They know how to do coffee shops and bakeries in Europe. Our first full day in Lucerne had us fortifying ourselves before our bus trip first to Interlaken and then farther up the mountain to Grindelwald.

Grindelwald, at an elevation of almost 3400 feet, is where winter and spring fought for dominance. It seemed to me that winter was winning, so this was the day that I donned the most layers of apparel. I wore a t-shirt, covered by a pull-over sweater, covered by a warm blazer, and topped off with a down jacket. My wool socks and soccer-fan beanie hat from Como, plus recently purchased gloves made the outside bearable. For a short time. The date was April 23.

Grindelwald was beautiful. I braved the cold instead of viewing winter from the vantage point that I prefer – inside! We were snowed upon while there. It seemed best to forego eating al fresco.

We made new friends. I assume this guy had frozen to death – the one on the left. Bob is shivering on the right.

Interlaken, at 1873 ft of elevation, was more of a 50/50 split between winter and spring. The rain made it feel cooler, but we still wandered the streets and enjoyed the flowers.

The wisteria alone was worth the walk.

I’m not a fan of mushrooms, but when combined with gnomes it’s a pretty cute addition to a garden.

Interlaken had more to offer than flowers. This is such a clever lending library (translates to Open Bookcase). You can take a book (nimm ein buch) or bring a book.

The perfect way to warm up before the bus ride down the mountain – hot chocolate, Swiss style!

Goodbye snow and conflicting weather.