Michael suggested we go to Grindelwald's Eiger Restaurant for cheese fondue. He likes this restaurant as they serve both bread and potatoes with the fondue.
Grindelwald, population 3,800, is located at 1,034 m (3,392 ft) above sea level. Mentioned for the first time in 1146, it has become a major tourist destination of both Switzerland and the Alps. Many years ago, Grindelwald was my favorite village to visit. Over time, I have seen the village lose its appeal. There are too many tourists passing through to get to the Jungfraujoch. The village still has my favorite cemetery, though.
Wetterhorn - Lower Grindelwald Glacier -
I sit on a bench under this tree every year and take a picture. The tree has grown and the glacier has shrunk but it is still a beautiful picture.
Grindelwald is a popular gateway for the Jungfrau Region, with skiing in winter and hiking in summer. It's also a base for mountain-climbing ascents up the iconic north face of Eiger Mountain.
Long famed as a winter tourist destination with slopes for beginners, intermediates and the challenges of the Eiger glacier for the experienced. The first person to ski there was Englishman, Gerald Fox(who lived at Tone Dale House) who put his skis on in his hotel bedroom in 1881 and walked out through the hotel bar to the slopes wearing them. There are activities for the non-skiers, from tobogganing to groomed winter hiking tracks. It is the usual starting point for ascents of the Eiger and the Wetterhorn.
Grindelwald is also a popular summer activity resort with many miles of hiking trails across the Alps.
The 1969 James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service includes a chase through a skating rink and Christmas festival in Grindelwald.
The 1975 movie The Eiger Sanction starring Clint Eastwood featured the Hotel Bellevue des Alpes at Kleine Scheidegg as the film location where the group of climbers stayed during their attempt on the summit of the Eiger. In the summer of 1974, Clint Eastwood and his cast and crew stayed at the Hotel Bellevue des Alpes during filming.
Grindelwald's mountains were used as the basis for the view of Alderaan in Star Wars:Episode III- Revenge of the Sith.
North Face (2008, international) was another movie retracing the 1936 disaster. It was partially filmed on location.
We took the BOB, the blue with yellow train, from Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald. The train to your left will go up to the Jungfraujoch, the Top of Europe.
The North Face of the Eiger
This area is wonderful for hiking. You have the direction to follow and the time it will take to your destination. I laugh it is Swiss time. I could never walk in the allotted time. Also, you need to be mindful of the symbols.
"Switzerland is a hiker's paradise with the best marked trails in the world. With 60,000 km of hiking trails (compared to 71,400 km of roads, and 5,100 km of railways), not only is there an abundance of choices for hiking and walking trails, but the trails themselves are surprisingly easy to navigate due to the uniform system used by the Swiss to mark and differentiate trails."
"About 50,000 signs and trail markers inform hikers of the difficulty of the trail, its final destination, and the time estimated to arrive there. Yellow signs, often in the shape of a diamond, indicate a pedestrian or walking trail, red and white signs or paint marks on trees and rocks tell you that you are on a hiking or mountain trail with more significant elevation gains and losses than a pedestrian trail, and blue signs indicate technical alpine routes and require additional safety equipment. Remember that yellow means an average walking path and red/white means a more difficult mountain trail."
"The signs are the work of the Swiss Hiking Association (Schweizer Wanderwege/Suiss Rando) which in 1934 designed and installed the first signs at junctions along popular Swiss trails. All trail signs and markers are installed and maintained by volunteer employees of the cantonal associations hiking or municipal employees, through a public-private partnership. Each sign and hiking trail is inspected in detail each year."
Wood carvings probably were done in Brienz.
In the Alps, marmots live in the alpine meadows and subalpine grassland. In this rather open terrain they are naturally dependent on their burrows to protect them from foes. The moment they sense danger they disappear like lightning into their burrows or into one of their 1 to 2m long flight tunnels. Often, different burrows are used for summer and winter.
Marmots - Marmots are the second-largest rodents in Switzerland after beavers. They live in family groups. After two years, the young move away to form colonies of their own. Marmots spend about 90 per cent of their lives underground and their burrows can extend to a depth of two meters.
Social contact plays a central role in the life of a marmot.
Scent glands in their cheeks permit marmots to recognize one another. Using his scent glands, a male marmot marks the boundaries of his territory.
Marmots live in families. Individuals that do not belong to the family are chased away.
Families are generally made up of one adult male and one female and several young. Females do not carry young every year, so there is not a new generation in a family every year.
Young marmots have to learn how to watch out for their foes. By the age of 3, the young marmots must leave the burrow.
Studies carried out in Avers (Graubünden) have shown that marmots don’t just eat grass, but concentrate on certain plants, in particular Alpine clover. Food content - above all the amount of unsaturated fats - is essential to the building up of fat reserves for the winter.
At the end of September, the marmot retires to a well-lined winter burrow, where it goes into hibernation. During this time all bodily functions slow down considerably. About every 2 weeks its body temperature rises from 3 to 6 degrees to 38 degrees, remaining at this temperature for about 2 days. An explanation for this rise in temperature is the subject of research. It is thought that this process prevents the nerve cells dying through inactivity.
During hibernation marmots neither eat nor drink.
Nice playground
We have been coming here at the Eiger for fondue for many years.
Correct amount of garlic and herbs in the fondue. Potatoes and bread are what Michael likes to dip into the cheese.
You need a nice white wine, vully or fendant to compliment the fondue.
You can never tell what you may see.
Sometimes you need "Daddy Power" to get up the hill.
Hope he is watching his back
Cat stalking a bird
?????? How cold could it be?
He has great balance.
The fushias are not as healthy or full as in years' past.
Dining with a view
Magnificent scenery
My favorite cemetery!! Serene, peaceful, calming, magical setting. Graves are adorned with flowers.
Certain times of the year they sell flowers for the graves. There are benches through the cemetery where people stop and pray. It is also a place where people meet, sit, and talk for a few minutes.
Amazing view!
First time I have seen a miniature tree in a flower arrangement basket.
So unique
As Michael and I were about to leave I could hear singing.
Upon entering the church, we saw a young lady and young man practicing with the organist.
I wanted to light a votive but I didn't want to disturb the rehearsal. You place your votive in the sand which is around the large candle.
I was able to write prayer requests in the book.