Germany, Austria and Switzerland, 2015
Tour Day 6: Murren
Surprise detour to Interlaken
The weather on our last day in Murren did not cooperate to give us the views we were hoping for, so Hans thought fast and planned a day for us in Interlaken. We got on the gondola and traveled down to the valley, being rewarded with beautiful views of the valley floor coated in a thin layer of new snow. It was a different world from the lush, green valley we had seen the day before! We took a short bus ride to this little scenic town at the base of the mountains. It had the most beautiful, turquoise water running through it and lots of little shops where tour members could browse to stay out of the cool, wet weather. David and I decided that a little rain never hurt anyone and ventured off to take a stroll through town and down a scenic walking path that led to the outskirts. It drizzled on and off the whole time, but we came prepared with rain coats, so we enjoyed our quiet time.
We found a group of cows in someone's yard that were fenced in with nothing more than a rope tied to a few posts. Loving the sound of their bells, I ventured close to get a video so I could remember the sound. David laughed at me when I came running back because all the cows were heading my way! They lined up politely at the rope fence and watched us with interest. This picture of them is one of my funniest memories of the trip! Moments like this keep us motivated to explore a bit further off the beaten path.
 InterlakenWe enjoyed the elegant architecture mixed with the enormous, fog-draped mountains and brilliant teal water. |  Interlaken |
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 Interlaken |  Interlaken |
 Interlaken |  Interlaken |
 CowsThese curious cows lined up to check us out when we approached them. |  |
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Chocolate with a side of chicken
Not only did Hans scramble to make a back up plan of taking us into Interlaken, but he was also able to get us a tour of a chocolate shop! He is one smart miracle worker! Who can be upset about the weather when you are being appeased with delicious Swiss chocolate? We got a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how the chocolate is made along with several delicious samples. Everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves. We finished the show with lunch in the attached restaurant, which included a chicken dish made with a chocolate based sauce. It sounds strange, but it was lovely. We ended up having a wonderful, unexpected afternoon and felt grateful to have someone experienced with us who could help find us such a fun alternative! We never would have thought of that on our own!
Gimmelwald
Once we got back to the valley, Hans got us gondola tickets to return to Murren for the evening. He talked to the operators for us and they agreed to allow those who wanted to see Gimmelwald to stop there and then continue up the mountain on the same ticket. We had heard a lot about Gimmelwald through reading other scrapbooks and watching Rick's shows, so we definitely wanted to see it. Though the fog obscured the mountain views, we loved wandering around the quaint little village taking in the little houses with the perfect wood stacks and meeting the local animals. We laughed at the goofy mountain goats and introduced ourselves to one particularly friendly cat. We enjoyed the snow covered wildflowers and the absolute peace we found there - there were almost no other people wandering about! We enjoyed a walk around the tiny town before heading up to our hotel to warm up.
 Hans teaching us GermanHans was determined to teach us a little more German every day! Here he was teaching us the German word for exit. |  GimmelwaldWe loved how well marked all the trails were with clear distances. Here was our first view of Gimmelwald. |
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 Chilly wildflowers! |  Swiss firewoodWe couldn't believe the precision that went into stacking firewood just so! |
 GimmelwaldDavid venturing into the fog in Gimmelwald. |  Happy to be hiking in the snow! |
 Gimmelwald was beautiful even in the fog that day. We watched as the fog rolled in, making a solid wall and completely obscuring the mountains. So strange that you can be staring at a mountain just feet away and not be able to see it! |  We found many friendly cats in the area. |
 This cat followed us all around the village, I suppose supervising us. |  |
 Mountain goatsLoved these mountain goats who were as interested in us as we were in them! |  Goats |
 GoatsDoesn't this look like the grandfather goat? |  Gimmelwald homeI can't imagine a more quaint, picturesque mountain home, complete with perfectly stacked firewood, bicycles and a watch cat! |
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We finished up the night with a Swiss-style dinner and traditional Swiss music. We had accordion and alp horn players entertain us before dinner and then they took us into the dining room with an accordion-led conga line. The whole tour group participated, and even a few college students enjoying beers in the bar joined in (after watching us, laughing and getting lots of video first!). It was a great laugh and a testament to how much fun we had together! When given the chance to try the alp horn we jumped at it! We got to try the bagpipes on our Scotland tour last year, so we wanted to make sure our musical instrument repertoire was filled out! After all, how many people can say they have played an alp horn in the Swiss alps? We loved our time in Switzerland, and though we were sad to be done, we were looking foward to venturing onward to Munich and then Austria!
