Day 7 - Ballenberg & Aareschlucht

Our seventh day in Europe was full of seeing the beauty and history of Switzerland. We spent the day with the Tanner's, first at the open-air museum of Ballenberg, followed by the amazing river that cuts through two cliffs called Aareschlucht in the town of Meiringen, finished by a delicious dinner of pizza and pasta at Mario's in Sarnen (who is a neighbor and friend of Sabine and Michi's).

The drive to Ballenberg is beautiful. Central Switzerland is really stunning with all the mountain peaks, turquoise blue lakes and brilliant green grass everywhere. Ballenberg is a vast property where old houses, barns and buildings have been relocated from every area of Switzerland and restored and furnished to their original condition. You can see and participate in how Swiss people lived hundreds of years ago in the many different vocations they had. There are farms with every type of farm animal and crop, and farmers making cheese and smoked sausage.

Some of our favorite areas were the very long rope house where different types of ropes are spun, helping to stir the bubbling cauldron of liquid cheese, the smoke house filled with sausages hanging from the ceiling, the lumber mill that was sawing planks with water power, the hat shop making felt and straw hats, the pharmacy with all its little glass bottles and herb garden, the toy house with wooden hoola-hoops and stilts (they are so hard to walk with but Bruno and Alexandra can both do it!), the man weaving baskets and the house where you could try embroidery and knitting. Anna loved the animals, especially the cute bunnies which she didn't want to leave. The chickens and roosters roamed everywhere, pigs were funny snorting around and one laying in the water cistern, and there was a young horse and baby goats.

For lunch we enjoyed cheese and bread made by hand at Ballenberg with wonderful fresh fruit and tomatoes. Even the chickens under the table wanted to join our picnic. We all tried our hand at bowling on an outdoor lane with wooden balls and pins. The kids rode the old carousel which was a nice break in the shade from walking miles in the hot summer sun. We stopped and enjoyed cold drinks with ice cream which seemed to cool everyone down. Ballenberg was truly

amazing and it was so interesting to see all the different types of houses that once existed in Switzerland, and experience what life was like before cars and electricity.

On our way home we stopped by one of the many natural wonders of Switzerland, Aareschlucht. I can't find the words to describe how beautiful this area is. You start by walking through tunnels that have been carved out of the mountain, dripping wet and lit by lanterns until you reach the first lookout. You can see that a minty green alpine river has cut through the mountain during the last ice age creating tall cliffs and huge rounded shapes in the rock wall. The path is sometimes a boardwalk hanging over the river and sometimes tunnels through the mountain, and seems at least a mile long. The Swiss army had created bunkers inside the mountain here prior to WWII, and you can still see the two entrances on the face of the cliff. The kids were quick along the boardwalk while I slowly made my way

through, trying to capture the beauty of this area with my camera. We made it to the end and Garret declared this was the most amazing natural wonder he has ever seen in person. It really was.

Our wonderful day ended with a tasty dinner and great company in Sarnen. We joined Sabine, Michi and Andrina at an Italian restaurant owned by their neighbor Mario, who serves wood fire pizza and handmade pastas. Alexandra introduced me to an Aperol Spritz, a fruity cocktail that is frequently enjoyed after the work day. It was good and went perfectly with the bruschetta appetizer she ordered. I had a delicious pizza that was served with a real pink rose placed in the center, and Mario brought out homemade tiramisu for everyone. It was light, creamy and wonderful!

This was such a great day, filled with the best company, fantastic food and some really remarkable sights. We love Switzerland!