Grindelwald - a very hot welcome

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With unfinished business yesterday we got up for an early breakfast and headed off to see the dying or weeping lion statue carved out of rock. The lion commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris. Nearby is the Old City Wall with several towers erected along it. Instead of the old wooden ramparts there are now concrete elevated paths along the wall to walk along and some towers that you can climb up on original wooden stairs. It's an impressive sight looking out over the river and the city.

We were back in time to move out of the hotel and convoy with our bags down to the railway station. Our train for Interlaken left at midday and was a 2 hour journey along the lakes of Sarnen and Lungern, over the Haslithal Pass to Meirengen then to Interlaken where we changed to the Grindelwald train. So much for it being cooler in the mountains. It was 30 degrees or more in Grindelwald and far to hot for this heat hating Kiwi. If that wasn't enough, Linds thought it was a fairly flat walk up to the house. It wasn't. It was uphill all the way in the heat when we could have got a bus by waiting for a while.

We were met by Hans at Chalet Tuffbach. Amazingly, we found that Hans had been phoned by Mariann who told him that we were known to her. Hans knew Mariann and Fritz, Fritz's brother and
Fritz's father well. How strange that we should lodge at a similar place with people known to each other.

The Chalet is in a superb position view wise, but very noisey being on a corner where vehicles start their climb up the hill. The house is otherwise well set up for us with 3 bedrooms, lounge, dining/kitchen and bathroom.The view from the chalet is unobstructed of the Eiger and all surrounding mountains. There isn't a cloud in the sky and absolutely no wind.

We unloaded, settled in, emptied our back packs and set off down to the town to have a nice cool drink and get some groceries. We were 40 minutes too early to get the bus so once again up the hill with a load. This reminds me of stomping up to Uf dr Ofni years ago with a load.

Our day was completed by a home made meal for a change (hugely cheaper) and room to spread out in a more homely atmosphere.

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Photos

The Dying Lion
The dying lion in remembrance of merceneries who fought for France during the Revolution