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The Bernese Oberland


Returning to Switzerland was very exciting, realising we could actually afford to eat and drink this time! Yippee.

We landed in Zurich and immediately got on the train towards Interlaken, where we would begin our hiking adventure. Sure, Switzerland is expensiiiiive. BUT, everything works like clockwork and boy did we appreciate that after being on Spanish time for 3.5 years. Information desk people were answering your questions before you had even formulated them in your brain and train conductors were apologising for 30 second delays! Oh, the joy!


Hooray, rain!



After a walk around Interlaken in the rain, we returned home for a quiet night in. There we were, in a nice hotel room with beautiful crisp white sheets and what looked like freshly painted walls... Why not celebrate with a bottle of red wine??? No bottle opener? No problem! 

And as I looked up to see Brad forcing the cork into the bottle with a butter knife with brute force, right next to the white sheets of the bed, I lept into a slow motion "nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo." But alas, it was too late. There was red wine EVERYWHERE. Alllll over the white sheets, all over the walls and even some splashes on the curtains on the other side of the room. As traumatic as this all was, it will forever be a wonderful story to tell!

After such a stressful evening, it was exciting to get up the next morning and step on board the cute little Schynige Platte train which would take us high up into the Bernese Oberland, where we would start our hike. 


View from the train over Interlaken

Choo choo! So much excitement.


We started along the trail from Schynige Platte toward Faulhorn, about a 10 km hike up hill, where we had a reservation that night. The weather was not the best, and we ended up trudging through snow for a lot of it, but this also meant that there were no people on the trails - we had the place practically to ourselves!



Well, that is one way to keep the beer cold!
From the Sahara to the snowy Bernese Alps





We made it to Faulhorn at around 4 pm and enjoyed a 15 dollar beer each whilst playing a game of 500, waiting for the weather to clear. This place is 2680 metres above sea level and has a 360 degree view over the Bernese Alps. It also has all of its supplies delivered by helicopter as there are no roads or train lines anywhere near it. Luckily, the skies cleared for dinner and we were treated to some of the most beautiful views of the entire trip.





Those 15 dollar beers were going down well, obviously.


The next day we enjoyed a nice warm breakfast and coffee, before heading off to our next destination which was about 16 ks away. It was a tough hike, carrying heavy packs with all of our stuff and we were absolutely exhausted when we finally arrived in Alpiglen that afternoon. It was however, very much "gliking" aka glamourous hiking. We didn't have to carry any camping gear or food for our big meals as we were able to find mountain huts along the way that served hot, delicious meals. The Swiss sure know how to do it!



Are we there yet?!


High on the hill, was a lonely goatherd !

Packed house for lunch
View from Alpiglen Berghaus - our accommodation on the second night


On the last day we woke to beautiful weather, which was perfect, because we were planning on hiking the UNESCO listed Eiger Trail that day before hopping on the train up to Jungfraujoch (the highest train station in the world). We trudged off along the Eiger trail from Alpiglen, which follows the HUGE cliff face of the Eiger mountain up 6 kms to Eigergletscher station. There, we joined a train full of tourists and scared them off with our sweaty hiking attire on the way up to the top of Europe.


Hiking the Eiger Trail

View from the top of Europe - Jungfraujoch 3454m

It's important to always match your beanie with your backpack haha!


That afternoon, we were back down the hill and on a train to beautiful Lucerne, where we spent a night at a hotel with a beautiful view of the chapel bridge in the city centre. The next day, we made the most of the beautiful summer weather and explored the city before jumping on our flight back to Gran Canaria.


Lion Monument, Lucerne

Chapel Bridge, Lucerne

View from hotel room in Lucerne
An aperol spritz kinda day!

Beautiful Lake Lucerne

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