Climb every mountain

Sunday, 7/31

The church bells started to ring at around 7am (and supposedly ring every 15 minutes in between, but I didn't hear them again until around 8:30). We had a relaxed breakfast in our apartment. Scrambled eggs, cereal, and a little bit of alpine cheese made right in this very town. We packed a day pack with essentials, windbreakers, long sleeves, some snacks and water and headed out to learn how to use the tram lines to see the town. It is pretty expensive to get a multi-destination pass, but being that the sun was shining and it was warm out, it seemed the perfect day to go exploring in this alpine setting. We ponied up the 80-plus Swiss Francs for the tickets and boarded our first tram. This cable car type contraption is basically attached to a really skinny looking cable and is hoisted almost straight up into the air and deposits you (and about 50-75 other people who are usually crammed in like sheep) onto a mountain top. It is a pretty smooth ride, except when you hit a support it swings a little, resulting in all adults and children in the tram hollering, "Ohhhh!" No matter how many times you've ridden the car in a given day, it always gives your tummy a little dip and receives the same excited call from the crowd. Our first stop landed us in Murren, a very adorable alpine town, with lots of restaurants, hotels, and recreation. We climbed the hill into town and decided to have lunch at a cafe with an excellent view of Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau (The ogre, the monk, and the young lady; names of the tallest and most famous peaks in this area). We tried the Rosti for lunch ( a local specialty that looks like hashbrowns, it is basically grated potatoes with various toppings). Back on the trail and full of carbs, we hiked through the town of Murren to get to the cable car that goes to the top, Schilthorn (though not officially the highest point in Europe, it is awfully close at 9,154 feet above sea level. To think just about a week ago we were in Holland, below sea level!) It took two cable cars to get to the top, with a stop over on the peak of Birg. While the car itself feels totally stable, except for that occasional sway, it looks like you are on a bus suspended by a rope and this rope is tied to the other side of a cloud. We saw tiny specks that the driver pointed out to us, as we zoomed in with our camera, the dots turned out to be mountain goats clinging to the side of the rocks. When we finally got to the top there was snow on the ground the visibility was nil, we were inside a cloud. Not much need for pictures from the top, but the ride up and down provided many stunning views. One more flight on the truck on a string to nearby Gimmelwald, a tiny, too cute Alpine village. Until the cable car came to the town in the 1960s women who were expecting would start the hike down at the first twinges of labor hoping to make it to Lauterbrunnen before their delivery, those were the days! This village was sprinkled with quaint alpine chalets, sheds decked out with cowbells, baby cows at the road side, flower filled gardens and meadows, and handmade wooden signs advertising homemade cheese and butter. I need to stay longer in this town just to consume more dairy! Alas, it was nearly five and though we had no rain today (hurray) darker clouds were gathering, so we decide to take our last cable car which basically launched over a cliff and went straight down, slowly but directly. Greg whispered, "This is as close to base jumping as we are going to get." My forehead pressed against the glass window, looking the waterfall beneath us and the steadily approaching valley floor, I knew he was right. Back in the valley in the town of Stechelberg, our pass included a ride on the Post Bus to get us back to Lauterbrunnen. From the bus we had a great view of the valley that spread out in front of us and the mountains above us (where we had just spent our day). As I gazed up at the peaks, I saw a strange large bird...no it wasn't ...suddenly a parachute erupted from the shape. It was a base jumper, the first and only one we've seen (and no grandma, he wasn't naked!) The fancy suit he was wearing resembles a flying squirrel with fabric connecting between arms and legs to make wings to help steer himself away from the jagged cliff he had just hurdled himself off. Crazy! Back to our cute apartment, too late to hit the market and make dinner (all grocery stores are closed by 7:00), so we headed to yet another restaurant ( I know I should enjoy, but I really miss cooking...) Soup and sandwiches amidst the sound of fireworks being tested for tomorrow's celebration, August 1st is National Swiss Day! (Not to mention, our day FIFTY!)