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!