Up and Down in the Alps

The following is from a daily journal during a June 2015 trip to Switzerland with my wife, Cindy:

Today, everyone was pretty much on their own.  We chose a mid-morning start on the gondola to Grindelwald First (pronounced with an "eh" sound for the vowel - it means little summit). The Grindelwald-First cable car line takes 20 minutes to ascend to the top station, passing through two others).  We had great views of Grindelwald below us, the mountain peaks becoming more dominant across from us, and the beautiful green of the hillside beneath us.  

 

 

 

Once at the First station, we replenished our water bottles, got out the hiking poles, and set out.  This particular trail is 3 Km long (1.8 miles), and considered "easy".  Easy is apparently a relative term.  The beginning of the trail, nearly a third of its length, is a continuous ascension of 200 of the total 400+ foot gain.  Cindy has improved a lot in her ability to walk long distance and handle stairs, but without the hiking poles I'm not sure she would have made it.

 

But she did great, and we both got to enjoy together the spectacular scenes of creation displayed in the multitude of wildflowers, fresh snowmelt streams, and rocky hillsides.

 

 

 

Our destination was Bachalpsee, a small lake sitting in the mountains over 7400 feet above sea level, and over twice the elevation from our hotel this morning.  The lake is fed by the snowmelt.  It easily reflects the surrounding hills and serves as a beautiful foreground for the peaks of Wetterhorn, Schreckhorn, and Eiger.  You may have seen it before - gmail uses a scene from Bachalpsee as part of its mountian theme background.

 

 

 

  

We spent time there resting, and watching the people and often their dogs enjoying the mountain air and water.  One dog we had seen going up really seemed to have boundless energy.  He would roll in the snow, run well off path down fairly steep inclines, and swim in the lake.

 

 

 

At the end of our hike, we had lunch back at the First station, then prepared for another thrill - the First Flyer.  This is a zip line between the First station and next station down, a drop of about 600 feet.  We were hooked up to our harnesses, and soon zipping down at over 40 miles per hour.  We covered the distance in 45 seconds.

 

 

We continued the day relaxing back at the hotel - massage for Cindy and a swim in the pool for me.

Grindelwald may be considered "touristy" by some, but that does not make it any less beautiful.

A fun day with my favorite traveling partner.

 

 

Into the Bernese Alps

The following is from a daily journal during a June 2015 trip to Switzerland with my wife, Cindy:

Our Sunday began as we left Luzern and headed southwest to Grindelwald.  The drive was lovely with photo opportunities right & left.  Sometimes the best you could do while the bus was moving was to just put your camera against the window & click away.  

 

We stopped at an overlook of Lake Lungren and enjoyed for a few minutes the spectacular views of the lake and hills beyond.  

 

Returning to our drive, we passed a Swiss military airport in the valley below.  I've rarely seen such a photographic military location.

 

Our major stop for the day was the open air museum of Ballenberg.  Set on 164 acres of the countryside, the museum features over 100 buildings representing 11 different regions of Switzerland.  We only had time for maybe about 1/2 of the regions, but thoroughly enjoyed seeing the cattle grazing (and ringing their bells), and watching the artisans making pottery, wood carving, spinning thread, and making cheese.

 

 

 

 

After a quick lunch at the park, we headed for Brienz, a small town along Lake Brienz,  the easternmost lake either side of Interlaken.  In Brienz, we were fortunate to see two steam powered locomotives preparing to push their passenger cars up the hills.  Also we walked along the shore a bit, up a lovely residential street which surely must win Brienz's yards of the month judging (if they have one), and some shopping at a wood carvers shop.

 

 

 

 

Finally, it was off to Grindelwald, our home for the next three days.  Grindelwald sits in a valley at 3300 feet, surrounded by several peaks of the Bernese Alps.  It is a hub of mountain sports activities year round.  Our hotel is near the train station, but very quiet.

Sunday evening, several of us broke bread together in commemoration of the Lord's Supper, then broke bread as a meal with all of our group.

Tomorrow, the mountains.