Interlaken, Chamonix, and Gruyeres

Last week Emily and her parents spent three days exploring the area while Chad was at school.  It was a lot of fun.  On Monday we went to Interlaken, Switzerland because we heard it was beautiful. Turns out to be a true rumor. It was breath-taking! We heard about a hike that was only 1.5 hours one way but was very steep.  With Lincoln in a stroller we decided it wasn't a good idea... well Dad had other ideas.  He ended up hiking it by himself.  He came back super sweaty and tired, but the view was worth it and he can now say he's been hiking in the Swiss Alps!

 While Dad was hiking, Mom and I went on our own little hike (see the sign that says 'trail').  We walked along the river a ways and then walked around all the souvenir shops.  We bought some cool stuff including some sunglasses for me since Lincoln broke my last pair... that kid loves to eat all my stuff!

We then drove up a canyon and came to a valley with tons of waterfalls and great views of glaciers.  It was so so so beautiful!  We did not want to leave! 

After all the amazing sights of the Alps, we went through Bern and found the Swiss Temple!  It was very pretty and so fun to see!

 On Tuesday we decided to drive (using the non-toll roads) to Chamonix and see Mont Blanc in the French Alps.  The mountains were cool enough from the ground, but were even better after taking a gondola.  That gondola ride was kind of scary (I'll admit I was a little nervous) because it was so long and so steep at points!  It was so worth it to take the gondola up.  The panoramic views of Mont Blanc covered in glaciers and all the Alps surrounding it were incredible! It was so beautiful.

Tuesday ended with a quick trip to Annecy, France to swim.  On Wednesday we went to the Chateau de Chillon on Lac Leman and it was really cool.  The walking tour of this castle included 46 rooms, beautiful views of the lake, and lots of neat history.

Even the dungeons were pretty!

Look how the castle sits right in the lake. It's built on a huge rock cliff that juts into the lake.

We then went to Broc, Switzerland so that we could experience the Maison Cailler together.  I did not mind at all going there for a second time.  The chocolate was still so good!

We then went to the castle in Gruyeres and took pictures since we were a little castled out from Chillon.

Although we did not see any cows with bells, we sure saw some sheep. Their bells sounded just as magical as the cowbells did!  We loved when animals wear bells.

We all had a lot of fun :)