Schilthorn

---

This morning we woke to another beautiful day! Once we got ready, we left the hotel and walked about 1/4 mile to the Schilthornbahn station. There we bought our tickets and then boarded the cable car. After about a 10 minute ride we transferred to another cable car for another 10 minute ride to the Schilthorn. That is a restaurant, souvenir shop, etc. built right on the peak of a mountain. There we sat down on a revolving floor and ate the breakfast buffet. The had sausage, eggs, bacon, big loaves of bread that you cut your own slices off of, cold cuts, lots of different cheeses, several kinds of yogurt, and more. The waiter asked us if we wanted champagne and I said no, no champagne. Well, then he asked "grape juice" and I said that would be fine. When he brought it out it was in tall, thin wine glasses. I'm pretty sure it was just sparkling grape juice so we drank it. About the outside 12 feet of the floor rotated and it actually went around pretty fast, so we made at least 1 1/2 rounds while we ate. The views were just incredible! After breakfast we went to the souvenir shop for a while and then Linda said she needed to go to the restroom. I agreed to stay on that level out on the observation platforms. Well a stairway led down from there and I guess one thing led to another. I just went down the stairs onto the mountain and then a parasail with 2 people on it came over (they give rides to tourists). They had just jumped off the mountain a short way ahead around the curve. The parasail went back and forth for quite awhile using the updraft of the breeze against the mountain for lift. I noticed that as they would make a pass by they were actually climbing. Anyhow I wanted to see if there was anymore getting ready to go, so I wandered down the trail a short ways. No more were there, but it looked like I could probably get a better view a little further on - If Linda looked over the edge she could easily see me down there. I just had to go a little further to the end of the ridge. Well, I finally got to where I felt like I was on top of the world with the views and decided I had better head back. I headed back uphill and as this was a little over 10,000 ft. altitude, I all of a sudden realized that I was getting out of breath. I sat down on a rock breathing hard and it just seemed like I wasn't getting enough oxygen! Eventually I started breathing easier, so I started on back up, however fairly slowly so as not to get winded again. Anyhow I was sure that Linda had seen me down there. Well, I got back up on the deck, and made a whole round looking for her and couldn't find her. I was starting to go around again, when I heard her call my name, and she was upset!! I guess she had been around that thing about 5 times, down to where the cable car comes in, to the souvenir shop several times and up to the restaurant, and she couldn't find me. I guess she never really looked over the edge, but just scanned the people along the fence, and couldn't see me. Anyhow we were both glad to see each other! We went down to the lower level where they were showing a film on the history of the place. I believe it was about 1968 when they got it completed and for the first several months, they used it for filming the James Bond 007 film. Anyhow they really publicize that to this day. Their breakfast buffet is called the 007 breakfast buffet. We went back down to Murren and went to the motel to leave our jackets there. We then rode the Allmendhubel funicular up to the top of the Allmendhubel. A funicular is an incline railcar that is pulled up the mountain by cable. It takes 4 minutes to get to the top - about 1/2 of that in a tunnel. There are some more awsome views from up there, and another restaurant but we didn't partake. We went back down and bought us some snacks from the COOP which is like a grocery store. We tried to buy tickets to Mannlichen for a hike to Kliene Schiedegg, but they told us it was too late, so we bought round trip tickets to Lauterbrunnen. There we got on the Post bus for a ride to Steckelberg. From there we took a 1 1/2 hour hike (walk) back to Lauterbrunnen. That was on the valley floor along the farms with all the cows and goats and jingling cowbells. It was truly musical as the cows had from small to large bells and some made of tin and some cast brass. It was a beautiful walk with a different perspective from all the high views. A base jumper jumped off the mountain above us and when his chute opened it sounded like a thunderclap. He landed with the cows really watching him and then walked by us with a sheepish grin and his chute all bundled around him. The walk was beside a rocky stream with interesting baby blue water. The sky was totally clear and dark blue all day- you couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. The Swiss put a lot into their transportation and building things on the mountains, but in the US if you had a place like this it would be real touristy and lots and lots of other attractions. Gatlinburg has haunted houses, amusement parks, dinner shows, etc., etc., but here it seems like nature is the theme. Well, I've bored you enough - tomorrow we are Paris bound!

---