While in Switzerland this spring, the number one item on my to-do list was hiking in the Swiss Alps. After all, everybody wants their Julie Andrews moment. And when you see these photos, you’ll be singing “the hills are alive…” too.

Here’s the background – Lauterbrunnen is a small Alpine village located very near the tourist town of Interlaken, Switzerland. The village itself is quite small, and is known for its waterfalls – 21 of them, to be exact. The town is in the valley, so as you walk down Lauterbrunnen’s only “main” street, you’re surrounded on all sides by rocks, cliffs and mountains.

Just a few thousand feet above sits another small village called Wengen. You can reach it on foot, by train, or by cable car – but there are no vehicles allowed, so you can’t drive yourself up.

Wengen is stunning, with its picturesque homes and lodges, but it’s the view it offers that sold me. So, up the mountain I went – on foot, obviously.

To tell you the truth, I never did find a planned path to get from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen, which is VERY unlike me. But, Rick Steves did it, and he told me that the signage on Switzerland’s hiking trails was incredibly easy to follow. So, first thing in the morning, I headed off in search of a trailhead.

I didn’t find one. And German is not a language you can just “wing it” with. After wandering the town aimlessly for 30 minutes trying to figure out how to cross the train tracks, I found a bridge that took me to the other side of the creek and just started climbing.

Truth time: I consider myself to be in pretty good shape. I’ve always been an athlete. If I had to peg myself on the hiking skill scale, I’d be a solid “intermediate.” This hike had me doubled over, hands on knees, huffing and puffing for air.

My husband? He was doubled over, too. Except he was laughing at me. Thanks, guy.

The thing is, this hike isn’t all that long. It is extremely well-marked once you get across the creek. It’s just a constant uphill climb. First, you leave the main road, where vehicles can still be used. Then, you climb through some farms and fields of wildflowers. After that, it’s a series of (neverending) switchbacks, all the way up the mountain.

But it was SO worth it. Every time I reached a bend in the path, I saw this:

Or this. Look at that view! It just went on and on with more of the same.

Stop it, Switzerland, you’re spoiling me.

Okay, so that was incredible. Could have ended my day right there and been happy. Or so I thought. After stopping into a few tourist shops, I asked an English-speaking store owner (she moved there from the States to retire because SWISS ALPS) where the best view was. See, we thought we found it when we were over here:

We were wrong. She pointed us in the direction of an old church, where we saw this:

Wait, wait – there’s more. My husband, he just knew we could do even better if we hiked a little further around the valley. He was right:

Panoramics, people. Sincerely, everywhere I looked I was stunned by the beauty. But we were in search of the perfect picnic spot. After a little back and forth, we settled on a hillside a few yards back from the train tracks. Tell me this isn’t the definition of picturesque:

Add in fresh bread, meats, cheeses and a lovely bottle of rosé, and we had the most beautiful spot for the most beautiful hour. It was the perfect time to take a deep breath, and take it all in. An hour spent like this is the whole reason I travel, and I couldn’t have asked for a better day, a better view, or a better travel partner.