Switzerland (Heaven)

I booked the cutest chalet apartment in Lauterbrunnen early this year because it’s such a popular destination, right in the heart of the Swiss Alps, that seems to always be booked and have limited options. I knew this was a place I really wanted to experience with the family and it turned out to be the best getaway.

We went over Labor Day weekend, right at the beginning of September. It was still warm during the days, and starting to get chilly at night. The glacier water running in the rivers is a dreamy, milky blue color. The sheer cliffs marked with waterfalls at every turn surround the valley floor carved out by glaciers millions of years ago. This whole area is a 10/10 on the natural beauty scale. It is hard to believe it is real!

What made me the most happy on this trip was how much everyone appreciated being in nature. You can’t help but have a sense of wonder at the beauty.

I do remember lots of complaining from certain kids…maybe they just needed more water or a snack…but the smile stayed on my face. Matt really loved being there too. I think he was the most in heaven, asking again and again when we can come back and wondering how we can retire in a place just like this. We can always dream, right?

Pis Gloria

This was expensive but something I am so glad we did. We got to experience the cable car rides up to the top of a mountain peak, taking in the most incredible views. We could see hikers far down below us making their way up, swimming naked in glacier lakes 🥶, and beautiful mountain goats impossibly hanging on to sheer cliffsides. We went through the clouds, finally arriving at the top where there is a rotating restaurant and James Bond museum, something I had no idea Emme would be obsessed with. It’s safe to say it was her favorite outing ever!

The museum was so fun, learning how they had filmed “Her Majesty’s Secret Service” there and how the film had shaped that surrounding towns. Even the bathrooms were James Bond themed with sound effects and silhouettes, and movie clips reflecting from the mirrors.

We ate the breakfast buffet in the rotating restaurant, trying the different Swiss foods and loving them. We were lucky that the clouds didn’t’ surround us until we were ready to head back down.

I have a fear of heights for sure, made worse when my kids are around, so my knees were shaking and my stomach queasy the whole morning. It was remarkable to see the paragliders at incredible heights. Matt and Brian really wanted to do it. It’s something that really needs to be booked in advance so we didn’t do it this trip. We stopped at a lookout point on the way down that is clear mesh under your feet, and hundreds of feet of drop below, so you feel like you’re just hanging out there. I was happy to get off of it and the kids were happy to laugh at me 😆.

We stopped on the way down to explore the cute village of Murren and Gimmelwald with its honesty shops of homemade items like lace, knitting, honey and treats. I loved the views at every turn, hearing the cow bells echoing through the air, and being there with my family.

Trümmelbach Falls

Just a short walk from our chalet was the opportunity to see glacier waterfalls inside of the mountain. It is a tourist site that has been there for decades with an elevator inside the mountain to take you up to the middle of the falls. You can then hike up further and then down to see all the amazing formations made by the power of the water carving through the mountain. The noise from the waterfalls was consuming, shaking your entire frame. I loved that they had parts that were lit up and viewing areas to really get a feel for all the twists and turns and power of the melting glaciers high on the mountain tops.

My Cow Bell

One of the things I wanted to make sure to do while we in Lauterbrunnen was to find an antique cow bell. Most of the shops just have tourist ones, but I did find a shop with a few different antique bells, some as old as 300 years. I picked out a big one, about 150 years old, with an interesting leather collar. It’s heavy, and smells of old leather and cow for sure. It’s marked with the canton of Valais and the Swiss flags, and patched together in some spots. It was used by a farmer of that region for his lead cow each year when the cows come home, back to the lower valleys from the summer times spent higher in the mountains. The cows are decorated with flowers and bigger, more decorative bells as they are paraded through the street on their way home. I love this bell! It feels personal and special for us. The trick now is to find a wall hook or mount that I could hang it from.

Our last evening in Lauterbrunnen, we walked along the river and sat for a long time. Matt worked on some woodcarving, while the kids skipped rocks and dug in the sand. It was idyllic and something I will never forget.

It really felt like heaven.