Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen

The weather was forecasted to be sunny on day 2 in Switzerland, and we took advantage of the day to visit Grindelwald.  This is truly one of the most spectacular places we've ever seen, and it is hard to fathom a more beautiful place on earth!  After a short walk through the village, we took the 4.2 km gondola ride up to the top of First, a mountain overlooking the village.  The ride leads from the lush green valley past the snowline to a lodge with a cliff walk extending over the valley.

 

I struggle with heights, but this was WELL worth the angst!  I truly conquered my fear next when we ziplined partway down the valley - lying down!  We had a total blast, although it was a bit chilly...

From there we took a train to Lauterbrunnen, a spectacular village placed in a narrow valley on the other side of the mountains.  Lauterbrunnen, with it's abundant waterfalls, is stunning.

At the other end of the valley, shortly outside of town, we took another gondola ride to walk through the picturesque villages of Murren and Gimmelwald.  While there, we watched helicopters haul bundles of building materials to a construction site several hundred feet above us.

On our way back down, we were treated to a panoramic view of Lauterbrunnen, nestled in the valley below: