Gimmelwald and the Schilthorn

Day 14

Well, it's raining today again. We decide to go ahead and go up to Gimmelwald and the Schilthorn anyway, even though the visibility is probably not good at the top of the Schilthorn. We pack up the umbrellas and the ponchos and dress for snow. We took the lift up to Gimmelwald--very fun! Here we get out and explore this tiny, but certainly not from the looks of it, sleepy, town with a population of about 130. Judging by the equipment and silos, there is a lot of hard work done here farming, tending animals, and making cheese. The little building in the picture above is a cottage where cheese is stored and fermented. The man in the photo is a regular visitor in Gimmelwald--he came one summer years ago, got to know one of the family's up here, began working for them, and returns just about every summer, now with his wife and son. He told us about the cheese cottage.

From Gimmelwald, we head out to Murren, which we were told was a "fairly level" road/trail. Well, that road was not in any way level--uphill all the way. I guess, relative to the rest of the alps it's level. Spectacular views all the way. Cows and goats on the hillside, too. Houses and gardens close to the towns but none in between. By the way, when you are staying in Gimmelwald, the only way to get there is by the lift. :)

In Murren, we catch the first lift up to Birg, which takes about 7 minutes or so, much of it in the clouds with no visibility. It feels like we are ascending into heaven. At Birg, we transfer to another lift for the last 1000 feet up. At the Schilthorn, it's snowing. After a few snowball tosses and a few pictures, we go inside to warm up, have dessert and cappuchinos, hoping the clouds would clear for us. Unfortunately, they did not, and we left after about an hour heading back to Murren. The ride down was just as exciting as the ride up, this time popping out of the clouds to see the valley below.

For the ride down from Murren to Grutschalp, we take the train, a very cute little train that stops for cows on the tracks as they make their way down from the mountain, Swiss neck bells clanging at each step. The last leg from Gruschalp to Lauterbrunnen by lift completes the circle, and we are back.

The pics above, by the way, are not in chron order except maybe in reverse. The snow pics are from the Schilthorn, most of the rest are from the gondola/lift and at Gimmelwald. The pic through the window was taken at a "restaurant" where we had lunch. The Gimmelwald Hostel is in the background. Stepping into the restaurant was like stepping back in time about 50 years or more. We were the only ones there. The pic of Rick was on the trail to Murren.

All in all a great day, but I definitely want to come back and do this when the weather is clear.