A Day in the Alps

One sunny Sunday last month we woke up early and caught the train to the Jungfrau region in the Bernese Oberland. It was a beautiful sunny day in the Alps and the perfect day for a family "hike".

We began our day in the valley in the little village of Lauterbrunnen where we admired the huge waterfall Staubbach Falls just outside the town before hopping onboard a local train that took us partway up the mountain where we were stunned by the gorgeous views of the Mountains and valley below.We spent the morning hiking around on the paths that connect the tiny mountain hamlets and enjoying the beautiful views.

All the little houses have beautiful gardens that were in their prime on this sunny day, the kids loved meeting the animals and all the beautiful flowers made me wish that I had a yard!

We wandered into a field for a picnic lunch and were surprised to see that we were directly below one of the mountain trams, excellent lunch time entertainment!

By far the highlight of the day was stumbling upon a small town parade. Growing up in a small town myself, I remember my mom always saying the our town parade was the best (and longest) because everyone could march in it no matter what. I'm happy to say that this small town mentality must be worldwide because this was the longest (and best) parade ever. They even invited the cows to join in!

Of course these fancy ladies were leading the way...

Then there were these guys and their giant bells...

And bands...so many bands....

 This guy was a real crowd pleaser, it looks like it was a good harvest this year.

Possibly the best part of the parade were the carts with pots of bubbling hot fondue, where people were dipping potatoes and bread and handing the cheesy Swiss delicacy out to the crowd! WHAT??? Sorry no picture, I was too busy with my snack.

This parade was such a treat to find, it will be one of those memories that will for sure go down in our collective family memory. I'm so happy we saw it!

This was such a such a memorable day trip, the weather was perfect and the fresh mountain air was just what we needed! Here's a few more pictures of our day in the Alps.