The Swiss Alps! With several days of fortunate good weather in the Berner Oberland, we fell in love with the beauty, majesty, and serenity of the Jungfrau region. It’s one of those places, like national parks, where photos really don’t do it justice but we still got some pretty good ones. 😊
Although it was a scenic but long day of travel from Lausanne (we counted 7 transfers of trains, trams, and cable cars — Jacob was a real trooper), it was definitely worth the effort. With our home base in the small, friendly, car-free village of Murren, we were able to explore a lot by cable car and tram.
Though Jacob loved watching all the different modes of transports zipping around (as well as construction zones, as always), he still hasn’t quite embraced “hiking” – even on an all-downhill, paved road, “family-friendly” walk from Murren to Gimmelwald. So, with the help of an in-home daycare that caters to both locals and tourists, Dave and I got to do a quite stunning and challenging hike on the Northface Trail one morning while Jacob enjoyed playing with someone else’s toys and apparently was chatting it up about the Matterhorn with some English-speaking Swiss kids.
About 2.5-3 weeks into our travels, we feel like we turned a corner with more effective adjustments in Jacob’s routine and the structure of the days on the road (and in places where it doesn’t get dark until 930/10pm). Often our picnic dinners on the patio are more enjoyable than even the most casual restaurant experience. And Jacob slept the best yet during his 3 nights in Murren, which meant all of us had better days.
Admiring the Swiss kids walking around with mini hiking poles and legit hiking boots, we’d love to return when Jacob is a little older to do more outdoor adventuring in this incredible place.
