Grindelwald - Meirengen biking

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We ummed and ahhed about what to do today because the forecast is for very hot weather – over 30 degrees. Our original idea was to hire bikes and go biking from Meirengen but would that be too hot? Our biking experience says that no matter whether the day is hot or cold there is always a breeze when you bike because the speed is faster than walking. It was that or head up onto a mountain top somewhere where the temperatures are usually lower. We opted to go biking and take our chances, so off we went to Meirengen and hired bikes at the Station. The Information office is also at the Station so we got Post Bus timetables for the Grimsel and Hasliberg areas as well as maps. There is a 4 Pass Bus trip that you can do in a day that takes you over the Grimsel, Susten, Furka and Nurfen Passes. This looks like a good option for an off-hiking day.

Back to biking. Our biking map showed that there were bike trails along the Aare and forest back towards Brienz so we headed off in that direction. We biked through the countryside where crops are growing and farmers were mowing or baling their hay. We stopped at a popular picnic spot to have our picnic lunch only to be accosted by a large persistant bright orange butterfly that seemed to want to lick swetty skin! Then, on towards Brienz into the light wind but hot sun. Heading back to Meirengen was a different story with the wind behind us. It was incredibly hot. I managed to fall off the bike very ungracefully on the main road when the wheel went down the side of the asphalt and tipped me off. Having a high bar on the bike didn’t help as I couldn’t get my foot out of the way. Fortunately there wasn’t too much of an audience.

We arrived back in Meirengen having done 30km, extremely hot and bothered. A cold drink and icecream helped as a cooler. However, after returning the bikes we had to return home in hot train carriages and despite all the windows being down it made little difference. We arrived back in Grindelwald in a lather and very pleased that there was a bus up the hill. The temperature back at the house was 31 degrees. Goodness knows what it was down in Interlaken. Tomorrow is to be the same or warmer. I wonder what we’ll do?

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Photos

Biking from Meirengen to Brienz
Looking up the Aare Valley back towards Meirengen and Innerkirchen

One persistent butterfly
This butterfly was not afraid. It persisted in landing on us without any fear of being swatted. (Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it should watch out).