Switzerland with all the Wongs - "The best vacation ever!!"
Of all the countries I’ve traveled to, Switzerland remains my favorite— and not just because it’s my homeland. To me, it truly is the most beautiful place in the world.
Sunday, July 6, 2025
After our visit to Colmar (see previous post), we arrived in Kaiseraugst near Basel in the Gessler's apartment. My sister was so nice to let us stay there while they were travelling through Sweden.
Monday, July 7 Rheinfall
Dan and Sage were supposed to arrive on Monday morning, but their flight was delayed and they didn’t make it in until later that evening. While we waited, we decided to visit the Rheinfall just outside Schaffhausen. The drive was beautiful, and the falls were even more impressive than I remembered from my childhood.
The photos don’t quite capture it, but the viewing platforms are built right above part of the falls, and standing so close to Switzerland’s biggest waterfall—and Europe’s largest by volume—was incredible. It was one of Jared's favorite parts of the trip.
Tuesday, July 8 Bern, Beatushoehle and Interlaken
On Tuesday, we drove to Interlaken, which I think is the most beautiful region in Switzerland. It is certainly touristy, but for good reason. Good thing we knew where to go to avoid some of the crowds.
On the way to Interlaken, it was slightly rainy and overcast, and we adjusted our plans accordingly. We first did a quick stop in Bern:
We parked by the by the famous Bärengraben (Bear Pit), visited that and Einstein's office, strolled through the old town with the famous clock tower and had food at the Migros.
Next stop: Beatushöhle (St. Beatus Caves) near Interlaken. I've been there a few times while growing up in Switzerland, and just love the caves and the surrounding picturesque environment.
Our trip continued to Matten, Interlaken, where we stayed at my friends’ Swiss chalet which they rent out for a reasonable price. It was the perfect place—and the perfect location—for exploring the region. That’s also where we met Urs, my friend and guide for the adventures ahead.
Here's a picture of the chalet (the portion we rented is on the back of this house).
Inside the Swiss Chalet:
In the evening, some of us took a quick trip to the Giessbach Falls, that was so impressive, and bonus - the waterfall was lit at night:
Wednesday, 9 July Via Ferrata Mürren–Gimmelwald
We prayed for good weather and were so grateful and happy to get it. Over the next two days, we did two Via Ferratas with our friend Urs—both of which are only possible in good weather conditions. My niece Salome joined us on the first Via Ferrata and her husband Fabian on the second one.
We drove to Stechelberg and took the gondola up to Mürren (roundtrip about $20), one of the most quintessential Swiss towns. There we rented the Via Ferrata gear for $30/person.
The Mürren Via Ferrata provides one of the most amazing views in Switzerland because you are literally hanging on the side of the cliff. The route links Mürren and Gimmelwald with metal steps, cables, and a few thrilling bridges to cross. At points, the valley floor drops roughly 600 meters below you.
View down the Lauterbrunnen Valley:
Here we are, hooked into the mountain with 2 carabiners:
We walked on iron pegs embedded in the mountain:
And descended several ladders:
After about 2 hours, we got to the end, and had just one more challenge: crossing this very long, quite wobbly hanging bridge:
Here we are with big smiles at the end of one of the prettiest adventures:
We hopped on the gondola from Gimmelwald back up to Mürren, returned our gear, wandered through the village a bit more, and then took the gondola down to the car.
Thursday, 10 July Kandersteg Via Ferrata - one of the best in Switzerland
The next day, we split up. Josh and Salome went to hike Oeschinensee while the rest of us did the Kandersteg Via Ferrata, which was a bit more strenuous than Josh's knees could handle.
Again, we had beautiful weather. We drove together to Kandersteg, where we stopped by a grocery store and got to watch part of a horse jumping competition:
After that we drove to the Allmenalp-Luftseilbahn valley station where we rented the gear for $20. From the station we left our cars and headed towards the beginning of the route, which was close by. Here's a map of what we were going to climb:
Honestly, watching the youtube video of this route, made some of us (me included) a bit nervous, but then we decided, well, why not! The route would take us straight up a 350 m cliff, and we would be hanging on the wall for about 4 hours! Well, this was one of the most exhilarating experiences and definitely the highlight of our trip.
What was also nice about this Via Ferrata was that we only encountered one couple, while the Muerren Via Ferrata was quite a bit more crowded.
Here is the beginning of the Via Ferrata:
Here we are, climbing up ladders and iron steps that were basically just rebars bolted into the mountain.
First bridge to cross:
and lots of scaling the mountain on tiny rebars:
One of the few resting spots:
And some more crazy ladders:
Here is one of our favorite sections, a surprise waterfall after a climb around the corner:
And some wobbly bridges:
One more "bridge" to cross:
One more wall to climb:
Not for anyone with too much fear of heights!
Almost to the top:
and one more ladder to climb:
After a 4 hour uphill climb we arrived a the top. What a view! At the self serving mountain station we took the tiny gondola back down. But before that, a few pictures at the top:
Here's the self manned gondola to head back down to the valley (payment is at the bottom):
Great views from the Gondola:
This is the wall we climbed:
Back to our car, we met up with Josh and Salome. While we did this grand adventure, they hiked around one of the prettiest lake in Switzerland: Oeschinensee.
We ended the day with a refreshing jump into the chilly Thunersee (lake Thun) in the free Badi (public swimming place) in Oberhofen. Dan and Sage showed off their synchronized backflips:
The next stop was Bellach, Solothurn where my mom lives. She recently moved to a nursing home, so her apartment was empty. We stayed there and visited her in the nearby nursing home.
Friday, July 11 Solothurn
This day we spent with my mom, mostly. We picked her up from the nursing home and brought her to her apartment. We went to the Migros and had a nice low key day together. Josh and the others went up the Weissenstein, a nearby mountain of the Jura mountain chain, that is close to Bellach.
On the Weissenstein:
Dinner at Popo's old apartment:
Towards the evening we also visited Solothurn, my hometown and had fun just walking through the city:
After dinner, I showed Dan and Sage the nearby Vita Parcours - an outdoor fitness trail that combines running paths with exercise stations. We ended the course in the dark - as we had a very late start in the evening. So fun!
Saturday, July 13 Zermatt - Gornergrat - Matterhorn
The next day, we got up early - and again - we were lucky to have perfect weather. Our goal was a hike near the Matterhorn, and that would only be worth it if the weather is nice. The Matterhorn is all the way down in the south of Switzerland and it takes about 3.5 hours by bus and train to get to Zermatt (the first station) from Bellach. It’s normally an expensive journey, but thankfully my sister Ting‑Wai told me about a special 2025 deal: four young adult day passes for just $80. That meant four of us paid only $20 each to reach Zermatt. For the rest of the group, Ting‑Wai managed to get residence day passes for around $50 per person—much better than the usual prices, which can run for over $100/person.
The trip itself wasn’t difficult, though it did involve four different trains and even a short sprint at one station to make a connection. The scenery along the way was stunning, so the 3.5 hours passed surprisingly quickly.
In Zermatt, our next step was to switch to the Gornergrat Bahn—the mountain railway that leads to the Gornergrat viewpoint overlooking the Matterhorn. We expected long Saturday lines, but to our surprise, there was no wait at all.
View of Zermatt from the Gornergratbahn:
The Gornergrat bahn is not included in the day pass, and costs around $100/person. We decided to only use it to get to Rotenboden, and then hike the rest of the way to Gornergrat and all the way back down. With this approach, it only cost us about $30 and we got to hike in one of the most beautiful parts of Switzerland.
The Gornergrat bahn:
On the Gornergratbahn we managed to sit on the right side while facing up which gave us the best view of the Matterhorn.
It took about 25 minutes from Zermatt to Rotenboden, where we exited. After taking a million pictures, we hiked towards Gornergrat. Gornergrat has an elevation of over 9000 ft, so the air was very thin, and we were glad we didn't have to hike too long uphill. The view of the Matterhorn was amazing on the entire hike.
On Gornergrat, we enjoyed a nice break and breathtaking views of the glaziers and the whole area.
The return hike to Zermatt was also stunning. It took us several hours, in total 4 h 45 min. moving time from Rothorn to Gornergrat, and back to Zermatt, with a total of 10.15 miles and 1150 ft elevation gain. This doesn't seem that long, but for some reason on the way down it seemed like it took forever. Josh and Janette hopped on the downhill train about midway down since their knees were hurting them. This was the bonus of this hike - no problem to cut it shorter, besides the cost of the train.
The rest of us made it back down to Zermatt just in time to catch the train back. We didn't get back to Bellach till 10 pm or later. But what a great day!!
Sunday, July 14 Church in the Solothurn Ward
The last day in Switzerland we spent with my mom, and went with her to the Solothurn Ward:
Then it was time to say goodbye. Hope to be back again soon!
THE END
Comments
Post a Comment