Date: Monday 9th June
Staying: Camping Jungfrau – Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
Distance Travelled: 155.1 Miles
Song of the day: Take My Breath Away
It is quite possible that we have stumbled upon the most beautiful place in the world. Without exception, nowhere I have ever been can come close to being as picturesque as Lauterbrunnen. And the best part was we wouldn’t have come here if it hadn’t been for our friend Marty who we meet at Camping Fusina. Marty said if we were going anywhere is Switzerland, it had to be Lauterbrunnen, and on his word we decided to come. I can see why he recommended it!
Today dawned bright and clear, giving us a fantastic view of Mont Blanc and Du Midi, as well as several of the glaciers that had been shrouded in cloud up until this point. Although tempted to stay, we were well behind where we intended to be anyway, so we headed off. The route we took into Switzerland could only be described as precipitous, and Jarno was letting us know his displeasure at the gradient; even he settled down when we reached the top of the road and we were treated to a truly spectacular view. Martigny valley stretched out before us, surrounded on all sides by the Swiss Alps rising up to 3000m.
This, it turns out, is fairly common for Switzerland, and it was not the last time we were struck by just how stunning this place is. The roads through Montreux (of Deep Purple ‘Smoke on the Water’ fame) and then from Thun to Lauterbrunnen were flanked by ever-enlarging mountains, with snow capped peaks poking through high cloud.
However, I think it may have been the drive into Lauterbrunnen that was truly a breath taking moment. Lauterbrunnen is situated in a valley named ‘The Valley of 70 Waterfalls’ (there are actually 72), and is a truly magical place. The valley is walled by shear cliffs that rise hundreds of metres, with waterfalls all along the edge that appear to throw the water out into thin air, where it is whisked up by the swirling winds. It is hard to describe, but I can see why Goethe was inspired by this. At the end of the valley was the Jungfrau (over 4100m tall), which had cleared of the weather we had endured in Chamonix, and provided a stunning back drop. Of all the places I have been on this trip, I would recommend this as the one place for everyone to come, Winter or Summer.
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