Interview with Beth McFadyen
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Beth and her husband Jay recently visited Switzerland to celebrate a milestone wedding anniversary, and whilst they only had a week’s vacation, they were really smart with their planning so that they could maximise the time they had available to spend in the places that were high on their bucket list.
The couple are keen walkers and Beth is a huge fan of the adorable black-nosed Valais sheep, so those two interests, along with chocolate and cheese, played an important part in deciding where to visit.
I’m sure you’re going to love hearing about Beth and Jay’s Swiss vacation.
Click the green button below to listen:
Show Notes
Topics covered in this episode include:
- Beth and Jay’s story, where they are from, and why they chose Switzerland for their celebratory trip
- An overview of their trip
- How they travelled around Switzerland
- Where they stayed and what they did in each location
- Special meals they enjoyed
- What surprised them about Switzerland
- What they wish they had done differently
Beth and Jay’s itinerary including places and activities mentioned in this episode:
- Geneva – 1 night
- Lauterbrunnen – 3 nights
- Zermatt – 2 nights
- Zurich – 1 night
>> Geneva – Beth and Jay flew overnight from the States to Geneva, arriving around midday. They spent the afternoon exploring some key highlights of the city and enjoyed a lake cruise before spending the night at the Hotel d’Angleterre.
>> Gruyères – After leaving Geneva, the couple head to Gruyères where they spent a few hours in the charming village. Beth and Jay visited the Gruyères Cheese Factory, Gruyères Castle and the Maison Cailler Swiss Chocolate Factory. They also enjoyed a delicious fondue at one of Gruyères restaurants.
>> Lauterbrunnen – Then it was on to Lauterbrunnen, their base for the next three nights. Enroute to Lauterbrunnen, Beth and Jay visited Interlaken where the took the funicular to Harder Kulm and enjoyed an alfresco dinner with spectacular views. Whilst in Lauterbrunnen they did an excursion to Jungfraujoch, hiked from Kleine Scheidegg to Mannlichen and visited the Staubbach and Trummelbach waterfalls. An Airbnb apartment was the couple’s home-away-from-home whilst in Lauterbrunnen.
>> Zermatt – On their way to Zermatt, Beth and Jay visited Giessbach Falls and Aare Gorge (both around 30 minutes from Interlaken). In Zermatt, they walked the Five Lakes Trail, took the cog wheel train to Gornergrat and mingled with the adorable Valais black nosed sheep. The Tradition Julen Hotel was their base in Zermatt.
>> Lucerne – Heading back to Zurich Airport for their return flight, Beth and Jay stopped at Lucerne where they wandered the streets of the Old Town and enjoyed a delicious Wiener Schnitzel (cooked right beside their table) at the Old Swiss House restaurant. They then drove to Zurich Airport where they spent the night in a hotel before an early departure the following morning.
Beth and Jay chose to rent a car for their travels around Switzerland. They found the driving easy and liked the freedom having a car gave them. You can read more about driving in Switzerland here.
Useful Resources
In this episode, Beth mentions the following restaurants where she and Jay ate:
>> Harder Kulm restaurant, near Interlaken
>> Weidstübli restaurant at Camping Jungfrau, Lauterbrunnen
>> Hotel Oberland restaurant, Lauterbrunnen
>> Mountain Lodge Ze Seewjinu, Five Lakes Trail, Zermatt
You might also find these articles from Holidays to Switzerland helpful:
- Things to do in Geneva
- Things to do in Gruyeres: Castles, Chocolate, Cheese and more!
- Top attractions and things to do in Lauterbrunnen
- Things to do in Zermatt
- Best things to do in Lucerne
You can also listen to other podcast episodes that cover the destinations Beth and Jay visited including and Gruyeres, the Jungfrau Region and Zermatt.
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