Europe

The sky is not that far… Switzerland – Interlaken and the surroundings

Violet cows with bells, pastoral landscape of  the mountain meadows with thoroughly mown grass and white peaks of the Alps in the background, that’s the picture of the commercial… no of Switzerland – Interlaken, maybe except the colorful cows.

Szwajcaria - Interlaken

Szwajcaria - Interlaken

Exactly on the 3rd of January 2 years ago, I was bored waiting for delayed, by drifting snow, flight back from Riga to Warsaw. I was looking over the offers of airlines when suddenly I saw discount tickets to Basel. A better beginning of the year I couldn’t have imagined.

Szwajcaria - Interlaken

Switzerland can be divided into the northern part which consists of beautiful and charming cities like: Basel, Stein am Rhein, Zurich or Lucerne and the south dominated by stunning, alpine landscapes.

Szwajcaria - Lucerna

Szwajcaria - Lucerna

Going back from beautiful Lucerne, we knew that we’re heading in the right direction. The landscape was becoming more diverse and the road more winding. Our goal was the beautiful village of Interlaken, less than 70 kilometers away.

Szwajcaria - Interlaken

The name Interlaken means “a place located between the lakes” and indeed this place is located between lake Thun and Brienz. Interlaken is an excellent point for excursions to the Alps area.

Szwajcaria - Thun

Szwajcaria - Thun

By a cruise ship opearting on lake Thun, you can reach the city of the same name. You can visit the atmospheric old town and see the medieval defence castle with beautiful views of the city and the nearby mountains.

Szwajcaria - Thun

Szwajcaria - Thun

While being in this area is also worth visiting the phenomenal Beatus caves, located on the top of the mountain, with stunning panorama of the lake Thun. More information about this place here.

Szwajcaria - Interlaken

Szwajcaria - Interlaken

However, number one in the area is an absolutely spectacular valley – Lauterbrunnen. I won’t hide that this is one of the most spectacular places I’ve ever seen. The Lauterbrunnen is beautifully located in the valley, surrounded by three tall, Alpine peaks: Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.

Szwajcaria - Interlaken

The name Lauterbrunnen in German means a “loud source” and is not accidental. There are 72 waterfalls in this small valley! Some of them are so high that before they reach the earth, they almost turn into a mist. The most spectacular waterfall is the Staubbach waterfall, 300 meters high, descending from a high limestone cliff, almost to the nearby houses.

Szwajcaria - Interlaken

Across the valley runs the river Weisse Lütschine, it begins in the mountain glaciers. It’s surrounded by  green, Alpine meadows with thoroughly mown grass. No wonder that this fabulous scenery inspired the J.R.R. Tolkien to create Rivendell.

Szwajcaria - Interlaken

The Interlaken region is also a paradise for extreme sports enthusiasts like: paragliding, bungee, rafting, climbing and skydiving. Imagine a jump from a height of 4 thousand meters and 50 seconds of free fall in this setting!!!

Szwajcaria - Interlaken

Szwajcaria - Interlaken

However, for down-to-earth people, about 100 km further, driving the road which includes the transport of the car by train (what I wrote here) is the sunny town – Sion, well known from the wine growing. The most popular white wine of this region is Fendant.

Szwajcaria - Sion

Szwajcaria - Sion

Sion is one of the oldest cities in Switzerland and its story dates back more than 7 thousand years ago. The main tourist attraction in addition to the routes between vineyards, are two castles  Tourbillon and  Valère, located in the hills.

Szwajcaria - Sion

Szwajcaria - Sion

So, when you come to Switzerland, Interlaken is a must! 😉

Who I am... I'm just an ordinary girl, who once believed that dreams come true, and since then, I’ve been pursuing them consistently. My adventure with travelling started in 2008 and since then, I've seen a lot of interesting places which I describe on my blog. I’m interested in the history and culture of the countries that I visit and that’s why I travel as much as I can. However, in addition to the preservation of my memories, the main purpose of the blog is to show you that dreams come true and you can travel often and cheap!

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