Minotel Alfa Grindelwald

... from the mountain to Murren. One path stated it was for only experienced hikers. That's a very subjective description. I figured you would need proper shoes and equipment. I took a look at the path and it is treacherous. You cross bridges of ice where the mountains just fall away on either side. I didn't mind that but it was quite steep and covered in snow- too slippery for my shoes. It looked spectacular though. Just standing at the precipice on the mountain and away from ...

... 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.

Woke up to a cloudy day but it didn't look too bad on the webcam from the Jungfrau so we decided to catch the train to Grindelwald and decide from there whether we went further. As we were on the train, the sun came out so we decided to go up to Jungfraujoch which is called "The Top of Europe". From Grindelwald, we got a cog train to Kleine Scheidegg then changed for the final cog train which would go to the top. Some ...

We had booked onto the Golden Pass Panoramic train but woke up to rain so thought it mightn't be very panoramic. Despite the rain, it was a scenic trip. We were heading for Interlaken and had to change trains twice. Greg was concerned that the guy at the train station had booked us on these trains and there was only 5 minutes between trains (this is the Greg who has us at the train station an hour before it goes). We didn’t have to worry ...

... drop full of avalanche protection fences for a much less gradual descent. These would also come in handy if either of us lost our footing… luckily not necessary.

In the next two days I did a couple more hikes, much easier. I took a walk down to the end of the valley, hiked up a bit of a hill, but nothing as strenuous as the first day. Got some more good views and considered that day ...

... until after 1pm, and I was still feeling pretty bad, so Ian went off on another big ride into the Alps. I stayed back at our awesome campsite having a nice (free!) hot shower - it even had heated floors in the bathrooms! - and running down my batteries with the free wifi internet. And it was all reasonably priced! I couldn't believe it, but I was sitting there clicking away, when up pulled Danica & Johno, a couple we had been talking to in Tasch! They had ...

... so we all walked around together. We walked around the Gruyere castle and down onto some trails. Then we all went to have lunch. I had some wonderful sort of soup of the day, it was super hot and server with nice rustic bread. So Yummy on a cool and drizzly day. Laverne and her husband were so sweet, they actually wouldn't let me or Caroline pay, they said it was their treat. I think they liked having the company. Someone to share their stories with. They were super nice and very ...

... I was literally brought to tears. It gave me goose bumps and teary eyes over and over again. I kept saying again and again "no one should die without seeing this place." I know I'm gushing but there is no other way for me to convey the rush of emotions I felt. It was too beautiful for words; it must be experienced viscerally. The mountains are GIGANTIC and ominous yet serene, surrounding this little town. There are beautiful rolling valleys with homes dotted ...

... still a beautiful sight.  We reluctantly headed off again towards Lauterbrunnen. After a bit of driving we began hitting some familiar territory, which was pretty cool to say that we had familiar territory in Switzerland.  We reached some familiar passes that we had driven in days before, and met Mike, Marla, and Nate  atop St. Gottard (or San Gottardo) pass.  We enjoyed a Bratwurst from a vendor and had a look at the view of the area.  Nate ...

... including Rick Steves and Lonely Planet. Indeed it was a very cute little village that looks like a scene from Heidi (as every Swiss village seems to conjure). The only problem was, most of the town seemed to be on vacation. The local pension and restaurant was closed for a month! We tried getting food at a B&B; however, their selection was a small upstairs stand, and not an actual place to eat. Following our walk down and trials for lunch, we took the cable car back down ...