My feet are killing me, but my heart is singing

Another huge day here in Prague. After walking a total of 4.55 kms yesterday, we slept really well (and even with the fan on!) and rose a little earlier this morning. Breakfast is a repeat of yesterday, although much less busy - there is only one other couple and us eating. The lass serving breakfast could do with a very healthy dose of cheer - she is only happy when we say thank you and goodbye. Yes, the tourist season is busy, and yes some of them can be demanding, but gee, if you choose to work in the hospitality industry is it asking too much for you to be a little hospitable??

Prague is very definitely the City of Towers. While I put the finishing touches on the blog for yesterday (and agonize over which photos to add), Michael takes a walk over the bridge to go up the Old Town Tower and brings this photo amongst others - isn't it fab!
My feet are bearing up remarkably well and I can't believe how easy it is to put my shoes on again this morning! We head out and almost as soon as we reach the street, I spy a porcelain shop across the road. I have been keeping an eye out for something small to buy as a reminder of our time here in Prague and finally, a few shops further down, I spy it. There in amongst all the china plates and mugs and servers are some large ceramic buttons in my favourite colour of blue and white and once inside I also find some amazing small ceramic bells for our christmas tree. I buy a trinket or three and Michael takes them back to our room as we know it is going to be a long day.

We are headed the opposite direction to yesterday - through the Lesser Town up to the Castle and back. The Lesser Town has been least changed through recent history of any of the areas of Prague. We start by walking up to the Lesser Town Square and its dominant building the Church of St Nicholas with its stunning domed roofs. And like many of the churches we have seen recently, this is an ornate baroque church. Now, at the risk of offending some with a little history . . . On second thoughts, read how there came to be some many baroque buildings here! One of the artistic merits of the baroque era is the use of cheaper materials with elaborate decorations so that at first glance they appear to be something else. This includes stucco work, faux marble and trompe l'oeils. So these vast caverns of marble and gold are not quite what they seem! There are a lot of people in here and again I am hot, hot, hot. Thankfully I have my little Chinese folding fan with me.

Back out in the Square we turn to follow the advice of two locals. Karim, our waiter at dinner on Saturday and Tony, our guide on the boat cruise last night who both suggested that we get out of the city and up to the Petřín Gardens by taking the funicular train. And so we head south in the searing midday heat to catch it up the hill. And thank god we did - there was no way I was going to walk up that slope! Now not only are the gardens an oasis of peace and quiet and beauty in the city, they afford a remarkable view back over the whole of inner Prague. Ah yes, there is definitely merit in asking the locals for a non-tourist tip! There are a few tourists here, but many more locals enjoying this little haven. The rose garden (the youngest of the gardens) was established in 1932 and is truly beautiful for all the senses as these are fragrant roses. We sit in the shade enjoying an ice cream for a few moments and watching the butterlies dancing in pairs and the bees busily buzzing about their daily tasks.

And while I finish my ice cream, Michael goes around to the Observatory, also located in the Gardens. And another of the wonders here - to add to a maze, a mirror hall and led horse rides for the kids - is that it is home to an observation tower that resembles the Eiffel Tower! Up 299 steps for spectacular views. Hah, they are great (and free) down on the ground from up here!

From here we want to walk around to the Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral. IT IS ALL DOWNHILL - steep paths and steps, lots and lots of steps. Oh, my poor hip. Thank god for the drugs! The walk takes us through shaded wooded areas as well as sculptured gardens. Some of the paths are covered in a fine yellow powder - pollen and crushed petals from a stand of trees.

We get glimpses one minute of the city below us, and then the next of the castle around on the ridge to our left in the next minute. Truly a lovely place and it is easily understandable why the locals love it. So far today is the exact opposite of yesterday - calm and cooler (now we are in the gardens) and with much fewer people around. A nice contrast, but we know that all of that is about to change!

For now we have reached the last climb up to Pražský hrad (Prague Castle). There is a steep slope of 200 m where we are jostling with the elbow of many others - back to earth with a thud! There are followers with their leaders and their silly flowers, and families, and couples young and old and the backpacker groups. There are walkers, and bikers and prammers! And we are either headed up to, or down from a castle that looks so amazing from its city below.

Once we are through the ornate gates, Michael goes to get tickets and manages to snap part of the changing of the Guard - with a cheeky young lady in tow! Our first stop once we have paused to take in the size of the first courtyard is St Vitus Cathedral. Entry into this gothic masterpiece is free attesting to the huge number of people wandering through it. Wow, it is amazing! Quite dark inside but probably because the stained glass windows are full of intense colours and they let little unfiltered natural light through. There is a Rose Window that is as nice as any of them we have seen anywhere. And then there are the amazing early artworks preserved on the walls. The pews are all roped off - presumably in an effort to keep people moving! We keep moving, trying to stay ahead of a group with a very loud Spanish guide.

Our ticket covers us for three restricted areas of the Castle grounds - the Old Royal Palace, St. George's Basilica, and the Golden Lane with Daliborka Tower. And while this doesn't sound all too much, please take note that the Cathedral is at one end of the complex and the Golden Lane at the other end with our other visit spots between the two. And this complex? Well, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Prague Castle is the largest coherent castle complex in the world, with an area of almost 70,000 m²!

And where the Cathedral was jam packed with people, the other areas are much much quieter - well, you do need to pay 250 CZK (€10) each to get in to them! I won't go on too much about them other than to give a brief description:
The Old Royal Palace was used for royal state ceremonies most recently and dates back to the 12th century. It has a fantastic view from its balcony right over the City and River.
St George's Basilica has an imposing facade because of the gorgeous red colour it is painted. Inside it is much calmer than the nearby Cathedral. It contains a wealth of history and its existence pre-dates the cathedral by a couple of hundred years. Today, only the foundations of this early church remain (still visible) with much of what is now there being also built in the 12th century.
The Golden Lane originated after the construction of the northern wall of the Castle. The area of the northern bailey was used for the building of modest dwellings, which are now the last remainder of the small-scale architecture of Prague Castle. They were inhabited by the castle servants, perhaps goldsmiths (the name "Golden Lane" is documented from the 16th century] and the castle marksmen.
And the tower was built and used as a prison and contains macabre instruments of medieval torture - I can only hope they were never used for real!

We are both pretty knackered by now and are both very hungry. So on our way out of the complex into the greater castle compound we see a sign for Lobkowicz Cafe that advertises a panoramic view terrace. Sure the view would be one of the best from the site - if it weren't for the trees! Still we do get glimpses. And lunch, though late, is very tasty. We just opt for something light - sandwiches - Tomato, Mozarella and Pesto for Michael and Prague ham, brie and spinach for me. Both toasted and we ended up sharing half each. Served with chips and salad - translated this means potato chips (crisps) and coleslaw! Tonic water - 2 bottles each finished it.

It is now after 6 pm. We head back down (yes, still more down, still more steep paths and steps) to the city below, walking through the Saint Wenceslas Vineyard and the classicist summer house Villa Richter. Its been a ripper of a day, although a long and arduous one for my hip. Am still surprised how well it is holding up! And no complaints from me!!

We walk back through the Lesser Town from near the Mánesův most (bridge) around to the Charles Bridge. The streets are a little quieter here, but then I guess most of the locals have headed home for the day. Of course, once we get back to the area around the bridge then we hit that people wall again!

About 8:30 pm Michael heads out to get some night pics and to take a walking tour - The Ghost Tour of Prague. He needs to head back across the bridge and in to the Old Town to the meeting point. Tour guide was good he says, but really, a little too corny for his taste - nothing like the fabulous one he did in Edinburgh! But a nice photo of Our Lady Before Týn by night as well as a few others.

So Prague comes to an end. We have managed to see heaps in a rushed two days, but have just scratched the surface. This is a city you could spend your life in and still not uncover all its secrets! And those towers, guess by now we might have seen maybe 10% of the official ones, but lots of unofficial ones as well. Tomorrow we head for Poland.

Yesterday: 4.55 kms walked, Today: 5.6 kms walked !

The Baker Street connection

Switzerland is a land of architectural contrasts - here in a rural town, we find a farmhouse that dates back to 1586 and just a little way further on, a brash, bright example of modern building that lends an almost festive air to the neighbourhood. And they co-exist quite happily.

I would have liked to travel a completely different route to the one we partly travelled yesterday as we need to double back a bit to today's destination - but there is no road over the mountains here, so we have no choice but to re-trace our 'steps' a bit. In deference to the fact that we had already seen the area, we will today take the shortest possible route and use the motorway! This ever so slightly different route does take us through Lungern on Lungernsee (Lungern Lake) - again demonstrating that amazing colour that is the alpine lakes. I will never get sick of looking at them!

We are en route to Mieringen, the neighbouring town to the Reichenbach Falls which was the spot that Arthur Conan Doyle chose for the setting of the final conflict between his famous character Sherlock Holmes and his arch enemy Professor John Moriarty. This came about after Doyle had visited Mieringen and subsequently the falls themselves. In The Final Problem (1891), Conan Doyle wrote of Reichenbach:

• It is, indeed, a fearful place. The torrent, swollen by the melting snow, plunges into a tremendous abyss, from which the spray rolls up like the smoke from a burning house. The shaft into which the river hurls itself is an immense chasm, lined by glistening coal-black rock, and narrowing into a creaming, boiling pit of incalculable depth, which brims over and shoots the stream onward over its jagged lip.

The Falls are reached either by a walk up the mountainside, or via a funicular railway. And when I tell you that the path of that railway is at an average grade of 60%, you will understand why we chose it, and not to walk! The actual trip up to the falls only takes about 10 minutes but that journey is spectacular! As you near the top, the first thing that you notice is how wet you are going to get. The rail stop is actually very close to the falls as they tumble on their second step down into the valley far below. This series of waterfalls have a total drop of 250m. At 90m, the Upper Reichenbach Falls is one of the highest cataracts in the Alps.

At the rail station at the head of the Falls they have a small gallery displaying items relevent such as the history of the falls and the rail system, the link to Arthur Conan Doyle and the annual projects of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London whose members make an annual pilgrimage. They then provide plastic rain ponchos so that you can stand outside in the mist of the falls to view the second and longest drop come plummeting over the rock ledge. At this point, the fall divides into two streams, with one bouncing off the rock face and the other tumbles down through a chute (hole) that over time it has worn in an adjoining rock. From the station, you can climb the remaining cliff area to the head of the falls, and so off Michael sets. The path is very steep consisting of a series of steps and gravel or earthern paths (and slippery as his bum discovered on the way back down!) While he is gone, I take the opportunity to have a good look at their exhibits.

And finally when Michael gets back down, he stands fall side in the cutout of Holmes, on which he places his very out-of-place Akubra for the obligatory photo. And on the trip back down, as in the trip up, I can't look down and sit backwards for the journey! I know, I know, I'm a wuss - but I have always had an issue with heights. Michael of course is on a big high!!

Today, Mieringen capitalises in every way possible with this link to the famous character - in fact a bit like Maryborough does to Mary Poppins! We see place names like Baker Street (courtesy of the City of Westminster), Conan Doyle Place, and the Das Hotel Sherlock Holmes with its Restaurant Sherlock and the Sherlock Alpenclub!

We are ready for something to eat now and head to a local cafe/restaurant for a pasta meal (Michael has Spinach Ravioli with sage butter sauce while I have tagiatelle with pesto and we share a green salad), but not before Michael first raises the issue of his disappearance with the local Sherlock Holmes bronze statue. In the main square in town a former church has been converted to the Sherlock Holmes Museum. Michael goes over for a look while I head to the local computer store that offers public internet access to upload the blog from yesterday and to find some accommodation in Bern for tomorrow night. When Michael gets back full of praise for the 'authentism' of the Holmes sitting room in the museum (and with a whole swag of photos to boot), he takes his turn on the PC to check his email. At this point, I sit in another chair and open the local tourism magazine. And there I find ...

Information on Aareschutal - The Aare Gorge. Now, I remember the Aare River from our visit to Bern in 2006. It is a particularly beautiful alpine river whose waters are a milky blue. The headwaters of the Aare pass through this accessible gorge just up the road from us. So even though it is later (5 pm), it is still as light as, so we head off to have a look. And if the draw to Mieringen was the link to Sherlock Holmes, even Michael agrees that the Gorge trumps all!

The Haslital, one of the large valleys in the central alps, stretches from the Grimsel Pass to the Lake of Brienz. The flat valley floor of the lower Haslital is separated from the upper valley by a rock formation called the 'Kirchet' that lies between Meiringen and Innertkirchen. Over thousands of years, the Aare River eroded a path through this rock formation resulting in a gorge which is 1,400 metres long and up to 180 metres deep.

In the late 1800s, members of the local community began to build a series of timber walkways through the gorge and today, through a series of timber boardwalks, tunnels and gravel paths, we too can experience the immense and breath-taking beauty of this wonder-filled place. The boardwalk passes through crevices, under overhangs, and hangs off the cliff wall to show us not only the furiously rushing water of the Aare River, but also the amazing formations that have been carved by the power of water over the millenia and waterfalls that fall in delicate veils, or that tumble in a fury off the top of the cliff, falling half way out in to the river. Believe me, these photos just don't do the place any justice at all, but they are the best we could do.

Oh yes, and the other claim to fame that belongs to Mieringen is the Meringue! This delectable dessert was first created in about 1600 by Gasparini, a local pastry chef, naming it after the town in which he was employed. It was then spread through Austria and southern Germany and then throughout Europe finding favour with the court at Versailles and the name 'Meiring' was changed to suit the French tongue. In 1985, a world record was made in Mieringen with the towns' pastry chefs making two giant meringue shells from 2500 eggs and 120 kg of sugar. They were backed in a specially adapted sauna cubicle! And so, we, of course, support the local industry and buy a box of eight from the Frutal Ofenfrisch. Very nice! And as we leave Mieringen, we are diverted down back roads to accommodate the weekly music market that is held on Wednesday nights in July - but they are just setting up and we still have a drive of 90 minutes ahead of us.

So it is back to Engleberg and the Youth Hostel for the night. On the way back, we stop to get a photo of some of the felled timber we have been passing over the last couple of days. The largest log in this photo is from a tree that was 228 years old (yep, I counted the rings!). And as we pass the spot where we took the photo of Lake Lungern this morning we pass only the second car crash we have seen in our six month journey to date - at least no one appears to be hurt, although one one the cars is a write off. Can't believe we haven't seen more.

We decided to eat in town and drive in past a number of 'angels' that are found across the town(?). There is not a real lot open and we end up at La Strega, the restaurant in the Ramada Hotel. Expensive sure (as we expected in Switzerland) but ever so worth it - the meals were the best we have had all week! Our choices?
Appetiser:
We are served with a small plate of dressed leaves and ham paste and foccacia with olive oil
Entrees:
Gazpacho con pomodori e cetrish - Gazpacho, kalte tomaten & gurtzensuppe (Tomato & cucumber soup, served chilled) Michael
Mains:
Filetti de sella d'agnello - Lammrückenfilet in der Kräuterknuste (Lamb rack fillet with herb crust) Michael
Corn-banana con salsa al curry - Maispoulardenbrust mit Bananen-Currysauce (Chicken breast with Banana curry sauce) Maria
Both are served with fresh vegetables and mine has the added joy of a whole heap of tropical fruits served warm - cherries, strawberries, pear, nectarine, kiwi fruit - that balanced the curry sauce beautifully. We are well sated and have no need for desserts, but do finish with Espresso coffees.
And those angels? When quizzed, our waitress explains - Engelberg = Angel Mountain! Ahh, of course!

The Iceman Commeth...?

It was nice to have a good night's sleep at the Grindelwald Youth Hostel - it is definitely worth paying the extra to have a room to ourselves and our own bathroom (my days of sharing are definitley over!!) This morning was dull and dank. It had rained quite a bit during the night and while the rain had stopped, there was an incredible heaviness to the low clouds that hung in the valley. We were up at sparrow fart (6 am) as we knew we needed to be in for breakfast early to beat the crowds. Breakfast is served from 7:15 am and we had tickets for the 8:25 am train from Gründ, a few kilometres down the road.

After last night's introduction to a Youth Hostel 'dixie-bashing' dinner, then breakfast was an equally illuminating experience as well. However, as with last night's fare - there was plenty of including muesli (but not Alpen) that tasted like cardboard, bread, butter, jams or nutella (the backpackers staple!) ‘ham’ and cheese, yoghurt and a mix of tinned and fresh fruit; all of which was wholesome and the coffee was FREE (whereas last night it cost CHF3 per cup!) and is probably the most popular item! A Canadian asked if they had a toaster and was told no, sorry.

So that over, off we head. There is still plenty of parking right near the station at this hour of the day, and it is so much cheaper (6 CHF for the day) than in Grindelwald town as well. There are a few other people waiting for the train and when it pulls in, we discover that almost ¾ of the train has been reserved for groups. Still, we get seats without a problem – very cramped though – must be the Swiss way to encourage people to get to know one another – you have to rub knees with the person opposite you! Heaven help the winter skiers with all the extra clothing on – must be extra squeezy!

The Swiss certainly know how to construct a railway system, and the Jungfraubahnen (a UNESCO World Heritage listing) is just amazing. Construction commenced in 1890 and throughout the years, and gradual upgrades has not altered the railway as being the oldest 'rack-and-pinion' rail system still in operation. To ride this conveyence is an experience in itself. Anyhow, we board the train at 8:20 for the 8:25 Jungfraubahnen to the destined snowdomia, in the interim a special 'reserved' two car set arrives at the station bulging with Japanese tourists. Well, this contingent either spent the night at the summit or had an exceptionally early start.

The first leg of our trip is overland in a 2 carriage yellow train. As soon as we leave the station the climb begins and it is not long before we are traversing grades of between 30° and 45°! I kid you not!! The train has a regular wheel system to which has been fitted a pinion or cog mechanism that turns in a rack for extra purchase and passenger peace of mind!

It takes 25 minutes to travel up out of the valley floor to the change point at Kleine Scheidegg. All the while we watch (through the clouds as they part, then clear a little) as the township of Grindelwald shrinks to even less than dolls house size. And looking heavenwards, we marvel with awe at the alps' manufacturing clouds - truly, these mountains are 'cloud nurseries'.

The grass is green up in the pastures and although the majority of the spring melt is well and truly over, there are still plenty of small rivulets and waterfalls streaming water down the hills into the valleys. This, together with the obvious hooven animal tracks wreak havoc on this fragile environment and there are many spots where you can see erosion - and in some parts quite bad erosion devastating this landform. Still enough of that.

As we climb higher the clouds stay with us. When we get as far as Alpiglen when you can usually get your first glimps of that famous north face of the Eiger Mountain, all we see is cloud with just a little part of the lower wall visible. Still, as we get higher we will be up above the clouds and our views will improve! We reach Kleine Scheidegg and change for the train up to Jungfraujoch. This is the junction for the line we are on, and another from Lauterbrunnen, so there are more people around. There is the same St Bernard Dog with his barrel of rum around his neck that was here when we were here three years ago. And he does not look like he has had a wash in that time either! Still, the Japanese tourists love him and there are lots of them crowded around having a group photo! The handler looked positively bored!!

So from Kleine Scheidegg we board another 2 carriage train for the ascent through the mountains to the peaks. We travel up through a series of galleries (half tunnels) that are cut into the side of the slope before entering into the bowels of the mountains - a tunnel that travels through the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau Mountains. There are two scenic observation windows that have been cut into the mountain face - the first at Eigerwand on the face of the Eiger Mountain (looks out to the north west) and the second at Eismeer on the eastern face of the Eiger. Today, both are fully immersed in dense cloud and all we can see from either station is a glaring, blinding white! However, the five minute stop gives Michael the chance to check out the train (as he would!!).

And then we are there. We have reached the summit and are now at 11,333 feet above sea level. The actual summit of the Jungfrau Mountain is still a further 2,309 feet above us, but this is as far as we can get by train. The carriages disgorge their contents and there is a rush to be at the head of the pack - gosh, don't know why - there really is plenty of space for everyone! We make our way into the tunnels that carry millions of tourists each year to a number of viewing and activity areas. We decide to head down the quieter tunnel and will first go to have a look at the Ice Palace. I did not go into this icy, slick cavern when we came up last time as I was worried about slipping and hurting my leg BUT this time I have come prepared - I have my walking sticks with me! So into the ice we go. Gosh, it is cold here - and slippery. But it is amazing to see the ice up so close. The ice 'faces' have gone though Mum and Donna, replaced by a little ledge that we squeeze through a small tunnel to lean on - same effect though - you can be photographed looking out from the ice ledge. Many of the scupltures down here are the same ones that we here three years ago - and looking just as pristine.

From here we go out on the Plateau where we are still cloud bound and the snow is starting to fall. We are here with a million Japanese, some of whom are so inadequately clad so as to have peddle pushers and thongs on - NO KIDDING! I mean it is 0.8° and with a wind chill that is taking is well south of that. You would think that as Japan has high mountains as well, that they would be better prepared - but I guess if you are a Tokyo girl, maybe not! All I can say is that even warmly dressed, I was not hot and with my boots on and poles firmly in hand, the going was still pretty slippery - especially around the entrance areas where traffic is very high, the snow melts and then freezes over. Still can't believe that anyone would be so stupid as to come up in bare feet with thongs! (And while I am having a gripe, why oh why don't I have a program that will make me looker slimmer!)

So, the first mountain top snow experience out of the way, we head up to the Sphinx where we make our first stop at the restaurant. It is early for lunch (11:45 am), but I can't stomach the thought of being there with the crowds that are up here today. In memory of Mum, I have a schnitzel and pommes frites (french fries) and we get one of the meat and cheese plates to share. Michael however can't come at Spag Bol (for my brother Michael) and instead has a huge Bratwurst Sausage (that didn't need flushing until much, much later!) with pommes frites. We get a window seat and watch the clouds forming patterns on the glacier and snow below us. We don't get to see much blue sky yet, and there are times of total whiteout with a combination of snow and cloud obscuring everything!

Still, at times like these, there is still plenty to look at inside, like the middle aged Japanese woman in heeled court shoes, or the Indian lady in high wedged thongs, or the brash, loud American girl in open sandals and shorts!

As we get ready to leave, the hordes are arriving for lunch (yes, ours was a wise decision) including the groups. We start to see the lots of Indians that I remember from last time as well. We leave and go up to the Sphinx Observation Tower. Up a lift that travels the 108 m at a stomach grabbing 3m/second! We walk out into blinding brillance - the clouds still have not fully lifted and the glare is magnified by the huge plate glass windows. A walk around to the stairwell entrance and some other tourists happily oblige by taking a photo of us together under the sign - no cutting and pasting me into the shot this time!!

They have the whole foyer area out on to the observation deck heated - so much so that we can't wait to get out into the cool! Part of the walkway around the edge of the deck is closed due to falling icicles and snow - no need this time for the men with the chainsaws and shovel sleds to be clearing the snow - but we are a month later than when I was last here in 2006. The clouds are now beginning to break, burned away by the midday sun in the cool, high mountain air. And yet, as we continue to gaze with wonder at the amazing scenery all around us, still the snow falls. Michael enjoys trying to catch some on his tongue! We watch a flock of birds landing and casting off the rock ledge below us. It's amazing these little creatures don't suffer from frostbite; as they leave their claw impressions in the small ice rifts. They land on the ledge and despite teh multitude of signs in a myriad of languages about not feeding the birds, plenty do - predominantly the Indians. They are so tame that I am even lucky enough to get a series of photos of one of them preening - standing less than a foot away from it!

We walk around the observation deck snapping away. While it is snowing, it is not heavy and at the moment there is amazingly little wind, so it is not too cold at all. And the clouds play hide and seek with our views! From time to time we can see the people on the snow below us, while at other times the are obscured by that whiteout. Michael however is champing at the bit to get down there. There are a huge array of activities on offer - from skiing and snowboarding, to dish skimming (their version of cardboard sliding!) to husky rides, to a thrill-seekers flying fox line) to walking either independently or with a guided group to the head of the glacier or beyond. So down stairs we go. But my hip is really starting to ache now - a combination of some more strenous walking and the cold I think, so I will stay and have a look at the art exhibition currently showing while Michael takes a walk.

So off he heads - Glacier Head bound. He is in for quite a treat. Not only does he get to look down on the glacier from near its head, he also manages to capture a series of small avalanches falling (though I am not sure how clear the photo will be once it is reduced for the blog) and finally the sun shines through - giving him a true impression of just how blue and clear the sky can be up here in the heavens. But looking back on the impressive Sphinx Meteorological Station, he can only get a shot of it with a heavy grey background - unlike that amazing photo that I got with the clear summer sky behind it last time. And he should have out more sunblock on - but didn't, so now his face glows, even though we was wearing his hat, the reflected gare off the snow has given him quite a bit of a burning. No doubt it will be brown by morning!

So, a full day almost done, we are ready to head off mountain and back to the valley floor. The train trip down is slightly amusing as most of the people aboard just go to sleep. In their defence, I will admit that the heating was on and it is somewhat stifling. One of the Japanese tour group guides is also amused and busily takes photos of her sleeping charges - no doubt to embarrass them with later! Michael also gets a good shot. It is amazing how many people don't look good with their mouths open, and also amazing at just how many people do sleep with their mouths open when they are sitting up!
We again marvel at the changing scenery on the trip back down and as we near Kleine Scheidegg see a couple of walkers trudging across the landscape. When we actually get to the station, they are already there and I ask them how fay they have walked.
"Oh just from Schiltorn today"
"How long did it take you?"
"Not too long - 6 hours"
Not too long? Not too far? Who are they kidding???? There is a perfectly good train that they could have got from Lauterbrunnen and not have even needed to go up to Schiltorn - still, whatever rocks your boat!!!

At Kleine Scheidegg we decided to get cups of coffee and cake for afternoon tea. The Apfelkuchen looked wonderful, so that will do us. When it is delivered to our table, I can hardly believe my eyes! The slices are H U G E. And the German fellow at the table behind us just laughs and laughs and laughs. When they order the same, I notice that they only order one between two! Too bad they did not order first! I mean that cake was delicious - light cake base covered with heaps of grated apple mixed (I think) with some of the cake mix to hold it together and then a crumble like top. Actually, it was very light. And wholesome food insists Michael, no junk, as her polished off his piece and almost ⅔of mine as well! Yeah, right, whatever makes you feel good darling!!!!

Then it is back on to the yellow train for the valley and Grindelwald. Back through the galleries and with a bit better a view of the Eiger north face as we journey through. The clouds have still not lifted. The trip down in uneventful and I get chatting to some other travellers who have also come over from France. But they are not staying up mountain and have to travel back down to Interlaken when we get down. We make comparisons re the differences we see in the Swiss and French Alps. With the exception of the Mont Blanc range, the Swiss Alps are 'high mountains' compared to most of the French Alps. Mind you, they are all connected and what in fact we experienced in Manigod was the lower slopes on the other side of these Alps. Michael however, is taking more photos at the carriage door, so his hat has a seat all to itself. Comes in handy, does his Akubra - most people pick us for Australians straight away - although the questions about the corks are starting to wear a little thin!

And so back on the valley floor we arrive about 6 pm, tired but thrilled with our day up in the big mountains. As I had expected, Michael was really stunned by the experience and I suspect I'll never again hear the words, "Alps, not more b***** alps!" And diner tonight? Who the hell needs dinner after that Apfelkuchen! We are happy not to have anything. We have a nap, and then while Michael heads up to the main building, I begin the blog, downloading and resizing the photos and then watch 'Twilight' a movie that Michael really wanted to see that I have downloaded through iTunes. Good plot, pretty good movie. Bit too girly though for Michael I suspect. So now I am off to bed.