Y3W1 - The Swiss Alps and Riveria

One of the highlights of our stay in Europe has been the opportunity to visit the Alps. Having spent our college years in Utah, we where afforded the chance to hop on a bike, put on a pair of shoes, or jump in the car, and within ten to twenty minutes we could be in the mountains. Ellyn doesn’t have the same nostalgia for the outdoor sports as I do, but I know that she does share my affinity for their beauty.

While our present location doesn’t afford us the option of riding a bike to the Alps, Germany does have a significant difference in elevation diversity compared to Michigan [this is the moment when Ellyn's mom (and other life long Michiganders) chimes in with a comment about the Porcupine Mountains in the UP (upper peninsula)]. This is not a shout down on my beloved home state, I’ll defend the lakes and outdoor life available in Michigan with the best of them, but when it comes to mountains, you need to call a spade a spade. Longing to get outside, seeing an excellent weekend weather forecast, and coupling it with a German Holiday (Whit Monday), the stars were aligned for a 5 hour drive to Switzerland.

We got ourselves down to Bern by about 2:30pm with no particular agenda in mind. We strolled the old town part of Bern enjoying the architecture, saw an interactive movie about the city’s history, and ended up in the Rosengarten with a fantastic view of the city and ample space to let the kids run around. It was a nice change of pace, not running from museum to museum or church to church, just relaxing in a park in a new city.

The next day, we made our way ~45 minutes south to the Bernese Alps. On our previous trip to this area, we hit the amazing triple peak range of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. Wanting to change it up a little bit, we drove to the small little mountain town Kandersteg (population ~1,000). It’s a great place to begin hikes and climbing. We chose a moderate loop that took us around a small glacier lake called Oeschinensee surrounded the Gspaltenhorn (3,437 m), Blümlisalphorn (3,660 m), Fründenhorn (3,369 m), and Doldenhorn (3,638m) peaks. It was made easier by a gondola ride part way up the mountain. The girls enjoy running, climbing and posing for pictures while Lleyton rode along in the backpacker.

After a couple hours of exploring, we grab some lunch near the lake and headed for the highlight experience of the day, the Rodelbahn (sport toboggan run). The girls and I took a couple runs – it was great fun.

As we were driving out of the valley, I posed the idea of returning to Bern via Lake Geneva - not exactly the most direct route to Bern. Our chosen route included a drive through the mountains and the Jungpass - once again, delivering some spectacular views.

We were excited to see Château Chillon located on the eastern banks of Lake Geneva. Our scenic drive landed us at Château Chillon five minutes after closing (we got hosed by a 20 minute traffic jam in an obscure town named Bulle). We were generally cool with the idea of walking around the shore as the highlight of the place is its location on the lake and we’re hitting castle tour burnout. The sunshine glittering on the water with the mountains in the background made for an exquisite view. We ended the day with some dinner in a nearby park.

Wanting to get back home in good form, we spent a little extra time on Monday, driving through the Emmental valley checking out the classic Swiss farm, chalets, and covered bridges.

In other family news, my brother Tyler and his wife Minde welcomed a brand new baby girl into their family. Riley arrived just as we were leaving for Switzerland. We got the good news of her healthy arrival before our trip and the final edict on her name when we returned. We know how it is picking a name, each of our kids were nameless for at least a day before we could decide. Sometimes the hospital checkout date was needed to provide the pressure necessary to get us to choose. Avery is fired up about the name Riley. Her best friend in Ann Arbor is named Riley. Congratulations go out to Ty, Minde and big brother Chase.