Hiking the SWISS

Getting to ShwarzwaldalP

Our train trip from Geneva was very enjoyable, minus lugging several duffels in addition to our backpacks. Steve, muscle man, carried two of the three duffels. Max and I shared the third and lightest. We changed trains twice, in Bern and Interlaken. The last train was a local, with stops at several very small stations before arriving in Meiringen (not very large either!). There we transferred to a bus, with a short stop for water, ice cream and wine (for the trip).

Listening to an audio book & looking at amazing mountains. What could be better? . . . here is where the photographER EMERGEs

The bus trip was exciting! Just before we stopped suddenly for an oncoming car, Steve said, “I wonder if this is a one-lane road?” It is not! We had many encounters with cars, motorcycles and hikers. Usually the cars backed up, but at least one time the bus backed up a fair distance. As we went around blind turns, the bus sounded its horn - “reverie” according to Max (used to Hiking the

wake up soldiers). At times we were very close to rock walls and at others we were on the edge of steep drop offs. I kept thinking of what it would be like in the winter.

The end of the bus route was our destination – Scharzwaldalp (black forest mountain). Our home for the night was a chalet and restaurant of the same name, with a very interesting hydro workshop where it appears that water from the stream is used to saw logs. We had beers and cold milk on the deck and then explored a bit, including exploring a cheese tasting and buying local cheese and salami for upcoming picnics. The wind is blowing and the sky is dark, with the clouds gathering on the peak above us – the Wetterhorn. The predication is for rain; we’ll see what materializes.

Hiking the SWISS Alps

Max is so jazzed to be here! He is bubbling! This was one of the things he has been really excited about and a part of the trip he strongly advocated for. He spent much of the train ride plugged in to an audio book with his iPad trained on the window to catch each moment in a photo! What a pleasure to see him in his element. He read the detailed descriptions of our upcoming hikes on the train from Geneva and has proposed plans for each day. Those may be altered by the weather, which forecasts significant rain. We will see tomorrow. For now, the cool air feels invigorating.

Dinner here is between six and seven o’clock, early for many of the other places we have been recently. Simple but delicious, they were very accommodating to Max’s eating preferences. Max organized an after-dinner hike to explore the river a bit more, and then Max and I went down the road a bit to find lots of cow poop, fences that appear to keep the cows from the river, and what appears to be another lodge or restaurant.

The cows . . . we saw many very large cows on the bus ride. They are more attractive than cows in the US. They look extremely fat and healthy. Many are wearing huge bells, like the one Max tried on at dinner. I would think it would hurt their ears; Max says they aren’t smart enough to notice. Walking around our chalet the background noises include the river, the wind and cow bells, not in that order. Cow bells are predominant!

Hiking the SWISS Alps

We appear to be the only guests in the chalet. There was another couple at dinner, with a beautiful husky. They are staying close, according to the staff, but in a different building. We went back down to the dining room for after dinner drinks, as our couch was not particularly comfortable. The other group at dinner, still there when we returned, appears to be the extended family of the owner or manager. They had several young children and it was fun to see everyone enjoying themselves. When it looked like they were ready to close we headed back upstairs. All staff left the building, leaving us as the sole residents. That make the shared bathroom and shower very easy! We were excited, after all of the hot places we’ve been, to open all the windows and let the mountain air in. During the night Steve’s snoring competed with the cowbells. I didn’t sleep well, but the benefit was that I was up many times to hear the night noises and see the stars!

Shwarzwaldalp to Grindewald (not the from Harry Potter)

We got started around 9:30am and went up, up, up (over 1,500) feet to Grosse Scheidegg (“large pass”). We walked through forests, over streams, past alpine cows, horses in pastures (one also wearing a bell) and pigs in a pen (no bells). We were lucky to have cool conditions and no rain. That said, I was soaked with sweat when we got to the pass.

We compared our other hiking experiences and noted that there is much more human development (among other things cows!) in the mountains here. We passed through many fences that are either electrified (Max says he received some shocks) or just visual deterrents for not very smart cows. At one point, on a back country potty trip, I scared something more interesting than a cow, but couldn’t see clearly what it was. At another point I took photos of pigs, to the obvious amusement or disgust of their owners, who I’m sure wondered what was so interesting. The wildflowers are beautiful now and we saw many different types. We also saw the Post Bus cross the trail on the road that crests the pass, as well as a “roller skate” car and several bikes. Our entire morning hike was framed by the Wetterhorn (“wetter” meaning weather, according to Max). The imposing peak came in and out of focus depending on the cloud cover.

Hiking the SWISS Alps

Hiking the SWISS Alps

From the pass we saw the Schrekhorn (not related to the movie or Lord Farquaad, as far as I know) and the profile of the famous and impressive . In the other direction were the Schwarzhorn and the Faulhorn, also impressive peaks of a very different character: much greener, yet still imposing. We hiked along the ridge under these mountains with a view of the Grindewald Valley and a number of developments that we came to learn are part of the Grindewald/First (“Feerst”) Ski Area. It is not so hard to imagine these slopes as ski runs. We may have to come back and explore in the winter. Along the way we heard a huge crash, like thunder, and turned around to see an avalanche racing down the mountain on the opposite side of the valley.

Hiking the SWISS Alps

Our total hike today was 12 miles, with over 3,400 feet of elevation gain. We stopped for lunch at top of the First gondola, just after passing through “marmot valley” (we saw marmots, but not here). The food was good (except the pizza) and waiter was funny and friendly, making the stop even more appealing. We are definitely imagining this in the winter and feeling drawn to it!

Despite the “drops” (rain), Steve’s knee hurting and his need to make an afternoon work call, we continued our upward trek to Bachalpsee, a duo of lakes just under an impressive ridge. This portion of the hike was busy, as many people ride the gondola up and hike to the lakes. We saw some of the most un-hiker outfits! The lakes were beautiful and the fog rolling in and out made them particularly mystic. Above the lakes we saw what must be an alpine hut, another option for overnights. It looked tempting, perched on the top of the ridge, but we were happy to be heading down at that point.

The hike that followed was the highlight of the day for me. No one but us, several rushing streams, spectacular rock formations, beautiful wild flowers and clouds that surrounded us then moved on. This went on for at least an hour, before we dropped down to the beginnings of civilization: a few unoccupied buildings and a road. There were no cows on this part of the trail, maybe because it is too high and inaccessible?

Hiking the SWISS Alps

As Steve talked to colleagues in Seattle, we walked down a road with continued amazing views and fog. At Waldspritz, a bus stop and restaurant/lodge, we turned off the road onto a VERY steep downhill (thankfully) trail. We dropped down through the Spruce (and some pine?) forest at an impressive rate, wondering who imagined (and then built) a trail like this. Max is awed by the beauty around us and, not wanting to be the photographer, requesting that I take MANY very specific photos. We finally agreed that, in exchange, he will design a mountain photo album from our entire six month of adventures. A fine trade. Our trail dropped us back into cow country, a steep and impressive valley that at first glance would not appear to be cow friendly, and then to the mid-point of the First gondola, Bort. We took this down to our destination for the night, happy to be inside as the rain began to pour down.

Hiking the SWISS Alps

The base of the gondola is in the town of Grindewald and a five-minute walk from our hotel – Gletschergarten. Rightly named, with profuse plants all around, the staff is very friendly, and our room is perfect. We have a shared balcony that looks right up at the Wetterhorn, the Schreckhorn and the Eiger. The warm shower felt delicious, as did the change of shoes! Dinner was uninspiring but the wine was good. We ended the evening on our patio looking up at the mountains as the clouds in turn obscured and revealed their massive forms.

Hiking the SWISS Alps

Grindewald To Wengen

Slow start this morning, with Max moving particularly slowly. He got his bag down just in time for the luggage transfer! (Yesterday our bags traveled by PostBus. Today they appear to be going by car.) The hotel owners are incredibly nice and helpful. We were able to buy train tickets from them and walk through town (easier to see without yesterday’s rain) to the train station. The train is a narrow gauge, cog railway. You can really feel the power as it moves up the steep hills. We rode a few stops to Alpiglen, where we made the decision (after much discussion) to take the “direct” hiking route. The alternative was the Eiger Trail, which climbed more and hugged the side (lower I assume!) of the Eiger. The visibility was zero as we were in the clouds, so the extra hour, and particularly the extra 1,000 foot elevation gain, did not seem worth it. Swiss drinking fountain Hiking the SWISS Alps

We walked through cow country, on a nice wide path. Our elevation gain was still significant: 2,200 feet in less than two hours. Along the way we crossed paths with a couple on e-bikes who had their dog in a bike trailer. The husband, who had pulled the dog, was done when we passed them for the second time. He and the dog were exploring the creek. His wife rode the rest of the way up to (“small pass”) and passed us on her way down. I was impressed!

Hiking the SWISS Alps

Train climbing to Kleine Scheidegg

It turns out that Kleine Scheidegg is a ski area. We walked along many ski runs and saw several ski lifts. We were supposed to have views of the Eiger but mostly we saw clouds. A few times the mountain, in all its splendor, peaked out to tease us. It was hard to say whether the sun that came with it was worthwhile - it got hot quickly, and I was already super sweaty from the climb. Kliene Scheidegg is a jumping off point for the Jungfraujoch train and a bit of a tourist scene. We looked around, Max had an ice cream (“Moven Pick,” Swiss) and we talked about the possibility of staying in one of the hotels for a ski trip.

Hiking the SWISS Alps

Our downward trail took us through a spectacular meadow with a plethora of wild flowers, the Jungfraujoch train climbing to our left. For me this was the beginning of my favorite part of the hike. After the long meadow we climbed up to a rocky ridge, where we had amazing views but can only imagine what they would have been on a clear day. We worked our way down the ridge, walking on smooth, well-worn rocks, guided by cairns.

Hiking the SWISS Alps

From our map for the day, I expected a gentler downhill. I was mistaken! Our 3,340 foot elevation loss was not gentle! We went from rocky trails to those infused with tree roots. We had a lunch picnic on a bench looking at a creek and a herd of cows (Bigenalp): the cheese and salami we bought in Shwarzwaldalp, apples from Meiringen and bread from this morning’s breakfast buffet. Our descent took us through forests that resembled the Pacific NW more than anything we have seen. To our left was a huge drop to the Valley. Like yesterday afternoon, we largely had the trail to ourselves.

Hiking the SWISS Alps

By the time we got to Wengen we all had sore feet and legs. We did our last few kilometers on a road through the outskirts of town (suburban Wengen) and found we had one last uphill into the center. The vehicle-free zone seemed to have more vehicles than expected; there must be some exceptions. We are straying at the Sunstar, a small Swiss hotel chain. We were welcomed with a local sparkling cider, Rivella, and then enjoyed the cool air with all of our windows open on the upper floor. We had a door out to the circular stair fire escape, which was a fun place to sit. Max and I swam while Steve did a few work calls in the evening. The pool was large and had a zen feel, with the exception of the grandfather very loudly teaching his grandson to swim. Max figured out how to manipulate the intake and output jets for the in-pool jacuzzi, creating explosive patterns with bubbles and entertaining himself for a long time.

Fortune Cookie Pillows!

Dinner was better than we ever could have imagined: fondue for three in a small gondola car behind the hotel. The car came from a former gondola that went from Grindelwald to Mannlichen, above Wengen, and was one of two hundred available when the gondola shut down. The Director of the hotel was our server and shared the story of the gondola and his story of traveling the world in the hotel business. He and his wife returned here to raise their kids: a place where “four-year olds can walk to school on their own and there is no need to lock your bikes.”

We had three types of fondue: classic, sundried tomato and herb, and truffle. By far the most interesting fondue dinner I have ever had. It was served with the traditional bread and potatoes, as well as pears. We had a bottle of white wine, which arrived with the explanation that fondue country in is also white wine country, so white wine is required. We learned about another fondue tradition as Hiking the SWISS Alps

well: Schnapps is poured into a bowl, you dip your bread into the schnapps and then into the cheese, and the result is a “disco in your mouth.” I’m not sure about the disco but it livened up the experience! Our host encouraged the Schnapps as a digestive aid for the cheese at the end of the meal. Local tradition has it that, when staying in a chalet, if you lose your bread or potato in the fondue you have to run around the chalet in your birthday suit. Something to do with the Schnapps? Steve and Max finished with a “Toblerone moose,” which they said was delicious. We also talked to our host about here in the winter and learned that the areas we have hiked through are all connected. Great potential for a winter trip!

Wengen TO obersteinberg

Swiss birdsong is something to celebrate. Each morning around 5:30am, even in Geneva, we have had a concert. A lovely way to know that the morning is arriving. Our hikes have been full of birdsong as well. Birds, cow bells . . . and clocks. Each of the small towns we have stayed in have town clocks that call out the hour and half hour; all 24 hours! Is this why the Swiss are so timely?

As we heard, the bikes are not locked

Creative hot water dispenser!

Hiking the SWISS Alps

WENGEN Lauter- brunnen valley

We decided to use mass transit as part of our hike today: narrow-gauge train from Wengen to Lauterbrunnen, on the valley floor, and a bus to cut off some of the “urban” walking. We stopped at Trummelbachfalle, an awe-inspiring set of 10 waterfalls cutting through the rock wall. The water comes from the glaciers of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfraujoch and there is no shortage of it!

Elevator

Hiking the SWISS Alps

Our hike started at Stechelberg, also the starting point for those traveling to the mountain of “007” fame – the Schilthorn. While it was a shorter hike than our last two, it was largely UP! Ascents and descents here are serious. We climbed almost 3,000 feet in 4.4 miles. I was thinking back to a conversation I’d had with my brother about how we are keeping in shape on our travels. Many times on this hike I felt like the answer should have been “not well.” Sweat poured off me, and, not for the first time, I appreciated the travails of those who are not able to wear contact lenses: my glasses fogged and steamed the whole hike. I needed a handkerchief, for both the glasses and the perspiration.

We climbed from the valley floor along a fast and furious river, past the Trachsellauenen Inn, built in 1886, which appears to be the destination for many hikers. Then it was up through woods. The sun was out and the views unsurpassable. We trekked past houses and cow barns and were treated to ever closer views of two huge waterfalls as we climbed. The last section of the hike was described as a steep and “long stretch through the woods.” It felt very long indeed. When we finally came out of the trees, we were in a cow pasture with some very fat and happy cows. A bit further, we came over a hill to find our destination for the night – Berghaus Obersteinberg.

Hiking the SWISS Alps

Hiking the SWISS Alps

There are benches on even the steepest of Trails. So civilized!

Hiking the SWISS Alps

Hiking the SWISS Alps

A beer and snack on the patio/lawn, with my chair close enough to the edge that I feared a quick descent if I slipped, was just the ticket for recovery. Views were incredible, and the clouds playing around the mountain peaks made for ever changing scenery. We had something Max has dubbed a “Swiss pizza:” a round pan of dark bread covered with cheese made from the milk of the cows we just passed. Steve and I hardly got a bite! Our room is very simple. The bathroom is shared with six or seven other rooms. There are flush toilets but no hot water and no showers. We have pitchers and basins in the room, along with towels, for old-fashioned washing up. The cold water felt great! There was no luggage transfer today, so we each brought a change of clothes in our day packs, as well as toothbrushes and other necessities. Some napping and reading followed, not in any particular order. The view from our windows is also spectacular, so some of the afternoon was spent just soaking it in.

There are two buildings at the Berghaus with guest rooms. In the back of ours is a large bunkhouse with a variety of different sleeping arrangements. Other guests include 5-6 small groups/families, and a group of 29! They are families connected by a history working together at the CDC. It was fun to watch the interactions. My favorite group was a grandmother, grandson (maybe 8 years old) and their dog. They played cards, laughed and had a wonderful time together. Dinner was family style: vegetable soup, a really simple and delicious salad, stew-type meat, and to Max’s pleasure, pasta with butter. We think he got lucky to have a large group of kids at the lodge tonight! Dessert was chocolate mousse with whipped cream (lucky again!).

Hiking the SWISS Alps

Hiking the SWISS Alps

Obersteinberg to Murren

I have been waking up a lot in the night here. Maybe to see the outlines of the magnificent mountains against the sky? An earlier breakfast, and request from staff to be out of our rooms early, got us moving. Breakfast was Obersteinberg cheese and butter, both delicious, along with bread and jam. Max had his third, and fourth, glass of their milk!

Max and I started the morning with a hike along the high meadows toward Oberhornsee, an alpine lake, while Steve did some reading and enjoyed the views (he slammed his knee on the boat in Croatia and it has been hurting). What a beautiful walk – one of my favorite of the trip. There were high clouds, making the light perfect for photos. We spotted types of wildflowers we hadn’t seen yet, crossed streams, saw more waterfalls and ended our trek where a snowfield came almost down to the bridge with a river gushing under it. We would have loved to continue on to the lake but needed to head back in the other direction.

Hiking the SWISS Alps

Our hike to Murren took us along high meadows in the other direction, passing the Obersteinberg cows, mule, pigs and goats. We passed another alpine inn, the Tschingelhorn, which is nestled right onto the cliff top with trees all around. It has a small cable system that we’re guessing is used to bring up supplies and it also appears to have electricity. Berghaus Obersteinberg receives supplies by helicopter once a week. (We learned from our host in Wengen that helicopters are often used to ferry supplies in these mountains, even for individual/family construction projects. They can be cheaper than other methods of transport, particularly if a crane would otherwise be needed.)

Hiking the SWISS Alps

After Tschingelhorn we began dropping steeply through the woods. The trail was as steep as our uphill trail yesterday. This one had more sections along cliffs or steep drop-offs. We passed many streams and waterfalls and used the frequent benches and/or moss-covered rocks for breaks, during which we compared hiking here to hiking in the Cascades. Here steep trails like this one are non-technical due to the hundreds of years of use and extensive trail building and maintenance. In many places there are steps built into the hillside, and for dangerous drops there are always safety cables.

Hiking the SWISS Alps

At the bottom of the descent we could see up to our next destination, . We transitioned from steep downhill to steep uphill again! There was an option to take the road instead of the trail, which we did for a while. It gave us a view back up the valley we had just come down and allowed us to see some of the local trucks and carts carrying weeds that had been cut from the sides of the road. Gimmelwald is a small agricultural town. I so enjoyed walking through it and was ready to continue up the hill to Murren, our destination for the night. I stopped to take photos and lost Steve and Max for a while, finding them at the cable car (gondola) house. They were ready to ride the rest of the way to Murren! This is a big gondola, which goes to the Schilthorn and was full of tourists. We were glad when many of them did not walk our way into Murren.

Hiking the SWISS Alps

Murren is more car-free than Wengen. We had a nice walk through town to our hotel at the far- end. It turns out there are many ways up to Murren: three cable cars come up from the valley floor, from Sandbach, Stechelberg and Lauterbrunnen. The latter connects with a train near our hotel. It’s not clear if there are any roads. Above Murren is the Schilthorn, also referred to as the Hiking the SWISS Alps

“Piz Gloria” after the James Bond movie, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” There is also a small funicular called the Allmenhubel. We read about a “thrill walk,” a suspended cable on a cliff and a zip line down to Gimmelwald, and saw many people are paragliding from the Murren hills. Being the non-thrill seeking family we are, we are most likely to hike on our day off tomorrow or go to the local swimming pool (or just relax says Steve!).

After a refresher salad, cheese plate, beer and ginger beer, we retired to our room, Max to the patio with an audio book and my phone, to take photos. We have amazing views of the high peaks, when the clouds cooperate. Max chose to stay with his view while Steve and I went to the store and the only laundromat in town, which is in the bottom of another hotel. While waiting for the laundry we explored town and stopped for an Aperol Spritz, such a festive drink.

Our hotel restaurant has many interesting spaces. We had a fondue dinner tucked in the back; cheese fondue for Max (of course!) and meat fondue for the rest of us, including three types of meet and shrimp, accompanied by fruits, pickles and rosti, Swiss hash browns (very delicious!). We learned that the traditional finale is drinking the fondue broth with sherry – zippy! Fancy ice creams followed, mine a lemon sorbet with limoncello in a sundae glass. Our server told us that this is also a ski area and that you can ski on the streets of Murren in the winter! Max is actively developing a return plan.

Hiking the SWISS Alps

Layover day in Murren

Once again, I was up a lot last night. I had to check our theory that it never gets truly dark here. There were lots of stars, but at all times I could see the outlines of the peaks. There is not enough development around to assume it is the effect of urban lights.

The morning started with bright sunshine but the clouds moved in as we enjoy our relaxed morning. Plans for the day had not yet even entered the conversation before breakfast, which we made it to with just enough time before the buffet closed! Amazing how we so often seem to do this.

Max and I decided to hike, while Steve is giving his knee a rest. We took the Allmendhubel (a funicular) up to a flower trail, with descriptions (and live examples) of many of the plants we have seen on our hikes. There was also a place to play “mountain music” from six continents. For North American it was country music (Max ran – it was not good), for Asia a long gong and chimes and for very peaceful music. From there we took the North Face trail (after mistakenly finding ourselves in a cow pasture!). The trail had signs documenting the ascents of the faces of all of the peaks we could see as we walked. Impressive. I can’t imagine climbing any of them, especially over 100 years ago! We climbed about 1,000 feet, but slowly and gradually. Quite a different experience. At one point we had to walk through a steep meadow because the cows had taken over the trail and did not seem inclined to move! We did get calf kisses.

Hiking the SWISS Alps

The traditional and the modern!

Looking down on Murren

Hiking the SWISS Alps

BIRG – STOP ON THE WAY TO THE SCHILTHORN

(PEOPLE SKI FROM HERE!)

Schiltalp, an alpine farm, was high on the hill. We were greeted by its cows, including a group of calves, most of whom were frolicking in their steep meadow. At the farm house and barn we found self-serve refreshments, including their cheese and salami. You pick what you want and put your money in an open money box. I have to wonder if anyone takes advantage of this system. Maybe not in Switzerland! How nice to trust like that. We bought cheese, salami and chocolate to take back to Steve. Next we passed by another pension/restaurant, which did not appear to be open, and then descended to Sprutz falls. This trail was reminiscent of our previous days – a very steep descent through the woods. The falls itself is impressive and made more so because you can walk behind it under the cliff. I have not had any height issues (which I am inclined to) on this trip, but I did around the falls. The trail on our ascent was particularly steep, falling off into the rocks and falls. After a steep climb back up, we passed a number of farm houses on our way back to Murren. Their wood stacks are impressive, particularly the last one we passed. We are wondering how they split such big logs when there doesn’t appear to be any way to get a hydraulic splitter in. That said, I have been surprised at the ingenuity of the Swiss and they may indeed get equipment in on these narrow trails.

Hiking the SWISS Alps

Hiking the SWISS Alps

Back in Murren we did a bit of shopping, looking for a cow bell to take home with us, then bought beers and had a cheese and salami tasting on our hotel room balcony. We all liked the cheese from Shwarzwaldalp (our first day) best, although the Schiltalp cheese was also delicious and we felt personally attached since we had seen their cows and their cow barn, with named stalls for each cow! Salamis from both places were excellent. And I really like the local beer – this one from Grindelwald. Max is feeling our imminent departure and wanting to spend all of his time on the balcony looking at the mountains; in shorts and a t-shirt, insisting he is not cold even though his hands feel like ice! Steve and I tried the two saunas. The second was way too hot for me. The pool, on the other hand, was cool. The jacuzzi is just a separate area of the pool with jets, a bit different from Wengen but fairly similar. Not any warmer water, which was disappointing. There was a cold water shower that the kids playing in the pool were enjoying! Hiking the SWISS Alps

We had dinner at the hotel again and Max repeated his cheese fondue while the rest of us diversified our diets. Our waiters were an older man, from our first lunch, and his wife. He was very nice and funny and together they made it a fun evening. Max returned to the deck for late night mountain viewing and Steve and I started watching “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” Such fun to see the places we hiked under earlier in the day. We were treated to a spectacular thunder and lightning storm and lots of rain for our last night. We all slept with our windows open, for the cool air and the sound of rain. Hiking the SWISS Alps

Leaving Switzerland

Our departure from Murren involved a train and a cable car back to Lauterbrunnen, where we got a train to Interlaken. All very easy and timely, of course. And very scenic. Before leaving Murren we got maps of the local ski areas and gathered information about coming back in the winter!

Hiking the SWISS Alps

We rented a car in Interlaken and spent 19+ minutes exploring (the time on our parking meter). That was enough time to gather a Swiss chocolate tasting for later, as well as a few picnic supplies. We did go into the Victoria Grand Hotel, which I remember from traveling here with my family forty years ago!

Our drive took us back toward Meiringen, our first stop on the hiking trip, and then over a pass with small roads and lots of windy turns. We stopped at a shop on the pass and bought a cow bell. We are not sure what we will do with it, but have discussed using it as a doorbell, as our current one only works when it wants to. That way we can think of the high Swiss mountains Hiking the SWISS Alps

any time someone visits! The rest of the drive took us past Luzern, past many lakes and through many tunnels to the sixth smallest country (with the highest GDP) in the world, Lichtenstein.

SWISS TRAil SIGNS

The red & white signifies mountain trails – “bergwanderweg” Hiking the SWISS Alps

Hiking the SWISS Alps

Study of Cow fences & Gates (in honor of Colorado family)

Hiking the SWISS Alps

Study of wood piles (also for colorado mountain family)

Hiking the SWISS Alps

Sample of wild flowers (for Sue)