Gorgeous Switzerland

Well our trip in Switzerland was lovely. It was a hotel based holiday with hard trekking days throughout. Each day you would ascend up through the passes called a col after lunch then down the other side. Some days were up to 21km but luckily no pack weight as a mini bus took your items to the next hotel. The hotels were 1-2 stars and dinners were fine but not brilliant. Out of 13 of us, 9 were vegetarians so they had to work harder than to serve you a cheese omelette. Switzerland is the same that I remember it with beautiful flower boxes in picturesque villages , gorgeous alps covered in snow and lovely people. It is always confusing as in one village they speak Swiss German and then in another they speak French!

We trekked in the Jungfrau and Eiger region for one week, from Gsteig to Lauterbrunnen. We both love the alps and this area is considered some of the finest scenery and best walking country in Europe. The mountain ranges straddle France, Italy, Austria and Switzerland. The European giants are Weisshorn, Matterhoen, Eiger, Jungfrau, Monch and Mt Blanc to name a few. Permanently snow capped they dominate the mountain landscape of glistening glaciers, wild passes through picturesque villages in the lower valleys.

We were lucky with the weather as it did not rain very much throughout the week. However there were lots of clouds that covered the peaks so we rarely got a glimpse of these powerful peaks. Each day we had a long ascent or two till after lunch then a descent for the afternoon . It was long hard walking some days covering ove 21km and the hardest day up 1500m and down 1400m.

This shot above is of the Ammertenspitz pass, the highest point being 2,613m.

Changeable weather with clouds moving throughout the peaks.

A typical descent on the rough terrain.

A welcome rest stop for our group near a private mountain hut.