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“Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing.”
- Barry Finlay
SWITZERLAND
Day 7
After breakfast, our group said " Au Revoir" to France, piled into the bus, and settled in for our trip to the next stop: The Alps!
As we wound through the countryside, some of us used the time to catch up on sleep, others wrote in their journals, while many just sat back and enjoyed the passing scenery. Emma and Yorick provided helpful information about our next destination and some history about the area.
We stopped en route to enjoy lunch at an unconventional cafeteria-type restaurant. Rick always knows the best, most interesting stops!
Madeline and I both thought we had ordered fish, but it turned out we had ordered chicken. It was still good, but we got a good laugh out of it.
In case you had any questions on Switzerland's bathroom etiquette - I've got you covered!
As the bus wound its way through the mountains, there were two types of people: the white-knuckled folks closing their eyes and holding on for dear life... and the ones pressing their noses against the glass in excitement and awe.
When we arrived in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, we loaded our bags into the reserved Rick Steves train car that was waiting to take us up to Wengen, where our hotel was located.
The Hotel Falken was breathtaking; our twin room on the 4th floor had doors and windows opening up to an ever-so-slightly pitched balcony overlooking the Alps. I had to drag myself away from that beautiful view, because the sleigh bed's real down feather comforter was calling me! I crossed the handcrafted wooden floors, and sunk down into the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in! It was a surreal experience. I'm sure I've seen this cozy, creaky room in a movie before!
Our first Swiss dining experience was nothing short of spectacular. We started with something familiar:
the traditional starter of Swiss cheese fondue and mixed salad. When the main course was served, we found sauteed turkey scallops with mushroom sauce, carrots, peas, and roasted potatoes on our plates.
Dessert was equally familiar, yet still tasty: profiterole with whipped cream (cream puffs!).
With full bellies, we headed outside to enjoy some fine Swiss entertainment (which, as it turns out, was specifically for our tour group - bonus!). These lovely Swiss gentlemen serenaded us with alphorns, and then offered the instruments to us. The kids absolutely loved it. Watching the kids' faces contort trying to make the horn sound as good as the professionals was hilarious and priceless! We did have a trumpet player in our group, and his sound was so much better than mine. Below are some of the tunes we were privy to. You can see my attempt at the horn, as well as what it should sound like!
I was the best one!
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