The second half of our trip was spent near Meiringen, Switzerland, more specifically, Interkirchen, Switzerland. Interkirchen is a short train ride away from Meiringen and a very cute little town.

I neglected to get a photo of the home we rented, but it was a very traditionally looking Swiss home. Here is a photo of it from Vrbo. The day we traveled there, it was dumping rain, so luckily it was very near the train stop as we had to run with all our luggage the entire way there.

Much like Lauterbrunnen, we managed to stay very busy here as well. After my sister-in-law (and by her reminder, my daughter as well) successfully talked us into paragliding, we nailed down a company before we even arrived in Meiringen. So in order to avoid any more weather cancelations, we booked them for our first full day there.

We were able to make reservations with Birdwing, a smaller company in the Haslital region. So while we ventured off to jump off the side of a Swiss Alp, the kids spent the day at the local swimming pool with my brother and sister-in-law. The pilots met us near their landing site. They were just finishing a flight, so we were able to watch them all (safely) land. My nerves at this point were starting to get the better of me, but I powered on. Chris was excited from the get-go to do this. We then walked with them and all the gear to the first of four gondola rides to our take-off point.

We made it to the top, (after 4 different gondola rids up) and it was stunning. Gorgeous. Breathtaking. Spectacular. As we walked to the launch area, we even heard and saw a rock slide from a nearby mountain peak. Our pilots then tested the wind to see what direction we were to take off. After a safety check was done, we were off. I went first and it was amazing. And scary. And made me a little nauseous. But such an amazing, thrilling experience!

Chris had the time of his life. He was more daring than I was, so his pilot was a bit more aggressive on their flight. He loved every minute of it though! If you find yourself with the opportunity to go para-gliding in Switzerland, or anywhere for that matter, DO IT!

So we finally landed, Chris more smooth than I (my legs somehow stopped working mid-flight and my pilot and I tripped in the field on landing). For me and my nauseous stomach, it was just enough time. For Chris, it wasn’t nearly enough. Either way, it was the adventure of a lifetime and so glad we did it!!

While we were being cool and adventurous, my brother and sister-in-law took the kids to the local swimming pool. It had a high dive diving board and a huge water slide that was only accessible by walking under the train tracks to the other side of the property. Needless to say, they all had a great time, too!

Another fascinating thing we did was to walk through the Aareschlucht, a natural gorge accessible through walkways and tunnels along it. The gorge is 200 meters (650 feet) deep, with glacial water crashing through it. The Aareschlucht is located between Innerkirtchen where we stayed and Meiringen, the next town over. Each time we traveled by train between the two cities, we went through a tunnel through this gorge.

You can enter the path from either side, but we chose to start on the East side and head West. At the end of the trail, there was a little gift shop, a cafeteria style restaurant, lots of outdoor seating and yet another great playground. We ordered lunch and drinks and relaxed while all the kids enjoyed the playground!

One of the reasons we chose to travel to Meiringen is because that is where Chris’s grandpa grew up. He still has family there, one of his cousins actually lives in the home his grandpa grew up in. We were able to get in contact with them and make the trek out to their house for a visit. The day that worked the best was Sunday, but the busses don’t run on Sunday. Which was unfortunate because there was a bus stop right by their house. So instead, we made the 2+ mile walk out to their home.

Their home is located outside of town a bit, it was neat to walk along the country roads. The home gardens here are amazing!

We arrived and spent the afternoon with Walter and Antonia on the back deck of their home, the same home Chris’s grandpa grew up in. They had since remodeled it, modernizing the plan. The home is split into two living spaces, their son lives in the apartment adjacent. There is also a couple of barns on the property, home to some longhorn cattle they have. It was so enjoyable to walk the farm with Walter, imagining what life would’ve been like for Chris’s grandpa as a child and young man.

Before we left, Walter offered to give us a tour of his place of employment the following day.. The Swiss Air Force Base. It was a resounding yes from our entire group!

Obviously not a lot of photos were permitted, but the tour was fascinating. We started off on the rooftop of one of the buildings and watched some fighter jets take off. It was so loud it made our insides shake!

We then toured some other buildings and went on our way. Josie had so much fun, she fell asleep. We were thankful to Walter for providing this once in a lifetime experience for us!

Looking to fill our afternoon, we decided to check out a children’s hike, Muggestutz. It is a hands-on themed trail high in the mountains between Mägisalp and Bidmi in search of the mysterious dwarf Muggestutz and his friends. The hike consists of numerous stops along the way where children can play and explore. A couple of the stops were actual dwarf homes that the kids could all go inside and play. The homes were equipped with all sorts of home items, furniture, dishes, toys, etc. We climbed into a cave to see a magic treasure, climbed a ladder into a tree and more.

Making the hike that much more whimsical, we did it on a very foggy day. While ideally this hike is done on a clear day to see the beautiful views, it seemed even more magical doing it in the fog. There are cattle along the trail with bells around their necks. We could hear the bells ringing, but couldn’t always see the cows in the distance. The trail meanders in and out of pastures, we had to open and close gates as we progressed.

The trail was also adorned with beautiful wildflowers all along the way. I have no idea what any of them were, but they sure made the trail even more beautiful.

After running through the last bit of the hike in an effort not to miss the last gondola going back down into Meiringen, we opted to have dinner in town. We found a nice Italian restaurant, Bel Paese, with some outdoor seating. Luckily it was covered, because while we sat there and torrential downpour came through.

The home we stayed at in Innertkirchen had an old, but incredibly well maintained, cemetery across the street. On our way home from dinner that evening, Chris and I strolled through it. We were able to find the headstone of his great-aunt Kathi.

Speaking of family, the first night we arrived in Innertkirchen, we unpacked and decided to head back into Meiringen for dinner. We found a pizza place, Restaurant und Pizzeria Bahnhöfli, connected to the Hotel Meiringen. It was more upscale than a traditional pizza parlor, but still very local nonetheless. The food was good and they were very accommodating to our party of ten.

As Chris paid the bill, Alex, Rachael, all the kids and I started making our way out. As we did, we passed a table of older men and one woman enjoying their glasses of wine in one hand and had their fly swatters at the ready in their other hand. Before we made it out, one of them stopped me and in very broken English asked where we were from. I was vague and just said The States. He pressed on, asking where in the states. Oregon. ‘Where in Oregon?’ Small town outside of Portland, St. Paul. To which the man across the table chimed in and said “Casper Ott?” My eyes bugged out and I nearly jumped in the mans lap. Casper Ott is Chris’s late grandpa. The one who’s childhood home we toured on this trip. This man’s name was Alexander and he is friends with Chris’s grandparents, having even traveled out here to their home. Traveling abroad makes the world seem so much smaller, and this just reinforced that feeling.

Our last full day in Meiringen, we decided to visit Reichenbach Falls. To get there, we had to take the Reichenbach Falls funicular.

This waterfall is famous because it’s where author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle chose for Sherlock Holmes to stage his own death in a fight with Professor Moriarty. Confession – I had to look all that information up, I’m no Sherlock Holmes know-it-all.

When we arrived halfway up the falls via funicular, there was a Sherlock Holmes cutout that the kids could place their heads in. The location of the battle between the two men was across the falls from the viewpoint we stood at.

The trail meandered in and out of the woods, by an old wooden building, across the falls and up toward a restaurant that was unfortunately closed. Josie met a new friend along the way and carried it with us the majority of the hike. Only setting it down for a snack (after a squirt of hand sanitizer) and then carrying it the rest of the way.

The falls were beautiful and a perfect way to spend our last full day in Switzerland!

After this, it was home to pack up everything and begin our journey home. We traveled by train for a couple of hours to get to the airport in Zurich and then flew home, again via San Francisco. This was hands down the most favorite trip I’ve ever taken. The further away we get from the trip itself, the more and more I cherish it. I’m thankful we were able to take it and am thankful my brother and his family were able to travel with us. They’re only home for short periods of time in the summer, time which is spent between lots of family and friends. So to have a dedicated two weeks with just our two families was so special. Time to plan the next trip!

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