The Swiss alps, cows, edelweiss and all things bright and beautiful! (contd)

We left Zug soon after and off we went for our farm stay. We arrived at the farm in Kerns at 1pm. 

The friendly bus driver dropped us off directly at the farm entrance, not at the designated bus stop. God bless him! The main problem we had at the farm was communication. The farm family only speak German. Thank God for google translate! We could still get our messages across. 

There wasn’t any activity at the farm so it was pretty much free and easy for us to explore around on our own. The Swiss farm was very different from our Aussie experience. There was no guided tour though the farmer did a brief introduction of the farm and its animals. We walked around the farm on our own and visited the cattle, goats, hares and chickens.

The boys mingled with the cows and goats.

Running as free as can be.

Later, I realised I had to be pro-active so that my boys could participate in the farm animals experience. As the farm children were having a birthday party, they took out the donkeys for their friends to ride. They happily obliged when I asked if the boys could also ride on the donkey. It was not saddled up so it was quite an experience for them.

My boys spent most of the afternoon playing on the tractor ride-ons and at the playground, where there was this very cool play pulley on a slope. You can pull up the tennis balls in a basket then place them down the long ramp. Perfect way to teach science! There was even a wheel and axel at the other side which can be used to pull up the basket of balls too. Zech loved playing with this. 

On their favourite ride-ons. 

This cool tractor had a brake that worked! Zech had a good time reversing down a slope then pulling the brake to halt the vehicle.

Around evening time, I noticed the cows were herded home. We walked the cows back to the barn and watched the young lady worker handle the cows. It was a working farm after all. The cows were given special feed and hay. Their tails  were then tied up and it was milking time. 

After our close encounter with the cows, we had dinner. Quite simple farm fare. Cheese macaroni with potatoes and some apple sauce. We got ready for bed early as there wasn’t much to do. 

The wooden house with the pretty flowers below the windows was where we stayed for the night. See the little window at the top? That was our bedroom.

At night, we slept in the attic upstairs. Doesn't it look cosy?

We had the entire space to ourselves.

We felt like Heidi and I chose the bed just below the only window. 

All through the night, there was the smell of hay and cow dung. The papa hated the farm but the kids loved it to bits. Nathanael said he loved the smell of cows and hay and dung. A potential farmer in the making! He told me not long ago he wanted to be a farmer besides being a pilot. 

The next morning, we woke up very early at 6 plus just to catch the feeding of the  cows and walk them to the pasture. 

We went to the chicken coop and tried to feed them but I wasn’t too sure how. So I asked one of the lady workers. She was really nice. She was feeding the hares and let the boys help her a little. I tried catching the hares but all ran back to their burrows when I approached them. She took out the little bunny and let us hold it. 

The boys aren't very natural right? I think it's time to get them a furry pet.

Then at the chicken coop, the boys got to feed the chickens with grains. 

And most importantly, collect the eggs! There were so many! 

We had a hearty breakfast. Much better than dinner! Hot chocolate, warm fresh milk, bread with butter and jam, cheese, salami and breakfast cereal. 

The boys had their last bit of fun at the farm with the ride ons and at the playground.

The next problem we had was walking to the bus stop, which was some 300m away. Not far but it was along the road and with two young kids, it seemed a challenge. We got the boys to walk in a single file. Zech pulled his own luggage while we took Nath’s trunki. Had to stop very often when the cars drive past. It was mountain road so the cars were not driving fast and they slowed down when they saw us. The view at the bus stop was stunning with the puffy white clouds wafting across the mountain top.

Our next stop was at Brienz. This was the place where we stayed the longest. A total of 6 nights and we were so glad we did! The airbnb rental was a pretty Swiss cottage, offering us a superb view of the alps and the lake. Brienz is a quiet lakeside town, just next to Interlaken. But it’s home to well known attractions like the Rothorn Bahn and the Ballenburg Swiss Open Air museum. More on these later.

I remember passing by Brienz the last time in Switzerland. While on the train, I saw a family cycling with their kids along the lake. It was amazing to be back here with my own kids.

Made some changes to the itinerary at night. Ended up at Grindelwald First on a beautiful day. The Swiss Alps seemed to be smiling down on you everywhere.

We took the cable car up to First. The boys could barely contain their excitement.

Went on the cliff walk.

Eiger was displayed in all its splendour but Mönch and Jungfrau were too shy that day. We were captivated nonetheless.

We took the cable car down to the next station. Had our picnic lunch just in front of the Alps. Such a perfect setting! We had onigiri for lunch. The packet of seaweed was brought all the way from Singapore!

Now we know who's the best jumper.

I preferred to soar and fly.

We hiked down to Bort. A very steep and downhill hike, I wouldn’t recommend as it was bad for the legs. An alternative was to take the mountain cart but we did not since our boys were not eligible for it. We were rewarded with the many sights and wonders of hiking.

Someone's trying to act cute and no one was amused.

A paradise of wildflowers in the meadows! How not to love them?

At Bort, there was a playground while we adults chilled at the mountain cafe nearby. Swiss playgrounds have many rope and climbing features. My boys spent a great deal of time overcoming the challenging rope course.

Love the swing! Look at the stunning backdrop!

Finally the papa joined in after taking a long break.

We wanted to take the trotti bike down to the valley but Nath was not eligible due to his height. We took the cable car down instead.

My last pic for the day.

Our day trip at Mürren and to Allmendhubel did not end up as expected. At Mürren, we wanted to take the funicular up to Allmendhubel but it was closed for repairs. What a disappointment!

Our wandering took us here.

Just as we were wondering what to do, we stumbled upon the sign wanderweg while we were wandering around. Wanderweg means trail so we decided to take this trail and see where we ended up at. The trail led us through a forest, past a waterfall and a stream and brought us right to a playground! This was exactly the trail we wanted to hike from Allmendhubel!

Had our picnic lunch here in the forest overlooking the alps and the playground.

While the kids played, we relaxed at the picnic table, watching the cable cars above us swing by and gazing dreamily at the towering alps in front.

Father and son bonded over swings.

His sheer delight was priceless!

We decided to hike up and see how far we could venture. Fortunately,along the way, we met an American family who hiked along with us. That motivated us to continue hiking since we had company. Some parts of the trail were closed and we had to take a detour. There was a rather steep slope, which was quite difficult for Nath but he made it on his own. We had to cross little streams on rocks and the boys did it like a pro.

It was like a adventure, not knowing where you would really end up at. There was another playground albeit smaller in the forest.

A secret hideout in the forest. Follow the trail and you are rewarded with a...

slide.

We made the restaurant halfway up as our final destination. We thought we could have ice cream sundae when we were there. But guess what? The restaurant was closed! But we were greeted with a magnificent view!

We hiked back down where we started. Nath fell on his bump twice as the path was too rocky and rather steep. But he’s a real little trooper. Among us all, I think he can hike the best. When we were all worn out, he was the one still chirping happily and in good spirits, collecting pine cones and picking up twigs.

After our hike, we explored the car-free village of Mürren. A quaint little town with big views of the alps, the town was bustling with tourists. 

One of the many cottages in Murren.

We queued up to take photos here.

We left Murren rather abruptly as Zech needed to use the toilet badly. This was taken in the same valley to Tummelbach Falls.

Outside the railway station at Launterbrunnen, this was the same photo spot as the last time. But more people, more vehicles and much more warmer now.

We took a break from hiking the next day. Visited the Ballenburg Swiss Open Air museum which was very near to our Brienz cottage. The bus was just minutes away from our cottage. The museum was unlike any we’ve seen. It was so huge and much bigger than Mandai Zoo. Love the concept of the Swiss culture and history set in a natural setting just in the valley of the Bernese Alps. 

Doesn't this look like a huge theme park?

The house of the rich and wealthy.

There were many farmhouses sprawling in the museum. This was one of the many.

We only managed to cover a small part of the museum. Exploring the traditional farmhouses was a treat in itself. It gave us a glimpse into how the Swiss used to live and how important farming is to them. There were many hands-on stuff for kids to engage in. One of the farmhouses showcases the Swiss musical instruments. The boys had a good time playing with them.

There was a special exhibition ‘Holy Cow’. The information and exhibits displayed were eye-catching and served to engage the boys. They were simply fascinated with farm life, especially the machines.

There was a colouring section for kids and we had a jolly great time colouring the cow together.

My cow...

and theirs.

Visited the cheese storehouse which was converted into a children’s games house. The boys had fun exploring the different Swiss games.

We followed our noses and came to the bakehouse, which was traditionally used by the farmers' wives to make bread for their households. Can you see the smoke behind Nath?

A live demo of how bread was traditionally made. Too bad the baker only spoke German.

The best place to be was of course none other than the children’s mini zoo, which housed several domestic farm animals such as pigs, goats and chickens. The boys headed straight for their favourite activity - horse riding. It was really horses this time and not ponies. Paid 3 Swiss francs per person. That was cheaper than the Singapore Zoo. For the very first time in his life, we saw Nath climb up the horse himself and away he went riding into the wind without even looking at us. He has grown! Wasn't it just 2 years ago when he was crying and clinging on to his papa when we first put him on a pony. What a turnaround!

Not sure when it began. After deleting some photos on my camera to clear space for more, I realised the boys and the papa were busy at the wood carving workshop. The papa was trying very hard to make a wooden animal.

Zech had a go at using the various tools such as the saw and hammer. 

However, it was not easy for Papa. When we were about to give up, Nath suggested making a hammer as it was simple. Was amused myself when the boys showed their papa how to make one. Nath was very satisfied with the final product - a hammer.

We went to visit the pigs and goats and tried to get close to them.

Nath petted the pig and the goat but did not dare to feed the goat. I ended up feeding the goat which ate right out from my hand. Zech was not keen to visit the animals. I guess he was feeling disappointed with the outcome of the wood carving.

Made butter in one of the farmhouses.

We ate our butter with some bread. Not bad! It was worth the effort after all.

Climbing up to explore the attic.

This was a big barn on the second level.

We visited a few more farmhouses and even managed to catch some performances. My boys love the Swiss traditional dance and the song performances. The alphorns were another highlight.

Managed to convince a pretty Swiss girl to take a photo with the boys.

We left the museum at about 3.30pm as we wanted to catch the last cogwheel to the Rothorn Bahn at Brienz. 

This museum was such a gem. We could have spent 2 days there. The swiss pass we bought for transport covered our admission to most museums too. Ballenburg is definitely a must-go on your Swiss travel list!

My next blog post will be the final one entailing our short trip to Rothorn Bahn, a very memorable children themed trail at Mannlichen, an underrated destination and Bern.