Glacier City

June 30 Grindelwald/Kleine Scheidegg

All I knew about Interlaken was that many people had told me to go to Grindelwald. This is what we decided on for the second day of adventures in Interlaken. When we got there we walked their small main street and then looked for things to do. From Grindelwald (the glacier town) we could see three peaks famous to Interlaken-Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. There are many hiking trails in this area, but most of them would take at least 4 hours one way to get to a good panoramic point. Plus, Nate only has chacos on this trip (which are very useful in all situations but not the best hiking shoes). We went to check out the alpine slide that we had gotten a tip about, but decided that instead we would take the train to Kleine Scheidegg at the base of the Eiger and a great view of the other two mountains as well. When we arrived at our destination, the view was breathtaking. They call Jungfraujoch the top of Europe because it is the highest place that people can go without climbing gear. The train to the top is ridiculously expensive so we decided to admire from afar. (Though on Independence day they are offering American citizens a special deal to go to the top if you happen to be in the area). We set off on a path that went across a portion called the Eiger gletzcher. We saw some waterfalls, beautiful views, and other tourists. We saw several markers for the Jungfrau marathon which we decided would be a very brutal trudge. We also saw a sign about the glacier. It turns out that where the sign was, people used to actually step onto the glacier, but now that is not even imaginable. They also had flags marking where the glacier used to be in past years and it seems to be speeding up. Nonetheless, the glacier is still captivating, but it would be cool if it was still as big as it used to be. Toward the end of our trip, the clouds started building and rain began to fall. It was the perfect time to head home. On the train home we met several people including two self-proclaimed one-time hippies who were happy to have visited Trinidad, Colorado the transgender capital of the world (we were talking about CO and that was the one place they remember), two Australian grandparents who are hiking Switzerland and who could definitely kick my butt in a death match, and a Swiss woman who gave some great insight to the surrounding area. The day ended nicely. We were able to buy stir fry stuff, catch the right train home, and cook our dinner before heading to bed without any World Cup games. (It was almost like withdrawal from soccer.) We still haven’t decided yet whether we will stay in Interlaken or head to Lake Geneva.
Mo