And now for our favorite portion of the Eurotrip: Mürren, Switzerland! When you think of Switzerland, this is the kind of place you picture. Mountains, waterfalls, cows, wildflowers, chalets. Swiss perfection.
We took a series of trains from Geneva to Lauterbrunnen (fully checking off my “ride a train from one place to another” bucket list item). I tell you what, if you’re looking to experience real train travel for the first time, do it in Switzerland. It’s super spendy, but pretty darn nice. Just like everything else in Switzerland, I suppose.
Lauterbrunnen is in a valley surrounded by the Alps. We stayed in Mürren, which is way up above it, 5,413 feet into the mountains, accessible by tram and a small train. The town is vehicle-free and is IN THE ALPS, so it’s pretty cool, I guess. This was the view from the final train stop:
We heard and saw several dozen tiny avalanches as soon as we got there. The sound is kind of terrifying, but it was fun to try to find the source of the rumble. Plus, the falling snow looks like a waterfall!
We stayed in this cozy Airbnb, which allowed us to just stare at those amazing mountains at all times. If you ever go to Mürren, I highly recommend this place.
On our first night in Mürren, we opted to try the traditional Swiss cuisine: fondue. As a cheese lover, I felt like I could handle this. The verdict? A giant bowl of warm cheese is not my jam. Sorry, Switzerland.
Our next day was pretty magical. We started with a tram ride up to the Schilthorn, 9,744 feet up into the mountains. There’s a restaurant at the top with a breakfast buffet (you can score a discounted tram ride and breakfast combo ticket if you take the earliest ride up to the top), so after admiring the view from the deck, we got to eat pancakes in a rotating restaurant overlooking the Alps. Apparently you can see over 200 peaks as the restaurant turns. Magic, I tell ya. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Eric so happy.
The Schilthorn was hilarious because the seating area slowly spins, but the buffet doesn’t, so everyone was so disoriented after looking up from the buffet that they couldn’t find their tables. Luckily, the tables are numbered, so you can count your way back around to your seat.
Apparently, some James Bond movie (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) was filmed here in the 1960’s, so there are all of these 007 tributes around the Piz Gloria, including a cardboard cutout of James Bond holding a gun, which scared me to death at least 3 times.
After breakfast, we took a nice long hike from Mürren to Gimmelwald, and then down to the valley floor. It was gloriously beautiful. Seriously, why aren’t we all living in Switzerland? It just doesn’t make sense.
On May 1, we woke up to this:
Snow! In the Swiss Alps! Can you even believe the magic? Obviously, we were forced to eat a lot of cheese and chocolate to keep warm.
Mürren, you’re the best.
-Ally
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