We started our day by crossing the canal and hopping on a funicular for the short ride up to Harder Kulm. It is perched on a small mountain that overlooks the city and the views are amazing. The ride up gets as steep as a 64 percent grade! Here are a few shots on the way up
Once you arrive, the views are quite spectacular - this is a shot of the Harder Kulm, with the Brienzersee in the background
The next shot is looking across Interlaken and back towards the Alps. You can see the entrance to our valley on the right hand side of the pic...it winds its way back towards the snow covered peaks. The high ridge in the top left is where we hiked two days ago, and the little thing that sticks up just to the left of the first snow covered peak is what we climbed to the top of...the view was pretty good!
A bit more looking around and it was time to head down again. The ride down was more interesting because you were facing the direction you were going. You can really see the colour of the lake, and the canal, in this shot
When we got back down we decided to stroll along the canal and take in the scenery. There is a mix of old and modern, the mountains always looming in the background
The ever present paraglider that land in a large sports field in the middle of town
The tree lined canal
We arrived at the town's sports centre and popped inside. We've really been missing our spin classes so we checked the schedule to see if we could squeeze in a workout.....we don't want to let Jane and Howard down. It wasn't quite what we expected, but at least we can say we did it!
A little further along the canal and we came across some colourful gardens, some interesting buildings, and the old town square
Jo attempted a selfie
But clearly she lacks focus
And old wooden bridge spans part of the canal
Hmmm, Where is Waldo part 2
Everywhere you go in the region you come across free running water. It comes down from the mountains and we fill our water bottles and hydration packs every chance we get. It's cold and so delicious!
We did a little bit of shopping and then, feeling tired, decided to walk back to the train station to head back for a relaxing evening. Just before we got there we spotted a pack of daredevils who were going to brave the current and jump off the bridge
Back flip
Ouch....that's gonna leave a mark!
We got to the train station and checked the schedule. There was a 30 minute wait until the train back to Lauterbrunnen, but there was a train going to Grindelwald in 3 minutes. Having passes, we decided to jump on and take a very different route back to our town.
We arrived in Grindelwald a short time later. It was over 30 degrees out and we were really hot. We headed to the local grocery store to load up on fluids as we expected our next ride to be hot. A short 10 minute walk downhill to Grund and we boarded the Mannlichenbahn.....it's a very small cable car that runs all the way up to Mannlichen. The journey takes about 30 minutes and you ascend from the valley floor to the ridge high above. Along the way you have an amazing view of the North Face of the Eiger, and if you look down you might catch some Swiss Mountain marmots
Upon reaching the top, you are greeted with some amazing vistas
We decided to lounge around a bit
As our spin workout didn't quite pan out, I decided to sign up for a mountain goat race....ok, it was more of a rodeo
A few more shots from near the edge
Looking back down to Grindelwald in the distance
Then it was time to load into a gondola to ride down from Mannlichen to the town of Wengen. This is a picture looking down the gondola wires....Wengen in the foreground, and Lauterbrunnen behind it on the valley floor. You don't get the true sense of perspective in the picture of just how far down it really is
When we arrived in Wengen we went for a short walk. There is a fantastic viewpoint which hides behind a little church. This shot is looking down into our valley. Unfortunately we were there at the wrong time of day so the lighting wasn't very good. If you look very carefully in the left centre of the pic, you can see the large waterfall that was in the valley we hiked into yesterday....and above it to the right is the ridge we climbed up then around to get there
A train ride down from Wengen and we were back in our town. We talked about what to make for supper and then decided to go out. One of our favourite places to eat is a little restaurant at a campground in the valley. We started with some big chilly beers.....to rehydrate from the heat of course!
And then one of my favourite meals arrived. Roast chicken breast with salad and rosti, served with fresh alpen butter. Mmmmm!
Jo even paid for my dinner.....a delayed birthday dinner that she was saving because she knew this was one of my favourites. Score!
After dinner it was a short stroll back down our valley. The sun was setting, but still shining on the towns up above
The farmers were calling it a day around that time. They are a hearty breed.....imagine what stories this woman could tell as she puts her hay rake away for the night
One last look up at Staubbach Falls
And then it was back to our place for a big glass of cold milk....to wash down the chocolate of course. Did we mention how good the milk is here, and very inexpensive compared to home. You could drink it by the gallon.
Well it's off the check the weather forecast for tomorrow, then time to sleep. The weather will dictate our plans tomorrow. It's been hot and sunny the whole time we've been here, but there is some rain and thunderstorms coming. Thunderstorms can mean snow in the mountains. We've been in a snowstorm in August here. That's why we always take full gear when we are going high....you can't be too safe up there. And thunderstorms in the evening are a real treat as you can hear the thunder echo up and down the valley...it's awesome!
Nighty night all!
