Back to Switzerland - Bern and the Alps

For those who didn't know, when I was about 11, my family lived in a little village just outside Bern and so coming back to Bern is really special. My hotel was only a short tram ride (six minutes) from the centre and they have this deal that you get free public transport for the days you have a hotel so I was very happy with my location. More importantly, walking around the city was very emotional for me. Bern is beautiful and has a very special place in my heart. I almost started crying as I was so overcome but thankfully kept it together. My confidence in speaking in German is growing and I was even able to go into some shops and speak entirely in german! I also pulled out some of the Bern dialect (well really just hello) but to have people reply in the dialect rather than English was very exciting.

To complete the 'memory lane' experience, I decided to visit the alps so after some last minute research (ok, I googled 'Wengen or Grindelwald - which is better') I decided to go to Wengen. It was only about 90 minutes by train and from Wengen I took the cable car up to Mannlichen which is 2,227 metres and then walked the 90 minutes on to Kleine Scheidegg (2,061 metres). The path wove around the hills that were overshadowed by the alps and we walked (I say 'we' because while it wasn't crowded, I certainly wasn't alone!) to the sound of cowbells ringing across the valley. The views of the Munch, the Jungfrau and the Eiger were breathtaking. For those who don't know, the legend is that the Eiger (the Ogre) is trying to attack the young girl (Jungfrau) and the Monk (Munch) stands firmly in the way to protect her. The weather was perfect and I was able to sit and bask in the views. As I travelled back down on the train to Wengen, I felt like I left a little piece of me on the hillside and discovered that in fact I had. My earring is somewhere on the hillside. This is more disappointing than beautiful but it wasn't enough to ruin the happiness of being in Switzerland. I have tried to limit the photos but seriously, it was stunning.

Bern:

Visiting the Alps: