Soggy Days in Switzerland

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As soon as we arrived, we were told, "It's been raining a lot, too much". The vegetation is a lush, emerald green and beautiful, but the fields are soggy and the trails are somewhat muddy. We feel very fortunate to have had 4 days of partial sunshine amongst all the inclement weather. We have latched on to every sunny moment and have spent it on our favorite trails in the mountains. Even a cloudy day is a good day for a boat trip on one of the lakes. We also know many good trails to walk/hike in the rain. So, we are making the best of it and not letting a bit of wet spoil our good time. The cooler temps are divine! It has been a delightful respite from the Florida heat.

The rain seems to be bringing out the wildlife. We have seen more gemses (Swiss mountain goats) than ever in the past. The marmots (groundhogs) are fat and active. Best of all, we saw our first ptarmigan. It was trekking right below our cable car as we ascended the mountain. The cows seem to be very tired or lazy. They are always laying down. Possibly they have had enough of the rain also.

Our time here is quickly coming to an end. We celebrated Ron's birthday on his favorite Panoramaweg looking across to the Eiger, the Monch, and the Jungfrau mountains. He couldn't have been in a better place for his birthday. Later, in the afternoon, we went up to Harder Kulm, the town mountain of Interlaken, and had his birthday dinner overlooking Interlaken, Lake Brienze, and Lake Thun.

On Sunday we fly to Poland, to visit Krakow and Zakopane. This trip is a collection of some of our favorite places in Europe and it's going to be a good one - come rain or come shine!

Ramblin' Ron and Pam

PS - There are 2 panorama photos at the top of the blog. You'll have to wait a few moments to see them alternate.

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Photos

Lake Brienze
Early morning boat cruise on our favorite lake.

Waterfall in the clouds
This was taken from the boat, not from an airplane.

The Lauterbrunnen Valley
I never get tired of this view!

The Eiger
The cows are very mellow or lazy in this rainy weather.

Gemse and Woodpile
One of the many gemses that we saw.

Scanning the Eiger
Looking for climbers

Comments

[June]

Always interesting....
Hi Pam and Ron...always great to see your travels,Fantastic mountain views...glad your both keeping well enough,to continue your tours. Dont forget me if you ever get to Lutherstadt Wittenberg(but dont come till the end of next year,most of the renovations will be finished then,ready for the 500th anniversary of the reformation) If you know anyone who is thinking of coming to LW over the next year,please tell them that 50% of the city is under wraps......KEPP going...Love the photos...June

[D MJ Binkley]

Soggy Switzerland
Amazing. Switzerland is on our short list. Hopefully we will get there soon.