14th July Grindelwald

In terms of mountain resorts Maria and Roland saved the best till last. Grindelwald is the pre eminant Summer/ Winter Resort. Nestled in a huge valley at the foot of the Eiger and Jungfrau Mts it is dominated by these giants and their glaciers. We had a busy snapping time because everytime we turned around there was another shot we just had to take. Once we arrived at the central resort area we settled down to a traditional lunch of pork sausage and potato salad. Maria sneakily just ordered the salad because she was sure one of us would have some sausage to share. She was right and even after sharing some of the sausage with her I still couldn't eat all my potato. We then set off on a 5km walk mostly downhill fortunately. Maria had expertly planned the trek so that we were not pushing up hill like lots of other puffing walkers. Along the way we were intermittantly entertained by a Swiss Horn player who was carrying his horn from promentory to promentory and playing a solo at each spot. I think it was for his own satisfaction but the walkers all enjoyed his performances. Our destination was Kleiner Scheidegg (2061 metres) which is a relatively low hill, compared to all the surroundings. This is special because it is the origins of Roland's family. It was also the departure station for our train trip back to the huge cable car station where Roland's Jeep was parked. Next stop was a walk around the Old Town in Interlaken. This city is named for it's location between two large lakes. It was pleasant strolling around in the early evening cool. We found a Pizzieria and had a typically Italian meal. Maria and Roland chose local specialities but Bob and I opted for the safer pasta options. One unusual sight we came upon by the river was a couple who had a string of 6 Llamas hitched to the railings. They were packing up to go home as we arrived so I can only assume it was a promo for trecking. Then it was home to Horw for a shower and bed. It was still warm as we have had a succession of 30 degree C days but we still slept well after an energetic day.