Swiss Missives: What Would Rick Steves Do?

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of hosting Adam and Julie who came through Switzerland over Julie’s teaching break on their way to Austria. I took a day off work and we spent the long weekend making our way to Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen, two place I’d heard a lot about over the past 20 months but had yet to visit. Interlaken is a destination for outdoor sports enthusiasts and Lauterbrunnen is known for its waterfalls and beautiful scenery.

Lauterbrunnen
We spent Sunday hiking around Lauterbrunnen (though it was more on walking trails than actual hill climbing) and had pretty much perfect weather. The only slight disappointment was that we were ahead of season for Trümmelbach Falls, a collection of ten waterfalls inside of a mountain.

Here are some photos from our journey:

Adam and I are surprised to find Christmas in April (photo by Julie)

Julie and I chill by a creek (photo by Adam)

Authentic glacial spring water. It was fantastic — and none of us got sick!

On our hike out we had passed several small farms including many which sell “Alpine Cheese.” Of course, it being a Sunday in Switzerland, nothing was open. However, on our way back we saw a farmer baling hay and wondered aloud about the possibility of obtaining some cheese. After a couple moments of deliberation, Adam decided to approach the barn and made an inquiry. The man told us to go back a bit and up a short path to a nearby house. This was apparently his parents’ place and they would be the ones to ask. Fortunately, a little old Swiss German man was already outside and Adam made fine use of his high school German. We were invited to sit down while he went and cut us a wedge and some samples.

I always joke that from what I’ve seen of Rick Steves’ travel videos, he would have everyone go to a remote village somewhere, knock on a random door and invite himself in for dinner to get the most ‘authentic’ experience possible. This was our definitive Rick Steves moment. While we certainly didn’t impose, we were able to enjoy a nice little taste of the Swiss Alps.

Adam, awaiting cheese amidst some amazing scenery

Julie, awaiting some cheese with the housecat

we think these bells were awards – our host rang them all for us (photo by Julie)

Adam, the cheese guy and one enormous bell (photo by Julie)

the cheese was pretty great too

Interlaken
We arrived in Interlaken Sunday evening and found a place to grab some good Swiss German food (mainly rösti, which I think I’ve described before as glorified hashbrowns - but in a good way) for dinner. The next morning we awoke to lots a rain and explored the city while hoping for the clouds to part in time for our 3:00 paragliding appointment. Alas, it was not to be. Our guides even took us up the mountain to check on the conditions but determined we couldn’t make the leap. A bit disheartened, we resolved to reschedule for the future (currently set for late June). And the rain may have been a letdown, but it didn’t dampen our spirits too much.

Sunset over Interlaken (the night before the rain began)

Enjoying some local beer

Geneva
The only good thing about paragliding being cancelled was the chance to make it back to Geneva in time for Monday night Pub Quiz at Mr. Pickwick. The next day I was back at work, but Adam and Julie made it around the town to see all the landmarks (and fortunately had great weather). We capped off their visit with Tuesday Night Jazz at local music school AMR. All in all, a great time!