Camping in Switzerland

Our summer was pretty jam packed already… but when I realized that we likely weren’t going to make it back down to Switzerland in the coming year – in good weather anyway – I tried to come up with a way to fit it in our schedule.  There was only one spot… a weekend trip squished between Ryan’s scout camp and our week in Berchtesgaden.  

Before Ryan left for scout camp he packed another suitcase for our Switzerland camping trip and Berchtesgaden.  We had the van packed – and by packed I mean PACKED (our top car carrier loaded and no foot room for me or any of the kids) and ready to go so that the minute Ryan got home from scout camp we’d be on our way.  They got home later than they expected and it put us behind schedule. Ryan took one look at the van and added “I need Axis and Allies and BANG.”  We both gave him a look that meant, “Where on earth is that going to fit?” and he quickly determined that he’d hold it the entire way… and he did. 

4 hours later we were pulling into Lauterbrunnen, the cute little valley town south of Interlaken and right between the peaks of Schilthorn on one side and the Eiger, Jungfrau and multiple other peaks in every direction.   Thick clouds hung between the peaks on either side of us and we could tell there had already been plenty of rain.  That’s just what you get when you go to Switzerland – unpredictable weather – even in the middle of July.   By the time we pulled into the Jungfrau Camping area where we had reserved a camping spot for 3 nights, it was pouring.  POURING.  Oh, and we had about 20 minutes of light left before we were in the dark.  Ryan and Katie helped us put up one of our two tents while the rest of the kids waited in the van.  Then we threw all the pads and sleeping bags and pillows into the one tent and the 8 of us cozied up for the night using every inch of floor space.   The night was cold.  Somehow, even purchasing 3 new sleeping bags we counted wrong and had enough sleeping bags for 7 of us.  Chris and I had brought sheets so we slept on sheets with a sleeping bag above us but I froze – even with layers of clothes on.  Ryan was cold too but everyone else seemed to do ok.

It rained for most of the night but it wasn’t rainy when we woke up – just a little muddy.  We had packed church clothes and were planning on being at Sacrament meeting in Interlaken at 9:00am.  Nope.  Not going to happen.  The van was a wreck and it took some serious time getting our other tent and tarps up, suitcases organized, and everybody dressed in warm layers for the morning.   Since we missed our only church option we decided to make a big breakfast.  Sausage, potatoes, eggs and cheese.  Our ‘Christmas/camping’ favorite.  It was so good.

   

The Jungfrau camping ground, typical for Europe, is an open field with maybe a few trees and wall to wall tents.  It’s a little community actually.  Thoughtfully they put our family in a patch of grass close to the bathrooms/showers and close to the playground.  It was just perfect.  Plus the cliffs on either side of us and numerous visible waterfalls and it was pretty spectacular. 

   

The Trummelbach Falls

Being deep in the valley with sheer cliffs on either side kept us from being in the sun for awhile but once we could feel it, we were able to shed a couple layers and it was wonderful.  After breakfast we drove down the valley a couple minutes and headed up the path to the Trummelbach Falls.  Then we rode up a funicular – this one kind of like a diagonal elevator – inside the mountain. 

  

From the beginning of our ‘behind the waterfall’ walk we had a great view of the Lauterbrunnen Valley.

  

It was hard to really capture how cool is was inside.  There was a great pathway which followed the falls through caverns with great lookout spots the whole way through.  We really liked it – a perfect family activity to start our Swiss adventures.