Interlaken vacation

June 29 Lauterbrunnen/Trummelbach falls

When we woke up this morning, we had absolutely no idea what we wanted to do or see. We were in no rush because our breakfast was our first priority. Over breakfast, we discussed the possibilities of going to Grindelwald or three other towns Nate wanted to see. There were plenty of tourist attractions such as scenic trains, waterfalls, castles, ice palaces, the two lakes (thus the “Interlaken”), etc. We decided on taking a train to Lauterbrunnen which we had heard was beautiful. When we finally got there, after taking two hours to figure out the Swiss train system and walking through the market of Interlaken. We stopped to have a lunch and didn’t even get going until 3:30. We decided to walk towards the Trummelbach falls. These are waterfalls that drain directly from the glaciers above and are the only glacier falls inside a mountain that are still accessible in Europe. We walked the trail leading there and then I found out that they cost money. (Other waterfalls that we had passed on the way were accessible right from the road and I was under the impression that was the case all the way around.) Regretfully, we paid the money since we had ventured that far and ended up being very surprised by the sight. There were ten falls inside and outside the mountain to see. We got to ride in a lift that pulled us upward at an angle. The falls were quite impressive and we tried to take as many pictures as the water and the dark inside of the mountain would allow. When we got out of the mountain we were surprised that it was daylight and that it was still warm. After that excursion it was 5:00-not enough time to make a hike to the other two towns in the area. We decided to head back to camp and save some sights for tomorrow. When we got back however, we were very sad to find out that the supermarket closed at 7 and that the stir fry we had in mind had to turn into a kebab, burger, and gelato. We also hopped the wrong train which meant that we needed to go right back to where we were and walk home since the buses also stopped running at about 7. These are good things to know, we are just learning them a little bit slowly. Tonight, we retire to World Cup viewing with our new European friends and updating our blog with this wonderful free internet.
Mo