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Published: September 13th 2003
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I got up this morning around 7am. I have neglected to do laundry until now (except a few pairS of socks I washed my dancing on in the bath tub w/ shampoo as I showered in Lyon), so I took it all down to the laundry room, went up took a shower, ate breakfast, and it just finished the wash, so I have another hour and a half before I can pack up to change rooms and leave for the day. The guy who runs the hostel recommended a hike just across the lake which I'm looking forward to, should take about 4 hours plus getting there and back. I had breakfast with a British girl who was coming to the end of a month long trip around France and Spain. She was nice, but a bit salty. Oh well, I won't let her bad attitude get me down. Hope my ankles hold up through the hike. I'm going to try to find a re-writeable CD so I can transfer all of this to e-mail at the internet cafe later today. There's a French woman sitting across from me talking either to herself or me as she comments on what she's
hearing on her radio. She knows I don't speak french, I hope she's not expecting me to respond. See you all in a couple weeks.
-Steve
I'm regrtfully back on the train, I loved Annecy, and would have like to dspend a few days there. OPn the bright side, I'm on my way to Gimmewald! Everone raves about it, so I'm excited.
Yesterday I spent most of the day hiking. Two Australian girls tagged along, but they were pretty annoying. Unfortunately it was overcast, so the mountains you usually see (eg Mont Blanch) weren't out. It was still a nice hike. We walked half way around the lake to the trailhead then up to the top of the nearest mountain , across a ridge line, and back down to the lake. We stopped at the highest point for lunch, I had a bagette some cheese and tomatos and a half bottle of red wine. The girls ate vegimite sandwiches. The blisters on my ankles hurt so bad, I went straight into the pharmacy and got some antiseptic, tape, and guase to properly bandage them. I decided not to wait on that side of the lake for 2 hours
for the bus, so I called a cab to take us back. The girls didn't offer to split it or even contribute the bus fare they would have spent to the ride, but cest la vie.
I went into town for diner. Had a great potato bacon cream meal and a glass of wine, then walked back and went to bed.
In the morning I checked out and walked down to the train station to get the itinerary to Gimmewald and times, Went to the museum which was awesome, saw some things I really liked and would like to see more of. One guy who does studies of motion, the other was a sound sculpture artist. That was a fun exhibit. I ran back for my bags and got on the train. My first connection was in Geneve, I got off the train at the station with one track, new Geneve was a bigger city than that, so started asking questions. It turns out I had to transfer via metro lines to the other Geneva train station. I made that happen and got on the train to Interlaken. There are two Interlaken stations made it to the right one easily
then had to transfer onto a local train to a bus to a gondola to get to Gimmewald. I jumped on the last train to make the last bus to make the last gondola. I got on the train showed the conductor by eurail pass and he got mad. "We don't take that. 5 Frank" I asked how much Euro since I hadn't gotten to change any, but he wouldn't take Euro. Well we agreed that I'd pay at the station, I ran off the train looking for the station to pay so I could make the gondola connection, not realizing that there was a bus transfer first. I went the wrong way and the conductor chased me down thinking I was trying to skip out on paying. I explained I was looking for the station and a place to get Francs so I could pay. He took me to the station, where they accept credit, ran to the bank and made the bus. Long and short of it, I got to Gimmewald a night early.
The hostel here is great, really nice people, and Gimmewald is incredible!!! this is the most beautiful place I've ever been. I want to
retire here! I can't begin to describe how beautiful it is!
I checked in, had a big beer and went to the pension next door for some diner, a bratwurst and a large beer. Came back to a festive scene a few more beers, then bed.
Today I took the gondola to the top of the Shilthorn. It's so unbelievable! Had breakfast there then hike the 10,000 feet down. I started off in snow for about an hour down the the banks of this little pond where sheep were lounging about the Jungfrau was a little off in the distance across the pond. I sat there for about an hour waiting for just the right cloud formation. The clouds rise up like smoke stacks from the valleys then blow off. In an given minute there will be ten different scenes, first you see the entire panorama of mountains, then two peaks will be obscured, then a different one each second the changing clouds allow sunlight to hilite another patch of green or snow field. I sat there watch waiting for the perfect picture, but there was no way to capture it. Then I hiked around to the other side of
the mountain where there's a small hikers hut. Walking through alpine meadows for an hour occasionally stopping to watch the cow graze. Their bells ring with each tuft of grass they pull up, It gives a whole new meaning to the song, "the fields are alive with the sound of music." I came back around the front side of the mountain and down into a plush forrest. The trail leads to a waterfall which you walk under, then back up to the fields for more cows, ending up back at the hostel ( about 9 hours later). tomorrow I head on to Gryon!
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