Bern

Awoke to large snowflakes falling gently this morning as we looked out our balcony overlooking the Bernese Swiss Alps. Change of plans today due to snow avalanche risk at some of the mountain areas nearby, so our scheduled hike was canceled. We decided to go over to the next valley above Interlaken and get to the top of Jungfrau via the highest train station in Europe. So we planned out the route via trains and off we went to explore.

The train wove through small villages as we climbed the mountain. It was still snowing and cloudy as we changed trains for the last leg of the journey through a long tunnel to the top. Luckily, as we emerged outside, we were not disappointed as we were above the clouds. The view was spectacular with the summit of Mt. Jungfrau at 13,642 feet elevation standing right in front of us.

On the Reasearch observation platform, you could see the glacier valley to your right. We went out on Glacier's point, but by the time we reached it, the clouds had moved in, and the temp was -2F....Burr.

Before leaving, we explored the newest attraction, an ice cave lined with ice sculptures, and had lunch up top. (Who knew fresh salmon could taste so good at 12,000 feet). One of our stops on the way back was the small town of Grindelwald, where Susan had visited 40 years ago, for a fun trip down memory lane.

Returned to Lauterbrunnen around 6 pm and set off for a walk on the valley floor to see the cascading waterfalls along the cliffs. Along the way, we found Susan's perfect dream house. Finished the evening at a local pub for dinner.

Switzerland is such a peaceful idyllic setting of nature at its best.Read more