Many tour members were a little sad to leave Stresa, but those who have been on the tour before (yes, there are several tour members and chaperones who have toured with SOA before) assured us that Grindelwald was one of their favorite stops on the tour, if not the favorite. Sitting here now--with the day I have just experienced--I understand what they mean, and I agree 100%.
Grindelwald is a ski village that sits at the base of several large mountains, notably Schreckhorn (13380 feet), Eiger (13026 ft.) and First (pronounced fee-rst, 7113 ft.). Grindelwald sits in the valley at 3393 feet above sea level. The drive that leads to Grindelwald is beautiful, but to some who are afraid of heights (yours truly), the word terrifying also applies. As you climb the mountains, you reach Grimsell Pass, which is where we stopped for lunch. Snow is all around, and there are a few Alpine lakes by the highway. Here is a view from the parking lot of the roadside restaurant:
After driving another ninety minutes or so, winding along several switchback roads, we reached Grindelwald early yesterday evening. It is a picturesque Alpine ski village, filled with hotels, chalets, ski shops, and cafes. This photo is a view from the balcony of my hotel room, looking back toward the train station:
Today, the most popular attraction among the SOA crowd was to take the cable car up from Grindelwald to the top of the mountain First, about 3000 feet up. I was told that this is the longest cable car trip in the world, and at about 30 minutes from bottom to the top, I tend to agree. The remaining photos are from the trip up the mountain, or the hike from the lift station further up the mountain to an Alpine lake. In order: (1) a paraglider soaring in front of Schreckhorn. There were numerous paragliders all around these mountains; (2) Jacob just outside the lift station after we reached the top; (3) a cliff on the opposite side of the lift station, as you head down the trail toward Bachalpsee, the Alpine lake mentioned earlier. The hike is a good 50 minutes each way from the station, closer to an hour when you factor in stopping for photos or to take a drink; (4) one of the spectacular views along the trail; (5) Are we there yet? which soon turned into... (6) Yesss. This is actually three separate lakes that trickle down into each other. Amazing; (7) there is always some goofball that gets in the way of a perfectly good picture; (8) The Money Shot. Delicate lakeside flowers in the foreground (you can have a word with the Swiss government if you pick these), one of the Alpine lakes behind that, with an open view of Eiger and numerous other mountains in the distance. As I said, spectacular.
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