To the top of Europe

This day began in an easy way and ended being a bit stressful trying to make the multiple changes. You must reserve handicapped help 24 hours in advance, and of course when you change borders -- the reservation goes away. BUT you no longer know how to contact that handicapped access people. Therefore when we arrived at Brig we lost all the wonderful help. The good news is that in Switzerland there are long ramps to go down in addition to the stairs which have been horrible for Kathy.

We walked to the hotel -- which was a fair distance, but the temperature was much cooler making the walking more pleasant. The Hotel Kreuz is an old Swiss hotel---the floors creak and the doors have to be locked from the inside leaving the key in the lock. When you leave in the morning --- you trade your key for a small one -- which admits you if you return after they have closed at night. The room is comfortable with feather beds and down pillows. The bathroom is crisp blue and white tile and the bidets which were everywhere in southern Europe are no where to be seen again in the North.

Matt went down and got us pizza (which is nothing like the pizza in Italy) and salad which was wonderful --probably because they make everything from local ingredients -- the lettuce was fresh and delightful and I have consistently made my own dressing from the olive oil and balsamic vinegar which is everywhere. I organized my photos into folders (542 of them) switched batteries in my camera and recharged my laptop. These simple tasks are somewhat problematic because the current in Europe is different from that in the states. There are a variety of different looking switch plates - some with three round prongs, some with three large flat prongs, many with just two round prongs. I am glad I bought the expensive converter from the young Egyptian at Best Buy -- his recommendation has worked everywhere even Egypt! Apparently one of the converters that Kathy's sister had burned up a couple of appliances -- a fate I would certainly not want for my new little laptop! The windows of our room open and have no screens so Kathy wants them closed just in case someone should decide to join us for the night. Since it is cooler this won't be unbearable -- but we got a fan from the main desk and set it up. This was probably a good idea since the noise of the fan helped block out the sounds from the revelers on the street below. When I finally turned in at about 12:15 I closed the windows and fell asleep upon the moment.

We were up at 6:30 and headed down for breakfast. This hotel apparently has lots of Japanese visitors since there were breakfasts set out for English, Japanese, and Swiss. I like Sushi --- but the idea of eating raw fish for breakfast -- almost made me want to skip breakfast. The British eat wieners and beans for breakfast and bacon, but the bacon they choose is never crisp -- always greasy--I guess they like it that way. The Swiss like Muesli and granola. The coffee is really good -- I am not sure how they make it --- but they also always heat the milk so that when you put it in your coffee it doesn't cool off! (Smart people these Europeans).

The journey up to the Jungfreau included squealing children who got off at Lauterbrunnen for a walkabout in Muren. I chatted with their teacher who spoke English. School is on holiday but the children have this special field trip each summer when they hike about the mountains for several hours learning some history and nature. Each village sets its own calendar for school but students must attend 39 weeks per year. The children in this part of Switzerland speak a dialect of German so in kindergarten they begin to learn standard German. Then in 3rd grade they begin instruction in French since that is another language spoken in a major part of their country, and in 5th year they may choose between Italian and English instruction So Swiss children are at least tri-lingual and the teacher indicated that many of the children are immigrants so they even speak another language at home. 95% of Swiss children attend public school. I asked about citizenship and she said that you must wait 10 years before you can gain citizenship. BUT if you marry someone you only have to wait five years. The children are so excited . The teacher tells them about our little school mascot dragon and they have a picture with him. They asked about school in America and I shared a bit about how it is very similar but also very different.

Matt and I changed trains several times to reach the Jungfrau. It is the tallest point in Europe and the weather is perfect for seeing great distances. It was not as cold as I expected it to be, but the sun shone brightly and the wind was not strong or constant. The summit is a little over 13,000 feet. Not particularly high by American standards, but in this northern lattitude it was always enough to keep the glacier. It is clear with Global warming that this is not going to be the case. I wonder what will happen to all these wonderful little Swiss town when the streams dry up. There are running water spigots for people to fill water bottles from the water from these streams--- wash up-- or cool off. They run all the time. Even the water in our hotel is very cold (as though it had ice in it). All water here comes from the glacier and snow pack. There are magnificent waterfalls everywhere and the streams rush down the mountain creating deafening sounds as the water crashes over the rocks. It is filled with mineral content and is milky white as it passes beneath the train. There are many plants on the meadows that I recognize. Azaleas grow wild here, but they are smaller than at home.There were bees and butterflies all over the Alpine meadows. I wonder what the local honey tastes like. There are patches of the glacier left disconnected from the rest which are covered with brown dirt and soot.

There were ferns in sections where it was shady, but everywhere were plants covering the exposed earth. I did not see any bare spots at all.
We stopped to let another train go past and I heard that wonderful sound of cowbells. It was so musical, just like I remember it from Garmisch. Other than the sound of the train it is quiet and entirely peaceful -- just the sound of the breeze in the leaves, no buses, cars, no rush.

When we reached the top I noticed that it was difficult to get your breath if you moved very quickly at all. I wonder if that is because I have been living at sea level for nearly a decade now. When I lived in New Mexico (4500 feet elevation) I did not remember this problem when we traveled in Colorado---of course I was much younger then as well. Matt and I put on our warm clothes and climbed outside to the top of the plateau observation spot. It was very slippery and snowy, but the sun was brilliant and made it seem (even though I was wearing sunglasses as though I had forgotten to put them on.) It is easier to use the viewfinder in the camera in this intense light, and I am not sure how the pictures taken with Kathy's HD camera will turn out since you could not see in the viewer what you were taking -- the sunlight was just too intense.
We took photos and turned around and headed back down the mountain. The trip takes over an hour, and we found Kathy waiting patiently for us by the cable car to Murren in Lauterbrunnen. The trip up the side of the mountain took about five minutes and then we were back in Murren. This was one of my favorite spots six years ago, and it was sad to see that it is growing in popularity among tourists. Before we had to take a cogwheel railway and there were NO vehicles in Murren itself. Now there were many and it was not the quiet spot I remembered. We had lunch at about 2:00. A lovely tomato soup and we split a ham sandwich. Sandwiches here are beautiful with lettuce, cucumber, tomato and local cheese all on a local bread ---Matt had what he always has Spaghetti! After a walk around Murren we went down the mountain and back to Interlaken for the night. We had Fondue in a local restaurant and split a salad and a fruit salad. We were quite stuffed by the time we finished. We sat outside and watched the world go by. It began to rain a little and the restaurant rolled out a canaopy so we did not have to go inside. There were horse drawn cart going by and it was interesting to see how they accommodated the horses by having pooper scoopers attached or easily at hand where the driver could catch the falling debris--keeping the streeet clean. In fact the streets here are pristine. Shopkeepers pick up everything --- even the cigarette butts left behind by rude tourists.

Almost from the moment you cross from Italy into Switzerland there is a marked difference in how tings look. Train tracks no longer have weeds knee high. The workers who pick up the trash are diligent while in Italy -- they pick up some but leave other stuff behind. The Swiss pick it all up --- diligently. I wonder if it is because the Swiss are paid a living wage while the Italians are probably paid minimum wage and do not even earn enough to live on.....of course it is also possible that these things are just cultural differences as well. The Swiss and Germans both are precise. It is a bit easier to figure out if you are on the right train. Many places the destination is displayed prominently --- while in Italy you are always guessing....and trains even change tracks. They do not leave on time-- but in the north --- they leave precisely on time! Some one comes and check your tickets -- in Italy sometimes they check, sometimes they do not.

We walked to our hotel in the humidity between rain showers--repacked our things and prepared for the trip to Frankfurt. I am sending my big bag home with Matt --- it is already damaged and difficult to manage and I bought a smaller one in Florence at the train station which I can hang from the back of Kathy's wheelchair. Tomorrow we will travel to Frankfurt in the morning and perhaps Matt and Kathy will take a little Rhine tour to see the castles.