Yesterday’s rain continued all night and got heavier as today wore on. We ran round to the Co-op just before lunch but apart from that we’ve been indoors getting the place shipshape again. The river in the valley was very high as we came up on the train yesterday afternoon, and this raises the spectre of flooding which we haven’t had for a few years now.
Looking forward to this evening as we have live music in Rocks.
Our taxi was right on time this morning, and the rather splendid Mercedes got us to Birmingham airport in great comfort. As we were early we had plenty of time to enjoy an English breakfast.
Our plane wasn’t parked in its usual spot, but no delays were reported and sure enough the little jet appeared outside the terminal.
I’m quite fond of that aeroplane – it has safely carried three generations of my family to Switzerland. We’ve travelled on it countless times, and while it’s very small it goes like stink and has only ever broken down on us once.
I got the phone to record our flight to Zurich.
It was pouring with rain as we landed, and it hasn’t stopped since. Here in Wengen it’s cold, wet and foggy. Not to worry though, it’ll be warm and dry in Rocks later on.
It’s Swiss national day on Tuesday which means it must be time for some traditional stuff. We get the cable car up to Männlichen to see what’s happening. The usual great views back to Wengen and down to Lauterbrunnen.
Friendly cows are happy to pose for photos.
The giant wooden cow is complete – Val climbed to the top.
And yes, there was some folklore. Dancers.
And flag throwing. There was a bit of a breeze so it was tricky, but not many flags were dropped.
We catch the train down to Interlaken and walk to the lakeside village of Bönigen. Lots of watersports here. This is a kayaking class. The instructor (top left) is one of Val’s winter ski school colleagues.
There are jet-boat rides too. Steamers call at the quay taking passengers to the villages along the lake.
Groups of people arrive in rubber rafts. They started their day at Lauterbrunnen and paddled down the Lütschine river to Bönigen.
Our plan today was to walk from Eigergletcher which is above Scheidegg. Unfortunately when we got to Scheidegg we found it was in a cloud, so we hopped back on the train and went back to Wengernalp where we hoped to find some clearer weather. It didn’t really work.
It’s cold inside a cloud. Nevertheless we set off down the race course. This section is officially called Langentrejen, though everyone refers to it as Bumps.
Along the course are info boards and 3D viewers which show the ideal line for ski racers.
As we approach Wengen the sun comes out and the path takes us through the forest above the village. Lots of mushrooms – I just wish I knew which ones to pick and which to avoid.
It’s dry today but still chilly so we don’t want to go too high. We get off the train at Wengernalp and head downhill towards Mettla, which is nothing more than a few cowsheds.
Soon we reach the forest.
The path clings to the side of the mountain above the valley. Glimpses of Mürren.
And a spectacular aerial view of Lauterbrunnen.
Streams and waterfalls cross the path. This one is called Hasenbach and a dog was enjoying cooling off.
It’s been raining for 2 days so it might be a good afternoon to go to see our local waterfalls. We catch the bus from Lauterbrunnen for the short ride up the valley. The falls are looking good.
The Trümmelbach drains the glacier defiles of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. 20,000 litres of water per second pass through the gorge.
The falls are 140 metres high. Great views back down the valley.
Nice walk along the river back to Lauterbrunnen where we get cakes from the bakery before returning to Wengen.
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