Saturday ~ June 27, 2009
Switzerland is a dream destination for people around the world, due to the diversity of its enchanting landscapes, from alpine peaks and glaciers to rolling green meadows and subtropical vegetation, from jingling streams to mirror-like lakes, from richly historic towns to exciting modern cities. Also, it is famous for being a very expensive country. However, if you plan your itinerary carefully, SWITZERLAND CAN BE AFFORDABLE. An 8-day 7-night trip to London and Switzerland cost me no more than RM5300 including transportation, accommodation, food, and entrance tickets. That, of course, excludes my shopping bills. Read on if you wanna know how I made it.
It was quite stressful researching for information about the accommodation, transportation, affordable restaurants (eating in Switzerland is no joke as it can really burn a big hole in your pocket)and etc. I spent almost 6 months in doing so. Do not get me wrong. It wasn't because I was slow in doing things. It was because I could only do it when I was at home and it had to be the time when the 2 little devils (my beloved nephews, Shawn Eamon and Shawn Ethan) were sleeping. But, the most important reason behind this was.....I knew I had TIME!
We first flew to London and spent 2 nights there. We then flew over to Zurich with easyJet.
Finally, I had set my foot in Zurich, Switzerland on 28 June, 2009 with dad, mum, and shawn eamon. I was very excited and worried at the same time. As I was the tour leader, the 3 of them would depend on me for everything (except for money, of course LOL). I was keeping my fingers crossed that everything would be OKAY. We headed for lunch after clearing the customs. Man....though we knew that prices in Switzerland is dear, we still couldn't believe our eyes when we saw the menus! Then, we went to Migros (one of the 2 leading supermarkets in Switzerland) to get our stocks (bread, peanut butter, fruits, pizza and etc.)
Tip # 1: Get your supplies here so you don't have to go around looking for them when you reach the hotel or apartment.
We then went to collect the car that we had booked. It was so easy to locate the car rental company as all the car rental companies are located on the first floor next to each other! I fell in love with the car immediately. It was an Audi A4 estate which came with a built-in GPS! Cool, huh?! I was quite nervous driving it.....as I had to drive on the right! I came fully prepared knowing that I had to drive on the right but then again, knowing and doing were 2 different things!
It took us about 2 hours to reach the Bernese Oberland, an area of spectacular alpine beauty. We were excited as SWITZERLAND was slowly revealing itself in front of us - snow-capped mountains towering over deep, green valleys sprinkled with droopy-roofed chalets.
Finally we were in Laut
erbrunnen Valley (795m or 2,608 ft), an immense U-shaped cleft with high, steep cliffs on both sides rising 1000m from the valley floor. There are altogether 72 misty, lacy waterfalls in the valley which makes it utterly spectacular. We chose the Lauterbrunnen Valley as our base for the first 2 nights because it is a pretty little town with easy access to everything. One of the most famous waterfalls here is the Staubbach Falls (see picture).
We tried to locate the apartment that we had booked and thank God, the landlady had been waiting for us in front of her house. I guess it wasn't difficult for her to know we were her guests as we were the only creatures with black hair...haha! She was a very nice landlady and showed us around the house. It was a 3-storey house and we stayed on the first floor whereas she and her husband stay on the second floor.
We first flew to London and spent 2 nights there. We then flew over to Zurich with easyJet.
Finally, I had set my foot in Zurich, Switzerland on 28 June, 2009 with dad, mum, and shawn eamon. I was very excited and worried at the same time. As I was the tour leader, the 3 of them would depend on me for everything (except for money, of course LOL). I was keeping my fingers crossed that everything would be OKAY. We headed for lunch after clearing the customs. Man....though we knew that prices in Switzerland is dear, we still couldn't believe our eyes when we saw the menus! Then, we went to Migros (one of the 2 leading supermarkets in Switzerland) to get our stocks (bread, peanut butter, fruits, pizza and etc.)
Tip # 1: Get your supplies here so you don't have to go around looking for them when you reach the hotel or apartment.
We then went to collect the car that we had booked. It was so easy to locate the car rental company as all the car rental companies are located on the first floor next to each other! I fell in love with the car immediately. It was an Audi A4 estate which came with a built-in GPS! Cool, huh?! I was quite nervous driving it.....as I had to drive on the right! I came fully prepared knowing that I had to drive on the right but then again, knowing and doing were 2 different things!
It took us about 2 hours to reach the Bernese Oberland, an area of spectacular alpine beauty. We were excited as SWITZERLAND was slowly revealing itself in front of us - snow-capped mountains towering over deep, green valleys sprinkled with droopy-roofed chalets.
Finally we were in Laut
erbrunnen Valley (795m or 2,608 ft), an immense U-shaped cleft with high, steep cliffs on both sides rising 1000m from the valley floor. There are altogether 72 misty, lacy waterfalls in the valley which makes it utterly spectacular. We chose the Lauterbrunnen Valley as our base for the first 2 nights because it is a pretty little town with easy access to everything. One of the most famous waterfalls here is the Staubbach Falls (see picture). We tried to locate the apartment that we had booked and thank God, the landlady had been waiting for us in front of her house. I guess it wasn't difficult for her to know we were her guests as we were the only creatures with black hair...haha! She was a very nice landlady and showed us around the house. It was a 3-storey house and we stayed on the first floor whereas she and her husband stay on the second floor.Shawn Eamon fell in love 
with the stairs.....It's not easy to find that out as he was running up and down! There are 3 bedrooms with one facing the Staubbach Falls! I didn't get to sleep in such a LUXURIOUS room as Shawn Eamon had 'booked' the room with mum before I did. Clever, huh?! Everything was clean....the living room, the bathroom, the balcony....we were surprised that coffee and tea were supplied! We wouldn't have brought the Old Town white coffee along if we had known this earlier.....
with the stairs.....It's not easy to find that out as he was running up and down! There are 3 bedrooms with one facing the Staubbach Falls! I didn't get to sleep in such a LUXURIOUS room as Shawn Eamon had 'booked' the room with mum before I did. Clever, huh?! Everything was clean....the living room, the bathroom, the balcony....we were surprised that coffee and tea were supplied! We wouldn't have brought the Old Town white coffee along if we had known this earlier.....
This place looks unreal....I felt like I was in my dream.....
Shawn Eamon was fascinated by the clanking cowbells echoing over the valley....
People there are still using these firewood to keep their houses warm....but seeing a wall filled with firewood was something new to me..
The magnificent Staubbach Falls which drops about 300m (1,000 ft) from a hanging valley.
This is the trail which leads to the waterfalls. We didn't plan to climb up the waterfalls but Shawn Eamon was determined to do it. As a result, dad and I went with him. At first, he wanted us to carry him up but we refused to do so and told him that if he wanted to see the waterfalls, he had to walk by himself. The trail led us to a covered tunnel which cuts into the mountain.
View of the valley behind the waterfalls which serves as the 'curtain'.... 
Another shot from a different angle. The charming little town .... what can I say...I know i can use many different words to describe it but I think words and pictures do not do justice for this place....it's just beyond words.
This was the kitchen....it's equipped with everything we needed to prepare our meals. Tip # 2: Cook so you can save your money for other purposes.
Our dinner was very appetizing with the view from the kitchen.
The stairs that kept Shawn Eamon occupied....
As we had planned to go to the Jungfraujoch as early as possible the next morning, we hit the sack not long after dinner.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......
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