Blogs from Mürren, South-West, Switzerland, Europe

Today was supposed to be as fine as we could expect for a few days and if we were to go to the Schilthorn, then this was the day to do it. We caught the train to Lauterbrunnen and walked up the valley for an hour or so to Stechelberg. It was a very warm 28 degrees and we were happy to find a shady place for a picnic lunch. On arriving at the Schilthornbahn (cable car that carries 100+ people) we heard that the Schilthorn was in the cloud which isn’t surprising since it is 3000m high. There is no point in visiting the tops of peaks if you arrive in cloud especially if you have paid for the journey. The Swiss Pass covers us to Murren but not up the Schilthorn so we gave ... read more

We woke up feeling extra ambition and decided it was high time we dangled ourselves off one of the fine cliffs we had been ooh-ing and ahh-ing. So we set off to Murren, one gondola ride up from our town, Gimmelwald, to get mountain wear: harnesses and helmets. With no signs marking the trail we wandered the streets of Murren until we ran into our auberge neighbours going the same way. We started out together, but only one of the three in that party made it through. We, on the other hand, were two for two. So we started out with some gorgeous views, some seriously steep rolling drop offs, but nothing we couldn't handle. A few iron rod steps, a serious respect for the sheer size and height of the mountains, and we were on ... read more

So we left the best breakfast buffet in Milano 5 minutes after it opened so we could catch our train to Switzerland. On the up side, we stuffed our faces, and our packs, before we left!! We traveled in, and arrived to, rain. We got ourselves some ambitious mountain passes to see the Swiss alps and headed up the mountain to our auberge. It took a train, a bus, and a gondola to get to the town of Gimmewald...then there was a cute 5 min "path" to the auberge...it was more like a decent ski hill of stairs with 30lb bags on our backs. We were more than happy to leave our backpacks in our room and head off to explore the area! Our host sent us off on an "introductory trail" through the valley along ... read more

All, Well, we had a wonderful, albeit quick stop in the Alps at the Mountain Hostel in Gimmelwald, Switzerland. We arrived on Saturday afternoon around three and then were there about 24 hours or so. In that time though, we were able to get some good hiking done, and just relax after the craziness that was the Oktoberfest. We started getting the most of our railpasses right after Oktoberfest as we caught trains to Zurich, and then to Bern, and then to Interlaken and then took the Mountain tram up to Gimmelwald. If you are a regular reader of my blogs, you will remember that I was there last year, and although it may seem a bit redundant to return, i don't think anyone would ever tire of those views, and I certainly did not, and ... read more

Left Avignon early and had stopovers in Geneva (meh) and Bern (liked it) on the way to Gimmelwald. Sensational, the pictures dont do it justice. Hiked with some Canadians up into the clouds until the snow was too much to keep going, weather no good for the Jungfrau train or Schilthorn gondola. I was wetter inside my poncho from sweating than I was on the outide from the snow and rain. After getting back to the hostel had a relax in the hottub looking at the mountains. Weather was better the following day (just looked out the window from bed and could see the top of the Jungfrau) so took the train up there, checked things, walked on the glacier, etc. Wasnt too bad so ended up doing it in tshirt and shorts. Back down to ... read more

Hello from the Alps!! Yesterday was a travel day for us; we spent the day going from Rothenburg, Germany to Murren, Switzerland, a small town in the Swiss Alps. It took 9 ½ hours - six train changes, a panoramic train, and a cable car. But it was WORTH IT!!! It is so beautiful up here. Our town is adorable - little Swiss chalets with flower boxes and vegetable gardens decorated with gnomes. And the view next to the town…well, just amazing. Murren is located about halfway (5,361 ft) up the Schilthorn mountain (9,748 ft). As we walked around Murren, following our guide book to learn some history, we stopped by a cheese shop and sampled some locally made Alp cheese. Jeremy asked which one is Swiss cheese, and she said “it’s all Swiss cheese!” (Swiss ... read more

An excited school child - that is how I left travelling through Switzerland the past 4 days. Every turn you took you saw a breathtaking mountain, village, waterfall or lake. Switzerland is one beautiful country, not sure what is was really expecting, but it beat my expectations because I was ‘wowed’. My short trip to Switzerland and it can be short yet encompass so much, since Switzerland is such a tiny country, started out in Zurich. Elke and I arrived in rather late and encountered a ‘slow’ person who took a fancy to Elke and her skirt, very random and a bizarre way to be welcomed to a country. Our hotel was nice enough and had a great roof balcony over looking the city - which was very handy for yoga in the morning. We woke ... read more

Today we headed up into the mountains from Interlaken to Murren. The hostess at the Rugenpark told us about Murren last year but we didn't have time to make it there on that trip. Murren is a mile high village of 300 people and is situated basically on the edge of a massive cliff that looks like Half Dome in Yosemite. You must take 2 trains, a bus, and 2 cable car/trams to get there from Interlaken. It is absolutely spectacular (and a bit vertigo-inducing) to look down into the valley and then up at the peaks of Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau! We stayed at a cozy bed and breakfast in town called Chalet Fontana. We were fortunate to have clear skies when we arrived, so we headed straight up to Shilthorn at 9700 feet. The ... read more