We had a lovely dinner at the Eiger last night, followed by a few drinks in Rocks while we watched the football. Here we are with Justin and Randy.
The railway workers are replacing the next section of track. We had to take a slightly longer route home to avoid them.
The weather has turned very warm, so we bought lunch from the bakery in Lauterbrunnen and caught the bus all the way up the valley to Stechelberg. No frogs in the pond just yet, but there were lots of tiny tadpoles.
It was very warm in the valley, and the walk back seemed hard going. It was nice to get back up to Wengen where it’s a bit fresher.
The weather forecast says we can expect very high temperatures over the next few days, so we thought we’d pop up to Scheidegg for a ski before everything melts. It was a bit gloomy, but a lack of crowds more than made up for the slightly poor visibility.
We paused for coffee before getting the train back to Wengen. The railway workers have finished the section of track by our house. We have to cross the track every time we go up to the village, and it’s much easier now.
Val has yoga this afternoon, and we have a table reserved at the Eiger restaurant for dinner.
Work began to replace the railway tracks last night. This means there are no trains in or out of Wengen after 9.45 in the evening. Here they are at the top of our path.
It was pretty noisy. This morning we were off to Interlaken for shopping. The departures board has an additional entry. Thomas, one of the train drivers, is retiring today, and the 12.15 to Lauterbrunnen will be his last trip.
And here is Thomas’s train. A bell rings as he departs, right on time of course.
It’s been a gloomy sort of day. Ali popped in for coffee this afternoon and brought a smart new gilet for Val – it had been part of her winter work uniform and she no longer needs it.
Yesterday morning we awoke to high winds and rain, but trains were running to Scheidegg and there were a few ski lifts open. We stayed at home, but our mate Roger from Lauterbrunnen ventured up to see what was happening. Absolute chaos at the railway station; there have been no trains (and therefore no people) up here for three days while the storm raged. Heavy machinery is needed to dig out the tracks and platforms.
Today the weather is much kinder, with a little rain early on but some brightness. We disposed of all the recycling that we’ve accumulated over the stormy Easter weekend, and did some shopping. The sun came out, so we headed down to the valley for a walk. We start at the Mürrenbach waterfall. It falls 417 metres in 5 cascades, and the meltwater from all the recent snow makes it particularly impressive.
There’s been a lot of forestry work going on in the valley. Some of the trees have been brought down by the storm, and others have been routinely felled as part of the forest maintenance. The wood will be left to season for two years, before being used for construction, fencing or fuel.
The weather is warm enough for the first of the livestock to enjoy the sunshine. Hundreds more cattle, goats and sheep will soon be joining them.
For the first time this spring, we bought ice cream to eat on the way back up to Wengen.
Guess what? It’s very windy again, and there are no ski lifts running. You can go down on the train, but not up. At least it’s not raining, which is a big improvement over yesterday. What then can you do in a ski village with no skiing?
Crazy golf is popular. Rent your club and a golf ball from the tourist office.
Rent a toboggan and have some fun on what’s left of the nursery slope. The staff at the shop might not be too pleased when you return it covered in mud however.
On a sunny day like today, a drink at the Figeller bar is nice, and you can watch the tobogganers getting covered in mud.
Or, this being Easter Sunday, you could try your luck against the kids in the Easter egg hunt.
The Co-op was doing a brisk trade in ice cream. A summer’s day for Easter.
Val has been avoiding spicy food while she recovers from her operation, but last night things got back to normal. We had a few beers in the Brasserie, before making our way to the Taj Palace a few yards down the road. The food in here is really good.
We stopped for cocktails in Rocks on our way home. Today the wind storm continues, and not a single ski lift has opened in the entire area. The wind is coming from the south, and it brings with it sand from the Sahara, which obscures the sunlight and turns everything yellow, including the snow.
Early this morning the wind started howling, and so it has continued all day. There were a few ski lifts open at Männlichen this morning, but Scheidegg, Mürren and First have been closed all day. The wind increased this afternoon, and before long we had the rare sight of a 100% closed ski area. Even the trains have stopped.
In Rocks this evening we heard lots of stories of people getting stuck at various points on the mountain, but everyone always gets home in the end. Anyhow, we’re off to Interlaken for a few beers and a curry. Hopefully we can get back up the hill later.
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