The travels: part 6

Switzerland! We woke up in Interlaken. Here are a couple shots from our little balcony. 

Next was the part of the trip we were most excited for, I think. We were going to Trummelbach Falls! We had stopped at the falls on our last trip through Europe, but as chance would have it, it was the day before our camera got stolen. Our goal on this trip was to retake some of the awesome pictures we had previously taken so we could share one of our favorite places with everyone! Trummelbach Falls is just outside of Lauterbrunnen, on the way to the cable car that takes you up to Gimmelwald. It is in a breathtakingly beautiful valley. So, from Interlaken we took one of the private railways to Lauterbrunnen and from there we took the bus to the falls. (It is not cheap but it is worth it!)

This is after getting off the bus, on the trail towards the entrance to the falls.

Morning on the mountains

It was kind of like deja vu.. last time we were here there was a huge group of tourists from India. This time we got there just as two buses full of tourists showed up. I guess its a popular spot for tour groups from India!

...Don't throw your kids in the water...
The water that makes Trummelbach Falls is directly from the glaciers higher up on the mountain. To start the visit you get into an elevator that takes you almost straight up inside the mountain and then you work your way down and around from there. Last time we came, in the early part of June, there was so much water pouring down that there were times that I could not even breath! It was such an adrenaline rush! On some of the viewing platforms we didn't even dare walk all the way out because the water was just about coming over the rails. This time we were a little disappointed.. It was the end of April and I imagine it hadn't been warm enough to melt enough ice to create the thundering falls we saw last time. No adrenaline rush, but it was beautiful nonetheless. If you ever get the chance to visit these falls, definitely do it, especially in June! :)

The view from a part of the walkway looking out toward the valley.

Here are a couple panoramics. Its hard to capture just how amazing it all is. You are basically inside a mountain, with tons of water falling all around you! Its loud and damp and dark. A couple places you can see all the way to the top where the water comes in.

 

This is Kennan's favorite fall, the "corkscrew" (the 3 pictures around this)

The picture on the left is the view when you come out of the mountain. The rest of these are just pictures from the valley. So beautiful!! In late May and June the waterfalls coming down the mountain faces are also about 10 times the size they are in April.

..I couldn't decide which of these I liked better..

Good times! After the waterfall fun we hopped on a train that would take us to Chaumont, the city where my grandparents lived when they lived in France. We had a train change over in Mulhouse, France. Since its so close to the German border it has a lot of German influence. We went to the free city museum and then sat on a bench and ate German pretzels. :)