Via Ferrata Murren - that was the topic of the day and the anticipation of months of preparation. But one thing we cannot control is the weather. And weather very much dictates our activities here in the Swiss Alps. The people at the mountain trekking center who rent us the equipment for the via ferrata told us that the weather conditions were just not good enough today to allow the students to traverse the via ferrata. Both Mr. Margene and Mrs. Mynatt relied totally on the mountain center's knowledge of the conditions and recommendations that safety might be compromised today. So with that in mind we chose different activities. I know the students are a little disappointed, and I'm "sure" you parents are totally bummed out to not have your kids hanging from cables over 5000 feet above the valley floor traversing sheer canyon walls of granite (or maybe you're high-fiving about now).
But the students were resilient and we all had a fun day trekking down to little Gimmelwald as the thick fog parted enough for us to catch glimpses of the stunning valley below us and the stunning granite cliffs that stare back at us from just across the valley.
But FIRST - just after breakfast Denise raised the alarm that she heard cowbells in the distance which could only mean one thing...
We had a cow parade of sorts down the little street in front of our chalet and everyone had to run to the window to see. Some even had to get a bit closer to the action. When the cows are moved from the lower winter pastures to the higher alpine summer pastures the path is through the middle of the village. The clanging bells are fun to hear, but they serve a real purpose by allowing the cow herder to locate the cows even in the densest fog and almost vertical terrain. It was a real treat to see them come by the chalet this morning.
After breakfast, after changing some reservations, after buying some train tickets, after shipping two boxes of spikey Roman Gladiator Helmets to Knoxville, and after our students shopped at Edy's knife shop for their multitude of prizes, and after buying a few supplies at the Coop grocery - (whew) it was time to begin our trek down to sleepy little Gimmelwald. This is how the Mynatt's prefer to hike :-)
The wildflowers here are absolutely stunning and amazing. They grow thick with vibrant colors and look almost like they're being cultivated in a garden...but they're just wildflowers.
We make our way through all of this amazing creation, pet a few cats along the way and end up in the sleepy little farming village of Gimmelwald where time has just stood still in so many ways. An Honesty Shop??? Seriously??? Yep :-)
This is one of the places where it's very common to see farmers selling their alp butter and alp cheese. Cows that feed in the high alpine pastures produce a highly sought after "alp milk" which is used to produce the wonderful products like alp cheese. Haley and I walk down the little road to the house where I visited with last year's trip (and the year before and before) and the sign is still displayed on the side of the house advertising alp cheese for sale.
I ring the bell and the lady who answers the door smiles and says gruezi (hello) to me and, to my surprise, says "You were here last year, too". Wow - I'm all astonished that she remembers me. Maybe she recognizes my uncanny handsome good looks (ha) or maybe I'm the only person who rings her doorbell and asks for 40 slices (over 2 pounds) of alp cheese to feed my troops ;-) that's probably more like it. But we smile and share a laugh and grab a photo.
Miss Haley hands out alp cheese slices to everyone for sampling. I think everybody likes it. You know that cheese you see at the Fresh Market or Earth Fare at home...imported from Switzerland at $30 or $40 lb?? That's what we're sampling here. A kilo (2.2 lbs) of alp cheese costs us only 11 Swiss Francs.
On to the gondola we go to zip down the giant granite cliffs to Stechelberg. Mrs. Mynatt buys tickets while the students take a break on the impromptu play ground at the Mountain Hostel.
Then it's down to the valley we go on our gondola that gives us a spectacular view of Stechelberg.
Stechelberg is the home of Trummelbache Falls which is contained totally within the mountain. It's powerful rushing and churning waters are fed by the melting glaciers sitting high on the alps above. It's amazing to see the magnitude of the drilling that this water has done through the granite over thousands of years. Trummelbache Falls is a place where you WILL get wet! you AND your camera. So we decide it's best for our cameras to be put away for the inside portion.
After climbing our way through the labyrinths of tunnels inside the mountain we exit into the sunlight and make our way back down the road to catch the Swiss Post Bus back to Lauterbrunnen and then another gondola and another train back to Murren. I don't think there's a mountain top in Switzerland without at least a train station or a restaurant!
We're back in Murren in time to grab some snacks from the Coop and supplies for dinner tonight. The students are having "breakfast" for dinner tonight. Scrambled eggs, chocolate chip pancakes and crispy bacon are on the menu tonight. After buying 4 dozen eggs, Drew wonders if he can take 2 dozen unused eggs back to the grocery store - Mr. Margene breaks the bad news that eggs probably can't be returned which leads to the discussion of all possible egg dishes for breakfast/lunch/dinner tomorrow :-)
And Drew brought his mother's chocolate cake recipe all the way from home in anticipation of this evening's dinner plans. I think he did a terrific job, don't you?
Another evening is spent in the Sports Center Hot Tub and more evening games in the chalet as Mrs. Mynatt checks on each of them in their rooms and tucks them all in.
Tomorrow's weather forecast is supposed to be better, sunshine, less clouds, maybe no rain?? We're headed to the Jungfraujoch tomorrow. To the "Top of Europe" to the highest train station in all of Europe. If it's clear on top we'll be sledding, skiing, ziplining, snow boarding and all kinds of fun things. It's a long train ride that treks up up up, high above the tree line and into the snow and finally spits us out right onto the Aletsch Glacier.
PS - do you realize we've only got 2 more nights remaining (after tonight) in Europe. I'm sure you're not really missing your kids yet, are you? Trust me, they're having a grand time, but of course they do miss you. We've had a grand time with your students so far and hope that our final days in Switzerland will just be icing on the cake for their grand adventure.
Good Night from Murren :-)
But the students were resilient and we all had a fun day trekking down to little Gimmelwald as the thick fog parted enough for us to catch glimpses of the stunning valley below us and the stunning granite cliffs that stare back at us from just across the valley.
But FIRST - just after breakfast Denise raised the alarm that she heard cowbells in the distance which could only mean one thing...
We had a cow parade of sorts down the little street in front of our chalet and everyone had to run to the window to see. Some even had to get a bit closer to the action. When the cows are moved from the lower winter pastures to the higher alpine summer pastures the path is through the middle of the village. The clanging bells are fun to hear, but they serve a real purpose by allowing the cow herder to locate the cows even in the densest fog and almost vertical terrain. It was a real treat to see them come by the chalet this morning.
After breakfast, after changing some reservations, after buying some train tickets, after shipping two boxes of spikey Roman Gladiator Helmets to Knoxville, and after our students shopped at Edy's knife shop for their multitude of prizes, and after buying a few supplies at the Coop grocery - (whew) it was time to begin our trek down to sleepy little Gimmelwald. This is how the Mynatt's prefer to hike :-)
The wildflowers here are absolutely stunning and amazing. They grow thick with vibrant colors and look almost like they're being cultivated in a garden...but they're just wildflowers.
We make our way through all of this amazing creation, pet a few cats along the way and end up in the sleepy little farming village of Gimmelwald where time has just stood still in so many ways. An Honesty Shop??? Seriously??? Yep :-)
This is one of the places where it's very common to see farmers selling their alp butter and alp cheese. Cows that feed in the high alpine pastures produce a highly sought after "alp milk" which is used to produce the wonderful products like alp cheese. Haley and I walk down the little road to the house where I visited with last year's trip (and the year before and before) and the sign is still displayed on the side of the house advertising alp cheese for sale.
I ring the bell and the lady who answers the door smiles and says gruezi (hello) to me and, to my surprise, says "You were here last year, too". Wow - I'm all astonished that she remembers me. Maybe she recognizes my uncanny handsome good looks (ha) or maybe I'm the only person who rings her doorbell and asks for 40 slices (over 2 pounds) of alp cheese to feed my troops ;-) that's probably more like it. But we smile and share a laugh and grab a photo.
Miss Haley hands out alp cheese slices to everyone for sampling. I think everybody likes it. You know that cheese you see at the Fresh Market or Earth Fare at home...imported from Switzerland at $30 or $40 lb?? That's what we're sampling here. A kilo (2.2 lbs) of alp cheese costs us only 11 Swiss Francs.
On to the gondola we go to zip down the giant granite cliffs to Stechelberg. Mrs. Mynatt buys tickets while the students take a break on the impromptu play ground at the Mountain Hostel.
Then it's down to the valley we go on our gondola that gives us a spectacular view of Stechelberg.
Stechelberg is the home of Trummelbache Falls which is contained totally within the mountain. It's powerful rushing and churning waters are fed by the melting glaciers sitting high on the alps above. It's amazing to see the magnitude of the drilling that this water has done through the granite over thousands of years. Trummelbache Falls is a place where you WILL get wet! you AND your camera. So we decide it's best for our cameras to be put away for the inside portion.
After climbing our way through the labyrinths of tunnels inside the mountain we exit into the sunlight and make our way back down the road to catch the Swiss Post Bus back to Lauterbrunnen and then another gondola and another train back to Murren. I don't think there's a mountain top in Switzerland without at least a train station or a restaurant!
We're back in Murren in time to grab some snacks from the Coop and supplies for dinner tonight. The students are having "breakfast" for dinner tonight. Scrambled eggs, chocolate chip pancakes and crispy bacon are on the menu tonight. After buying 4 dozen eggs, Drew wonders if he can take 2 dozen unused eggs back to the grocery store - Mr. Margene breaks the bad news that eggs probably can't be returned which leads to the discussion of all possible egg dishes for breakfast/lunch/dinner tomorrow :-)
Another evening is spent in the Sports Center Hot Tub and more evening games in the chalet as Mrs. Mynatt checks on each of them in their rooms and tucks them all in.
Tomorrow's weather forecast is supposed to be better, sunshine, less clouds, maybe no rain?? We're headed to the Jungfraujoch tomorrow. To the "Top of Europe" to the highest train station in all of Europe. If it's clear on top we'll be sledding, skiing, ziplining, snow boarding and all kinds of fun things. It's a long train ride that treks up up up, high above the tree line and into the snow and finally spits us out right onto the Aletsch Glacier.
PS - do you realize we've only got 2 more nights remaining (after tonight) in Europe. I'm sure you're not really missing your kids yet, are you? Trust me, they're having a grand time, but of course they do miss you. We've had a grand time with your students so far and hope that our final days in Switzerland will just be icing on the cake for their grand adventure.
Good Night from Murren :-)
As always, awesome update. THANK you for loving our kids!
ReplyDeleteI am so impressed with the blog of this day's adventures! The pics are great, and the dinner (breakfast) makes me hungry! Thank you for the great blogs and pictures. All the teachers and kids are to be commended!!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome trip you guys are experiencing! I have enjoyed reading the daily blogs of your adventures and "watching" you through the wonderful pictures posted. Mrs. Mynatt, Mr. Margene, Mr. Mynatt and Miss Hayley have done an extraordinary job! Continued safe travels.
ReplyDeleteBlessings! Mrs. Filyaw