The weather has completely changed, and it’s a beautiful morning. Time for crazy golf with Ali.
The course is very good. 18 holes took us about an hour and a half. This afternoon we’re back to Brienz for Val’s next dental instalment. More wood carvings.
There’s a steam train that takes tourists up the mountain here – it’s a wonderful old thing.
Lake Brienz, as the light fades.
The weather’s pretty poor today – cold, cloudy and wet. We have plenty to do however, as we need to sort out getting to the UK in the coming few weeks. First port of call is Lauterbrunnen, where we need to talk to the Gemeinde (local council) to get some paperwork for our residence permits. The last of the cows are coming down to the valley, causing traffic chaos.
After that we visit the bank, and then I ring the travel insurance company to tell them of our intentions. Val has her German lesson this afternoon, which gives me some time to try to sort out our flights. It turns out that with all the quarantine rules hardly anyone is flying anywhere at the moment, so this will be a bit tricky. Wish me luck.
Val has a dentist appointment in nearby Brienz today. Brienz is about 20 minutes from Interlaken by train, at the other end of the lake. We started with lunch at a lovely cafe.
The town is known for its wood carvings. They’re everywhere.
The steamers call in every hour or so. Despite the chill in the air they’re still very popular.
Brienz is a nice place to spend a few hours – it’s far more relaxed than Interlaken.
We had a nice evening out last night. Dinner at Sina’s before cocktails at the Tanne and a few beers in Rocks.
Every year, at the end of September we have the cheese festival. This is a big occasion where all the cheese that has been made at the farms in the high pastures is divided up amongst the owners of the cattle. Anyone can own a share in a cow, and many people do. A one-eighth share in a cow will get you about 7 kilograms of cheese, which is more than we could possibly eat. This year the cheese festival was ‘cancelled’ owing to COVID restrictions, but as there are no tourists here, we had a mini-festival anyway. Lots of good food to eat.
Despite the event not being publicised at all, there was a pretty good turn out.
It’s still cold, so we’re all wrapped up. The wine was soon flowing.
Lunch. Rösti with bacon. Delicious.
A nice afternoon spent catching up with everyone else from the village.
We had a few flurries of snow while we were in Rocks last night, and this morning our roof and terrace were covered. A bit later on the sun did its best to make things look a bit more cheerful.
Looks nice doesn’t it? If only we could have snow without cold temperatures.
There are some lovely pieces of furniture in this house. Our dining table seats 10 when fully extended, but it needs a lot of care. Val decided today was a good time to give it a bit of a birthday.
Val was up early this morning as she had a hairdresser’s appointment. A new haircut means a night out, so we’ll find somewhere to eat later.
It’s been cold and wet for most of the day, and the furthest I’ve been is the bin store at the end of the path. The snowline is creeping down towards the village, and Val has retrieved my old ski jacket in case I need it for the short walk to the pub later.
On the bright side, Chalet Iltis is now the cleanest house in Wengen. The weather forecast looks pretty awful, so we need to find something else to do for the rest of the weekend.
Ali’s contract at the hotel has finished, so last night we had a good night out in Rocks. This morning we were woken up by the gardener’s strimmer. It takes him all day to cut the grass, weed the paths and tidy the flower beds. The garden under the terrace requires some climbing.
We did some shopping and had lunch. This afternoon the skies began to darken and it looks like we’re in for a big change in the weather.
Sure enough, we received warnings of disruption due to snow and ice over the weekend, and the first avalanche bulletin of the winter season arrived. It’s time to dig out some warmer clothes.
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