Rothorn Bahn is located in Brienz and is one of the star attractions in this sleepy old Swiss town. We took the second last train up the mountain and the view along the way took our breath away. Known as the oldest steam cogwheel railway, the ride was more expensive though we had a 50% off due to the Swiss travel pass and an opening special price. Paid 40 Swiss francs per adult. The kids were free. 

The engine driver was super friendly and took special care of the boys by making sure they got the best seats just next to the steam engine and checking now and then if they were enjoying the ride. The boys were given a little train ticket with a hole punched. This was previous to them and my boys kept them like treasure. 

The 1 hour cogwheel ride up the mountain was an experience. It chugged past lush pastures, woodland, meadows with pretty wildflowers and through mountain tunnels (very exciting for kids!). In fact, I realized later from our rented cottage, we could see two of the mountain tunnels! 

The cogwheel was winding its way up the mountain and we were busy taking photos most of the time.

The visual treat of the picturesque town of Brienz nestled in the valley and the stunning turquoise blue lake next to it left us in splendor wonder at God's creation. I can’t believe we have spent 7 days in the lovely town, looked up at the alps with Lake Brienz glistening in the sun each day we stepped out of our cottage rental. 

My boys adored this!

The cogwheel took an hour to reach the peak. We snapped a few photos as the last cogwheel was departing in 5 minutes time. My boys were worried we could not board the cogwheel on time because Mummy kept taking pictures. :) 

Notice the beautiful colour of the lake? It's caused by glacial particles that reflect the blue-green sector of the light spectrum (https://www.lakelubbers.com/lake-brienz-1143/).

They couldn't wait to board the cogwheel! 

Down the mountain we went...

A pity we didn’t spend much time exploring the peak. There was an edelweiss trail I wanted to do. By the time we got down the mountain, it was almost 7pm. 

The last hiking trail we did was in Männlichen. It was a children themed trail and we got to sit in one of the oldest cable way in Switzerland. Very vintage looking gondola. 

See how worn-out the gondola was? It has seen through a good many days. This gondola must be the smallest in Interlaken. See the Ricola gondola behind Nath? 

The boys were given an activity booklet, some Ricola sweets and a very cute cow cookie. 

We really enjoyed this gondola ride because there was no crowd. The gondola was so small it could only take a maximum of 4. The views outside seemed even better when you were not sharing space with strangers. 

We were greeted by this very cool and big cow playground once we stepped outside in Männlichen. 

The slide was wet so my boys ended up playing this. Nath was so absorbed in it he refused to allow the 2 Caucasian boys to join them. :( 

I like this. Easier to play than the real thing.

After the boys ended up quarrelling over the merry-go-round, we started on our trail with Liesolotte the cow. 

This was the first station.

There were 13 stations to complete. The boys collected the stamps at each station. Interesting facts were listed at each station and there was always an activity for the boys to do besides collecting stamps. 

Here's a great jump to start off the trail!

Love love love the trail! It was such a gorgeous day. Some activities they did at each station...

Ringing the bell. 

Milking the cow.

Pretending to be a cow drinking from the trough. 

There was a tap we could turn on to drink. Fresh from the mountains. But we only realized much later after we left the station. 

Isn't this hut adorable?

We got big views of the Swiss Alps along the way and of Eiger at one of the stations. 

How majestic are these mountains! How tiny we humans are.

We spotted marmots at Marmot Tower. We actually spotted many while we were in the gondola. Binoculars were provided in the tower and I had a good close up view of a marmot. It looks like a giant squirrel.

Marmots are often found under the cable car tower. There was one right next to it! 

All of us tried blowing the alphorn but none succeeded. 

An alpine snail.

We had our picnic lunch in the forest, just next to a rushing stream. 

Had a short ramble up the forest and discovered many of Liesolotte’s animal friends. They were cute man-made structures. That assured us we were still on track. The trail was not very clear and we needed the map to guide our way.

At the second last station, there was a forest playground. My boys were attracted to the flying fox. 

I explored the other parts of the playground on my own and I must say I’m very impressed! The climbing structure offers a better view of the alps. As the play structures were all made of wood, it provides a very natural setting, blending right into the forest.

At the last station, it was photo taking time. The beautiful landscape of the alps rested right in front of us again. 

As the boys had collected all the stamps and we had deciphered the solution word - Eigernordwand, they were given a little reward at the end. A cute sheet of stickers of Liesolotte and friends. The trail took us about 2 hours even though it was only 3.7km. This was one of the best trails we’ve done! 

Hiking trains endurance. There were times when the the trail was closed and we had to take a detour. There were times when the trail was not as easy to walk. In all circumstances, we learn and we make the best and the most out of our circumstances. Don’t think that our hikes were all a stroll in the park. Zech had stomachache issues twice while hiking. With his face grimaced in pain, he continued. We could only try our best to cheer him on. I’m thankful Zech did not complain much. Some paths were steep and a little harder to climb up, but with some perseverance, most kids can do it.

We spent our last day exploring the old town of Bern. Walking on cobblestone streets with trams in the background and the tower clock looming ahead of you, it was a pleasant walk to Baren Park. 

Along the way, we passed by several fountains. 

It was fascinating to analyse the sculptures. One was particularly of interest. The demon devouring naughty kids served as a reminder to my boys to always check on their own behaviour.

At Baren Park, the highlight was none other than the brown bears. We caught the 2 babies in a tussle. 

The medieval town of Bern from the upper viewing platform.

We walked down to the lower part of the viewing platform. Actually, we took a glass lift down and caught one of the bears having a dip in the pool. It was a very warm day. 

Quite an awesome glass lift! Almost like a funicular.

What beautiful roses in the midst of the town!

As we walked back to the train station, we had our gelato. Refreshing! I don’t remember Switzerland being so warm on an early summer day.

On our last day in Brienz, before we caught our flight back to Singapore, we snapped some last photos of our cottage rental. 

Our beautiful and well-equipped Airbnb rental. We stayed on the first floor.

We were so reluctant to leave.

We will miss the sheep. We hear their bells every morning. We will miss waking up to the pretty turquoise lake and the Swiss alps just outside the window of our bedroom. Most of all, we will miss the crisp mountain air and the smell of hay. 

In the grandeur of the mountains 

Time seems to have come to a standstill 

It engulfs me in quiet serenity 

The magnificence of it all

Tips for travelling in Switzerland 

1. Buy a Swiss pass - children aged 7 to 12 are tagged to one adult and travel for free. That means free on trains, buses, ferries and cable cars. Get the family card from the railway station or online when purchasing the Swiss pass. The family card is the ticket for the child.
   
2. Stay away from touristy areas. For eg. We chose to stay in Brienz, 2 stops away from Interlaken. If you stay in Interlaken, the cost for accommodation will be higher.
3. Know that children aged 6 and below travel for free. 
4. Choose kids friendly trails. They are easy to walk and take up less time. Many playgrounds along the way. We don’t hike for more than 3 hours each time. Check out this blog - http://www.momstotszurich.com/category/hiking/theme-trails/
5. Food is expensive so for a cheaper alternative, we try to buy from supermarkets and cook our own food.
6. When buying from supermarkets, look out for specials. In Zug, we ate a lot of beef because beef was always half price at the end of the day. In Brienz, we ate more chicken meat because there were specials. 
7. Buy their local produce. For eg. for the boys’ milk consumption, we get their local brand of UHT milk. 
8. When travelling on trains, look out for family areas such as the playground or family cabin.
9. Before the trip, pack some food stuff that are difficult to find in the country you are travelling to. We brought along with us a packet of seaweed. Wanted to bring some Japanese curry but totally forgot about it in the morning before w left for the airport. Good to bring some washing powder too.
10. This was the website we used every day for commuting from one place to another. Sbb.ch.en - it gave detailed breakdown of timing for trains, buses and ferries, including the change of platform number. You will know if the train has family areas too.
11. If you choose to eat out, know that supermarkets offer reasonably priced hot food like nuggets and buns. The cheapest food deal we had was pizza. For 4 of us, it was about 15 chf. That’s about $20 sgd.