Switzerland Day Eight - Wengen

Today is our last day in the Alps, we leave for Zurich tomorrow. I am sad to leave this incredible area but we did so many amazing things that I can't be too disappointed. For our last day we decided to head to Wengen, another car free town that is on top of the cliff opposite Murren. Thankfully we didn't have to take a cable car (hooray!) and instead we took a very pleasant cog train ride up the mountain.

On the train

Grandma and the boys on the train

Wengen was a much flatter town than Murren and more built up. It should have had a fantastic view of the valley below (we did see the view from the train) but the huge hotels on the main road blocked most of the scenery. We were thankful though that it wasn't a hilly town because it made pushing the wheelchair much easier. 

View from Wengen

The first thing we saw when we arrived was a little park with a few pingpong tables and a huge chess set. Will and Jon started playing but it quickly turned into a family affair. The boys loved capturing pieces and knocking them right off the board. Christian just wanted to run into the whole thing but we made him wait until the very end.

Will and Jon start playing chess

James helps Will make a move

Christian crashes into the chess board

After that we went on a search for lunch. We were a bit picky and looked at a number of restaurants before setting on a rather nice one. Christian was a little wild so after we ordered I took him outside for a bit while we waited for our food. Our lunch was good and everyone enjoyed their meals. 

Christian tries the slack line

After lunch I took the kids to a playground while James and Camille shopped. The playground was pretty small and not at all like some of the others we've seen around here. The shopping here is another matter and Wengen has some excellent shops. It wasn't long before the boys got bored with the playground and wanted to find Grandma. We met up with them in a nice little tourist shop where we found quite a number of souvenirs. Christian successfully persuaded me and James to buy him a little knife and we found one that is quite tiny and safe enough. He is overjoyed.

Christian loves his knife!

We found quite a number of other things too and when we were done shopping it was time to head back down the mountain. At home James took a quick nap while the boys played outside in the field with Jon's bow. After trying to whittle some wands the boys asked if they could go to the playground alone again so I send them on their way with instructions on what to do if the bullies were there. But they didn't have any trouble and came home again perfectly safe and on time.

Waiting for the train ride home

When James woke up he took the boys out to the pool in Grindelwald while Camille and I stayed home to pack. They had so much fun!! Christian did flips off the diving board and Jon dove! I really wish they could have taken some pictures. 

The boys are home now and in bed and it is time for me to finish packing and cleaning. 

Goodnight!

Switzerland Day Seven - Schloss Spiez

Today is a gray and dreary day. This is the first time it has rained and while it wasn't heavy, it did last all day. We debated for a long while about what we should do and eventually decided to go to a museum an hour and a half away. But unbeknownst to us there was a marathon planned for this morning and they shut the road down until 1pm. Since there is only one road out of town (and out of the valley) we were stuck.

Clouds pour into Lauterbrunnen

So we ended up having a quiet morning and lunch at home. We also all played The Pit together and it was so much fun! It is a great game to play with a lot of people, there was a ton of chaos. Jon and Christian also went out to our field to practice using Jon's new bow. He is very happy with it.

Begging to play a video game

We did eventually head out of town and started towards the museum. But as we drove past Thunersee (the lake to the West of Interlaken) we suddenly decided to drive around the lake and visit one of the local castles instead. Even though it was raining we still had a good view of the lake and surrounding hillsides. 

Thunersee

We were only a quarter of the way around the lake when we arrived at Schloss Spiez (Spiez castle). I wasn't sure what to expect but the castle was awesome! The grounds were beautiful but because of the rain and a wedding we were only able to see them from the windows. The castle itself wasn't wheelchair accessible so Camille was only able to tour the first two stories but there was still quite a lot to see.

A room in the castle

The chapel at Spiez Schloss

Will thought these shoes were very strange

Will admires some armor

 The rooms were set up as a museum with many paintings and displays. There were no ropes separating you from the items in the rooms although they did have most of the swords behind glass. We all enjoyed the rooms and appreciated that most of the displays had information in English as well as German.

The kitchen

Jon smells soup

Will wants a sword

Beautiful woodwork

Boys in the castle

After seeing the highly decorated rooms James and I took the kids into the tower which was just stone and wood but had more activities for the kids. The tower had 5 floors and as we climbed the displays became more kid friendly. The third floor had clothes which Jon tried on and a writing table which occupied Will. The fourth floor had actual chain mail shirts which the boys could wear as well as helmets and shields. Will and Jon tried on the chain mail but it was much to heavy for Christian. 

Christian discovers he is wearing the wrong shirt

Jon tries on clothes

Will and Christian at the writing table

Will in a helmet

Christian does a knight pose

Boys in mail and helmets

 Finally we arrived at the top of the tower where the kids found a wooden horse with a lance so they could practice jousting. It was fun to watch them but James and I were a little distracted by the view. Even with the clouds and rain it was beautiful!

Jon jousts

Will jousts

Christian jousts

Christian in a helmet

Will in chainmail

After we left the castle we continued around the lake until we reached Thun where we stopped for a snack and a little shopping. Thun is a pretty town on the opposite end of the lake and it seems like a much less touristy town than Interlaken. If we had discovered it sooner we might have spent more time here! The rest of our drive was short but very pleasant. The road goes right along the edge of the lake and the view was amazing,even on such a wet day.

Enjoying a snack

At the cafe in Thun

Thun

For dinner we stopped at the Hotel Oberland in Lauterbrunnen, a place recommended by the owners of our apartment. We accidentally took a table that was reserved for someone else and the mistake wasn't found until after we had ordered our dinner. I was so embarrassed and was completely ready to just pay our bill and get out of there. But the waitress was so kind and assured us that it was fine and we were very welcome to stay. I think she saw that I was upset and came over again to tell us that everything was OK. She was wonderful. Our dinners were also excellent. Camille says it is the best meal she's had here and I think we all agreed because every last morsel was eaten. Oberland also had the fastest service by far of any place we've been to here. Even though it started off rather rough I am glad to end our day on a such a high note.

Goodnight!

Switzerland Day Six - Adventure Trail from Murren

I love Switzerland! This valley in particular is full of such staggering beauty. This morning James and I woke early with plans to take the kids on a hike near Murren. We were both up late last night and we woke still full of stress about the events at the playground last night. But it wasn't long before the awe inspiring mountain views drove the worry from our minds.

Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau

My boys in the Alps

The Swiss Alps

Murren is a little mountain town at the top of the cliffs that tower over Lauterbrunnen. We took the first two cable cars we had taken to the Schilthorn which took us to the upper part of Murren. Because it is on a mountain side it is another staggered town with streets and houses either below you or above you. All of the houses looked very traditional and the gardens and window boxes were full of flowers. It is beautiful! There are no cars in the town (except one or two tiny supply trucks) since there are no roads that lead up here. It is only accessible by cable car. 

Murren

Flowers in Murren

We wandered Murren for a little bit before heading up the Allmendhubel funicular. I am not entirely clear if Allmendhubel refers to the hill or if it is the name of the restaurant on top and I suppose it doesn't really matter. The funicular ends at the top of a high hill overlooking Murren. There is a fantastic playground there that the children loved. 

Funicular

The playground was amazing and the boys had great fun on the zip line and running through the tunnels. There is a little Alpine cheese store there and the boys took all of the big plastic cheese wheels and moved them into the tunnels. They were pretending to be street urchins whose parents had died and who were living in the tunnels.

Playground

Selling cheese

Will carrying cheese from his hideout

Will in the tunnel

Jon a zip line

While the boys played James wandered around taking pictures of the mountains and I sat and enjoyed my book. James teased me for that but it is amazingly peaceful to read on the side of a mountain. I could have stayed there all day. The boys would have played there for hours more too but eventually it was time to move on.

Coffee, camera, and a beautiful view.
What more could he want?

All I want is a good book. :-)

Will

Stacking the cheese

We started down the Children's Adventure Trail which we had heard offered chances to play along the way. The first part of the trail took us winding down through high mountain meadows surrounded by towering peaks. Cowbells rang as we walked and on the opposite slope we saw a small herd moving. Above us the cable cars passed, taking visitors to Birg and then the Schilthron. We could just make out the Thrill Walk on Birg. 

Starting down the trail

Will and Christian on the walk down to Murren

James leads the way. Birg and the Thrill Walk are on the top of that mountain

Jonny

 The steep hillsides were tempting to the boys and Christian begged to roll down them. Finally I told him that he could climb up one and roll back down to us. He did and tumbled down very fast before landing on the path with a scrapped arm. That only slowed him down for a minute though and soon he was racing headlong down the hill again. He fell once more and scrapped himself again but Jon was there and took care of him until James and I, walking at a more reasonable pace, arrived. 

Christian rolls down the hill

I love the Swiss Alps

Hawk in flight

Jon points out a flower that looks like one from Breath of the Wild

 After that our trail turned off the main road and into a little wood. Once there we discovered a playground built into the hillside. There was another Epic Slide for Will which curved around the trees and a log ramp leading into a little hut. Small trails led in various directions and we enjoyed exploring. 

Epic slides 2

Jon and Christian on an Epic Slide

Christian makes slides really epic

Jon crosses the bridge

As we went through the woods we found other play areas. There were lots of logs to climb and walk on but the very best thing was the zip line. This was at the end of the wood and where the line ended was an opening in the trees where the land dropped suddenly. When you rode the zip line it looked for a minute as if you were going to fly right off the mountain. 

Christian on the zip line

Christian on the zip line

Will loved the zip line

I just love the expression on his face! It cracks me up.

It was wonderful! We all tried the zip line, even me and James! And we had so much fun we all rode it again and again. Jon said as he stood in line "Now this is worth waiting for!" He didn't have to wait long though, we had the trail, the woods, and the zip line all to ourselves.

  Jon on the zip line

James on the zip line

Me on the zip line

Christian swings high

Jon loved the zip line

Eventually though we had to continue on. We passed over a dry streambed where the kids played and went through another, smaller batch of trees. At one point the trail passed along a gorge so there was a very steep fall on one side and an electric fence (to keep out the cows I assume) on the other. It wouldn't have been so bad if Christian didn't have a propensity for going as close to the edge as he could. But everyone was fine, despite my worries and frequent admonitions.

James admires the view

Just above Murren we came to another playground. This one was smaller than the previous two but still the boys had fun on the slide. We didn't stay long here though because it was getting late so after a few slides we walked back into town. We had originally planned to eat lunch in Murren, and we were very hungry, but the hike down had taken much longer than we had anticipated. So we started to head for home instead.

Cabin in the alps

 We took the first cable car down but at the station the boys spotted another playground with yet another Epic Slide so of course they had to try it. We got off and let them play for about ten minutes while we waited for the next car. Finally though we arrived at the bottom and on the way to our car James found a little food stand. He bought us all hot dogs which came in toasted rolls, hollowed out at one end. They were excellent and just what we all needed!

Epic slides

It was almost three before we arrived home and we found Camille painting on our balcony. The view from there is really amazing and I love her paintings. I can't wait until this one is finished! We were all tired so the adults took a quick nap while the kids plugged in. When we woke up James and Camille took Will and Jon into Interlaken for a little more shopping while Christian and I stayed home.

Christian and I enjoyed a quiet evening, we cleaned, relaxed, and then I took him to the playground. He was a little bit nervous about running into those kids but he settled down when he saw that the coast was clear. After the playground we came home and enjoyed a cereal dinner (his choice) and chatted to each other. The shopping excursion also went well and they came home excited to show us their purchases. Camille found a beautiful new watch and Jon spent his money on a wooden bow.

James plays a new game with the boys

Today was absolutely wonderful and since Christian is asleep, James and I might get a chance to play a game before bed. :-)

Goodnight!