• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Umami Girl logo

  • About
  • Recipes
  • Topics
    • Family
    • Food
    • Home
    • Adventure
  • Shop
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • About
  • Shop
  • Favorite Things
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Lifestyle » Adventure » Travel » Europe » A Beautiful Wedding Weekend in Engelberg, Switzerland

    A Beautiful Wedding Weekend in Engelberg, Switzerland

    July 16, 2014 / Updated Jun 05, 2020 / by Carolyn Gratzer Cope / 3 Comments

    Umami Girl is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Learn more here.

    Photos, notes, and tips from a beautiful wedding weekend in Engelberg, Switzerland, a stunning small town in the Alps. Plus, a stop at Hiltl, the world's oldest consistently operating vegetarian restaurant, in Zurich.

    Engelberg Switzerland 780 | Umami Girl

    Fourth of July weekend as an expat can be pretty weird. No fireworks, no block parties, none of those red, white, and blue popsicles in the shape of a rocket. It’s strange, but it’s almost like the British don’t celebrate the anniversary of America’s independe…Ohhhhhhhh. Right. Well, this year I decided to up the ante on ways to spend the 4th in Europe, and if I do say so, I totally nailed it.

    Wedding crasher is a strong term, but let’s just say I loudly volunteered to be my sister Allison’s date at her friend’s wedding in the tiny town of Engelberg, Switzerland.

    The only fireworks were metaphorical, but there were 360-degree panoramic views, gondola rides up the mountain, yodeling duets, alphorns, my new favorite food raclette, a trilingual ceremony in a thousand-year-old monastery, new friends, and — not least of all — the winning of a whole bell-shaped cheese by yours truly. Rocket pops can wait til next year.

    Engelberg Switzerland 780 | Umami Girl

    99 balloons

    Fool that I am, I talked myself out of bringing ye olde camera to the wedding day itself. Here’s a photo that Allison took as the 70 or so guests stood waiting with the bride and groom to release balloons into the mountain mist outside Restaurant Ristis, the site of post-ceremony aperitifs. We all counted down from 10 in whatever language we liked (I heard French, German, Swiss-German, Taiwanese, English, and Frogthroat from my own Ricola-slurping self).

    Then all of us except the adorable three-year-old flower girl let go and watched as the balloons swirled up and eventually disappeared into the distance. The flower girl cried a little at the horrifying reality of having had 99 balloons and then suddenly not having them anymore. “Adults — friggin’ idiots,” she struggled to conceal behind her sparkling, innocent eyes. 

    Engelberg Switzerland Wedding
    Engelberg Switzerland Wedding

    Dear sir or madam

    Here we are Engelberging before the ceremony. Other than through genetic tendency, we did not plan for our dresses to match each other or the balloons, but all that red — and all that agreement — is very Swiss-terly, I think.

    Unlike lots of people who seem to think they can use photos on the internet for free without asking, I took the high road and kindly sent my sister a personal message requesting permission to publish her photo. I tried to word it like some of the requests I’ve received in the past. She thumbsed it up, so I think we’re good.

    Engelberg Switzerland Wedding

    Hotel Waldegg

    We stayed at the Hotel Waldegg, where they held the wedding reception. It’s a good thing, too, because when we crept off the dance floor and up into bed at 1 a.m. to get ready for our early-morning departure, we were second to leave after the bride’s 89-year-old grandma who’d just flown 20 hours from Taiwan. 

    The hotel has the same casual and friendly vibe that characterizes the whole town. They do a great job with everything. (Seriously, everything. See those sheep sleeping outside our window? The bride had mentioned offhandedly on a prior visit how much she liked them, assuming they were a permanent fixture. They weren’t, but the hotel brought them back for the wedding weekend.) Great job aside, though, no one in town has to try too hard to be fancy, because — well, look around. The town is already magnificent. So they can afford to be cozy instead of over-the-top, which is really what everyone wants anyway. Like comfort food at the White House. Or something.

    Hotel Waldegg Engelberg Switzerland 780 | Umami Girl
    Hotel Waldegg Engelberg Switzerland 780 | Umami Girl
    Engelberg Switzerland 780 | Umami Girl

    Engelberg, where even the fog is scenic

    Even clouds rolling in around us on the morning of the wedding felt more scenic than sinister (though I can’t speak for the couple on this point). Basically everything that happened was an excuse to take another photo. A few times I saw Allison painstakingly frame and snap a photo, turn around to leave, stop short, and take another photo in the opposite direction. And they all turned out great, because Engelberg.

    And here’s what the rail yards and the buildings adjacent to the train station look like. I mean, come on.

    Engelberg Switzerland 780 | Umami Girl
    Engelberg Switzerland 780 | Umami Girl
    Engelberg Switzerland 780 | Umami Girl

    On the train to Zurich

    And here’s a taste of the view from the train ride back to Zurich via Lucerne. As I mentioned on Instagram (where, ahem, you can find some of my iPhone photos from the weekend), I felt a little sheepish — no pun intended, but frankly I don’t mind it — taking so many photos out the train window. That is, until I noticed a man taking a video of the entire 45-minute ride. Everyone was at it — a train full of  deranged, newly minted paparazzi. (“There she is! Lady BaaBaa!”) Whenever we travel by rail between cities in the U.K. or Europe, I always hope for a view like this. Switzerland really delivered.

    Engelberg Switzerland 780 | Umami Girl

    Hiltl vegetarian restaurant, Zurich

    We spent a couple of pre-flight hours in Zurich on Sunday afternoon with another of Allison’s friends who lives nearby. She took us to Hiltl, which holds a Guinness Book record for being the world’s oldest continuously open vegetarian restaurant (founded in 1898).

    They have an à la carte menu, but the big draw at lunchtime is the vegetarian and vegan buffet. My two main observations were: 1. Everything tasted delicious, and I dug the décor, and 2. Holy shit, Switzerland really is as expensive as they say.

    Having spent the rest of the weekend at the wedding, we hadn’t paid for much other than what’s expensive everywhere — flights, trains, hotel. Out in the real world of Zurich, though, it gets intense. I paid about 40 US Dollars for my one-plate buffet lunch and four spoonfuls of chocolate mousse (garnished with two jalapeño poppers, because it’s a buffet, and just you try to stop me).

    I was happy to pay that much for the experience we had, but the thought of doing it on a daily basis as a resident or longer-term visitor of Switzerland is kind of mind-boggling.

    Hiltl World's Oldest Vegetarian Restaurant Zurich Switzerland 780 | Umami Girl-2
    Hiltl World's Oldest Vegetarian Restaurant Zurich Switzerland 780 | Umami Girl-2

    Switzerland may be too good to be true, and that's okay

    In many ways Switzerland feels too good to be true. And for lots of us, at least on a long-term basis, the expense may make it so. But if you have the chance to pop in for a short visit, especially to Engelberg or one of the other villages in the Alps, I’d highly recommend trying to make it happen. Plan a ski weekend, book a yodeling lesson, or crash a wedding. We all do what we’ve gotta do.

    Hungry for more?

    Subscribe to our email updates, and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and YouTube.

    « Creamy Vegan Oatmeal Recipe with Oat Milk
    Tropical Paradise Green Smoothie Recipe »
    • 2

    About Carolyn Gratzer Cope

    Welcome! I’m Carolyn Gratzer Cope, and Umami Girl is your guide to a life well-lived. UG is a lifestyle site for curious, thoughtful people who seek to make every day a little special and have a great time doing it. We're brimming with real talk about the things that matter most — family, food, home, and adventure — and I hope you'll love digging in. Read More…

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amanda says

      July 16, 2014 at 6:38 pm

      Wowza on those mountain photos! Very beautiful.
      A fun point of fact, two of the most spectacular fireworks displays I have seen were in Geneva when I was an expat there. It was quite fun to celebrate independence (aka drink and watch fireworks) with friends from Germany, Spain, France, Italy and Turkey!

      Reply
    2. Bridget says

      July 16, 2014 at 12:03 pm

      I visited the itty bitty hamlet in the mountains where my family is from in Switzerland last summer, and what a town. I loved it!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    WELCOME TO UG

    Welcome! I’m Carolyn Gratzer Cope, and Umami Girl is your guide to a life well-lived. UG is a lifestyle site for curious, thoughtful people who seek to make every day a little special and have a great time doing it. Learn more

    THE FRIDAY NEWSLETTER

    Start every weekend off right with our Friday newsletter.

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Most Popular

    sushi rice in a shallow white bowl over a napkin

    How to Make Sushi Rice (Instant Pot or Stovetop)

    How to make an epic fruit platter

    Fruit Platter 101: How to Make an Epic Fruit Tray

    Cilantro Sauce for Mexican Food 780 | Umami Girl-2

    Cilantro Sauce Recipe for Tacos, Nachos, and More

    Easy Vegetarian Ramen | Umami Girl

    Easy Vegetarian Ramen with Rich, Savory Broth

    Spring Favorites

    a sour cherry muffin on plates with more on a cooling rack and red and white towel

    Sour Cherry Muffins

    gin gimlet in a coupe glass with cucumber slice garnish on a white background

    Classic Cocktails: Gin Gimlet Recipe

    deviled ham in a bowl and on a toasted piece of baguette

    Deviled Ham. Stick with me here.

    a pink raspberry meyer lemon greek yogurt smoothie in a jam jar glass with a blue and white paper straw

    Greek Yogurt Smoothie with Raspberry and Meyer Lemon

    Footer

    As seen on

    a few examples of where umami girl has been featured

    Make It Tonight

    refried bean and cheese enchiladas with red tex mex enchilada sauce

    Refried Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

    tex mex enchilada sauce in a jar with a spoon

    Tex Mex Enchilada Sauce

    chicken and black bean enchiladas with green enchilada sauce in a pan and on a plate with a fork

    Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

    green enchilada sauce in a jar with a spoon

    Green Enchilada Sauce Recipe

    4 ingredient guacamole recipe in a molcajete

    4 Ingredient Guacamole Recipe and Variations

    vegan black bean soup in a bowl with a spoon and napkin

    Vegan Black Bean Soup (Instant Pot or Stovetop)

    • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

    © 2008-2022 UMAMI GIRL LLC