Lauterbrunnen

This has GOT to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. Located in the German side of Switzerland, Lauterbrunnen is a place fairy tales are made of. Waterfalls falling everywhere around you, the sound of cowbells in the distance, and little wooden shacks in the hills like you pictured when reading “Heidi”. Pretend you are in a different age and be Swiss for the day by taking a gondola up the mountain and indulging in a hot pot of cheese fondue and sourdough bread.

Amazing snow capped Alps, the greenest grass, and the tinkling of cow’s bells in the background.

Amazing summer flowers blooming between 7 waterfalls.

One of the most amazing days of my entire life was spent on the edge of a cliff 2,400 feet above the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland. I have hiked all of my life but never anything requiring ropes or mountain climbing experience. On the Via Ferrata, which translates to “way of iron”, I was able to literally hike on the edge of a cliff using rebar steps that were drilled into the side of the cliff. We rented the necessary equipment in nearby Murren to take advantage of the safety cable also drilled into the rock. It was definitely the most thrilling adventure I have ever done. With only one piece of rebar between your hiking boots and the valley below, it is not for the faint-of- heart! Not only was the scenery unbelievable, but it was an amazing experience.

The Lauterbrunnen Valley extends just south of Interlaken and penetrates deep into the Bernese Oberland to form arguably one of the most scenic valleys in the country. Rock walls thousands of feet high loom here over tidy farmhouses; no fewer than 72 waterfalls punctuate the valley, thundering off the cliffs and sending clouds of mist into the air. It’s no wonder that Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien modeled the Elven city of Rivendell from what he saw on a visit here in 1911. To get a good feel for the surroundings, take a fairly flat, easy hike from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg at the head of the valley. It’ll take you at least a couple of hours to cover the three miles or so, but your reward will be passing the 940-foot-high Staubbach Falls—one of Europe’s highest and most gorgeous. To learn more about the landscapes and parks of the Jungfrau region, visit jungfrauregion.ch/en/welcome.