Day 8 - Switzerland

We woke up and got moving so we could make it to the Kandersteg gondola before the crowds. Despite the morning rain, the sky was clear and the views were once again, breathtaking. We would highly recommend going to Kandersteg. The infrastructure for the gondola, mountain coaster, and hiking trails seems newly built and provided a great way to see the Bernese Oberland area without big crowds. After riding the gondola, we immediately got tickets for the mountain coaster so that we could make sure and do it before more rain. There were only about 6 other people there so we didn’t have any wait time. The coaster was gorgeous and so much fun! We all rode multiple times, the boys did 6 runs each! 

After the coaster, we did a 30 minute walk to Lake Oeschinen. The lake was gorgeous! We rested on a bench, counted the waterfalls that fed the lake, watched a herd of cows drinking from the lake, and took lots of pictures. Tour buses brought larger groups while we were there but it never felt crowded. After a while, clouds rolled in and we decided to head back to the gondola. It started raining so we walked back in the rain as fast as we could, rode the gondola down in the clouds, and then got back to the campsite restaurant for lunch. Hot fondue and schnitzel were delicious after our cold, wet hike! 

We decided not to stay another night in Kandersteg and instead drive a little further east. We needed a campsite with showers and laundry and debated on staying in Interlaken but the campsites were crowded so we picked a place that was more remote but still had what we needed. We drove on more windy roads, trying to count the waterfalls as we went and take lots of pictures! 

We arrived at Campsite Gadmen in the narrow valley of Gadmen and were immediately greeted by the owners and one other couple traveling that were eager to hear about our journey and give advice about where we should go next. It really tested our language skills since we just switched from French and were now trying to discern what was said in German and the campsite owner’s wife spoke mostly Spanish! It’s a challenge that brings lots of joy. With our new friends we figured out where to take showers and do laundry. The facilities were superbly clean, in fact everywhere we’ve been the bathrooms have been clean and well maintained. Camping is a big industry here and the people, especially the Swiss people take lots of pride in a job well done.