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Last night we had a huge storm. As it approached the village was in darkness while the glacier above remained in the sunshine.

Despite the rain, we wanted to get up to the village to see the August 1st parade. We dashed up to the Avocado bar in a drier moment. The parade was excellent despite the awful weather.

It was still raining this morning, but there’s a hike we fancy doing so we headed up the hill on the little cable car. By the time we got to the top it was dry.

There’s a summer toboggan run up here. It’s very popular with the kids.

No tobogganing for us though, we’re going to hike to the top of the valley where the glaciers emerge. At one point we need to cross the path of a glacier which has long since retreated up the mountain. The ice has left behind a steep, smooth section of rock.

The polished rock would be difficult to cross, particularly when it’s wet. The Swiss have therefore built a tunnel underneath it.

The tunnel was dark and wet, but it got us safely across the slippery rock. A little further along we got a nice view of the mountain station of the Wetterhorn cable car.

This cable car was the first of its kind in Switzerland, and it opened in 1908. Unfortunately it was repeatedly damaged by avalanches, and it eventually closed in 1915.

We’re almost at the end of our walk, and we arrive at the point which used to be the base of the Upper Grindelwald glacier. There’s no ice here anymore, but there’s still a lot of meltwater coming down.

We had a late lunch at the Hotel Wetterhorn, before catching the bus back to Grindelwald.

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Yesterday a taxi collected us at 5.30am, and we travelled back to Switzerland. We couldn’t find anywhere to stay in Wengen, but our pals the Halls have offered us the use of their holiday flat in nearby Grindelwald. It’s very nice, and once the rain had stopped we got a great view of the Eiger and the glacier.

Every Wednesday evening the main road through the village is closed, and a street festival is held. We got lovely burgers at one of the food trucks, and there was lots to see.

It rained again overnight, but the weather looked promising this morning, so we headed out. A combination of heavy rain and high temperatures makes the river appear to boil.

Various pieces of ‘art’ have been created along the river. They’re a bit abstract.

This one is supposed to be a man and a woman.

It’s always very damp on the forest floor, and this is ideal for snails. I’m pretty sure that these are the same ones that we have in garlic butter when we have dinner at the Berghaus in Wengen.

It’s Swiss National Day today, so the festivities of last night will be repeated with the addition of fireworks. It all gets a bit crazy, and a good strategy is finding a seat in a cosy bar until the noise has died down.

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The hot weather continues, and the beaches are popular places to be. More swimming yesterday afternoon.

We had a busy day of sport, with Formula 1 and two football matches. The Swiss famously won their game against Italy, though we were the only ones cheering them on in the Harbour bar. We needed some fast food before the Germany game, and fortunately the Greeks have a snack which is just the job.

These things are Pita Gyros. You get pitta bread rolled into a cone, and a filling of chips, tomatoes, onions and tzatziki. Added to this is your choice of meat, which can be pork, chicken or lamb. They cost about 4 Euros and they’re absolutely delicious. We’ve eaten a lot of Gyros this week.

Tomorrow we are leaving. Val and I are bound for the U.K. and Colin is going back to Switzerland. It’s been a really good holiday and I’m sure we’ll be back here.

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Yesterday afternoon’s breeze grew into a gale towards the evening. The harbour provides limited shelter in weather like this, and all the yachts left for the safety of the big marinas further south. The little rental boats were having a hard time at their moorings.

It’s the weekend, so everywhere is a little busier than usual. We booked a table at the Old School restaurant which was recommended by our taxi driver. Colin’s Souvlaki was a monster.

By the time we awoke this morning the wind had died away and the heat began to build again. We’re looking forward to Beer O’clock, and later on the Swiss will be playing football.

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It was a busy afternoon in the harbour yesterday, with lots of yachts jostling for space. Everyone got in eventually.

After Wednesday’s disappointing football, it was time for the semi final of the cricket World Cup. England are playing India, and Colin can’t watch.

England were well beaten. Later on, some of the local kids wheeled out their toy car.

They raced around the village on this thing until the battery eventually ran out, much to the relief of pedestrians, the local cats, and other road users.

Today has been hot again, but there’s a stiff breeze blowing. We thought we’d try a bit of a hike around the bays to the south of the village. It’s all very picturesque.

At some points the path along the shoreline resembles a garden.

We had a good walk, and it’ll soon be time for our daily visit to the Harbour bar. At least there’s no sport on TV today.

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Many years ago, when I was in my late twenties, I bought myself my first proper sports car. It was a Fiat X1/9, in bright red. I loved that car; 2 seats, removable roof, pop-up headlights, mid-engined. You never see them in the U.K. anymore, as they were particularly prone to rust, so imagine my surprise when this 40 year-old beauty parked outside our apartment this afternoon.

Kassiopi is pretty posh, and you can drive a Porsche through the village and nobody will give it a second glance. The moment the little Fiat appeared everyone stopped to take photos. Wonderful.

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We normally have breakfast at home, but this morning was a late start after the football (the less said about it the better), so we had a wander into the village. Colin had a full English.

Swimming this afternoon, before pre-dinner beers.

Tonight we’re off to the barbecue restaurant. The biggest problem with this place is choosing something from the delicious sounding menu.