We left Orbe around 8:30am and decided to take the longer route so we could see more towns along the way and avoid the freeway where we could. The drive to our first stop Interlaken, which would take around one and a half hours. This is where we planned to stop off, check out the town and grab a bite to eat

Murten a well-preserved medieval town

After leaving Orbe it wasn’t long before we hit the freeway and we were cruising at 120km. I was getting a little more confident driving so I put on Spotify and started listening to some Teddy Swims and Jelly Roll. All of about 10 minutes passed until we came to some road works, Spotify was off and concentration was back on as the roads narrowed to no wider than this beast of this SUV. 

Further down the road there’s a town called Murten. This was going to be one of our overnight stops when I was doing up the itinerary about twelve months ago, so we thought we best to call in to have a look.

It was a pretty little town, again nestled on a lake and with double-storey timber houses lining narrow streets and a wonderful little eatery called “Hotel Schiff” where you could just sit out and take in the lake views. We had a coffee and some type of German pastry which we both thought was bread, with no butter and I have no idea what she called it, but it was nice. Since leaving Orbe and calling into Murten, people are now speaking more German than French with town names becoming more German influenced as we head north.

A charming Lakeside town Lake Brienz

The scenery has changed from dairy and crop fields back to valleys with high mountains, green grass with turquoise or emerald green water of the lakes surrounding us. The roads here are so smooth without any potholes and well marked out lanes. The Swiss certainty know how to do it.

We stopped at this stunning little town called “Lake Brienz”. This Lakeside town is pretty stunning and has a good walk around the foreshore where you can stretch your legs, and a few cafes to grab a bite to eat. It wasn't on our stop list but glad we did.

We arrived at Interlaken and took a walk into town. It certainly is a busy place and you can easily see why it’s so popular with tourists and holiday makers and with Paragliders circling above and landing in a paddock metres from the main street. The whole place has a feel for those who love to experience outdoor adventure all year around. From here it’s not too far from Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, some of Switzerland's finest areas. We spent about hour and a half and grabbed some lunch while we were here.

Stunning Interlaken

We continued our way to Lucerne, taking in the views along the way before arriving at our accommodation for the next three nights. It’s just a basic hotel and no air conditioning. Our fault in a way, as we were thinking it would be cooler and not have a European heatwave. Luckily there was a pedestal fan and large opening windows that overlook Mt. Pilatus.

After settling in we took a train into Lucerne which is only two stops away and did some exploring of this lovely city. 

Tomorrow was going to be a rest day exploring the rest of Lucerne, but it looks as though there is rain or thunder activity happening Wednesday, so not to chance it we decided to explore the mountains today and hopefully the weather holds out.

Lovely Lucerne, Chapel Bridge and Lakeside Restaurants

Day 9. 19th August Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald

Lauterbrunnen

This morning we are driving to the Swiss Jungfrau area. It consists of two valleys just out of Interlaken. On one side you have Lauterbrunnen and the other valley Grindelwald, which are renowned for their mountains and lakes. In this area alone you could spend a week walking many of the trails, visiting tiny villages dotted along the ridges of the mountains, and finding those hidden lakes. Unfortunately, with only two days we'll only see what we can. This road trip was planned for tomorrow, but the weather forecast showed late evening rain into the following day, a welcome relief from some of this heat

The drive to Lauterbrunnen wasn’t too bad. We left a little later than I would have liked to, so finding a park might prove difficult, which it did. Googles direction to a parking area took me right up the main street which is only wide enough for one car along with hundreds of people walking aimlessly like zombies.

My driving skills were put to the test again with stress levels up I’m getting pretty used to this. "Holidays are supposed to be stress-free," they say! I found a tight spot to turn around without running anyone over and then settled on a multilevel car park just below the train station. It was the only one that had a few hundred spots left.

Lauterbrunnen                                                                                                    Lauterbrunnen Staubbach falls

Lauterbrunnen is a typical Swiss town, with its double-storey timber houses, planter boxes with geraniums or other flowers draped over the window sills, and being as tidy as you could imagine. There’s a cable car just opposite the station that takes you up to Mürren. From this little village that’s situated on the cliffs you get to see down into the valley and it’s especially great for nature lovers who wish to take on some hiking to hidden lakes. It also has an honesty pay system in the little shops at the top in the summer, so take coins with you.

We actually didn’t go up; the main reason was being towards the end of their summer and with most of the snow melted the waterfalls weren’t flowing at their best. The ideal time would be spring. However, this didn’t distract us from taking in the views of this lovely town and its stunning scenery over the greenest hills or looking up into the valley at the snow-capped peaks with paragliders catching currents and circling above like large birds.

Lauterbrunnen with green valleys and hills

Food prices were no different to what you would expect to pay in Lucerne or any other large Swiss city. However, if you're looking for a freshly made meal try Migros or co-op stores, they offer everything from salad rolls and fruit bowls to hot roast chicken dinners and chicken Caesar bowls, with every type of bread roll and filling imaginable. It's a much cheaper alternative to sitting down for a meal every day.

Okay, back on topic. Without us going to Mürren this allows us more time at Grindelwald, this type of trip we are doing should be done over two days and you should base yourself in Interlaken, only if you wish to do and see everything in these two valleys.

Neat Graveyard in Lauterbrunnen                                                                                      Staubbach falls in the background

Lauterbrunnen small but a lovely town

Grindelwald

The drive into Grindelwald was strikingly beautiful, winding roads and around each corner you would get a glimpse up the valley with the snow capped mountain peaks, and did I tell you how green it is? Now,parking…holy hell!. Don’t trust google maps. It had us going down roads that I swear were just for cows, or pesky cyclists. However, they are actually roads, some of the farmers on their quad bikes give you unusual looks but what the heck, I’m here for a good time and I live on stress. Around and around we go, again getting more frustrated by being up the same cattle road a few times, in and out of town and finding every bloody narrow road there is to find. After forty five minutes of driving with white fisted knuckles clenched over the steering a wheel, we found a park at the Grindelwald train station which is on your right as you come into town. Trust me! DO NOT LOOK anywhere else, just make a beeline for there, park your car and catch the 121 bus to Grindelwald, you’ll be there in ten minutes. If I wasn’t driving I’d be drunk by now! 

Views from the Grindelwald chairlift

Once in town we headed straight to the ticket office to catch the gondola up to the top. This is where all the activities are, including the First Cliff Walk, a unique single-rope hanging bridge, bolted to the rock face at around 2,200 meters. You can also do the following: the First Glider, where you lie in a harness and fly down at 80 km/h; the Mountain Cart, where you sit on a small trike and fly down a dirt path to the second gondola point; or a two-wheeled scooter-type thing and hoof it around corners too. All these are an extra cost to the gondola, so you wouldn’t get much change out of AU$800 for all activities.

The gondola ride to the top was breathtaking, with views of the valley and snow-capped mountains as you look down at the moo cows with their bells ringing as they munch on the grass, a view of the Eiger Glacier where the famous north face is known for many tragedies over the years and with views that can’t be captured by photos.

First cliff walk Grindelwald

Selfie first cliff walk                                                                                                                The Eiger in the background

First cliff walk Platform

Grindelwald below                                                                                                          Town of Grindlewald

If you are ever up this way in Switzerland, Grindelwald is a must do. There are families here with young children and there is plenty to do for the whole family. At the top there is a restaurant for either a sit down or take away meal. A take away would be best with a cold beer or wine and go find yourself a view, take time out and just enjoy.

Day 10. 20th August Lucerne

Today was a Chilax day, which means to do stuff all.

On our last day we decided to catch the train into Lucerne and just wander around. At the train station we got chatting to a family from South Carolina who were over here visiting their son in Germany and they have another couple of other children in various places in Europe. He was born in Puerto Rico and moved to New York to live and to raise a family there. The only reason I’m mentioning this is, I know a person following this blog is heading there next year. He said Puerto Rico would have to be one of the most beautiful places to grow up in, very family-oriented and the people are so friendly and virtually no crime and have the best beaches and weather.

Our first stop this morning was to see the Catholic Church (St. Leodegar im Hof) that was completed in 1667 and consecrated in 1677 (declared sacred, actually became a church). Didn’t take many photos as there was a service on.

The next church we stopped at was the Jesuit Church (Jesuitenkirche Lucerne) The inside of this church is so clean, I couldn’t see a cobweb or a dead beetle anywhere; it's as though it was built yesterday and it truly is a grand piece of architecture. The stone masons and the skill of the fresco painters over 350 years ago was amazing, not only in Switzerland but all of Europe. One thing I didn’t know all Jesuits are male!

To the left of the Catholic church is a small but neatly laid-out cemetery. As far as I can tell, it's the St. Leodegar cemetery. I thought it may have just been for priests, but looking closer there are females as well. Were they nuns? I really don’t know, but it fascinated me enough to take a photo

St. Leodegar im Hof Church                                                                                                         St. Leodegar im Hof

Sacred space where noble families were once buried - St. Leodegar Cemetry

Inside the Jesuit church                                                                                          Outside St. Leodegar im Hof Church   

Next stop was the Lucerne Lion Monument. It commemorates the Swiss guards who were killed in the French Revolution when they stormed a palace in Paris. About 760 were killed or slaughtered after surrendering to the French in 1771. Years later a book was written about this and the Swiss were outraged by what they found out, so the Government threw some money together to get this sculptor to sculpt a monument for the fallen into this cliff face. It’s ten meters by six meters in height and very detailed. It’s of a dying lion impaled by a spear covering a shield, the work was completed in 1821. It’s in the setting of an English-style garden.

Lion Monument Lucerne

It was time to eat so we made our way back to the old part of town where all the restaurants are and settled on Mr. Pickwick, it’s an English-style Tavern right on the lake with a great view of the Chapel Bridge.

Chapel Bridge is considered to be Europe's oldest covered bridge and was built in 1332 and was part of fortifying the city. The panels overhead were put up in the 17th century and tell the story of Switzerland and Lucerne in the way of pictorials. There was a fire in 1993, some say it was a discarded cigarette underneath the bridge that set it alight as most of the bridge was destroyed expect for both headends. One of the original head end is shown in the picture above.

At Mr. Pickwick                                                                     Chapel Bridge                                                                 Lucerne Shop

Now It’s not often I post photos of toilets, but I had to this time around. Leanne needed to go and we were close to a park and I saw some portables there made of a timber which was a little different. Leanne didn’t believe me that they were toilets, so she opened up the door and said “I can’t go in there!” I said “Why?” She replied, “There’s timber in the hole, it’s blocked.” I decided to have a look to see what she was on about. There was no “Timber” in the hole. I started laughing and said “It’s sawdust. When you do your business you grab a scoop of sawdust and throw it onto your bum.” It’s one of these new bio-somewhat chemical free toilets for functions that use no water, so you just scoop up some wood chips and throw it in after your number 1 or 2’s. Sounds like a large kitty litter tray to me.

There is so much more to see in Switzerland; we barely touched the surface. We saw what we wanted and were so pleased that we did along with perfect days. Switzerland is not a cheap country and you can understand where the money goes once your here. It’s just a lovely country.

Tomorrow we head back into France and explore the Alsace region, it’s a bit of France, Germany and Switzerland all thrown into one. We plan to leave a little earlier to see if we can find a few more quaint towns along the way to increase our ever growing waistlines.

One of the many ferries                                                                                                          Bloody cyclists

The toilet                                                                                                                 Just throw in a scoop