VACATION HOME ON THE LAKE

Notes: Owner likes to cook so kitchen is ready to cook for a crowd: dishwasher, glass-ceramic stove, full-size refrigerator, oven with convection oven, plenty of plates and pots and pans including equipment for making raclette, fondue, wok-cooking, etc. Kitchen gives onto covered patio with picnic table and gas grill for easy outdoor cooking/eating. Playroom in basement with toys, games, computer with Internet access, flat-screen TV and DVD player with eclectic collection DVDs. Big and varied library for adults and kids, mostly English but also French and German. Screens on at least one window per room (very rare in Europe!) keep out flies and mosquitoes, and house stays cool even in summer if shades are closed to keep sun out. House is insulated well and floor heat and fireplace keep downstairs toasty warm; upstairs also warm, heated by radiators. Good-sized yard, fenced in for kids.

Lungern is a Charming, peaceful village in the alps between two of the country's most popular touristic regions: Central Switzerland and the Berner Oberland. Easy access by train or car to Lucerne and Interlaken and the lake and mountain areas around them, or stay at home to bike and hike on local trails, and swim and fish in the crystal-clear lake of Lungern. See glaciers and high peaks in scenic excursions to Susten, Grimsel and Furqua passes, the Jungfrau, Grindelwald, Rosenlaui. Half hour drive to Ballenberg outdoor museum, or music festival in Lucerne. Walk to cablecar for winter skiing or summer hiking and paragliding at Schoenbuel Panoramawelt or drive 20 minutes to larger resort at Meiringen-Hasliberg. Village has a low-key, authentic atmosphere: not all shopkeepers speak English, no signs in Japanese or Arabic, no crowds and the local cultural festivals, from St. Niklaus to traditional wrestling to cow auctions are still celebrated by the townspeople, not just staged for tourists.

Keywords: house, garden, calme, friendly, lake, village, remote, famely, garden, hiking