It was pretty chilly this morning, but the sky is clear and the sun quickly warmed things up. After lunch we had a walk out to Innerwengen. Lots going on at the farm.
Innerwengen is very picturesque.
We’re well into September, but the gardens and window boxes are still a riot of colour.
Uptown Lights at the Sunstar later.
It’s marathon weekend, and people come from all over the world to run the demanding course from Interlaken up to Eigergletscher. It’s not all about the full marathon though, as there are lots of other races going on. One of the most popular is the mini marathon, which took place yesterday evening. We have a team of four, and we’re off to the casino to collect our start numbers and timing chips.
Here are my team mates.
On the starting line. Many of the runners are kids from the local school. Fancy dress is encouraged, but most people wear the t-shirt that we all get for participating. Many of the youngsters are armed with water pistols.
We all had a good race, with some fast times recorded. Running in front of a few thousand enthusiastic spectators is quite an experience. As this is a fun race, there are no prizes, and nobody knows or cares who won. As she was nearing the end of the last lap, a spectator handed Ali a beer.
We followed the race with a splendid dinner at the Brasserie, before heading home.
This morning it’s the marathon proper. Wengen is packed with spectators.
By the time the runners get to Wengen they’ve already done the steepest part of the course, which is the climb up here from Lauterbrunnen. One of the few flat sections is along our main street.
4000 runners started the marathon this morning, and the winner completed the course in a little under 3 hours.
Thank you Ma’am.
Philip came to me today
And said it was time to go
I looked at him and smiled
And I whispered that “I know”
I turned and looked behind me
And seen I was asleep
All my family were around me
I could hear them weep
I gently touched each shoulder
With Philip by my side
Then I turned away and walked
With my angel guide
Philip held my hand
As he led the way
To a world where Kings and Queens
Are monarchs everyday
I was given a crown to wear
Or a halo known by some
The difference is up here
They are worn by everyone
I feel a sense of peace
My reign has reached it’s end
70 years I had served my country
As the peoples friend
Thank you for the years
For all your time and love
Now I am one of two again
In our palace up above
Anon.
Lauterbrunnen had a street market today, and Val got a couple of photos on her way home from the gym. Lots of things made of wood.
This all looks delicious.
This evening Wil and Tanja came over from Grindelwald, so we had dinner from Santos and a few beers.
It’s September, and that means it’s time for the cattle to start coming down from their summer pastures in the high Alps. The first herd to come down is usually the one from Pletschenalp above Lauterbrunnen. Here they come.
Hurry up Matilda!
As always, it’s a very popular event. The cattle aren’t in any hurry, and the cowherds have their work cut out trying to stop the cows wandering into shops or gardens.
Traffic, needless to say, is brought to a complete standstill while the cattle make their way to a field by the waterfall. Once there, their owners will take them back to their farms further down the valley.
It’s another lovely day, so after lunch we decided to pop up to the Jungfraujoch. The ‘Joch’ is Switzerland’s most popular tourist attraction, and in pre-Covid times it got more than a million visitors per year. To get there we first need to catch the train to Kleine Scheidegg.
From Scheidegg another train takes us through a 7 kilometre long tunnel through the mountains. There’s a stop half way up so we can see the Challifirn glacier.
Eventually we arrive at the top.
The Jungfraujoch has lots of shops and restaurants, but our first priority is to get outside onto the snow.
There would normally be crowds of people here, but it’s late afternoon and most visitors have gone home. A few dozen people were out enjoying the snow.
The Jungfraujoch is home to the source of the Aletsch glacier. It’s the longest glacier in Europe, with a length of around 23 kilometres. Here it is, stretching off to the south of us.
Despite all this alpine magnificence however, our favourite part of a visit to the Jungfraujoch remains the Lindt chocolate shop. We filled a couple of bags from the pick ‘n mix before heading back to Wengen.
After all the rain yesterday, it was nice to wake up to find the sun was out. We’ll have our usual visit to the Schilthornbahn station for lunch. Val caught the bus and had a little explore while she waited for me. Lots of paragliders as usual.
The Lauterbrunnen valley is one of the top venues in the world for BASE jumping. This is fundamentally different to paragliding. Whereas paragliders inflate their parachute before they leave the ground, Base Jumpers jump from the cliffs above the valley, enjoy a few seconds of free-fall, then deploy their parachutes. Obviously there is far more that can go wrong, and unfortunately it sometimes does. Here is a shrine to some of the Base jumpers who didn’t get down safely.
Eventually I came plodding along the river.
We enjoyed our usual schnitzel sandwich, and hiked back to Lauterbrunnen. Uptown Lights at the Sunstar tonight.
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