After an early afternoon stroll in Colmar, we made our way to our final destination in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland.
Since the grocery store near our Airbnb in Wengen, Switzerland would close before our arrival, we made a quick stop in Basel to visit a supermarket. Normally I would say grab your groceries in France or Germany before you come on over to Switzerland, but stores in France were closed on this Sunday and we couldn’t find a German supermarket along the way. So yes we did pay 40 percent more for our groceries, but you can’t beat convenience and the sheer awesome nature of milk, cheese, and veggies at Swiss supermarkets.
Anyway after my parents finished grocery shopping, and I settled my giddiness of being in Switzerland with a Movenpick Carmelita Ice Cream, we sped on down to the Bernese Oberland area of Switzerland. More specifically, we teleported ourselves into the world of JRR Tolkien: the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
It was here in this very valley that Tolkien found the inspiration for the settings in his unforgettable work: the Lord of the Rings. One shot of this valley on my camera back in 2013 convinced me that there was a world out there, waiting to be photographed, and a setting of a fantasy novel, waiting to be discovered. This is perhaps the one place on Earth where everyone can feel like a master photographer. This place is so magical at every time of day, every season, in any weather that it completely annihilates the belief that there is such a thing as “bad light” in photography. It completely befuddles you that there can be so many natural and artificial elements coexisting within the confines of a single valley. Snow capped peaks, rolling green hills, meadows, cows, sheep, villages, and gargantuan waterfalls carving into the valley are all among its features. It’s the one true melting point for humans and nature. The one place where we can seemingly coexist.
Enough hype right? Here are 10 pictures of what I consider to be the most beautiful place on Earth and a vlog post on photographing the very same place:
As always I would very much appreciate it if you could subscribe. YouTube doesn’t even allow me to link back to this blog unless I get to 1000 followers. Anyway just enjoy the video and please provide your feedback!
Bottom Line:
This is where I have to say that the world of points, miles, and booze can only take you so far. If you purely base every one of your adventures on where you can find hotels to redeem points on, you will most likely miss out on living in the landscapes of Tolkien or JK Rowling or whoever your favorite fantasy author is. Just remember that there is so much more to the world outside of what you think is possible. Seeing this place certainly broke my preconceived notion that landscapes are imagined not seen with our very own eyes.
The way this valley, this region, nay this country has warped and carved my imagination reality, truly makes visiting and photographing it the most beautiful experience in my life. I don’t think I have to get anymore touchy and feely with my words for you to know the obvious: I am madly in love with Switzerland (especially Lauterbrunnen).
What travel destination inspire(s/d) you the most? What place broke your notions of what is possible? Follow all my adventures and check out more of my photography on Instagram.
INTRO TRIP REPORT: VISITING POSTCARD LOCATIONS (SWITZERLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY)
American Airlines Premium Lounge Terminal D DFW (Temporary)
American Airlines 777 Business Class DFW-FRA
Roomers Hotel Baden-Baden
Focal Point Baden-Baden: 10 Pictures of this Sleepy Spa Town
Sunday Stroll in Colmar(FR)
My Favorite Place on Earth
Things to do in the Jungfrau Region
Swiss Business Class Lounge Zurich A Gates
Swiss Business Class Zurich – Oslo
Radisson Blu Airport Hotel, Oslo Gardermoen
KLM Business Class OSL-AMS-ORD
Hi Teja,
Your photos and videos are some of the nicest I have seen. As a fairly new landscape painter, I am always looking for beautiful scenes to paint. So, I was wondering If I could have your permission to paint the photo of Lauterbrunnen, called Without a doubt the most beautiful place on earth. It will be very hard to paint, but I think it will be worth the effort. Yes, there are lots of other photos of that valley, but I like your shots best.
If you say yes, I will send you a photo of my painting. It may take a while, as I am not fast.
Bye for now,
Jeanne W.
Jeane I have no problem with your painting my picture of Lauterbrunnen. I would love to see how it turns out and consider it an honor that you would like to paint my image.
Thank you for the warm compliments.
Thank you, Teja! I had a good day painting today with your photo as a reference. I hope to see this area myself one day.
Teja, I have finished my painting of your favorite place on earth. I am still trying to figure out how to post it here, as my phone or tablet seems to only share by email. I notice your emails to this post are a do not reply type. So, once I figure it out, I will post it. I have to dedicate it to you on the back, as it was your enthusiasm that arrested my attention and got me thinking about painting this scene.