luxembourg and switzerland

the matterhorn

10 july
We traveled by car and train to Zermatt today, about 2.5 hours from our campsite. This is a carless village near the Matterhorn. Half way through the journey we drove onto a train, which took us through a mountain. It's not as swish as the eurotunnel, but it works. We parked the car in a valley and rode a train up to Zermatt. We walked through the village and briefly along a path before stopping for lunch above a glacier fed roaring river.


the car train


the village of zermatt


edelweiss

9 july
Paul did a six hour hike high above our campsite today, and Timothy and I stayed at home and spent most of our time playing on the blanket. We said good-bye to our neighbors next to us from The Netherlands with their three children and hello to our new neighbors in front of us from The Netherlands with their son. Based on the number of Dutch cars pulling campers, I think Americans must have got their love of caravanning from these ancestors. At 15:00, we drove to Grindelwald to meet Paul and had lunch under the shadow of the Eiger.


views from paul's walk


part of the trail


grindelwald below the eiger

8 july
We took a Rick Steve’s walk up a valley with stunning views to a cable car that took us to Gimmelwald. Someone once wrote that ‘if heaven is full, send me to Gimmelwald.’ We think we’d rather just skip heaven all together and go straight to Gimmelwald. There are 150 year round residents here and probably that many cows and goats.


part of the walk


a beer with a view in gimmelwald


this hut is on stilts to keep the mice out of the hay stored for the winter



alpkase, stored in this hut, is the cheese that is made and kept at these altitudes, too high to transport


in the summer the cows are taken to higher pastures and have to wear these expensive bells, which are hung from the summer huts once they arrive. Reportedly, they don't like the bells.



7 july
We arrived in Interlaken, set up camp and got to know the area today. It took us a while to get settled because all the camp site reception offices were closed for the afternoon break when families get together for a long lunch. Our camp site is basic, with super clean bathroom/showers and sinks for cleaning dishes complete with dishcloths for drying.


our first campsite


this place is adventure sport heaven. there seem to be as many people in the sky as on the ground.

6 july
Colleagues of mine from Egham, Mark and Gabe, took jobs in Basel, and we spent one night with them. They had only arrived that day but did a great job of showing us the city. It’s on the Rhine and has a great old center.


fountain art


the flag


typical square

5 july
Our first day and night in a place neither of us has been: Luxembourg. The city is small but graced with impressive fortifications. It was once called the Gibralter of the north.


luxembourg city from 'the most beautiful balcony in europe'