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Christmas dinner with Beanie and Sandro, and the kids last night. Proper chicken and everything!

This morning we went for our (now traditional) Christmas Day walk from Grutchalp to Winteregg, where we had a lovely lunch. Today looks like being the last sunny day for a while so quite a few people were doing this. The walk meanders through the woods, gaining about 100 metres of altitude along the way.

Wengen in the sunshine across the valley. Clouds rolling in from the north – we have been promised a white Chistmas.

A last view of the summit of the Eiger before the oncoming storm ruins the views.

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Not much to report today, went down to Interlaken to research boring domestic stuff that we’re going to need next season. On the Hohemat just by Cafe Schuhe is a new attraction – Ice Magic. From the pics it just looks like an ice rink, but it’s a lot more that that, with bars and restaurants etc. Anyhow, here are the kids having fun.

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Up very early this morning, we’re off to Murren, which is about 2 miles away as the crow flies. Unfortunately we’re not crows, so it takes a train, a bus and 3 cable cars to get there.
Murren clings to the side of the valley – it’s a mile above sea level. The only way up here is by cable car, so if the cable car stops running because of windy weather, you’re staying.

The skiing here is above the tree line. It always feels a bit wild after the picturesque scenery in Wengen.

The James Bond film ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ was made here, and they don’t want this fact to be lost on you. There’s even cheesy Bond music in the cable car on the way up.

There are a few ways to get out of Murren. You can ski, walk or fly, like this guy.

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Another lovely day today, so we head up to Mannlichen on the cable car. The building at the top has been substantially rebuilt; there’s a lot more room and Val reports that the loos are much improved.

Plenty of people at the Berghaus. It’s a nice day to be up here whether you’re skiing or not.

Accidents are relatively unusual, but they do happen unfortunately. Today’s unlucky victim gets a ride in this helicopter as a consolation.

Kids having fun on the nursery slope. It looks chaotic but there’s actually plenty of room.

Back in the village the temperatures continue to climb. The tourist office have opened the mini-golf!

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Cold and frosty last night, but the sun soon got to work and treated us to another glorious day. We walked up to the village for lunch, and set out on a walk around the meadows that surround the village.

Normally at this time of year the animals would be living in barns keeping out of the weather, but these guys were really enjoying the sunshine. I think they’re quite used to being photographed!

Philip from Central Sport has bought himself one of those drones – it’s like a remote-controlled helicopter with a camera attached. Here’s his film from yesterday:
Click me!

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Today is the Saturday before Christmas, which is the first proper day of the holiday season. Kids have finished school, lots of tourists are arriving and at last the village has a lively festive feel to it.

We walked up to the village mid-morning and fixed the broken webcam in the DHO clubroom. You can see the images at this link. After that we did a big shop at the Co-op, had lunch and went for a walk above the village. It was a lovely afternoon, more like May than December.

Later on, back in the village it is ‘Village Opening’. This event heralds the beginning of the season proper, and local businesses offer tasty treats such as cheese, chocolate and of course the all-important hot alcoholic drinks to sustain the visitors. It’s a good event because absolutely everyone comes out, so we get to meet everyone all in one go.

View of the village this afternoon.

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Sunny day today, so up the hill we go. It’s early in the season, so just a few lifts and ski runs are open, but still lots of fun for everyone.

Very mild weather – we had our coffee out in the sunshine. It won’t last though, snow is forecast tonight.