More Switzerland - Lungern, Interlaken, Spiez

On Thursday, we did a day trip south of Lucerne, down to Lake Lungern, Interlaken and Spiez.  Breath-taking scenery  --  it was everything we think of when we think of Switzerland.  

Well, here's an interesting phenomenon.  For the meteorologists amongst us -- please explain.

The longest of the many tunnels through the mountains was 5.2 km! 

And for the geologists amongst us, please explain:  was it a glacier that created this valley, or what?  

* * *

Lake Lungern was a fantastic find  --  we'd never heard of it, but it was more spectacular than many of the places mentioned in tourist brochures (like Interlaken).

The milky green-blue water reminded us of the beautiful lakes in New Zealand.  (Up close, the water is crystal clear.)

And here's a photo of a photo of the real thing ...

Clearly, we were happy to be there!

Interlaken is between Lake Brienz and Lake Thun.  Here's a boat sailing through the relatively narrow stretch of water between the two.

Lunch in Interlaken.

We weren't very impressed with Interlaken itself, but the lakes and the surrounding areas were incredible.  We drove past Interlake to Spiez and it was another wonderful discovery:

 And another competition ...
       How many chalets have been fitted into the garden of this chalet?

The Swiss are known to be neat and tidy, but is this just a little 'over the top' for stacking fire wood?