Of Lush Green Mountains, Pristine Lakes and Wooden Chalets

Usually, when people and the media rave about something as being unbelievably beautiful, it turns out to be over hyped. Sometimes it becomes a fad to say so or it is a result of carefully designed and targeted communication. But if there is a place that is consistently described as 'out of the world' beautiful and totally lives up to its images, videos and reputation - Switzerland it is! And I officially joined the bandwagon of people who cannot stop wondering at it, as soon our train from Paris started rolling into this wonderland.

One of the many sights that welcomed us into Switzerland

And we stood transfixed ..

With the train journey to Interlaken began the experience of being awestruck and staring at unbelievable natural beauty all the time. Add to it a public transport network of buses and trains that struck like clockwork and heaven it was to be there all through!

Interlaken Railway Station :)

We had booked an AirBnB in a small village called 'Ringgenberg' which was a 20 minute bus ride from the Interlaken Railway station. The bus arrived bang on time and drove us through a view of towering green mountains and beautiful wooden chalets lining the roads. It completely felt like being a part a fairy tale :)

Our chalet stood opposite to the small bus station and near the banks of lake Brienz, its shimmering blue waters placidly rocking to the winds against a backdrop of huge green mountains.

Ringgenberg in a single frame :)

The quaint wooden chalet totally won our hearts with the little apple tree in the garden and the view that greeted us when we stood at the door. I also discovered the divine taste of Hibiscus tea - a flavour which intrigued me when I saw it and won me over, as I sat on the porch sipping it, watching the mountains.

The doorway framed this pretty picture :) 

After settling in, we took a bus back to the Interlaken railway station to buy our Swiss passes and finalise the places to visit over the next 2 days of our stay there. After getting our passes, a bit of inquiry,shopping for essentials  and strolling around, bus 102 took us back to Ringgenberg.

With a kid who had to be fed and put to bed, we took turns with the chores and an evening walk by the lake. Husband went first and came back transfixed by its beauty. It was then my turn. As the blue waters quietly rocking to the wind came into my view, I felt a sense of total calm descend upon my being. I sat down in one of the wooden platforms and just stared for over 20 minutes. 

The turquoise waters of Lake Brienz 

I just could not get enough of the scene in front of me, the quiet around me and the purity of the air that I was breathing in. I strangely found myself take a vow that I would go back and push myself much harder with my volunteering endevours. Simply because I felt I was super lucky for being in that place and having those moments and felt all the more obliged to the world for those magical moments given to me.