Follow

It’s very warm again, which is a shame, as we have the Wengen ‘evening run’ today, and the runners will suffer in the heat. We make some sandwiches and set off to walk the course. This is only the 5th Abendlauf, but already the event has grown to the extent that there will be 2 races this year – the next one is in August.

The course is about 8 kilometres. It’s basically a big lap of the paths around the village, and believe me it’s hard going, with lots of steep climbs. Here’s our GPS trace.

We stopped and ate our lunch at about half way. The course is marked by flags, with sawdust arrows at junctions.

Including our picnic lunch and some water stops, we ambled round the route in 2 hours. The winner this evening will probably do it in about 30 minutes.

Follow

Lovely evening at the Caprice last night. It’s still really hot, so Beves and Ibe played out on the terrace.

The sun is still on the peaks, long after the village has descended into darkness.

Today we need to finish our gardening. Clipping the 4 metre high clematis was tough, but we got it all done.

By the time we got back to the village the temperature had hit 35C. The only building in Wengen with air conditioning is the Co-op, so we had a wander around inside before choosing our ice cream.

Follow

We had a nice bbq evening last night in the garden. An international event, with guests from the UK, France, Italy, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

Today it’s hotter than ever, but we’re off down the path to start this season’s gardening at the house at Wengwald.

Follow

It’s warm.Very warm. We’re having a barbecue this evening, so I spent most of the day peeling potatoes and chopping onions. We popped up to Männlichen to escape the heat for a while. It’s like a construction site, with the new lift and the renovation of the Berghaus.

With the lift out of action there’s a bus service from Grindelwald.

Cables have been installed today.

Still plenty of snow up here.

Our swimming pool is popular today, and it’s no wonder with the temperature at 32C.

Follow

Beves and Ibe had mentioned that they were planning a shopping trip to Bern, and we said we’d like to tag along. So this morning they picked us up at Wilderswil, and off we went. First stop was a big suburban shopping mall – we all got some shopping, mainly in Decathlon which is relatively cheap.

Next, we drove to the old town, which is absolutely beautiful.

A walk along the river brings us to the famous bear enclosure.

Just above the bears’ home is the old tram station. It’s been converted into a brewery, pub and restaurant. Lovely lunch and really good beer.

There’s a very popular lido alongside the river. The parliament building looks down on it.

But there’s no need to stick to the pool. Here’s Ibe having a dip in the river.

Views over the city, and if you look very closely you can see the mountains that surround Wengen in the background.

A truly grand day out.

Follow

It’s very warm today, so we grab a bit of breakfast and head down to the valley. As I run along the path I become aware of gunfire in the distance. It’s not just a few shots like we hear during the hunting season either; it sounds like a war zone. A poster on the path provides an explanation.

It’s the 200th anniversary of the local shooting club. Shooting is very popular in Switzerland, owing to the history of hunting here. Kids can start doing it from age 10.

The targets are 300 metres away.

A nice run in the sunshine, despite the noise.

Follow

We had a good night out yesterday, starting at Rocks, then on to the Caprice for pizza, and finally the Falken to listen to their guest pianist Salvatore.

Today the weather’s cool with rain showers. We’ve done well for exercise this week, so we’ve earned a lazy day. Despite the rain, the village is still looking good.