us stay on the trail. Once we made it to the lake we ate our packed lunch and headed back down. Back down, though, was the hardest part. The descent was steep and slick from the rain, and in our worn-out athletic shoes, we slipped and fell more times than we’d care to admit. Seven hours from the start, we finally made it back. The hike was tough but completely worth it for the views. Thankfully, the next day’s trek was a 7-hour train ride to Germany, which would give our legs much-needed rest.

Overall

Lauterbrunnen and the surrounding towns were incredible and I know it’s early still but I think this will be up on the top of our list of places to come back to one day. Switzerland is known for being expensive, and it certainly was, but it makes sense. When you have views like this, you can charge whatever you want. 

If you get the chance, this place is something special. While we feel lucky to have spent 7 days here, if we come back, we will certainly aim to spend more time in the country and explore other parts as well.

For now, though, we are on our way to Oktoberfest! Prost!