Leaving Stresa, the parents and I said goodbye to Martin and headed to the Lauterbrunnen Valley in the middle of Switzerland. I had been to the valley the previous summer and could easily compare it to Yosemite National Park in California…better yet, Yosemite on crack. Approximately 70 waterfalls decorate the sheer granite cliffs of the valley and the lush green valley floor is perfectly divided by the stream that collects the waterfalls water.
We arrived Monday afternoon, having left sunny Italy to find ourselves in a valley of rain. And to make things worse I was suffering from a slight head cold that was bordering swine flu territory. Needless to say, the three nights in town were mellow in comparison, although we did still manage to make friends with the local bartender…go figure.
The rain ceased the following day, but the clouds remained, making it a perfect day for a walk through the valley and up to Trummelbach falls, a set of 10 waterfalls, with snow melt from the mountains of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau, cut through the granite mountain. It sounded impressive and worth showing the parents, and no surprise, it was.
The following day the clouds parted leaving us with a perfect day to take the tram up the mountain to the little Swiss village of Murren. With a quick tram ride and 10 minute train ride along the ridge, we found ourselves in the sleepy village for a sunny afternoon stroll and even more amazing views of the Alps. I had been to the town the previous August, but unfortunately the day was completely foggy and all views were eliminated into the white mist… without the clouds, there was plenty to admire. And with such a nice day, we took the hour long walk back along the ridge to the tram rather than the train. It wasn’t until we were about to board the tram to begin our decent back down to the valley, losing all views of the mountains, that I finally realized that the stunning mountains we had been admiring all afternoon were in fact the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau…I never said I was a good tour guide, but thankfully my mom had already taken plenty of photos without realizing the significance of the subject.
We the left the valley the following day and made our way back to Zurich for one final weekend before the parents left. The two weeks went surprisingly fast and by the time we enjoyed our final dinner together in Zurich, it seemed so natural to have them here, sitting at the table with Martin and myself eating BBQ chicken and drinking grappa.
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