SURPRISE!!! We went to Switzerland...

...and hiked the Swiss Alps!!!

Monday was a bank holiday here in the UK, which meant Edgar had the day off! We decided about two weeks ago to take a trip to Switzerland and fulfill my lifelong dream. I would have never thought when I was in Mrs. Meharg's first grade class learning about this beautiful country, that I would actually get to see it in person! Something about the three story houses fascinated me, never mind that the ground floor was a barn! And they made cheese! Our friends from Houston, Lilly and Aron, have recently relocated to England as well, and they came along with us. We had a fabulous time and I will try my best to keep this succinct.

Where did we go and how did we get there?
Our destination was Gimmelwald, Switzerland. A tiny village in the middle of the Alps, population 131. It is only accessible by mountain gondola.

From London, we flew into Zurich on Friday night...and that's the easiest part! On Saturday morning, we went by train to Lucerne, where we transferred to another train bound for Interlaken Ost. This is by far the most scenic ride I have ever taken-by car, train, plane, whatever! It cuts through the Alps and takes you through the lake areas, where the water is crystal clear. From Interlaken Ost, we took another train to Lauterbrunnen. This was tricky because at a certain point, the train stops and splits. The first half goes to Grindelwald and the second half goes to Lauterbrunnen. Of course we were on the wrong half, so when it stopped, we had to jump out and run to the front of the train. We felt quite silly. Anyways, we made it and from Lauterbrunnen, we took a short bus ride to Stechelberg, where we boarded the gondola which took us up the mountain to Gimmelwald...WHEW!!! Sounds like a lot, but the entire journey was only about 3 hours.

Where did we stay?
Ah, yes, the BEST question by far! We stayed at the Mountain Hostel with around 30 of our new closest friends. It was our very first time in a hostel and it will be hard to beat! What is a hostel you ask? Kind of like college dorm living, only you are traveling. Every hostel is set up differently, but basically there are dorm style bunk beds in rooms for any number of people and shared bathrooms. There is usually a communal kitchen where you can cook your own food, and a group dining area. The Mountain Hostel had 50 beds divided into Girls, Boys, and Co-Ed rooms. Edgar and I got lucky and swiped the "honeymoon suite". It was a private room in a loft area with a window to the Alps. It was pretty cool to wake up in the morning and have your eyes pop open to the beauty! Below us was the living area with the pool table and bar, where we were serenaded to sleep every night by accordion and sometimes yodeling...ah, the romance!

This was a great first hostel experience. At around $15 per night, you can't beat it for budget traveling. We will probably continue to stay in hostels throughout our travels. Generally, they are full of just out of college kids backpacking around Europe (or whatever continent you are on), but it is a great way to meet people and get the inside scoop on everything travel related. It definitely made a much richer experience for us on this trip. I'm sure we will treat ourselves to a hotel every now and then, but from here on out, its paid showers and communal living for us!

What did we do?
On our first day, we hiked up to Murren (the closest place with a grocery store) to get food and eat lunch. There was one place open in the whole town and lucky for us they had cheese, meat and beer! This pretty much consumed the rest of our daylight, so we spent the evening playing cards and hanging out with our new hostel friends.

Sunday was our big hiking day. We stopped at the house next door for freshly made cheese and sausage and set out to find the Chilchbalm glacier. The hike was amazing with beautiful views. Even though there was a slight drizzly rain, the clouds and fog only added to the mystic of the area. When we finally reached the glacier, the handwork paid off. It was probably the most beautiful vista I have ever seen in my life. The mountains just kept going higher and higher as the fog rolled away, and just when you thought you could see the peak, another one would come into view. Because it is springtime, the snow is beginning to melt. It had already melted in the area where we had hiked, but high into the mountains beyond us, you could hear a low crack and then see an avalanche of snow tumble down toward the bottom like a waterfall (don't worry, Dad, we were far from this area). A cave sat up the mountain and to the side of the glacier and we hiked up there for lunch. You will see in the photos that it's the best window seat I have ever had, with the Alps as my view!

Monday saw us reluctantly traveling home. We had time to kill in Zurich before our flight and decided to walk around the city a bit. Maybe we didn't give it a good enough chance, but unless you like designer shopping or need an anonymous bank account, this city may not hold alot for you. We were starving and had a very hard time finding a restaurant in the busiest area of the city. We searched and searched and in the end, did the only thing we could do....McDonald's. Even worse is that in this financial mecca of the world, most places only accept cash. I would think they would have some kind of sophisticated payment system, but no, only cash.

In the end....
This trip was truly a dream come true for me. It is a place I have dreamed of visiting since I was 6 years old. The beauty is unrivaled, the hospitality a charm, and the Swiss travel system is amazing. They've got logistics down to a science and have every mode of transportation you could need-plane, train, bus, cable car, mountain gondola, etc. Everything is perfectly timed no matter where you are going or what transfer you need to make. We met some very fascinating people, had a great time in the mountain top hot tub, and will mark this trip as one on the top of our list. Our return is no question, with more time and hopefully less clouds. Until then, we will clean our hiking boots and keep with us the peaceful, tranquil feelings of Gimmelwald and the Swiss Alps.