Thinking of Summer

Please accept my apologies for the lack of posts. Things have been rather hectic here what with work and popping home to UK visiting my mum in intensive care. Not to mention there is still a problem signing in to this blog. Oh well, it'll all be the same in a hundred years! This is a test phase, it'll get sorted.

Thinking of summer on this very wet and windy day. I experienced two "firsts" in 22yrs today.... travelling up from Grund in the Maennlichen Gondola, we had to get out at Holenstein! So back down we went and enjoyed lunch at the Jagerstuebli. Only to find that the way home to Wengen was around the valley via Zweilutschinnen and not over Kleine Scheidegg.

A Quick Trip Maennlichen to Scheidegg

Maennlichen Gondola and Grindelwald

On the Lager Chairlift

Heading off piste at Tschuggen

Mountain Hut Refreshments Arven

Kleine Scheidegg and Eiger

Happy New Year

Happy New Year. It was a wonderful start to 2009 here. There had been another Foehn storm on Boxing Day. On the mountain it looked very sad, brown and wind blown with white stripes denoting the pistes. And those were rather hard packed to say the least. Down in the village the snow still lay on the ground but it was quite dirty looking, littered with cones, branches and leaves.

A little flurry of snow was forecast, but the locals weren't expecting much to write home about. At about 23.30 I caught site of snow on my balcony, was that left from before? No, its snowing! So out, up to town we went. Tramping through freshly falling snow nearly up to my knees. Fantastic. Fireworks were bursting all around, the colours reflected perfectly by the white background. Pink, green, red and gold.

The Cow Bell Ringers began at 23.55 through the main street ringing in the new year, warding off any bad spirits. They usually carry on well into the early hours ringing their way through all the hotels and bars. Its quite an impressive sound and rather deafening.

A perfect start to the new year.