Exactly Justine.
Op is throwing more and more constraints.
Based on hearsay.
Very difficult.

This thread is becoming more and more amusing.

afj123, the weather in Switzerland is perfect in summer. I come from a tropical country and I don't find Interlaken cold in May. Of course if you go to the peaks it will be colder, but with your brother's pregnant girlfriend and your 65 years old mum, and that big group, I think you don't need to go to the very peaks.

Oh, believe me, you don't want to hike during the day with the sun shining 80°F at your back.

I lost it when we started talking about temperatures in Fss. :-)

I don't talk in months anymore but in moons.

Wo, I thought you talked in kg?

"Thought about doing 4 days french riviera and 4 days somewhere nearby in the mountains."

Flying into Nice for four days in that area then four days in the Mercantour Alps for hiking etc would work. Mountains up to just over 10000 feet. Not as spectacular as northern French alps as no glaciers but attractive enough and more amenable for mere mortals. St martin vesubie a good little mountain village as is St Etienne de Tinee: both accessible by bus from Nice in around two hours. Bus tickets only cost 1.50 euros per person each way.

Alternative area from French riviera is the Val de Durance -the valley leading up to the medieval town of Briancon- particularly good for kayaking but around four hour drive from Nice, so not so convenient to access.

http://en.marittimemercantour.eu/

The area is much less crowded than the northern French Alps or Switzerland, even in summer, if that is important to you.

Seriously , this sounds a little princesses like I mean , for hiking why would anyone want it warm!! Temps between 60-70 are perfect for real hikers ! Working up a sweat in temps over 70 isn't that fun .

I'm with a 65 year old woman, two children and a pregnant woman. I guess we're not "real hikers."

You're so pompous you must either be French or from Boulder Colorado

<<You're so pompous you must either be French or from Boulder Colorado>>

I would not head off to Europe with an attitude like that. You won't find a warm welcome.

No, I haven't felt a warm welcome here. Someone calls me a "little princess" and they are getting dealt with.

Ha.. you cant deal with me.. I call it as I see it.. thinking 70 degrees is too cold for hiking.. makes you a princess.. Wear it.
No wonder people like you have to travel in large groups..

Same for me. You are the kind of hair splitter tourist every French hates.
Can I have the menu but not the peas but instead onions.
Oh and not too warm. Oh and how do you cook the meat ? Because at home we do it this way ...
Since the beginning you are being fussy and every time someone tries to help you throw in other constraints.
Now you are insulting everybody ?
Btw I feel like a French ... Call me pompous, little princess.

I was wondering what was wrong with the people of Boulder Colorado :-)

Chill guys, sounds like a mixmash of different needs and a bunch of point of views.

afj, have me managed to offer you any different ideas? Do you have any further plans?

I chilled. So in these kind of circumstances I usually lose my English and errr euh me no speak Englishe verry well annie more...

Mais c'est pas grave je peux continuer en Français pour tout ce qui concerne la France, cela donnera à l'OP l'occasion de se confronter à notre superbe langue.

Manon troppo in Italiano perche cosi mi spiache no parlare Italiano.

Fur Osterreich, gleich ! Ich spreche kein Deitch so kann Ich hier nicht hilfen. Tut mihr Leite.

woin, gioca gentilemente, la ragazza e' giovane

Si la mamma a sessantacinque anni, la "ragazza" non e troppo giovane.

An amusing thread, I do find I am wondering if the OP is a troll.

A group of 8 adults and 2 children pre-trip, trying to satisfy everyone's differing needs. That's simply not possible.

I agree with the comment about what is it that Mother wants to do since this is supposedly a trip for her birthday. But if she has no choice that everyone can agree to live with, I guess her idea just gets kicked to the curb as well.

I also find the implication that at 65, Mother is not able to hike just as well as anyone else somewhat insulting to Mother. Maybe it is deserved and maybe it isn't. I know plenty of 65 year old people that can out hike plenty of 30 year old people. Simply a question of which has a better level of fitness, nothing to do with age.

Assuming this is not a troll, it seems clear that no one in this group of 10 has any experience in arranging group travel. A case of the blind trying to lead the blind.

I would suggest that you go back to the drawing board and start over. You have 8 adults and 2 children. I think we can say the children are below voting age.

Now here is what you do. First, send this message by e-mail to all 7(other) adults.

"Dear family,
As you know, we are trying to decide on a destination for us all to visit for Mother's 65th birthday. All of us have our own preferences and obviously, it just isn't possible to try and find one place that will meet all those preferences. So we all have to agree that there will have to be some compromise by everyone. If we can't agree on that, we are wasting our time.

We have talked among ourselves about various places and each and every place suggested has been shot down by someone. We are getting nowhere with this process. Doing more of the same, will only result in more of the same. We must change the process.

So, I am going to ask each of you to e-mail me the name of one place you would like to have considered for us to go to. When everyone has sent me their choice, I will e-mail everyone with the list of 8 places we have chosen.

Then I would like each of you to e-mail me back with one place you would like to have removed from the list. Just one each.

That should leave us with a list of perhaps 3-4 places that no one chose as their 'absolute must remove if I'm only allowed to remove one', choice.

I will then e-mail everyone that list of remaining places and each of us will choose which one from that list is our first choice of where to go to. Just one choice each and only from that list. Whichever one gets the most votes, will be our destination.

Please send me your first choice for inclusion in our initial list of 8, ASAP."

The solution to your problem afj123, is not to try and find the perfect place. The solution is to find a process that will get you to a decision that everyone can live with PROVIDED they understand that a group has to compromise.

Ma, la lingua della ragazza e' molto giovane.

la vita e bella con due birre e seppia.