SATURDAY, July 30
Wengen
After a fortifying breakfast--cereal, yogurt, eggs, fruit, cheese, bread bread bread...
...we lace up our hiking boots and trot over to the tram station, which is down the main street in Wengen, about 10 min. from our hotel. It's a noon start on the roomy tram car that seems to float up the mountain face to deposit us at Mannlichen (elev. 2227 m).
We begin our 'easy' hike today in the clouds, aiming for the base of the Jungfraujoch even though we can't see it. We hope the clouds will dissipate so we can see the massive mountain, and its glacier, from our destination, Eigergletscher (elev. 2320 m).
Our hike:
Approaching Kleine Scheidegg (You mean we could have taken a train to get here???)
Clif Bar for lunch, then onward toward the glacier. It's sunny for a few minutes here. Our hopes rise.
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| We're here, Eigergletscher. Can't see anything that looks like a big glacier, or even a looming mountain. We know it's there. Somewhere. |
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| On the observation deck at the restaurant, we snack on an $8 cup of soup with bread. And we wait for the clouds to lift. If we're walking five more miles to Wengen I want some sustenance. |
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| After lingering long enough for it to start to rain, we decide to start back down the mountain. Jim stands on the edge, where he loves to be. |
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| Friendly locals greet us as we descend. Moo. And gently they ring their neck bells--mountain melody all along our hike today. I wonder when they get milked, and where? Later, we see a sturdy wooden milk barn (it looks just like you'd imagine it should, nestled in a slope in the Alps) and hear the cows' bells clanging through the open windows. A sign tells where to come through the door to buy milk. How do cars get up here? We realize they come on the walking path we're taking. |
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| This railroad bridge/tunnel is lovely. We hang out to look it over, and the rain descends. We put on our rain coats after a few minutes, when the rain lessens, and walk on. |
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| My tenderized big toes are very, very happy to see Wengen. Several miles of the hike were a steep decline, hard on the toes even in good hiking boots. But, oh joy, it's time for dinner when we arrive back at the Hotel Baren! |
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| Noodles with a delicate sauce/dressing on the greens. |
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| The banana sauce on pan seared chicken breast was a surprise--delicious. |
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| A triple winner, three of my favorite foods: ice cream, whipped cream (moo), and chocolate. We want to lick our plates. The waitress offers to bring me more when I exclaim about how yummy it is. I decline, can you believe it? I'm falling asleep in my chair, though. |
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