Heidi-ville

---

Geo: 46.55, 7.9

Well, the weather didn't cooperate quite as well as we had hoped. I woke up at 6:00, looked outside, and decided it looked pretty good. By the time I went to breakfast at 7:45, the clouds had rolled in and it was misty. There was no point in taking the gondola up to the Schilthorn because we wouldn't be able to see the view. And at 56 Swiss francs, no one wants to go up if you can't see the view.

Instead, we left the hotel around 9:00 and walked down the road to Trummelbach Falls. I elected not to go see the falls because Reid had said it would be wet and slippery, and I don't have shoes with much in the way of traction. It worked out fine because I kept Anne (from Kirkland) company in the cafe; she has a broken toe. I was surprised by the number of Indians at the falls, but apparently they like to come here in May and June to escape their monsoon season. A lot of the women were still wearing their saris, but with woolly hats and earmuffs, and wraps that didn't look terribly warm.

Reid joined Anne and me after a bit for some hot chocolate. He can be quite arrogant and, frankly, a bit of an ass. I suspect he thinks he's just being a smart aleck, but it comes across as brusque rather than jokey. But we talked for a little bit, and it turns out he's got some serious pain management issues due partly to a gluten intolerance. His pain turns up in his hips and groin, which certainly isn't a good thing for a tour guide who has to do a lot of walking.

We all walked the rest of the way into the town of Lauterbrunnen. There was such gorgeous scenery along the way and, again, I know my camera won't do it justice. Waterfalls and brooks and cows with jangling cowbells; huge, forbidding cliffs and hamlets clinging to the hillsides; beautifully kept chalets and the neatest cemetery I've ever seen. Lauterbrunnen itself is basically
one street with some hotels, a few restaurants, and even fewer shops.
Katie, Shiree, Sandy and I had lunch on the terrace of the Oberland Hotel and just gazed at the view. Then we went to a shop farther down the road that gives discounts to Rick Steves tour members. I bought a Tissot watch for myself. I do like the watch I've had for the last decade, but it's starting to get difficult to read. This new watch is silver-colored with a gold rim around the face, and the face is bigger with Roman numerals and a date box. I'm very happy with it, though I probably won't wear it till I get home. On the downside, it comes in rather a large box, and I'm not sure how I'm going to get it in my suitcase. I'm going to have to buy another bag.

We met at 2:15 at the gondola station in Lauterbrunnen to go up to Grutschalp. I expected the gondola to move slowly up the steep, steep hillside, but it really cooked! Most of the group then hiked the mountain ridge to Murren, two towns away, but Anne and I elected to take the little train, which got us there in about seven minutes. After learning that the temperature at Murren was one degree Celsius, we wandered through the town, most of which was still closed up till mid-June. We walked by an incredibly steep railway – it was practically vertical! Murren is at 5361 feet and instead of raining, it was snowing! Not heavily, but it was definitely snow. When we decided we had better find the trail so that we could meet the group, we ran into Shiree and Patty, who had started to walk the trail but turned back to take the train. We were all cold, so we went into Scotty Bar (chalkboard out front: Recommended by the Famous Rick Steves Travel Guide) and sat by a window on the edge of the cliff and had hot chocolate laced with Bailey's. Not a bad deal either: it only came to 11.40 CHF for the
four of us.

We eventually ran into the rest of the group at another bar down the road (no chalkboard out front), where I had another hot chocolate laced with Bailey's, and this time it cost 8.40 CHF! Good thing I drank every last drop. And I was most certainly warm afterwards.

We all took the gondola back down the mountain. We had to transfer at Gimmelwald and then take another gondola down to Stechelberg. We were practically next to the waterfalls that cascade over the cliffs. It was spectacular but a little scary because the gondola kept rocking. As we walked the road back to the hotel, I got a migraine. It must have been brought on by the sudden altitude change. So I came back to my room and laid down for half an hour. It's gone now, and I hope it stays away.

LATER: We were given dinner in the hotel again tonight. Cream of mushroom soup, a nice salad, chicken or veal sausage (I had chicken), and rösti, followed by flan for dessert. I particularly liked the rösti, and I don't really care much for hash browns. I sat by a window and would occasionally look out at the valley and the waterfalls, and I know that in two weeks' time it will all seem like a surreal dream.

---

Comments

[JEK]

I was thinking the same thing about Reid reading your blog. But what are the chances. ;-)