Woke up to another glorious day in the valley. Having done a big hike the day before we tossed about various options as we ate another yummy breakfast
After eating and pondering over a few more cups of coffee we decided that we'd start the day with a train trip into Interlaken. It's the transportation hub for the area and it's quite touristy, but still worth exploring. We wandered along the canal which runs through the town, joining the Thunersee and the Brienzersee. Soon we were exploring the old part of Interlaken
While we were exploring we spotted a BMW dealership. We figured that since we were in Europe they would be more reasonable. We checked it out.....but the price was kinda crappy
A bit more wandering and taking in the scenery
By now we were craving a coffee. The first place we stopped had a very grumpy waiter so we decided to move on and found a place that served really good iced lattes, mmmm. Then Jo sniffed out a chocolate shop (from a quarter mile away) and we couldn't resist. It was very good. We were getting a little hungry, but we decided to pass on the......
and on
Even from downtown Interlaken you can glimpse views of the treasures that our valley holds
From far away they don't look very big
Jo wanted to do a bit of shopping before we got back to the train station
Then we hopped on the train again and headed to Grindewald. It's in the next valley over from where we are staying. It's also quite touristy and between Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen in size. There is a lot to do there and it gives a different perspective on the mountains.
We stocked up on picnic supplies and headed to the Männlichenbahn.....a small 4 person cable car system that runs from just below Gridewald up to Männlichen on the ridge high above. The cable car ascends over 4,000 feet and the ride takes about 30 minutes so we were able to enjoy our lunch as we rose up in front of the north face of the Eiger. This is the actual view from the cable car
Hilarity ensued in the cable car......lets just say that one of the riders almost had a Depends moment! Once we arrived in Männlichen the view was amazing. Standing on the ridge you could see back down to Grindewald on one side, and down into the Lauterbrunnen valley on the other. Here is a shot looking down, first to Wengen, and then to Lauterbrunnen even further below
We hadn't come prepared for a real hike, or even to be in the mountains today....but the weather was just so nice that we couldn't resist. We set out to hike the Panoramaweg, an amazing hike that takes you from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg. The entire time you are walking directly towards to north face of the Eiger...which is a personal favourite mountain of mine. The fact that we were in regular clothes and flip flops didn't matter to us.....but we did get some funny looks along the way. But we were too taken with the scenery to notice
We did manage to squeeze in a little fun along the way
And one must always remember to take some time to become one with the mountain
The views got better and better as we got closer to the Eiger, which translates to Ogre
Here you can see the buildings of the Jungfraujoch in the centre of the picture
We eventually reached Kleine Scheidegg and hopped on the train back down to our sleepy valley. We were all tried as we had been on the go for about 7 hours, and it had been very hot.....it was 34 degrees up top today. So the ride down was a little quiet
We had great intentions of heading back to Interlaken for supper but we were too beat so we chose the patio at the Hotel Oberland in Lauterbrunnen and we were very happy with our meals
Just before we were about to order dessert.....yes we earned it! The skies opened up as another mountain storm rolled in. It had been 34 degrees not long ago, and now thunder and lightning crashed up and down the valley....then the rain hit hard. I felt something hit me and looked down to find a piece of hail on my lap, and we were under and awning. Soon hail the size of ice cubes was crashing down all around us....talk about one extreme to another. But that is what being in the mountains is like, and why you always have to be prepared for anything. We knew it was coming, and we knew that we would be down before it hit.
We waited for it so slow down and then began walking back to our hotel. Jo ran ahead and Delanie and I laughed at her....but once again the tables were turned. As soon as Jo made it to the cover of the hotel the skies opened up again and Delanie and I had to run for cover. It was another near Depends moment.....and for the second time today, it wasn't me :-)
We got back to the hotel, showered, and now we are relaxing in our rooms with the windows open, listening to the storm still echoing up and down the valley, and the sounds of music and yodellers coming from the community centre across the road......another wonderful day in Switzerland.
P.S. if you didn't notice it the first time, go back and look at the license plate on the BMW
P.P.S. today's title started yesterday at supper when Delanie said "can you take a picture of my schnitzel?" We laughed at that. Then while at dinner tonight, a man at the table next to us ordered schnitzel and lets just say, well, someone made a comment about it being the biggest schnitzel they had ever seen....yes it was another Depends moment.
How will we top it tomorrow.....stay tuned and see
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