Hirschen Grindelwald

... br>Deze hebben we eerder tervergeefs getracht te beklimmen in 2004 én 2007. <br>Helaas ook deze keer zijn we op de helft gestrand... <br>We hadden reeds 4uur omhoog geklommen van 1620 naar 2050 meter hoogte! Volgens de bordjes zouden we hier echter 2uur over moeten doen; Door de sneeuw was dit voor ons niet mogelijk.<br>Eerst was de sneeuw nog leuk maar na dat hij tot de schenen en vervolgens tot de knieen was het bijna niet meer te doen ...

... 3 families: von Allmen, Brunner and Feuz. With 130 townsfolk sharing hte 3 surnames. To keep prescriptions and medical records straight, the doctor in nearby Lauterbrunnen goes by birth date first, then the patient's name."<br><br>It is definitely one of those places where if you were able to located some brocade curtains and stich yourself a pinafore, you could twirl around, channel Maria von Trapp, and belt our a rousing rendition of ...

... and it was interesting to<br>compare experiences.<br>Wednesday I took the morning off from work and went to Nyon and then met up with several friends to go on a hike and picnic in the Jura mountain range. It was a great group of kids and we had a really fun time exploring. We had a picnic at the top with beautiful views of the French Alps and Mont Blanc. I went straight from hiking to an interview in Geneva with a Human Rights professor for my ...

... and another day of biking around the entire city, we set off at midnight to drive on the Autobahn to Bern. So instead of spending the night on a sleeping train, we took turns driving and sleeping (thank you Alex for the wonderful neck pillow!). <br><br><br><br>We drove into Interlaken around 9, into GORGEOUS views of mountains and lakes (thanks Jess!!). Because we were pooped from almost no sleep, we spent most of the day sleeping ...

... our first full day on the slopes and after the previous days failed attempts we all though tuition would be the best way to progress for the week. We each handed over 58 CHF for a days tuition at Bodmi. Our instructor was beautiful, charming, sweet, young and most of all a brilliant snowboard instructor. The morning was spent learning the basics of standing up, stopping as well as getting our bindings ...

... nice, long bath. Baths are great. I think we all take them for granted when we have a bathtub in our homes. Of course, a nice hot shower can be just as fabulous. Anywho ... I chilled the rest of the day until dinner time. Early bed, early start the next day to go to the Top of Europe. I think I mentioned it in the skiing post, so I won't talk too much about it. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I mentioned falling down ...

... the alarm clock for 0700 but as the alarm is so quiet I didn't hear it through my earplugs which are compulsory for me. Rob did hear it, promptly turned it off, smirked to himself (I maybe taking liberties here) and went back to sleep. By the time we did rise it was too late to head into Bern (Rob obviously devastated by this!!) and be back in time to catch the connecting bus home and have anytime to roam the streets. So instead we kicked back in glorious sun shine, took a ...

... up behind him like a big kite. We watch as he launches and floats out over the valley. I, being very alert, whip out the video and zoom in on the second guy who starts to take off. I am thinking "this guy is going to nail those trees" and we see the guy bail and just miss the trees. He walks back up and re-prepares his chute and then successfully takes off. It looked quite simple actually and I got it all on film, right? wrong ...

... time, they are clean and their 2nd class is ten times better than our first, quite sad I notice these things, but it is important you know!!!! Anyhow, I am stood on the platform chatting to a colleague of mine on the phone and when I finish I get approached by this South African guy, a bit younger than me but looks harmless. However, me being the cautious type (when in another country and all) I am wary of his intentions, so chat away, he ask me when the ...

Woke up at noon. Cloudy. Had brunch of yogurt, bread, jam, coffee. We went out to Monika's shop, but, when it began raining, Ian wanted to run back to their flat to bring down laundry. (Once a week, they're allowed to hang out laundry.) Paul and I borrowed bikes and rode out past the hotels, out of town. The rain returned. Each cow had its own ...