The Most Beautiful Place in the World….So Far

     Mauri might argue with me on the title of this entry since he feels that his trip through the Mojave Desert was quite impressive, but since I’m writing it, I feel that the title is most appropriate.  For two weeks, we enjoyed the presence of our wonderful friends from Canada, Margie and David. It gave us the opportunity to really have a good look at what was around us; the landscape, the villages and even some new cheeses,  but what I’d like to share today was an overnight trip into Switzerland.

     Many moons ago, Margie and David did a European tour by train.  They saw many places across Europe, but Grindelwald, Switzerland was the one place that really made an impression on them.  Mauri had suggested visiting Lausanne and Montreux, but they thought we should visit this place.  They wanted to share their adventure with us. So we booked a hotel, packed an overnight bag, the cameras and the walking poles,  and set off. The first hour or so, of our drive, was quite uneventful with the typical rolling hills and some bigger mountains in the distance, but then we approached the Swiss Alps.  WOW! No matter how many photographs or television programs you see about them, nothing prepares you for this sight. It got better and better as we approached.  We drove through Interlachen which is between two large lakes and into the valley where you find Grindelwald. It was like arriving onto a Heidi film set. 

     We settled in, took a walk through town, had coffee and ice cream while enjoying the views  and then found a Swiss restaurant to enjoy a wonderful dinner, as we made plans to go up to onto the mountain, the following day.  We woke up early in the morning to the most incredible views. I had left the curtains open and around 6am, Mauri and I (Alex was still fast asleep) saw the sun illumine the crest of the mountain across the valley. The rest of the day was spent going up the mountain by gondola to over 2000m high, enjoying the most breathtaking views ever, taking lots of photographs, hiking across to another mountain and taking a bus back down to town.  The best way to explain any of this is to just show you in pictures.  You will notice Margie settling in on a fur covered deck chair at the restaurant at the top of the First(mountain) and that’s because she is recovering from an injury. The rest of us went on the 1 ½ hour hike that led us to a different restaurant where, while waiting for the bus, we drank coffee and watched the avalanches as the spring snow melted.

Stay tuned, for the adventure continues....

Julie