Hang gliding in the Alps

in the air

hang gliding over Lake Thun, Switzerland

I love heights!  I have been skydiving a couple of times, so hang gliding was on my list.  When we were planning on visiting Switzerland, a friend who goes there frequently for business mentioned paragliding.  I thought what would be cooler than flying around in the Swiss Alps?  I did some research, and found something better: hang gliding.  Paragliding uses a parachute, whereas in hang gliding, a rigid wing is used.  I am not sure, but I think you could possibly go longer on a hang glider.  We were staying in Murren, a small village over 5,000 ft. in elevation.  The place where we flew was in Interlaken, about a 15 min. train ride away.  I contacted Interlaken Hang gliding , and when we arrived at our hotel in Murren, they called for us and set up a time the next day to go.  They picked us up at the train station, and drove to a park in town.  We loaded up the wing in a van and drove up a hill, or maybe a small mountain to where we were going to jump from.  After we put on our suits, and practiced running with Bernie, the pilot, we were ready for take off.  We jumped off at a point near Lake Thun.  A beautiful turquoise colored lake you can see in the photo above.  We hovered and flew around that lake for what seemed like 20 minutes!  It was very easy to just relax and let Bernie do the flying.  He had a long pole extend out in front of us with a camera attached to it, so that was how he took pictures of us while in the air.  I love just flying around and looking at the scenery, but when Bernie decided to do some tricks, I had to close my eyes, or the flight was not going to end well!  Both my husband and I had a great time.  We were the last flight of the day, so Bernie and my husband had a beer!  I recommend splurging on this adventure, if not here, do it somewhere in your lifetime!

me hang gliding in Interlaken, Switzerland

Going down a mountain is harder than you think

available at etsy.com

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

sitting on wall in Murren, Switzerland

Staubach Falls, Lauterbrunnen Switzerland

We went to Murren, Switzerland which is a cute village above Lauterbrunnen (elevation 5412ft).  We stayed at the Eiger Guesthouse for 5 nights, which was wonderful.  On the last day, the weather was beautiful after a few overcast days, and we decided to hike down to Lauterbrunnen.  I thought how easy this would be, because climbing up a mountain certainly is not easy (at least not for me).  It was actually difficult.  Walking downhill for that length of time is pretty strenuous.  And it was slippery from the runoff from the snow at the very top.  I actually fell a couple times, almost breaking my precious camera! The photo with the sunray coming through the clouds was taken about 10 am, in Murren before we headed down.  You can also see this photo at etsy.com.  The waterfall is Staubach falls which starts a little below from where we hiked from.   The photo with the buildings is the main street in Lauterbrunnen.   This part of the Swiss Alps is so beautiful, I bet even more so in the winter!