Picture postcards from Switzerland

Our apartment overlooking Lake Brienz. 

A bit cloudy but still beautiful and relaxing. 

Our first tourist stop was the Aare Gorge, the walkways were put in place over a hundred years ago!

Thirsty work, lucky there is plenty of fresh water around!

We did have a sunny day, these are the views out of the window.

Hair plaited like Heidi, befitting the moment.

We visited Ballenberg, the open air museum that showcases different styles of building across Switzerland from the years gone by. Here is the wine press!

And a school room for children.

Being hands-on, making our own piece of Switzerland.

Amazing technology for getting the logs cut nice and straight back then!

Picturesque, what more can you say?

Some thatched housing.

A typical Swiss chalet, that has 4 levels!!

Since we were very close to the lake, we had a pleasant stroll along it.

And met a very happy fellow!!

This is one of the oldest streets in Brienz, and at one time, voted the most pretty street.

Our last day, we visited some caves that St Beatus (an Irish missionary) was said to have fought a dragon.

A gorgeous waterfall runs right through the caves.

Within the caves, there are some impressive stalagmites and stalactites that have formed over thousands of years. 

Butterfly Park

What a lovely way to start our Easter holiday, a trip to the Butterfly Park.

We saw gorgeous butterflies flying around our heads and feeding.

Here we are waiting for one to land on our hand, but they are far too delicate.

Certainly a tropical paradise with giant palms.

Sarah's gym spectacle

Sarah has been taking gym classes all year and they put on a show, with lots of other gym classes too, for the community. 

Here she is, enjoying hanging out with her friends after her performance.

At the end, they all went up on stage to take their final bows.

Chocolate Festival

When in Switzerland, there is always going to be a chocolate festival.

Here is an old chocolate-delivering truck.

And a giant profiterole stack... oh wait, no, it is a stack of tennis balls covered in cocoa powder.

But these are real! Giant Easter Eggs!!

To celebrate, here is a chocolate egg in the centre of the hall marking the 10th anniversary of the festival.

Oh, so cute bunnies...

A refreshing blue drink as sampling chocolate is hard work.

There were chocolate sculptures on display, some in the style of Swiss Chalets.

Some were an amazing resemblance to nature.

And, some to tug at the heart strings of the Swiss, like this Swiss skier.

A busy ballet month!

A sneak peak into Sarah's ballet class.

And some action - pony gallops.

Another show, another night! Bravo!!