For the past couple of days, we have been staying at the “Free Spirit Lodge” in Sörenberg, Switzerland. When we arrived here last evening, it was late and pouring down rain. The place looks quite unassuming – a dark, older building that looked like it had been kept up by a commune of hippies. Once we finally found the place, we had serious doubts as to whether or not we would spend the night. I wandered around the building, trying to find an appropriate place to enter when I was finally accosted by the owner – a very kind Swiss man who runs the place.

He showed me the rooms (rustic and basic, but large) and told me the story. This lodge is over a hundred years old and for many years housed several families who lived together – all brothers or sisters to each other. Their last name was Lindt, and they worked in Chocolate. When the Lindt family finally got wealthy in the chocolate business, they all moved away and got individual houses of their own. The owner now (a 3rd generation heir, named Rene) purchased this place and runs is as a ski resort chalet in the winter and “chill out” lodge in the summer. He has Bob Marley posters hanging on the wall, and all sorts of quirky knick knacks installed all over the grounds. He has clearly chosen a different path from some other members of the Lindt family, but loves what he does here. He has two sons (aged 5 and 4, who are of Sri Lankan descent) that he adopted.

The place is clean and turned out to be a great place for us to stay. We can build a fire in our room and there is actually enough sleeping room for 8, so we got a chance to spread out a bit. The bathrooms are not en suite, and the shower leaves a lot to be desired, but for a couple of days, it has been a fun place to hang out. Brenda wanted a couple of days here, where we weren’t driving around or trying to meet a schedule, and it turned out to be a fantastic idea.

The two boys here are a bit young for Josie, but that hasn’t kept them from playing around the grounds. It has been good to give Josie a chance to get away from her siblings and play with someone new. Between their German and Josie’s English, they seem to manage just fine.

This morning, the sun was bright and the temperature was brisk. Brenda and I sat outside on our balcony, drinking coffee and tea. The only noises to be heard were the birds’ chirping, water from a nearby stream, and the clanging of the cowbells up the hills. It was as close to serenity and perfection as we’ve gotten on this trip.

With the good weather, we decided to spend the day hiking. We headed down about 5 minutes from town where they had a lift up to the top of the Brienzer Rothorn mountain. It’s only about 7500 feet up, but it one of the highest peaks in the Alps, and gave us a complete 360 degree view of a good portion of Switzerland. The views were truly stunning. At the top, the kids found some accessible snow banks, still unmelted in the July heat. They immediately started scooping and throwing snowballs at each other. We had to drag them away before too many ended up in tears.

We hiked around the top, drank hot chocolates in a restaurant near the peak, and then returned back to our cabin for lower elevation hikes throughout the afternoon.

This has been a fantastic two days of hiking and relaxation in truly beautiful and peaceful country. We’ve had a chance to get more laundry done. The kids have all gotten some “cave time” away from each other so that every one is in a good mood and ready to take on the world again tomorrow.

We’re running out of time on this journey and we’ve had to start making some tough decisions as to direction and what we will be able to see. From here, we’ve decided to head south into Italy and begin a long curve westward through the south of France before heading north towards the UK again. This means giving up Bavaria and Austria, but giving us a more mellow travel schedule heading back. With luck, we’ll be in Milano tomorrow evening.

The Free Spirit Lodge. The smoke is coming out of our chimney, from a fire we built ourselves in the antique fireplace.

Isabella doing a “the hills are alive…” spin.

Kids running far to out ahead of us… Sörenberg in the background.

Mount Brienzer Rothorn

Brenda about to get a back full of snow.

This was a far more dangerous shot than it looks… John and Elaine will remember the trail at Dover and why we backed out. It wasn’t windy here today, but with Holden along, we just couldn’t trust us too far down this path before we retreated.

Josie sitting by some forget-me-nots. We think those little white flowers may be edelweiss, but we’re not sure.

Hot chocolate at the top. Very disappointing hot chocolate, too … just a packet of Swiss Miss and some hot water.

The view heading back down.

From atop Mount Brienzer Rothorn, looking down into the Interlaken Valley and across to the southern portion of the Swiss Alps. Breathtaking.