2024 Sunday Aug 25

Grindelwald

The morning dawned gray and drizzly after a night of thunderstorms. We had a lazy start to the morning and then decided to go to Lauterbrunnen to see the waterfalls, including the famous Trummelbach Falls that tumbles inside a mountain. 

Richard gives his impressions of the day in his Relive video here: https://www.relive.cc/view/vRO798DzGKq

The Lauterbrunnen Valley is a carpet of green peppered with well-maintained farms between imposingly vertical cliffs.
One of the many picture-postcard homes.
A local barn — windowboxes full of flowers, no less!
Staubbach Falls drops nearly 975 feet from the overhanging cliffs west of Lauterbrunnen.
Just beyond Staubbach Falls, the land is slightly higher. A sign described the landslide of 1889 when there was a landslide near Spissbach Falls. Several homes and outbuildings were destroyed, but after diligent work over decades, the farmland has been reclaimed.

Since 1990, Base jumpers from all over the world have come here to jump from the cliffs. We were surprised to see objects like colorful birds in the sky, and then watched as they unfurled their parachutes. They free fall wearing a sort of inflatable suit with arms and legs extended. If you want to know more, here is a YouTube video: https://youtu.be/YARZnXSLd70

A wingsuit base jumper drops into the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
This base jumper landed very near our path and was busily gathering his chute. I asked him where his jump point was, and he pointed to the cliffs above. I asked him if he wasn’t scared to jump. He laughed slightly and said “A little.”
This rushing stream is carrying run off from the mountains after it has fallen through Trummelbach Falls.
The entrance to Trummelbach Falls.
An initial elevator ride takes visitors up to view the sixth level of the ten cascading waterfalls within the mountain.
The falls carry glacial runoff from the three major mountains of the area.
One of the lowest of the ten falls. The thundering water is incredibly loud.

Despite the dreary weather, it was a wonderful Sunday afternoon with a beautiful walk in the Swiss countryside. Back to our home base to look forward to tomorrow’s adventure.

8 Responses

  1. Sorry about the rain but looking at your pictures it really looks like you have had mostly clear weather. Our time in Austria and Switzerland always had a mixture of rain and sun. The waterfalls looked like a worthwhile side adventure. Thanks for posting all the pictures. Wish you could do videos to hear the roaring sounds. Feels like we are on the journey with you!
    Dan
    Yes! Beautiful scenery and appreciate all your great pictures. Oh and Richard, Dan and I have never been to Grindelwald, but wish we had! W

    1. Dan, since you and Wanda were asking about sound, Richard sent me one of his videos for sound. (His Relive videos can’t do audio.) I posted it as an addendum post to Sunday Aug 25.
      Wendy, I don’t think you’ve missed much by not visiting Grindelwald. It has convenient transportation hubs and plenty of restaurants, but crowds of people. I would stay in some of the smaller villages with more charm.

  2. Those rocks have certainly been carved by the water. What fascinating shapes. I am so glad you mentioned what you heard. It made me hear it too.

    1. Thanks, Wanda. I don’t know how long that water has been cascading through the mountain, but it has definitely smoothed the rocks and made interesting shapes for the water to twist through.
      Since you and Dan were asking about sound, Richard sent me one of his videos for sound. (His Relive videos can’t do audio.) I posted it as an addendum post to Sunday Aug 25.

  3. Terrific for us, seeing all these great images, and being reminded of our 2023 trip thru Switzerland (yikes, nearly a year ago)
    Best wishes. Nice to Relive our Lauterbrunnen and Trummelbach Falls visits. Rob

    1. You guys are a tough act to follow but it was definitely on our “to do” list to see Trümmelbach Falls after talking to Karen. We’ve known quite a few folks who have been to Switzerland, and it’s easy to see why. Such a beautiful and clean country.

  4. Sorry I’m late to the blog! School is already keeping me busy. I think I’d be far too terrified (and aware of my own mortality) to ever make that jump, but it does look fun! Those are some astonishing views.

    1. I’m glad school is busy but hopefully not too much. I could never be a base jumper but I thought it was really cool that he landed close enough for us to talk to him.