Lauterbrunnen – “Tal des Wasserfälle”

Tal des wasserfälle means valley of waterfalls, and that couldn’t be truer. One of the brochures we picked up said there were 72 waterfalls in this valley. Everywhere you turn you can see a waterfall.

This morning we ate breakfast with an excellent view of several waterfalls and steep mountains surrounded by patches of clouds. The blue sky started to creep in so it turned out to be a beautiful day. All of the locals we talked to were very excited about the blue sky, so we were fortunate to have the good weather.

We began our day with a visit to Trümmelbach falls. The thing that makes Trümmelbach unique is that it is hidden away in the mountain. It is slightly visible from the road, but all you can see is the crack it created in the mountain. We took a lift up inside the mountain to view the first 5 falls. It was incredible to see the powerful water as it shot out of the rocks. It was so loud we had to yell to talk to each other. It was also quite cold inside and very wet.

Technically, this was one big waterfall, but there were several lookout areas where we could see different parts of the falls. We walked through tunnels and up and down stairs both inside and outside of the mountain to see the different falls. I couldn’t believe how powerful the water was, and yet it ends up in a very small river (with a fast current).

After we visited Trümmelbach we walked around Lauterbrunnen for a while and did some shopping. We purchased a variety of souvenirs including cow bells. Afterward we drove to the base of a mountain and took a cable car to the top. We visited the city there called Gimmelwald.

Gimmelwald was definitely not a tourist city. It was cute and quaint and almost untouched. There were fields of wildflowers with goats and cows wandering through. They all had bells around their necks so there was a constant ringing.

One of the best parts about the city was the view. There was a beautiful view of the Alps in almost every direction. It was amazing to see the tall peaks with the snow while walking on quaint streets alongside brightly colored flowers. We weren’t there too long before we had to take the cable car back.

For lunch we went to Hotel Oberland and had fondue and raclette, both Swiss dishes. I had the raclette and everyone else had fondue. Both were cheese dishes and both very delicious. After enjoying the main dish we finished with Apfelstrudel. Of all the meals we’ve eaten, this was by far one of the best.

After lunch we drove out to Schloss Oberhofen. While it was not as big as some of the English or French castles it was still a sight to see. The shingles on the roof and the overall castle is very unique, especially because it sits along the lake. The gardens at the castle were also quite beautiful with an excellent view of the lake as well.

From Oberhofen we took a drive along the lake and out into the valley until we came to two large waterfalls we saw on the way in. We stopped and took a few pictures although the rain was coming down pretty hard by this time. At least the day started out sunny and beautiful, although the sound and smell of the rain was quite refreshing.

For whatever reason, I had hiccups almost all day today. They started just after we finished visiting Gimmelwald. Fortunately as soon as we ate fondue they were gone, but they came back while we were in Oberhofen. As soon as we had chocolate though they disappeared as well… Interesting how that works.

After seeing the waterfalls we drove back and had some dinner and then relaxed and watched a little more of Cranford which was “quite agreeable.”