Bernese Oberland Part II

The train from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen on our way to an alpine hike.


The train is a cog train so it pulls itself uphill with a gear and has three sets of brakes.


The view from the train pulling into Wengen. Lauterbrunnen is below.




Someone is awake at the start of the hike.





Now someone's asleep, and no headscratch...




I guess if you're going to carry a 30 pound sack of flour for 2 miles this isn't bad scenery to look at while doing it.


Of course she wakes up near the end of the hike.



... and then is delighted to find a park at 8000 feet elevation. With a smile like that how could I resist being the totter to her teeter?


... and then finished off the day with a gelato in Interlaken.



Today we went to Ballenberg, an amazing open-air museum loaded with centuries old farmhouses and buildings from all over Switzerland. This is the second time Anneka and I have been here. Don't know what it is about open-air museums. I think they're just appealing in that they show how much of the citizenry of a country lived in contrast to the "royal" lifestyle we see when visiting palaces and castles.

An interior from one of the homes.


An early 20th century carousel. Know how it's old? No footrests, no handles and no OSHA mandated safety belt. I told Soph to hold on tight. I envisioned her losing her balance and getting flung off. So, I crouched behind her for the ride.

She did great. Dad nearly vomited...





Getting in on a little turn of the century, outdoor Swiss bowling. Got a strike on this toss. Hard not to though. The lane is a foot wide and has a guide down both sides. Come to think of it, what's the challenge here? Perhaps it was a test to see if you could get the ball to the end, not how many you could knock down.

The ball weighed a ton and was the size of basketball...


Little miss bowling-pin-setter-upper.




Went back to Murren for dinner. I think secretly we just wanted a couple more hours back in the Lauterbrunnen valley. We were last there 7 years ago. It'll likely be longer than that before we get back again. So, had to soak it up one last time.


Hiked from Murren back to Gimmelwald. This time we brought the stroller and little Miss "bored of all this scenery" just wanted to play games on the I-pad.


See ya later Gimmelwald! Perhaps we'll stroll here again some day.



Tomorrow we're off to Lucerne. It's late, I'm going to bed.

Later!