Grindelwald

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Dear Family & Friends:

One more! From Wengen, we took the train down the valley a bit and then up another valley (in all, we stayed in three different locations, each at the base of the Jungfrau, but each offering a very different view) to Grindelwald. Unlike the other two towns, this one allows cars. Our first surprise was discovering that our beautiful hotel was the farthest one out of town! We had to take a long cab ride and then rely on the public bus for the next few days, but the view was beautiful, as it was perched on the side of one of the hills overlooking the town and glorious mountains. We also had a room that sleeps 10, so the kids loved having a bunk bed that slept 3 on each level!

On the afternoon of our arrival (June 27th), we took a cable car to Pfingstegg where the kids did a very fun summer tobogganing run. It was a metal half tube and you can control the cars, then you are brought back up by a pully system (we would call it an alpine slide). Then we hiked around and watched about 8 paragliders.

The next day, we took a cable car up to First and hiked to Bachalpsee, a beautiful lake tucked up high, and then hiked down most of the distance we had come up on the cable car. The attached photos are mostly from that day, since every corner you turned left you breathless with the scenary. We hiked steep tails (lots of stairs and tiny switchbacks) to Bort where we rented scooter bikes. They are like bikes without pedals and you stand up, using the hand brakes for the entire trip down to Grindelwald. It was much more frightening for some of us than for others! 😊 Kate is sure it took a week off her life...then to the gorgeous indoor town pool to use a great waterslide....in all, between the 25-minute cable car ride (Sam had his own car, Lauren and Kate were in one, and Ken and Marilyn in a third), the scooter bikes, and the enclosed tunnel at the pool, it was like no other day any of us has ever had (hardest on poor Kate whose mantra was, "others have done this before me and survived...").

Our time is up at the internet cafe and we still need to write about Italy! Not sure if it will happen before we leave on our cruise on Sunday....if not, we won't be able to write until after the cruise (too expensive to use internet on the cruise). For now, we will say that Switzerland was the hardest country to leave (all those hikes calling to us!) and Italy has been much more exciting and fun than I think we had imagined. Everything continues to go smoothly, even with the language barriers (well, except the haircut, but more on that later!)

K4

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Photos

Eiger and Gindelwald Valley
On trail from Bachalpsee to Waldspitz above Grindelwald

Alpine Slide
Full throttle

Comments

[Barbara]

So glad you are having fun!
Your trip looks so wonderful...maybe someday I can get to all these places! Can't wait to hear about Italy - as it is the one place I have been to, though it was about 19 years ago. Best wishes for more great times and look forward to seeing you when you get back. Barbara (from First Congo Church in Shelburne)