And lastly...

We woke up to pouring rain for our final full day in Europe. After a big breakfast with all the kids in the hostel  ( yes, we were the oldest by decades) we decided to go to Zofingen one more time to get postcards for the Bungeroths. We were going to go to Grindelwald today but the weather was way too miserable. 
We took lots of photos of Charlotte's hometown but no postcards. Monday during siesta time was not a brilliant time to try..
Once in Zurich we walked everywhere despite the rain. Ate at a New Zealand cafe and hostel and now Don is dead asleep. (Not yet 7 pm) We did do about 10 miles today and his knee finally had enough.
Ready to be home very late tomorrow night.
It has been fun writing the blog mainly to keep our great memories strong.
So grateful to have had this opportunity to  travel while we are still healthy.
Who knows what is now next . .
Always an adventure!

Spontaneity

After exploring Interlaken last night and enjoying a great pub called The Barrel, we decided to just go east on the train and see where it took us. We should have just stopped in Brienz, a charming get lake town near by but we kept going to Rapperswil, at the bottom of the Zurich zee. Cute town with lots of walkers on an old, very long, wooden bridge and many family picnicers on this Sunday.
It took longer than we thought to get home thru central Switzerland but we did enjoy a quick stop in Luzern and the views of the farming communities. We went to the same spot for dinner so Don could have his final taste of curry wurst!
Tomorrow we head to Zurich and we both actually feel ready to head home.

On to the final phase of our vacation

After saying goodbye to Denise and Murren, we walked down to Grutschalp and took the cable car to Lauterbrunnen and then the train to Interlaken.  Since we got there too early we took the train to Thun,  a lake community near by. We saw the paddle wheel ferries and remembered that they were free using the Eurorail pass, so we hopped on! We relaxed on the 2 1/2 hours ride back to Interlaken and then walked to our funky hostel about 15 minute away from the station.  The Balmers Hostel is next to an Irish pub so we started our evening there. We ended with more beer and brats in town and are now fully satisfied!

The most beautiful place ever

We had a perfect day hiking the panoramic high trail today in Murren.  The weather was grand and went from spring conditions to winter as we hiked through snow, flowered meadows and mud. We saw an avalanche,  a herd of ibex, some chamois (I never knew they were real animals) many goats and cows, and after our hike we spent an hour watching the para gliders. The mountains were crystal clear on the Blumenthal Panoramic trail that led to the Shilthorn. We were tempted to get to the top of the mountain where the James Bond movie was filmed but the trail was too dangerous and the cable car way to expensive. All and all a perfect day

Snow

So we woke up to see it snowing ...quite a difference from yesterday when we got sunburns.
We had an awesome breakfast with Denise and the other guests..quite the conversation about politics..then we headed off in the snow on the North Face and Via Alpina trails to the Sprutz waterfall. Went thru 4-5 inches of snow in some parts and down a steep trail to get to the bottom of it.
Settling in now with a cup of tea waiting for laundry to dry after the 7 mile hike.

In love with this area

After waiting for the coffee shop to open. We had our breakfast in the room and walked the steep path down to Lauterbrunnen.  Lots of cows with their bells along the way.
In Lauterbrunnen we took the cable car up to Murren, a most special place.  we are staying at a perfect place: the Chalet Fontana run by a charming British woman. 
We walked down to Gimmelwald,  a tiny country town and have now returned enjoying our beers at the outdoor cafe across from our home. Mountains again are spectacular and everyone here is so warm and friendly. 
We ate out at a little cafe and had our rosti and raclette.  The whole back part of the restaurant was full of Americans and we all had great times exchanging notes.

Love this area of Switzerland

We woke up to total fog with misty rain and snow but got on the train and the sky started to clear up for some great views of Oberalp Pass . We were wearing down jackets but as went down to the Italian section in Biasca it got warm and sunny. Walked along a path from a cathedral built in 1600 to what seemed like stations of the cross. Picniced overlooking the town. We returned to snow! Gotta love it!
Headed tomorrow to the interlaken area where we will stay until we come home. Praying for good weather for hiking.

Wengen: a magical place!

Last night we settled into our Wengen home for 2 nights: Hotel Bernerhof .  We are on the third floor  ( walk up) in this simple old hotel, but the view of the mountains is unbelievable.  No frills, no Internet but a short walk to a bakery and bar with free Internet and decent "snack" food. We can't afford real dinners here as they average about $60-80 for one regular meal.
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Today our day was perfect! Sun came out and we took the train to the top of Kleine Scheidegg and hiked back down. We walked in some snow, walked by fields with some wildflowers just starting to bloom and all along we could see the Eiger,  Monch, the Jungfrau and more. Hard to describe the beauty. You can't get better than this!

Snow

Woke up to snow and the cukoos singing this morning! After lots of picture taking we got on the train to Wengen thru the Gothard Pass and Luzern. Ended up riding a tiny train to the high mountains.  At a bar with free WiFi and about to crash.
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From Oetztal to Switzerland

We just loved our time in Oetztal.  The apartment was perfect and at 8am sharp our hostess brought in a tray of soft boiled eggs, rolls,jam, cheese, ham, yoghurt and coffee and we could look out our deck into the foggy mountains. 
We decided to use up our last Euros in the grocery store before leaving and ended up meeting up with 1/2 the village gearing up for the annual celebration of the young people who were confirmed this year, complete with 2 priests in gala robes and an umpapa band to lead the parade to the church.
We then spent most of the day on the train and despite the rain ( unfortunately we may have this rain for the week ) we got some super views of the countryside.
Confusion about pricing has led to an expensive hotel for us but we have a balcony with great views.
Had fondue and beer for dinner and all is good.

Oh dear, more cold and rain

We left our Snowbunnys Backpacker Hostel this am after eating with Dave, the crazy NewZealander.
We again picked a random small town to stay in. The tourist office at Oetztal set us up in a pension a brief walk from the station. We ate lunch at a place that had the feel of the Eaton Village Store. Don had a snitzel burger and I had a camembert cheese,pork burger on huge buns.
We wandered the town in the rain for 2 hours and then settled in.  Our hostess does not speak English and it was a hoot trying to explain the password for the Internet didn't work. ...a young guy ended up helping us.
Great place though..small separate apartment with everything we could need.

The mountains are amazing just wish we could see more. 

First rainy day

So it was our first rainy day, ok though, as our bodies needed a rest. I really don't think we could have pulled off a long hike anyway.  Slowly we got ourselves in gear and took a train ride to Zell Am See. We had heard it was a very scenic but exclusive area and they were right on both counts. It was interesting to see that almost half of the people there were middle eastern..Most looked like very wealthy Arabs..many coming out of the most expensive stores and hotels..a few women with  burkas too.
We had a mid day dinner and we spent the rest of the afternoon planning the rest of the trip.
Gearing up for Southern Switzerland next.

Kitzbuhel

We ended up in this funky hostel run by a couple of New Zealanders in a very exclusive resort town.  Spent the first part of the day listening to the owner tell us all about his rabbits,  ducks, chickens and more which roam the little yard. He is colorful to say the least.
Then we did the most amazing hike up a mountain thru neighborhoods and forests.  The views of the high mountains and town couldn't have been more perfect. Stopped at a little cafe and had cokes ( around $4!) And then went to nearly the top of a big mountain:
Hahnenkamm at about 4400 ft but it felt higher..almost 12 miles hike!
Couldn't have been a better day!

Moving on to Austria.

Another perfect breakfast in Garmisch Partenkirchen. Hard to leave here. We took the train to an adorable little town near the border of Austria: Mittenwald.  We spent the morning there gawking at stores and scenery. My favorite shop by far was a little kinder toy shop. I just had to get something for our future Mcclune boy even though my backpack is now heavier than ever.
We just missed the train to Kitzbuhel due a delay so we are hanging in the Innsbruck bahnhof for a while. We thought Innsbruck would be a small ski resort,  but it looks like an unappealing city. Glad we are moving on to the country.
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Settling in to our new hostel home for 3 nights. First hostel experience in Europe but the price is right and folks are friendly. We didn't realize what a ritzy town this was,but the scenery is beautiful and we are looking forward to some great walks.

Wank Mountain

Wank Mountain

We had a huge breakfast at our hotel which included galla cheese, Marc. We took the free town bus to Wank Mountain and then took the cable car up. Views of the Zug Spitz were stupendous.  We watched many para gliders go off the mountain like birds. One strapped in his 2 year old in to my horror but he and dad seemed to love it.
We walked down the steep trail as the others were closed. Sore knees but feeling great. Tonight we had a local, inexpensive meal...Don ordered meat loaf but it looked like fried spam and I had spaetzel with oh so rich cheese sauce.fading now after a shared dish of apple strudel with warm vanilla cream..
Off to Austria tomorrow and would you believe we decided to stay at the Snow Bunny's Backpacker Hostel? Let's see how this goes: Kitzbuhel here we come!

Garmisch partenkirchen

We had the most perfect breakfast of coffee and a pastry right outside a little bakery in Rothenberg. Then we caught the train to Garmisch Partenkirchen.  There were 4 train changes, each entertaining.  One was full of drunk soccer fans, one with some Australians who were so much fun to talk with, one crazy leg into Munich...lots of apparent immigrants and then the gorgeous ride to Garmisch. 
Don is now passed out at 7:30 after much dark beer, a rosti plate and a huge dish of sourbraten.
Views of the Zugspitz are stupendous.  Maybe we won't leave...
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From Freiburg to Rothenberg Au Tauber

After a great breakfast at the Hotel Shemmer, we walked to the train station amid millions of bicycles...this town is like Boulder,CO. It was a longer train day than we expected and one of our trains didn't show, but once we got to Rothenberg it seemed totally worth it.  This is a walled medieval town basically the same as it was before the 1600s. We took tons of pictures and enjoyed home brewed beer, goulash,spaetzel, potato pancakes and of course apple strudel!
Tomorrow we are off to Garmisch Partenkirchen for a couple of days of relaxing and perhaps a little hiking. 

Zofingen, Freiburg, Germany

We are having a wonderful time on  this sunny very warm day.  We first explored Zofingen,  Marc's mother's birth home. We think we found the house but the number was wrong. Neighbors told us it was divided into 3 apartments many years ago and there is no #1 as we were told.We had snitzel in the old square and then took the train to Freiburg,  Germany.  Apparently there is a special Ascension holiday today and there are billions of people here from all the neighboring countries. So wish I could send pictures..still trying to figure out the problem.  Now none go thru due to technical issues...

We made it to Zurich

We made it to  our Zurich hotel this afternoon in one piece. It took a bit of time to figure out the right train and the direction but it is about a mile from the main city train station. After settling in we walked all over the city..particularly loved the old town by the river. Had bratwurst and bread of course for dinner. Clocked in over 6 miles and now are crashing.

Leaving Iceland, a beautiful country

We couldn't sleep much due to worrying about waking up and due to howling winds and rain, but we made it to the airport perfectly. 
So I learned something about shared bathrooms: don't presume when the door is open that there is no one inside! ...It was the most embarrassing moment to be going to the bathroom and look over and see a little child's feet in the shower!

Reflecting on our Iceland experience, it really couldn't be better. Next time we want to come for a week as there is so, so much to explore.

Blue lagoon

PS I had think of relaxing at the Blue Lagoon but at over  $100 for the 2 of us we decided to take a picture and imagine...

The best day

We truly love Iceland and the people.  We are now at our perfect bed and breakfast and are gearing up for a 3:30am wake up time to head for Zurich.

Hekla Volcano

Erupts every 15 years

Hellas Falls

View at park

Pingvelir National Park

Gorge in the park

View from Cafe Anna

Horse near our cafe

Photos from this am

Photos can only be posted
Separately for some reason. Having a blast

Little town

The mountains

Photo problems

I can't seem to download photos here. Will try again at another site

The bakery

We made it to Iceland photos in future

The winds blasted us as we got out of the plane and we quickly realized what a windy country it is. Our down and windbreakers were quickly put on. Then after finding our backpacks, figuring out how to get kroner and finding our rental car service, Don drove our cute Mazda to the first bakery: coffee and pastry :so good after little sleep.
We drove a ways up the ring road to see lava fields and rugged snow capped mountains. Took a brief hike to volcanic craters, then headed north to see miles of snow fields. Icelandic horses everywhere.
We returned to Reykjavik and strolled the streets until check in time at our little B and B.  After a nap we grocery shopped and got royally lost! Ate at a great recommended restaurant,  but that was it for eating out here..very expensive. Still dealing with the phone, poor wifi and Verizon restrictions but hopefully my first blog will work. This is quite the adventure!

Iceland here we come

Our plane leaves from Logan tonight to Reykjavik,  Iceland! We get there at 6:30am after a 5 hour flight. Sleepy as we may be, we are renting a car for 2 days to explore the country. Can't wait!

Europe Bound in 7 weeks

Don and I are starting to train for our upcoming trip to Europe on May 2. We will be spending 2 days in Iceland and then will head for Zurich May 5. The plan is to just take 1 backpack each and keep it around 20 pounds.
We will be travelling through Germany, Austria and Switzerland until May 24 and have our Europass ready to go.
Today I walked 4 miles with a 10 pound backpack...Getting ready!