Tags
backpacking, family, fondue, friends, gimmelwald, gondola, hostel, interlocken, lauterbrunnen, mountains, murren, schilthorn, swiss alpes, switzerland, travel, views, village
I have been nervous yet excited to write this blog post since the very beginning of this journey. Our time in the magical villages outside of Interlocken in Switzerland was by far the most special part of our three week Europe trip. So, that being said, this blog might have a different tone than you’re used to.
After an exhausting few weeks on buses, trains, planes and everything in between we were beyond excited to get to Switzerland where our plans consisted of marvelling in all the glory that is the Swiss Alpes. Okay, there were a few other things on our to do list, but I’ll get to that later.
After a lost train ticket, 5am wake up call and 4 quick train rides we made it safely to the adorable village of Lauterbrunnen and our perfect little family run hostel.
Now, some of you may wonder how on Earth one finds out about a place as small as Lauterbrunnen. Well, let me tell you a little story…
Many, many years ago a beautiful young woman from New Brunswick and a charming young man from British Columbia met at the Mountain Hostel in Gimmelwald, Switzerland (which is just a gondola ride up the mountain from Lauterbrunnen). It was in this perfectly quaint little Swiss Village that they lived, adventured and ultimately fell in love.
Why is this relevant to us you might ask? Well, that lovely couple was actually Danyka’s parents. And they did in fact meet in Gimmelwald many years before while they were both backpacking and staying at the Mountain Hostel. Danyka’s parents have been like second parents to me. They truly are some of the most amazing people in the world and I feel so fortunate that they have been so welcoming and kind to me all these years. So since the beginning planning stages of this European adventure we always knew that this was the one place we couldn’t miss.
Arriving at our hostel that afternoon we couldn’t have been more excited to get a room with a little loft where we would sleep. It was like our own private little apartment (minus the fact that it was just beds…) there was a picturesque window that looked out on the village and alpes that surrounded us. It was perfect.
That first night we headed across the street to the Oberland Restaurant where we proceeded to have the most amazing cheese fondue I’ve ever had… Seriously, it was like heaven. But better… And then the next day we geared up in our warmest attire, went to the store to stock up for a picnic and then hopped on the gondola to see where all that magic first happened.
Danyka had been looking forward to visiting the Mountain Hostel where her parents met pretty much her whole life, and I have to tell you, it was a pretty amazing thing to be a part of. Sadly, the hostel was closed for the winter but we did have the greatest little picnic outside with wine to commemorate the experience.
Though it was quite foggy we still took about a zillion pictures (don’t judge, you would have too!) and then we jumped back on the gondola and headed up to the next (and a bit larger) village of Murren where her parents had worked and hung out. We wandered around the town, went shopping, ice skating and then for another amazing dinner. After this first full day we decided to extend our stay in hopes that by Wednesday we would have clearer weather and be able to experience the real glory of the mountains that everyone had been so fondly talking about. And I am so glad that we did.
That day was probably one of the most perfect days of my life. It also happened to be January 22, which would have been my dad’s 59th birthday.
I lost my dad a few years ago to cancer, which as I’m sure you can imagine was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through. But if there was one thing my dad loved, it was the mountains. My brother and I grew up on the ski hill, learning to ski almost before we learned to walk. And that day it was as if the heavens opened up and my dad was shining down, taking it all in with us.
We took to gondola all the way up to the top of the Schilthorn (which is one of the highest peaks in Europe) and the views were absolutely breathtaking. There aren’t enough adjectives in the world to describe the beauty we saw that day. It was magical. We went to the revolving restaurant (where the James Bond movie was actually filmed) for breakfast where we toasted to my amazing dad on the mountain top.
Afterwards we just wandered around taking it all in and basking in the sunlight. Again, we took a million pictures. I think we both just wanted to remember every single moment. I think these photos sum it up pretty perfectly…
That day and those memories from Switzerland will stay with me forever. I’m so grateful that Danyka’s parents met there, that I met Danyka and that we were able to experience something so amazing together. It is something that I will always cherish.
With Love,
CW
In Loving Memory, RBW.
Miss you always. Love you forever.
With Love, CW 
Oh Court, what a great post! Your thoughts about your dad sharing the day with you brought a tear to my eye. Beautiful.
My first time in Europe I visited Grimmelwald, and can remember the breathtaking views, and crystal clear sunny skies. I am so happy to hear you had an amazing experience there!
Thanks so much, Elaine. That means a lot!
So neat that you’ve been there too. Did you go in the Winter or Summer? I’d love to go back in the summer sometime to see the fields of flowers and animals!