Hi again! After my work trip, Mark was able to meet me in Switzerland for a week long adventure. Switzerland had been high on our list for sometime, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to make it there!
We started our adventure in Interlaken, before heading up to Lucerne & Zurich. While in Interlaken, we were able to take a day trip to Thun (pronounced ‘toon’). Here are some fun things to check out while visiting this quaint Swiss town.
Switzerland feels like a fairy-tale so it’s no surprise that Thun had it’s very own castle! In German, schloss means castle, so the official name is Schloss Thun. It sits above the old town and takes about 15 minutes to get to on foot from the center. It costs 10 CHF for an adult ticket, which you can purchase upon arrival. It really only takes about an hour or so to visit and has some great views from the one of the towers. For more info on opening times and ticket prices, click here.
After Schloss Thun, we spent some time downtown, strolling the charming streets and window shopping the quaint stores.
Later in the morning, we made the mistake of walking from the center to Schadau Castle when we probably should have taken the bus, but it was worth the view! It sits right on the banks of Lake Thun and is a great place for a picnic (or even a swim).
We were able to figure out the bus back to the center and spared our legs the trek a second time. After all the castle-hopping, we had worked up an appetite and decided to sit outside by the river for a drink & lunch.
With full bellies, we had one last stop on our list of places to visit. The Panzermuseum (aka Tank Museum), is something I had read about online from another travel blogger. Since we are both history nerds, we thought it would be interesting to see some old WWII tanks. The one thing the blogger forgot to mention was that this museum is actually on an active military base! When we first arrived, we thought we were in the wrong place. After inquiring at the gate, the guards gave us passes and sent us with a soldier to show us around. The tanks are outside and in the middle of the base, so it doesn’t take long to see them all.
This was definitely a highlight of our trip to Thun. The soldier who showed us around was very friendly. He explained to us that every able bodied male in Switzerland is required to serve some time in the military. He has a full time job, but every now and then they must go work on a base. They had German tanks, US tanks–even a tank made by Ford! He encouraged us to climb up on one and took a photo of us.
After the museum, we decided to head back and catch our train. It only takes 30 minutes to get between Thun and Interlaken so it’s definitely worth a day trip.
Thun is one of the most picturesque places we’ve visited. Stay tuned for our next post about our journey 10,000 feet up in the Swiss Alps!
Adieu, Amanda
