I was up early for my run this morning, and what a run it was. In dry and cool weather I ran all the way to the hydro station at Stechelberg and back again, a distance of just over 12 kilometres.
This afternoon we did a circuit of the village via Wengwald.
It’s beginning to feel quite autumnal, and the village is much quieter than it was last month. How long until the first snow?
Val hasn’t had a proper hike up in the mountains since her accident, so this afternoon we set off for Wengernalp. Lovely views of the mountains, but thanks to all the warm weather we’ve been enjoying, the glaciers are looking a bit sorry for themselves.
A view of the Jungfrau glacier, from the bottom to the very top.
It’s still warm enough for the livestock up here, but it won’t be long before they start heading for the valley. View to nearby Mürren in the background.
We had a good hike, and we stayed dry despite the forecast for thunderstorms. Eventually we got a view back to the village.
Pub and pizza later.
Summer is back, for a couple of days at least. We’re off to the Schilthornbahn for lunch at the snack van. Val had the luxury of taking the bus, whilst I ran.
We sat at the snack van enjoying a hot schnitzel sandwich. Dozens of paragliders landed in the field behind us.
It’s time to hike back to Lauterbrunnen. The distance is almost the same as the mini-marathon that we’re doing in 2 weeks time, so it’s good practice for Val. Cattle have begun to appear in the meadows alongside the river. This is a sure sign that autumn will soon be with us.
We were soon back home for ice creams. Uptown Lights at the Sunstar later.
A new bar has opened in Interlaken. Beves and Ibe were playing there last night, so we thought we’d go and take a look.
It’s a proper old-school 80s disco bar, complete with a glitter ball, lots of spotlights and neon.
Frankie has also installed a smoke machine, which adds to the 80s atmosphere.
A good night out, and the bar is handily situated just behind the station for the trip home.
The weather yesterday was awful, with lots of rain. Today it’s much nicer. Our next-door neighbours always display the flags of Switzerland and Bern on their house. Today they’ve had some new ones.
We had a good party in Rocks last night to celebrate Colin and Steve’s 200th gig. Lots of people came along, including Wil and Tanja from Grindelwald, and Ryan and Marina from Wilderswil.
We had a slow start this morning, and a good lunch was required. There’s no better place for this than the Cafe de Paris in Interlaken. It’s a lovely old building, and waiters clad in black whirl around the tables keeping everything moving.
We had a nice amble back to the station along the river, and enjoyed ice cream when we got home.
We have a big night out in Rocks tonight, Colin and Steve are playing together for the 200th time. It should be quite a party, so I spent all afternoon baking. Dozens of schinkengipfelis (imagine a savoury croissant with a chopped ham filling).
And this will become chocolate brownies once it’s chopped up.
Val had the dressing removed from her eye this morning, so she now has 2 functioning eyes. Happy days.
Regular readers will know that I like to have a run in the valley every few days. It keeps me reasonably fit, and defrays some of the damage done to my waistline in Rocks bar. Today was one of those days, and I was out early. It was a chilly 13 degrees when I left the house dressed in t-shirt and shorts, and I’m sure it was even colder when I got down to Lauterbrunnen. For the first time this summer, all the cars that had been parked overnight were covered in dew, but I had a lovely (and surprisingly fast) run along the valley floor, with only fellow runners and farmers for company. As my running watch keeps reminding me, it’s the Jungfrau Mini-marathon in a couple of weeks, so I need to keep this up.
Meanwhile, Val had been up even earlier than me as she was off down to Interlaken for surgery on her second eye. Not a soul about at Wengen station.
Val will be up even earlier tomorrow to have her dressing removed, and then she’ll get some idea of just how well she can see with her newly treated eyes. Fingers crossed, but I’m sure everything will be fine.
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