The sun came out! Some of the clouds were still lingering but the sun was out! The view from out window was absolutely spectacular but we were ready to explore the area.
We started with the short train trip to Grütschalp. The train goes along the edge of the cliff and the views are breathtaking.
The Grütschalp is the tiny station. We could only see one building and cows grazing on very steep hill. Richard chuckled that if that hill was even slightly steeper the cows would have to be crossbred with the mountain goats.
It was a gorgeous day and hiking in the Alps was very high on our list so we decided to walk back to Mürren instead of taking the train. The brochure highly recommended the trail. It also said that anyone keen on staying fit can walk it in a little over an hour. The distances in Switzerland are often given in hours and minutes instead of miles or kilometers and as we learned later they are timed by senior citizens. We are glad we didn't know this little fact at that time.
The trail crosses forests and grasslands and offers great views of the Lauterbrunnen valley and the mountains.
We weren't expecting to see many wildflowers in September but were pleasantly surprised.
We also came across some interesting mushrooms.
We passed by the alpine chalet decorated by the gigantic cow bells.
Richard made a friend along the way. It followed us for a little while.
We stopped for lunch at Winteregg. The food was great and the view from the patio was just breathtaking.
As we approached Mürren, the view seemed to only get better.
Back in Mürren we bypassed the hotel and took the gondola down to the valley. The village was noticeably more crowded and the gondola even more so. We spent some time enjoying the views of waterfalls from the valley floor.
We then returned to Mürren just in time to see spectacular sunset.
By the nightfall the clouds were gone and the sky was filled with stars. We stargazed on the terrace until sore necks and the cold forced us to leave. Tomorrow will be a great day!
