Hotel Baer Meiringen

... 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 ...

... zig-zag. Stones called schindles sit like heavy checkers on old rooftops, awaiting nature's next move. These stones protect the slate from the violent winter winds. Gimmelwald's biggest building is the school in which 2 teachers share one job. There's nothing but air between Gimmelwald and the rock face of the Jungfrau a mile or two across. Kick a soccer ball wrong and it ends up a mile below on the Lauterbrunnen Valley floor. Gimmelwald ...

... 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 ...

... of a nice sweet muscat we had tasted so we could take it along as a birthday present to take to a party we'd been invited to later in the evening. Selling bottles to take with you is definitely not allowed at these evenings but thankfully the lady was willing &amp; I had a great shoe box to hide the bottle in for when we were leaving. After quizzing Bronny &amp; myself about our availability status the lady informed us that the young man at the stand ...

... fruit tree. On the other side are a Ford dealership, a McDonalds, and a mall, within which is our hotel, the Ibis. We return to the center of Luzern in search of a meal. We also obtain some needed aloe lotion for our sunburnt faces, a souvenir of the Jungfrau. We did not need to worry of more sunburn here in Luzern, since the sky remained the same familiar dull gray. It was perfect weather for exploring the city--giving us excuses to visit museums and other indoor spots.

So We are in Lucerne today. I slept fabulously for some reason and we have spent the day wandering the city and taking it all in. The place is beautiful and I could eat enough chocolate to warrant the buying of an extra plane ticket to seat my rolls! Everything is VERY expensive though and the Franc is confusing to convert for my budget that is written in Euros :) We visited a way cool wooden bridge today which actually got fairly well destroyed in a ...

... it! In Gimmelwald, and as you walk up a steep path to Murren, it feels as if the peaks envelope you and you can touch them. The valley down below is miniscule. We took ages to walk to Murren because we were constantly stopping with our mouths wide open and cameras clicking away, though no picture can do that view justice. I feel like I'm just babbling on about how beautiful it is all the time, but it if you saw it you would understand. It was unbelievably, astoundingly beautiful.

... Americans who work up here. I was invited to their bbq and to work on the farm with them. <br><br>Long story short, I made friends with the people who work here, and now i work here too. Actually, I clean for about an hour each morning and stay for free. But I've a little home up here, with friends and everything. I hike, help on the farm, or sit by the river. <br><br>The morning of ...

8/30/99 Monday<br><br><br><br>Davos to LucerneWe departed for Lucerne around 7:35 am. The weather was cool and clear, as usual, with fog hovering around the mountain tops. The scenery on our way to Lucerne was breathtaking (I use that word a lot, but it really is just that). I never tire of looking at it. Traveling the winding roads through the mountains, every bend brings another incredible view. It is true...you HAVE to see it to ...

... a tv and that night every station was going live to John Kennedy Jr.'s plane crash. We went for dinner after 10PM and then hung out at a bar called "Movie". On July 18th we took a one hour boat ride on Lake Luzern. We saw beautiful houses on the mountains. From 3-6PM we toured the Swiss Museum of Transport and Communication. It was very interactive and a ton of fun!