On A Grand Tour

I have to write a second post for our trip to Lauterbrunnen because there was just way too much packed into 48 hours for one post! Day 2 in Lauterbrunnen dawned cloudy and rainy, making us thank our lucky stars that we had our mountain fun yesterday when we had great views. Waterfalls hurtling over the edges of cliffs look just as impressive with tendrils of clouds creeping down the mountainsides, so we were perfectly happy to spend the day exploring the “Valley of 72 Waterfalls.” And they weren’t exaggerating when they named it. I wish I had counted the number of waterfalls we passed as we walked the valley. As a Southern Californian who is used to near-constant drought and a very decided lack of water, I am always taken aback by places that have water in abundance.

Fun Fact: Apparently this valley was inspirational to JRR Tolkein in his creation of The Lord of the Rings. If I squint my eyes, I can almost believe I’m in Rivendell, looking up towards the Misty Mountains in the background (nerd alert!).

Today’s itinerary consisted of a long walk down the entire length of the Lauterbrunnen valley. We explored the famous waterfall right outside of town, Staubbach Waterfall, but also found a few off-the-beaten-path waterfalls that we had all to ourselves. We quickly learned that any German name that included “bach” meant some sort of water feature, so we made lots of detours (see the above, we-come-from-a land-without-fresh-water comment). We had a pleasant surprise in Trümmelbach Falls, which has thundered down the mountain from the glaciers of Jungfrau, Eiger, and Mönch with such ferocity that it has carved a path deep into the rock. We got to walk deep into the cliffside following the twists and turns of the falls, the air and water temperature getting colder with each step.  

Inclement weather has never stopped us from fun. In fact, the list of places in which we have been caught in downpours without jackets, umbrellas, or even a convenient nearby overhang for protection is quite long (Mexico, Singapore, Thailand, every major city in the northern, southern, and eastern US). The fact that we actually brought rain packets along today was a proud moment – it’s amazing how much more comfortable you are when you aren’t drenched!

Between the lush green fields, the sheer vertical cliffs, the constant rushing water, the soundtrack of  cowbells in the background, and the yummy Swiss food to warm us up at the end of the day, life couldn’t get much better. It was hard to tear ourselves away at the end of the day. Of course, we ended our trip the same way we started it – with no sleep. Somehow we decided that, in the interest of squeezing a couple more hours into our weekend, it would be a good idea to take the very last train of the night to a farther train station, resulting in a 40-minute walk across Geneva at 2:00 am. If you keep reading these posts, you will start to notice a pattern.

Be ready, because we are bringing everyone here.