Guess I haven't been here for awhile. I've been outside, hiking, and busy. Anyway, let's catch up... The last week of August, first week of Sept, I spent in Switzerland. It was a tour I joined:
http://www.swisshiking.com/ and they do a fantastic job! The first week was spent in Zermatt at the base of the Matterhorn. We hike each day, then come back to the same hotel which provides us daily breakfast and dinner. Our final day we climbed the Matterhorn - or as far as one can go without technical climbing equipment. Truly a highlight in my life! But I must say, each hike in Switzerland is glorious. Wow, is that country steep! The mountains aren't exceptionally tall - maybe 10-12,000 ft, but the towns in the valleys are about 2,000 ft, making each hike very healthy indeed!
The second week was spent in Grindelwald near The Eiger. One day's hike took us along its base. To begin many hikes, we go up the cable cars. These rides go for a long way up the sides of these mountains. One ride was about 30 minutes. It's fun because they "turn corners" by going through these little stations. If one were skiing, they could get out there, but if not, you just ride the car in and then it slowly turns to a different direction, and then you're out and going up again.
Switzerland is known, of course, for cheese and its cows. But this trip I found I fell in love with their sheep, too. They're adorable creatures with twisted horns and black faces, and the woolliest wool I've ever seen.
Check out my pictures. Here's the link:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcOWzNk2ZtmFu
