Sadly packed up and said farewell to our very own Heidi House this morning and drove out of Grindelwald for the last time this trip. Sob sob.

Loved staying in our chalet and loved Grindelwald . Would be quite happy to come back here one day to try some more of the wenderwegs (walking trails).

Driving along the far shore of Lake Thun I was reminded of Lake Como as the lake water is that same beautiful shade of blue / green and villages also trail up the valley slopes on either side of the lake.

On the way to Gstaad we stopped in Oberhofen to visit Schloss Oberhofen on the shore of Lake Thun. This castle was originally built in the 13th century and over the years it (and the attached village) passed from one posh family to another until the last one had to sell both it and their silverware (but hopefully not their daughter's virtue) due to diminished circumstances. 

Each owner added bits and pieces to the castle including a very picturesque bridge to a separate tower over the water and a Turkish sheesha retreat at the very top. That was unexpected!

The gardens here were all so beautiful with a colourful formal English style garden close to the castle and then manicured grounds to walk around in along the lake shore .

After exploring the castle and grounds we had a nice lunch in the associated restaurant right next door. For once Clint's rule didn't apply and the food, service, prices and view were all excellent.

Next we drove to the city of Thun to have a quick look at the outside of another castle - Schloss Thun. This was another impressive mountain top castle but we decided one castle was enough per day and to try and make it over to Broc to visit the Callier chocolate factory instead.

The drive to Broc was via an extremely winding and narrow road over a mountain pass. The views were outstanding but I don't think Bev was overly keen on the steepness or drops from the side of the road. We should slip her a mickey so she can relax a bit. Haha

Part of the way we were following a truck with milk pails on the back. We'd actually learnt a couple of days ago that a lot of what we thought were "Heidi Houses" high up on mountain slopes are actually cow barns . They're only used in the summer and the cows only come in to be milked and then go back out to pasture.

Missed the cutoff for the last entry to the chocolate factory so we re-routed and headed to Gstaad where we are staying tonight.

Arrived in Gstaad and found our hotel about an hour later. The lovely hotel staff had upgraded all our rooms to junior suites which was a fantastic surprise. The rooms were beautiful and so was the rest of the hotel. The manager has added all the extra touches he can think of. There's even a lolly buffet for kids (he let us big kids have some too). Jill especially liked the lolly buffet - taking some after dinner and then after breakfast the next day!

We liked the atmosphere at this hotel so much that we had dinner in their restaurant - something we usually try not to do.  

We ate at the outdoor terrace with a view to the Spitzhorn mountain. The meal was lovely and included an endless supply of bread and a complimentary pumpkin bouche to start. The manager was also serving tables and he made our night with his banter and sense of humour. A very enjoyable dinner for all of us.

Even though we were sad to leave Grindelwald, we all really like the peaceful atmosphere here (and everyone is enjoying having their own space and bathroom again).

They do have a slightly alarming pictograph in their spa / sauna area though! (see photos).

A slightly earlier night tonight (ie 11pm instead of well after midnight like usual) as we have to get up super early tomorrow for Bev's secret birthday surprise.

Goodnight Captain Secret Squirrel.