männlichen - kleine scheidegg

Anyone who visits knows to pack their hiking shoes. With Derek's parents, we rode the gondola from Wengen up to Männlichen and made a short climb to a scenic overlook, a warm-up for the afternoon's high alpine traverse.

We ate a warm lunch while dark clouds gathered and parted, and began our panoramic walk in full sunshine from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg.

A break for beer and Glühwein with a backdrop of the impressive Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.

Derek and I were excited to share a place that has become very special to us - the finish line of the Jungfrau Marathon at Kleine Scheidegg. I'm sure his parents feel like they have run it themselves after listening to all our stories and descriptions of the race. We rode all the way back down to Lauterbrunnen on the cogwheel, made dinner at the bungalow, and played cards before bed. Did I mention that Twy and I dominated in both hands of euchre?

désalpe

My in-laws arrived last night, after a trip to Greece, and are visiting us for a long weekend. We didn't give them much rest at our house before leaving in the early morning for the annual désalping at the Foire d'Albeuve. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the cows were decked-out in their flowers and giant bells as they returned to the village after a summer grazing at higher elevations.

We enjoyed their parade through the streets, and crowded into town with bell ringers, alp horns, artisan stalls, flag throwing, and all sorts of treats. 

We left the festival in the afternoon, making a stop to wander in Château-d'Œx, before continuing our winding route toward Lauterbrunnen.

We booked a bungalow for two nights as our base for exploring the mountains, but first, a walk in the valley, dinner, and a great night's sleep at the cozy campsite.