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It’s really warm today – too warm for any serious hiking. We had a stroll out to Innerwengen and got the lift up to Allmend. Nice views back to the village.

The restaurant looks inviting. It must be time to stop for ice cream.

And the ice cream was very good indeed. Val tries out our new lightweight binoculars. For something so small, they work very well.

We wander back towards Wengen through the forest, where it’s cooler. Today marks the opening of the Mendelssohn music week, so we took a short detour to visit his memorial.

For someone who only lived until he was 38, Mendelssohn certainly packed a lot into his life. As well as composing music he liked to paint and sketch, and he produced a sketch of the mountains from this very spot. There’s a reproduction of it here.

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Last night a big thunderstorm came out of nowhere. Today it’s hot again, but it looks highly likely that we’ll get another storm. We had a cruise around the village. The gardens up at the Park Hotel are looking good.

The kids will all be back to school on Monday, but for now they’re enjoying the warm weather. The pool is busy.

Later on we’ll be off to the Caprice for pizza.

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It’s another nice day, so we make our sandwiches and head up to Männlichen. We’re heading for a place called Alpiglen, Navigation is easy – just aim for the Eiger. Lots of streams to cross.

At Arven, just below Kleine Scheidegg.

The Eiger towers over the restaurant at Alpiglen. This is where the climbers used to camp before making their attempt on the summit.

It’s ice cream time.

We catch the train up to Scheidegg. When we arrived there were chaotic scenes. Apparently the railway line from Grindelwald down towards Interlaken is blocked, so absolutely everyone has to come down via Wengen.

A good walk, and a very crowded train back home.

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Not much to report today, as I had an appointment with the optician. It went well, apart from the fact that I will be banned from wearing my contact lenses for the 7 days leading up to my next appointment. Fortunately I have an old pair of specs I can use.

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It’s warm in the village, but a bit chilly at the top. It’s also very busy. To dodge the crowds we get the cable car up to Männlichen. Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Despite being the smallest of the three, the Eiger always dominates. The little mountain in the foreground is called Tschuggen.

From Männlichen we get the gondola down to Holenstein, and we walk through the forest.

We’re aiming to get to a place called Aspen, where there’s a restaurant that we visit a lot in winter. The path is quite steep in places.

Almost there.

And here we are at Aspen. It’s tempting to sit on the terrace and enjoy the view of the Eiger with an ice cream, but the bus is due in a few minutes.

A nice afternoon out.

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I made a Thai curry last night. I thought I had prepared far too much food, but somehow it all disappeared.

It’s almost time for the annual Mendelssohn music week here in Wengen. Ali got this shot of the grand piano being delivered this morning.

We’re off down to Interlaken. Sandwiches on the quayside as the steamer pulls out.

The steamer goes to Brienz, and that’s where Val’s heading for a visit to the dentist. The train is much quicker though, and it soon overtakes the boat.

Great views over the lake.

When we got home the tiler had completed the last bit of work on our terrace, so hopefully that’s the end of the renovations for a while.

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The storm passed over during the night, and this morning it’s bright and much less cold. The waterfalls in the valley are flowing fast.

We’re doing dinner tonight, and that’s an excuse to clean the house from top to bottom before I make a start on the food.