Hotel Alpenhof Grindelwald

... up early and walked to Stechelberg station (1.5 hrs) as the sun finally rose and the clouds started to clear away, and reveal that precious blue. I ascended to Mt Schilthorn (2970m) which took about 30 minutes via three gondolas at Grimewald, Murren and Birg. I got there at about ten o'clock and stayed for about three hours, while having morning tea and a small lunch. Not very good service but you can't beat the view. There are a couple of hiking trails that you can ...

... chalets. Some chalets were so close together in narrow streets that I'm sure you would be able to hear the neighbour’s conversations.

We went back to Interlaken and went to a chocolate shop to buy some Pave which I had heard about and to do some grocery shopping and then get in to cook dinner before the kitchen got crowded.

... had the Swiss speciality icecream). We looked through what was mainly outdoor shops and then caught the train back to Interlaken. We had gone all day thinking that it was Saturday but realised it was Friday when just before we went to bed, I checked the weather forecast for the next day. I also found out that it was going to rain most of the day, so we decided that maybe we should postpone our trip up to Lauterbrunnen.

... for 20 Swiss Francs and then we found a supermarket to buy food. Guess what they had – gloves for 7 Swiss Francs- Tara who is the real economist has given me a hard time since about not getting the best deal.

We had an early night as we were planning to get up early to go to the Jungfrau- providing that the weather was clear- there was a TV screen in the backpackers which showed views from webcams on the Jungfrau and Schilthorn.

I wasn't sure where in Switzerland I wanted to go after Zurich, but I knew I wanted it to be near some mountains and away from crowds. The hostel I found was highly recommended and was in a valley in the mountains near Interlaken, so that’s what made my decision. Turns out my somewhat random choice was a good one, putting me in one of the most beautiful areas in Switzerland, according to some ...

... to sample the nightlife, but as the mountain train ferried skiers up to its terminus at Kleine Scheidegg, the thrill of rolling down the mountains to the backdrop of the north face of the Eiger is just yet another of those 'glad-to-be-alive' sensations which come around periodically, if you attempt to diversify your lifestyle in ways like this. The main excursion option in the area is a half-day trip to the top of the Jungfrau, namely ...

Thousands of stars sparkle on the surface of the snow, full moon washes the world blue the earth is shining as I snow shoe to a distant hut for fondue and gluwein (hot spiced wine) with 20 complete strangers. The cold air slaps me awake ...

... to this hike, we popped into the car to head to a quaint pizzeria that Josh and Sonja had tried a few weeks earlier. Not only was the food delicious, the place was right on the shore of the Thunersee (Lake Thun), which was the most incredible color of blue. Apparently this is attributable to the mineral content of the glacier water that feeds this lake. All in all, I felt like I finally reached the heart of Switzerland on this hike. Next stop, Gstaad.

... Although, this time, I was not in the newer 2nd class carriages that I had been on before. Oh well, I was able to pass the time on the short trip by speaking with some adults who were also headed up to Jungfraujoch. They were from Australia. The trip up to the Jungfraujoch from either Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald involves a narrow-gauge cog railway. The track is not wide enough to accomodate standard trains, and somewhat like a roller coaster, a center rail of gear ...

... of which left and arrived on time to the minute, it is very weird when you are use to the train system in Britain, where by you are lucky if the train actually arrives!!!! So I get on this train from Grindelwald (where I live)to Geneva, the first to parts of the journey were fine, nice and quite, I read my FT and took some photos of train stations (very sad I know). Then I got on the super luxury of a double decker ...