switzerland: day two

when we woke up the next morning we saw the clouds all around and decided that we would not go to Jungfraujoch. taking the advice of some locals we decided it would be a waste of money to take the cog train ride to the top if we weren't able to see anything. instead, we took a cable car to pfiengstegg to take in the views of a glacier. in the car we saw a helicopter flying through the mountains carrying a large, white bundle beneath it. after we got off, we discovered the hike to the glacier would take over an hour. with corinne grimacing and anne disappointed in her fashion choices (white jeans), the four of us took off on our hike. we hiked through clouds and above the tree line while anne sang "the hills are alive with the sound of music", surrounded by wild flowers, black salamanders, waterfalls, and snow capped mountain tops. at the summit we found a restaurant where we sat and had some hot chocolate and warmed up. up until this point there were rain showers off and on, but now it was really coming down. we made it to the restaurant just in time. while sitting out the rain we talked to the owners of the restaurant and found out that they receive their deliveries by helicopter so we made the connection that the helicopter we had seen earlier was bringing supplies to them. chip made the comment, "they must get a lot of hikers here" to which we all had a nice chuckle since the only way to the restaurant is on foot. It was almost as good as nick's comment the day prior when he asked our british roommates if england was just south of scotland. needless to say, the girls were entertained. we also learned about the history of the restaurant and how it had recently been rebuilt because it had fallen victim to a landslide. we saw pictures and articles (all in german) about the reconstruction.

we headed back down the mountain after the rain stopped and saw the breathtaking views of the waterfalls that were now larger because of the rain. we also saw some cows and heard their bells. the views were breathtaking and we will certainly be back with the proper gear ready to hike more of the mountains in the future.

after such a tough day and another early morning in store, we hung out at the hostel playing spades and eating pizza. the next morning we had to be up for our train to venice.

~chip, anne, nick, and corinne

switzerland: day one

we were all sad to leave paris, but were looking forward to a slower pace in the resort town of grindelwald. and the long train ride out of paris was a great excuse to catch up on sleep. between naps, we all were able to see beautiful landscapes across the french and swiss countrysides. after taking in the picturesque views and riding along the shores of the thunersee (literally, lake tuna) and breizensee (lake breize, named after a nearby city), we boarded our last train bound for grindelwald, at about 1200 meters above sea level at the foot of the western alps in the bernese oberland.

our hostel was a short walk from the train station, and on the way there, we discovered that grindelwald is exactly what every ski resort in the US tries to emulate: a quaint village town, with more sports & apparel and gift stores than houses. given its proximity to junfraujoch (the highest train station in europe at 3450 meters above sea level), grindelwald is a haven for skiers in the winter and hikers in the summer. just about everyone in town wore hiking boots and carried walking sticks as they either started or finished a hike that day.

we spent our first afternoon acting like true tourists, poking around the gift shops and relaxing before our big trip to jungfraujoch the next day. we also got a surprising lesson in swiss etiquette: while we waited for a table at a popular pizza place, the hostess ignored us and acted as if she didn't speak english. as we investigated to figure out the proper protocol for adding our name to the waiting list in the open reservation book, the hostess yelled in perfect english that we were not to touch her book. that response shocked us and every other patron in the restaurant and on the outdoor patio. needless to say, the reception at a restaurant down the street was much warmer and reassured us that most locals are happy to help american tourists that try to speak german.

we were all nervous about who we might share a room with at the hostel (there were 8 beds in our room) but we were relieved when we saw a mother and young daughter enter the room. they had just completed one leg of their annual hiking trip and stopped at the hostel for a nights rest. as we fell asleep we all anticipated the sights we would take in at the top of jungfraujoch, but we were nervous that the clouds would come in forcing us to cancel our trek to the top.

~anne & chip