Jeff's Golden Birthday

We had two goals for Jeff’s Golden Birthday 1. Keep his tradition alive and spend the day skiing. 2. Scope out a new country and enjoy another adventure. We definitely succeeded and conquered our goals!

We arrived in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland on Wednesday evening a little later than planned (thanks to a canceled train) but still so excited for what was to come. The views that greeted us were perfect. The mountain was covered in green fields scattered with Swiss chalets, work sheds and a bright yellow train making its way to the next town. The air was crisp and fresh and the birds were joyfully singing. Needless to say, it was quite picturesque and we immediately felt at home.

We stayed at Valley Hostel where we had a great view of the mountains. As we were checking in, the sun began to set and by the time we got to our room we were able to sit on our patio and enjoy the sunset amongst the mountains. Simply stunning! We finished the evening by enjoying pizza at one of the two open restaurants. #offseason

On Thursday, we woke early in anticipation of what was to come... paragliding in the alps! We spent the morning putzing around town, stopping by the local grocery store to get breakfast and a few snacks. Finally, at 11 we set out to meet our paragliding guides. We met the guides at the landing field, made our introductions then took the cable car and ski lift up the mountain. We trekked through some snow to get to our take off zone, got strapped in and took off running. It was INCREDIBLE! There really are no words to describe the experience. The best we have are exhilarating, freeing, surreal, amazing, stunning and sensational. While flying through the sky, we were lucky enough to see a small avalanche, mountain goats and a close up of one of the large waterfalls. Our guides took us on a roller coaster ride where they flip the paraglide back and forth, upside down and all over. They even let us to pilot the paraglider for a bit! Since Mürren is up on the terrace of the mountain, you can’t see it from the landing field. When we started our flight, we were flying over the snowy Alps then popped out over the cliff to soar above the beautiful green valley. It was extraordinary! The whole experience was amazing and definitely one of the best days of our lives.

After such an eventful morning, we decided to take it easy in the afternoon by strolling around the mountain towns. We caught another cable car up the mountain and hopped on an adorable little train which took us along the mountain side back to Mürren. One of the pleasantries of Murren is it’s a carfree city, so you have to take the alternate routes to see the views. Since it’s nearing the end of the season, many of the shops and restaurants were closed but the views were still incredible. We found the perfect mountain side café where we enjoyed the last bit of sun for the day and a warm beverage.

 

We woke early on Friday ready to celebrate Jeff’s big day! We pulled on our ski pants, zipped up our coats and made our way to the slopes. The sun was shining, the lifts were empty, the views were amazing and it felt like we had the mountain to ourselves. The skiing was wonderful however, we were surprised that there weren’t many moguls or tree runs which is what we’re used to. It seems like in the Alps, the more difficult the route the steeper it is versus the bumpier it is like in Colorado. However, unlike Colorado, we didn’t have to wait in a single line and we surpassed our record for number of runs in a day. It was the perfect bluebird day. Swoop swoop swoop!

After a morning full of skiing, we treated ourselves to champagne and a late brunch at the revolving restaurant on the tip-top of the mountain. We had to take two more cable cars to get to it and you guessed it, there were more stunning views… miles upon miles of snowcapped mountains. If you want to know what the restaurant looks like, just watch the 007 film “On Her Majesty's Secret Service”. After brunch we continued our ski adventures and ended the ski day soaking up the last bit of sun while sipping cocktails on the patio at another mountain café. We took the cable cars down the mountain and got ready for a fun fondue and Rösti birthday dinner. They sure do like their cheese and so do we!

We ventured down to Interlaken on Saturday and spent the day wandering through the small town. We walked through the outskirts of town and made our way to a nature trail where we enjoyed an isolated and beautiful view of Lake Thun. The water was crystal clear, you could see everything. Our favorite part was watching the ducks dive to the bottom of the lake and popping back up out of the water, you could see it all. We found an old castle tower and climbed the stairs and tried to imagine what the land looked like back in the day… It’s so hard to imagine! After grabbing a quick lunch at one of the local restaurants, we made our way back across town to the other lake (one lake in a day just isn’t enough). There we sat on an old dock and soaked up the views of Lake Brienz. The last thing on our Switzerland to do list was to indulge in some chocolate fondue… we peeked our heads in a few shops and found one with an outdoor patio and our tasty treat… delicious!

With our check list complete, we made our way back to Lauterbrunnen via the mountain train and enjoyed one last dinner (yes, more fondue) in our cute little mountain town. We weren’t sure what to expect leading up to this trip, but it’s safe to say it exceeded our expectations. Thank you Switzerland for an incredible golden birthday!