Brienz, Switzerland

Time should be budgeted in Switzerland for a decent stop at one of the little villages in the midst of the Alps. Brienz is one such place. It is located on Lake Brienz, and the scenery is spectacular. 

This started as a farming community. Along the way, some of the residents began to practice wordcarving as another way to earn money. They got good at it, as you'd expect. Brienz is now famous for that particular craft.

This is a great place for a walk along the waterfront. It combines two of the most popular features of the city - the lake views and wood carving. Most of the artistic work is quite happy; it's difficult not to pose for a photo with two guys laughing. But the photo shown here also gets those ideas across. The main street of the village, Brunngasse, is considered to be one of the most beautiful streets in Europe, with its mostly 18th century homes.

One of the travel sites describes this as "Where the Alps Dip Their Feet." That's a pretty nice way of putting it.  

While we are here, we should go for a boat ride.