A few things happened over the past couple of days that made our time in Switzerland more enjoyable than it already was.  Firstly, I stopped comparing this trip to an old trip in the June of 1999.  April in Switzerland is very changeable and when I dealt with the notion that it wasn’t going to be sunshine and long walks under the shadow of the Eiger then I could focus on the memories being made in the here and now.

It also stopped raining, which made life a lot easier.  And it started snowing instead, which made everything magical.  The clouds didn’t clear but they did lift, which gave a hint of the towering peaks surrounding us.  When the sun did shine, it transformed everything and we didn’t waste a moment when it did.

Finally, we accepted that Switzerland is expensive.  Travelling for three months is not like going on a two-week holiday, you can’t simply do everything and eat in every restaurant that takes your fancy.  No matter how cosy and enticing they look.  So, when we stopped being miserly and accepted our fate we were able to enjoy what a delightful place it was.

Since Lucerne, we’ve spent nearly all our time in and around Interlaken which is tucked between two of the bluest lakes you can imagine.  We’ve seen more waterfalls than you could poke a stick at, somehow messed up a parking machine and paid for a 36-minute ticket in Grindelwald. We lashed out on a fondue with white wine, Kerry bought some very fine Swiss chocolates and we spent more than we would like on campsites… in the most amazing locations.

The Lauterbrunnen Valley has enthused writers from Byron to Tolkien. Apparently, it’s the inspiration for Rivendell in The Lord of the Rings.  He visited sometime in the early twentieth century and the comparison seems fair.  If any place on this earth is fit for Elves, then it was here.

Our campsite alone was the whole days budget but you could see the Staubbauch Falls gently drifting down the cliff from our camper.  We had a glass of wine, which turned into two and we decided shite with it, let’s go out for tea.  Does life get much better than tucking into great food, by the fire in a cozy restaurant?  I don’t think so, and in a trip filled with highlights this was something special.  To top it off the waterfall was lit with floodlights to cap off a perfect day.

The clouds hadn’t lifted enough to take a cable car to the highest peaks but it had risen enough for us to take the funicular railway to the top of Harder Kulm. It had tempted us with glimpses for a couple of days and we were glad to get the chance to appreciate its impressive views of Interlaken. With most goals achieved, and all our Swiss Francs now gone, we move South to Italy and hopefully some warmer weather.