My first taste of hiking the Swiss Alps was during a late June trip. The wildflowers were still in bloom, the creeks and waterfalls gushing full of water and a hint of snow was still on the mountain tops.

That trip got me hooked on hiking and fueled my desire to return again to the Swiss Alps. I’m so glad that I can make it happen again and love to have people join me. I plan on hiking four days in the Zermatt area, which will be new to me, as I’ve only skied that area. Then it’ll be off for Grindelwald for another four nights and day hikes. I’m more familiar with the Grindelwald area, as I hiked there on my trip.

Waterfalls abound in the Lauterbrunnen area and seeing them coming down the cliff walls in the Lauterbrunnen Valley is as clear in my mind today as it was when I was there. The waterfalls just seem to “pop” out of the stone walls and spew down, down and down the sides of the valley. You can’t take your eyes off of them because they are seen throughout the valley and clear up the cog train into Wengen. Hiking in the Grindelwald / Lauterbrunnen / Wengen area provides for some outstanding views and the variety offered in the hiking trails will suit the beginner, all the way up to the expert hiker. This area is by far one of my most favorite in the world. The Swiss wine isn’t too bad either. Yummy! Where else in the world can you see some of the most famous mountains in all the world…The Monch, The Eiger and The Jungfrau. All touring up 10,000 feet in their glory from Grindelwald.

My last night, so I don’t have to get up too early to get to the Zurich airport, will be spent in Zurich and wandering that city. We’ll be taking trains to and from Zurich, to Zermatt and then to Grindelwald. There are options for day train excursions to Interlaken, Zurich, Geneva, Lausanne, and Gusted or anywhere you want to go. Switzerland, while not a large country by land size, is a huge country when it comes to its mountains and getting around by train is a great way to experience it. The windows on the trains are large, allowing for unobstructed views and if taking the Glacier Express the cars are almost all windows, including the tops of the cars.