And so are we.  We were on a literal high with ten wonderful days up in the Alps – Swiss Alps, Austrian Alps and the German Bavarian Alps.  All gorgeous!  Let’s start with Heidi’s homeland – Switzerland….the land of milk and honey chocolate…..

Given that Switzerland is world famous for producing such high quality chocolate we thought it would be an apt start to our visit to sample some.  We drove to Broc and headed into the magic sugar coated world of Maison Callier.  A slick and amusing tour took us through the history of chocolate where we learnt that those pesky Swiss people are a little reluctant to share their chocolate and attempt to eat it all – consuming the most chocolate per head in the world.  We tried eating cocoa beans in the product room, and decided we preferred the fresh choccies off the demonstration production line, before finally heading to the tasting room – a paradise for all chocolate lovers!  A whole room full of chocolates to try – from plain milk slabs to fancy liqueur delights – and you could eat until your heart’s content (or as was the case for us, we all felt slightly sick!).

Leaving the world of chocolate, we intended to camp near Gruyeres and go sample some cheese and fondue but the campsites were too far from the village, and not very salubrious so we drove on toward the mountains, climbing through the alpine valley to 1500m.  My grip on the door tightened as we climbed making William giggle in the back, where we camped on Jaunpass at the top of the mountain with snippets of snow still clinging to the roadside.  The drive down the next day was almost as Swiss as you can possible imagine – stunning alpine views, winding mountain roads, flower covered chalets, herds of cows with bells echoing through the valleys, meadows filled with wildflowers and a distinct ‘eau de poo’ as the farmers fertilised the green pastures with the fresh bovine produce.  It was absolutely stunning and my camera did not stop snapping (or our noses twitching)!

We stopped for a few nights in Interlaken – a town perched between two lakes (Thunersee and Brienzersee) and towered over by the majestic Jaungfrau, Eiger and Mönch mountains. Spectacular views were had from Harder Klum, a panoramic viewpoint and restaurant 1300m above town and reached by an old funicular, but the best views were reserved for the next day when we went up Neiderhorn.

Courtesy of Interlaken tourism we caught a free bus around the lake, cutting through rocky tunnels and under granite overhangs to the base of this 2000m peak.  After catching a funicular up to the half way point, we swapped to a cable car and continued up to the summit where we were met with 360° views of the mountains and where we picnicked stretched out on wooden recliners enjoying the sun and the stunning scenery.  It felt like another world up there.

Coming down the cable car would have been too easy so instead we opted for trotti bikes – big wheeled dirt scooters which scooted us down the hill (and across, up, around, through) for 10km.  Of course the local kids whizzed past us novices at an alarming pace and my motherly heart felt a little faint watching them, but we were rather more cautious and arrived safe and exhausted back at the bottom.  We opted for a fondue that night, a treat which William was hankering to try, then didn’t like at all and had to make do with the accompanying bread and pear!  All the more for piggy Bron who scraped it right down to the burnt on cheese at the bottom!  YUM!

Moving on from Switzerland we drove through Liechtenstein (a teeny 160km² principality on the Swiss / Austrian border), before settling for the night in an Austrian village called Pettneau in Arlberg.  Driving there we went through our longest tunnel to date – 15.5km, as well as many more of varying shorter lengths.  To date, that makes our longest tunnel (15.5km) and our longest bridge (17.5km).  We continued to pass through tunnels of varying lengths the next day before settling at a really lovely campsite by a lake on the outskirts of Innsbruck, the rather sweet capitol of the Tirol region.

Camped in the woods by Natters Lake, we enjoyed a family run / ride through the trees, some slightly embarrassingly amateur beach volleyball and some games of airball.  In Innsbruck, as well as mooching around the foodhalls and markets, we decided that we hadn’t had enough of the mountain views and one day took a funicular and two cable cars from the stunning Zaha Hadid designed stations up to Nordkette at 2400m.  This literally felt like being on the roof of the world, with stunning cloud skimming peaks in all directions.  The glider and hang gliders wheeling just above and below us made us feel slightly giddy.  Here we came across perhaps the nuttiest mountain bikers in the world.  Dressed like American footballers, these crazy cats take their rugged reinforced bikes (with no seat to speak of) to the top of the mountain and then take their lives in their hands and literally go straight down the steep incline on tracks devised by madmen, incorporating steps, poles, hairpin corners and jumps.  Absolutely ludicrous and we get the impression the ambulance we saw going up the mountain was on a familiar path.  Bonkers (but secretly massively impressive)!

Moving on from Innsbruck, we camped overnight in Hitler’s holiday destination (Bertesgaden) in the Bavarian Alps on the German-Austrian border and then headed to Eisreisenwelt – the world’s largest Ice Cave, situated 1600m up above Werfen near Salzburg, and stretching 42km into the mountain.  Ignoring the advice to leave motorhomes at the bottom carpark and catch a shuttle up, we ventured onto the winding mountain road, me squealing, and the boys laughing all the way.  The 10 minute walk up the mountain to buy tickets was followed by a 15 minute walk up the mountain to the cable car, a 5 minute cable car ride and then a further 20 minute walk up the mountain to the cave entrance.  Huff puff in our three layers, hats and gloves!  We did break it up with a stop at the alpine restaurant for goulash soup, rosti and the international sausage and bun!

We were slightly overexcited to receive old miners carbine lanterns to carry into the cave and as the cold air wooshed toward us when the door was opened (it wooshes out in summer and in during winter which maintains the temperature), it was a trio of intrepid explorers that headed into the dark icy interior.  We covered 1km of this frozen wonderland, with towers, waterfalls and massive ice sculptures surrounding us on all sides – at one stage we went through a tunnel of ice, with 450m of mountain above us.  There were sculptures that were hundreds of years old and constantly evolving.  It was absolutely incredible – almost surreal, and a testament to nature’s might and beauty!  I can tell you the 1400 steps within the cave, along with the walk up and down was felt by all our calf muscles the next day!

So if we felt the hills were alive after all this fun outdoor activity, they really came alive at out next stop – gorgeous baroque Salzburg, where the Sound of Music was largely filmed.  A very rainy day saw us all tucked up on Will’s bed watching 3 hours of the Von Trapp family singing their way to our hearts after visiting St Michael’s Basilica in Mondsee where the happy couple finally married.  The following day we went into Salzburg and sang our own melodies in Mirabell Gardens, balancing it out with a visit to Mozart’s birthplace and residence (both well worth visiting and deserving of the hours they ate up), a few hours in the Dom Quartier (Cathedral Quarter) with the Residenzplatz and gorgeous and elaborate baroque Dom.  Stunning – and even better topped off with a massive sweet pretzel from the market.  Three happy travellers descended on a coffee shop for coffee and strudel before heading home for the evening.  ‘If it’s baroque, don’t fix it’ – certainly sums up the lovely Salzburg!

We headed away from Salzburg, and onto the Czech Republic for two weeks, including our first workaway.  We will return to Austria to visit Vienna on our way East.  All that to come.