Germany, Austria and Switzerland, 2015
Tour Day 4: Murren
"On the Road Again" - with Willie!
We loved our time with Hans on the bus, and "On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson became our theme song for the trip - Hans played this at the beginning of each leg of our journey! It felt just like old road trips with my family, as my dad always used to kick us off with that song. Hans was full of useful information, language lessons and humorous stories. Those things, coupled with the georgeous scenery, made the bus time fly by!
The whole group was looking forward to heading to Switzerland - it was a favorite destination for those who had been in the past. On our way there, we stopped for the morning at the Black Forest Open Air Museum. We learned about life on a farm in the Black Forest in the 17th century. We had the loveliest local guide who showed us the old farm houses. After the tour we enjoyed lunch and Hans treated us to an authentic Black Forest cake and cherry schnapps. A few of us succumbed to the lure of the cuckoo clocks as we did a quick shopping trip before heading back to the bus.
 The Black ForestWe loved watching the rolling hills of the Black Forest as we drove through on our way to Switzerland. |  Hans was kind enough to demonstrate the proper way to wear the local head accessories. |
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 Our lovely Black Forest Museum guide |  Black Forest Open Air Museum |
 Farmhouse |  Black Forest Farmhouse |
 Farmhouse interior |  Hans wearing a BollenhutThis hat with red balls would have been worn by a female to indicate she is single and available. |
 Cuckoo clock shopWe caved and bought a cuckoo clock to remember our trip by, and we are so glad we did! It was a bit of a splurge, but so worth it. |  Black forest cake! Delicious! |
 Happy to be trying the cake! |
Next stop, Switzerland!
On our way to Murren, our home for the next three nights, we stopped at an Autogrille in Switzerland to get some Swiss Francs. This was the only time during the tour that we would need to use a different currency. Hans helped us all figure out how much we needed. We had heard of Autogrilles in Italy, but they apparently exist in other countries too. It was a giant, beautiful shopping complex with all sorts of great snack options. Of course we had to try some of the Lindt flavors we can't get at home!
 Lauterbrunnen ValleyEven in the fog, we could tell that the Lauterbrunnen Valley would be one of the most beautiful places we have ever been! |  Lauterbrunnen ValleyThe water was really that color! Stunning! |  Happy to be in Switzerland! |
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 Murren |  Cozy ski lodge room |  Swiss fondue!You can't beat sitting down to a meal that starts with real Swiss fondue on a cold, rainy evening! It was perfect. |
We drove through the Lauterbrunnen Valley to jaw-dropping views. Even in the fog and the rain, it was easily one of the most beautiful places we had ever been. Everyone had been a bit worried about the bad weather predictions we had been getting, but upon arrival we knew that this place would be spectacular no matter the weather!
We loaded up into the gondola that zipped us smoothly up thousands of feet to our home base of Murren, high above the valley floor. We quickly disappeared into the fog and came out to a cold, rainy Murren. We walked to our hotel and the manager was there to greet us. Hans asked him what the weather looked like for tomorrow and he smiled and said "not as nice as today." Our whole group laughed - it was so fun to have a whole group of people that take the "no grumps" policy serious. They were not about to let the weather stop them from having a great time!
After unpacking, we settled down for a delicious dinner of Swiss fondue and then turned in to get some rest. We had a big day of hiking ahead of us!