March Travel News
Hi from Rick: Travel Right, Pack Light
I like to say, "If heaven isn't what it's cracked up to be, send me back to Gimmelwald." But, like so many of my favorite corners of Europe, you have to earn the thrill of settling into my favorite Swiss Alp village.
Hanging nonchalantly on a cliff high above Lauterbrunnen Valley, this slanted, car-free hamlet is one of those early discoveries where I first fell in love with Europe. Gravel paths and uneven staircases connect a simple hostel, a creaky hotel, a few A-frames housing travelers, and a few more housing cows.
I have a favorite bench that seems to wait for me at the top of the town. It's where I sit, savoring the solitude…serenaded by mountain sounds: nearby crickets, distant rivers, and cows ripping up tufts of grass. I'm only reminded that it's 2025 by the occasional hum of a cable car taking thrill-seekers up to the Schilthorn. Appreciating the alpine air, I inhale…exhale…and marvel at the view… Read more
