Day 31 - Engelberg to Zurich

The weather forecast for today was for rain. Because the Swiss have had so little of it lately, most of the locals felt sure the weather was turning for the worse. This is why we chose to travel to Engelberg. We found a good inside activity to experience. The Schaukäserei Kloster Cheese factory produces it's cheese within a monastery and they have a place to see how their cheese is made. So after breakfast and a stroll around town, we went to the monastery and saw cheese being made. The process is actually in a small controlled environment that one can watch each step take place. There was also a small cafe shop and we purchased a small sample platter of cheeses made at the monastery. Afterward, we caught a train as we were headed for Zurich. Upon arrival we found the tourist info at the train station, procurred a city map and we were off for a quick tour of the old city. We saw the largest tower clock face in Europe, several churches (one with a preserved foundation dating back to the 12th century), the Lake Zurich waterfront, and several other buildings with some very interesting and detailed architecture. When we finished the walk, as we were about to cross a bridge, we came upon a post with shells upon it. The shell is the symbol used representing the Camino. We then did a little shopping and were off to find our lodging. Our last night will be spent in a very interesting B&B with a friendly host. 

Day 30 - Alpiglen to Engleberg

Woke up to the sound of cow bell music and not much else. Very peaceful this morning in the Schwalbennest (they named the rooms). Enjoyed a good breakfast and talked a bit with our host, Corinne. She gave us some good advice to help us pick our path for our final day's walk. We headed out on a cool morning and quickly made an ascent to a ridge that ran along the base of the Eiger mountain. It was a bit chillier than usual, probably because a storm front is being forecasted to be moving in. It was very comfortable though. We came upon some really cool things as we traversed the alpine ridge. The first was a really neat waterfall. We have seen a number of these but this one was a bit different with the water running through it being crystal clear and the rocks being so smooth and a very light grey. We were able to climb into one of the small pond areas (not in the water. it's super cold!). Next we saw a "snow cave". The snow had formed an open dome over a flowing river (see photo). The path was quiet, with some woods and some small river crossings. Being up against the mountain face, we didn't see the sun until 10:40 a.m. Our descent off the mountain was once again thrilling. It was steep and had a metal ladder at one point and at others cables to hold while crossing narrow sections. We arrived in Grindlewald just after noon and treated ourselves to an espresso and pastry. We then made our melancholy walk to the train station. We're a bit sad to be done walking. It then took three trains to arrive in Engelberg. 

Day 29 - Mürren to Alpiglen

This morning after a good breakfast we went to the gondola station and bid Mürren adieu. We took two lifts down to the valley floor. A short bus ride took us to Trümmelbach Falls, a crazy waterfall down through a narrow, twisting and turning crevasse. A bit of a tourist trap, but we read how great it was so we paid our 11 Francs each and saw the wonder. After, we continued walking to Lauterbrunnen and caught a train up the mountain to Kleine Scheidegg. Our destination for the day said it would be a one hour walk so we pulled out the trail map to find a new plan. We found a trail that headed along a ridge that gave us some good mountain views. The trail was quite busy but everyone had taken a lift to the top and were walking down. At a certain point we saw a summit peak that was beyond our turn off. We decided we had to go. When we arrived at the top of what is called the Royal Walk, we had 360 degrees of views for miles around. It was worth the extra effort. We eventually walked back down and headed on a desolate mountain path toward our destination. We are staying in a small quiet mountain chalet. There are cattle on the mountain hillsides with their bells ringing. At dinner time we had quite a show as the cows were rounded up for milking. Dinner was extremely good and so fresh. It is quiet now with no wifi or TV, just the sound of a few cow bells. 

Day 28 - Mürren II

LBreakfast didn't start until 8:00 this morning, a bit later than it has been.  Considering that last night got fairly cool, around 50 F, it was fine. It was a very good breakfast. We filled our bellies for our hike. Then we packed a few things to eat along the way and were off to ride the Schilthornbahn to Birg (pronounced Beerg) with an elevation gain of over 3500 feet. We choose not to go to the top another 1000 feet as we were already above tree level and all around was just rock. We got off and walked the Skyline Thrill, a platform over a vertical precipice. It is a metal structure about three feet wide and wraps around the rock. One can see the big three mountains, Jungfrau, Monch, and Eiger, on a clear day, which we had. After that excitement, we took off on our hike down the mountain. We came to a small lake and then on down we went. At this point it got a little dicey. It was steep and rocky and then there were cables to hold while we crossed a rock face and then came the crevasses to traverse and at times, almost rock climbing out of. Our reward for our efforts was a walk along the Wasenegg, a mountain ridge with sometimes steep drop offs on either side. The views in all directions (even down) were beautiful. We made a steep descent after that and then walked around a mountain and traversed some nice paths. It was a beautiful day. Made our way back to town and got ourselves clean. Walked about the town for a while trying to figure out a place to eat. We don't like to eat out all the time but the local Coop store wasn't hitting on much. We found a place with a quiet dining room with a nice vista. It was a family run hotel/restaurant and we had some nice home cooked food. We finished it off with a traditional Apple strüdel. Spent the rest of our evening planning our next days. 

Day 27 - Mürren

An early breakfast led to an early departure for us. We were on a train by 8:00 a.m. After changing trains, a giant gondola and another train, we landed in Mürren. Whew! We took a jaunt through town, dropped our bags at our hotel, got a quick coffee and hit the trails. Again the day was clean and the temperature a bit cooler, but still plenty warm. Our hike took us up and then along a ridge where we saw a few other hikers. After a break at a farm where we purchased some of their yogurt for a snack, we moved on and found a bench for our lunch. We were seeing fewer people and then made a descent to a waterfall that was marked on our map. What we didn't know was that we were to pass behind it. And the fact that the trail was narrow, steep and dropped off made Joan a bit nervous. The trail after that was nice and wooded for a while. We started a road walk and stopped at a small roadside place where we shared a brownie as a reward for a good hike. We went back and checked into our chalet. It's quite nice with a small place to sit out front and view the mountains. We headed back out to check out more of town but ended up going on another hike that took us to a place called the Chänelegg. It's a plateau that overlooks in many directions. We returned to town and got cleaned and organized. Went to dinner at a restaurant with great vistas and great food. Going out to eat in Switzerland is quite expensive but this place was reasonable and delicious. I (Ed) had a ragout of wild boar over noodles while Joan had a salad with chicken and a super fruit tarte for desert. It was time for rest and planning after that. 

Day 26 - Bern

UWe were blessed with a good breakfast to prepare us for a full day of sightseeing. We bought a pass that would allow us into almost every museum in Bern. We were off! Our first stop was the Rosengarten which is a big park with lots of roses. We then hopped on a bus and went to the middle of Bern to where they were having a big market day! But before we got started looking through that, we found a fountain with an unusual statue of a Ogre eating babies. Bizarre! After going through the market we took a bus to the Bern History and Einstein museum. We spent a couple of hours there. Then tried the Alpine Museum but they literally had nothing there. Weird. Spent a little bit of time at the Natural History museum that was really kind of bizarre yet entertaining. We did learn about Barry the St. Bernard who saved 40 lives in his lifetime. And since these museums were all within a block we were making good use of our passes. Next up lunch...Ed had found a good place online but had not made any notes on it. No problem...a quick trip to the information office and we were off on another bus for a simple and delicious lunch. We looked at our museum book for more to visit but they were closed or too far away so we went to the house where Albert Einstein lived in the early 1900's. While there a commotion broke out in the streets below. We peered through the second floor window and an organized demonstration was taking place. For more than thirty minutes they paraded down the street making lots of noise. After that we went to the second city gate that was built and later served as a jail. We climbed to the top for a nice view of the city. After a short rest and review of our map, we proceeded to a church where a choir was practicing so we sat again to listen. We finished with a stroll along the river and then took the bus home. We covered so much of the city and we utilized our bus and museum passes quite well. 

Day 25 - Zermatt/Bern

We decided that before leaving town, we should see more of Zermatt. We took a short hike to an area called the Gornerschlut which is this huge crevasse that has a boardwalk built in it so you can walk over the rushing water. Hard to describe but it was cool. On the way back to town we passed by some locals washing the sheep as there is to be a "sheep beauty pageant" tomorrow. We checked out the "old town" which was a small street of old wooden structures and walked through the graveyard for those that had lost their lives climbing the Matterhorn. We got a big sandwich to share on the train ride to Bern. Did a little window shopping on our stroll down Main Street and hopped on the train to head towards Bern. Got to the base of the mountain and switched trains in Visp. When we boarded, we tried to find seats in our appropriate (second class) section. There were none available on the car we were on due to a group boarding later so the "conductor" told us to go sit in First Class. Nice! Once in Bern we located our accommodations, got our free city transportation card and we were off to explore. The old town is an UNESCO Wold Hertiage Site, the city was founded in 1191 and the first gate was built. We walked through the gate and saw the Zytglogge, a clock, dating back to the 15th century. We Meandered through the streets checking out stores and the occasional old church. We made a short visit to the Bear park. It's a small area on a hillside that encloses three bears. They didn't look happy. After a bit more walking we saw a bus going toward our hotel so we ran to catch it. We found our dinner at the grocery store as our place has a nice kitchen to use. With some city knowledge, we have devised a plan to see the whole city tomorrow.

Day 24 - Zermatt II

After a good breakfast, a day of hiking was planned for today. It was our coolest morning of the trip so we pulled on our sweaters and then took the Gornergratbahn railway way up in the mountains to start our walk today (about 3000 meters). Dramatic views with more than 20 peaks of over 4000 meters. We left the crowds at the rail station and started our seven-hour descent. We stopped at a glacier pond to take photos and had a picnic with the Matterhorn in the background. We finally made it to some technical trails after lunch which was fun and down to the raging river and then took a swinging bridge over it. Just after three, we arrived at a small village and had a great big ice cream treat. After, we continued our walk back to Zermatt. Once bathed we decided we should try the cheese fondue that Switerzerland is famous for. So after some research, we decided to seek our our dining location. Our first choice was not available as a tour group took the entire dining room. So we went to our back-up. It was a well decorated place with much ambience (and fairly quiet). But as for the fondue, let's just say we're not impressed. 

Day 23 - Zermatt

Said goodbye to Vevey. Hopped on a train for Zermatt. Upon our arrival we quickly found a quiet spot for lunch. We were able to check in to our accommodations early and drop our stuff off and head out on a hike. We rode a funiclur and then a gondola up the mountain to start our walk. We hiked three hours back to Zermatt with almost constant views of the Matterhorn and going by several lakes. 

Day 22 - Vevey

We bid Geneva goodbye and took the 9:00 a.m. train to Vevey, a town on the east side of Lake Geneva. To put it simply: we love Vevey. It is split up very specifically between the new town and the old city. We spent most of our time in the old historic part. A fairly quiet village with beautiful views of the Fench Alps along Lake Geneva. We found our hotel but it was too early to check in so they let us ditch our bags. We took a leisurely stroll around the old town. We picked up lunch at a burrito place. The owner said it was the first Mexican restaurant in the region (who knows?) but he was friendly and we got a great burrito that we ate on a park bench at the waterfront on a beautiful afternoon. Our chocolate tour/tasting/education was at Laderach Chocolatier, a family run business since 1962 that oversees the entire chocolate making process from beginning to end. There are farms in South American, Africa, and Indonisia that supply the beans directly to Laderach, and once they arrive in Switzerland the company begins to process the beans into chocolate treats. We learned about the process of taking the beans and turning them into cocoa butter and cocoa paste. Then we learned the process of making dark, milk and white chocolate. We tasted each and then tasted chocolate made from single origin beans. We also sampled some special chocolates made that have flavors representing different geographical areas as well as some that had thematic significance. We had the pleasure of making our own chocolate cows using molds. It was lots of fun. We have very nice accommodations tonight with our own bathroom. We had a simple dinner of salad and pasta purchased at the store and finished with a dessert of eating Ed's chocolate cow. Took an evening stroll around town. The sights were lovely and the smells intoxicating. 

Day 21 - Geneva

Did not get a very good night's sleep but, we were not to be deterred. Breakfast provided by the hotel was sufficient to propel us on our way. A bit overcast and few spits of rain but nothing a rainjacket couldn't remedy. We had scoped out a number of things we might do but we found that most museums were closed on Monday so that cut our list down a bit. We wanted to go to the United Nations and a botanical garden nearby it. Many hotels in Switzerland provide passes to use the city transportation so we took advantage of that to start our day. Unless we paid for a tour, we wouldn't see much at the UN but we did see all the flags that line the entrance. We Found the botanical garden and it turned out to be a diamond in the rough. There was no entrance fee and it was very nice. Hardly anyone there so quite peaceful. An oasis in the city. After that, we hopped on the first bus we could find and got to a spot somewhat near our hotel where we found a good espresso stop (Boréal). Then we headed back to our room where we regrouped before hopping a tram (think modern cable car) towards a part of the city where we were planning lunch. Along the ride, we had a small hiccup when our tram hit a construction barrier and became stuck. We were near our stop so we got out and walked. For lunch, Joan had discovered another "Best of" restaurant, Cafe Des Négocients. When we arrived we were briefly shocked as the gentleman told us they were booked for lunch! But we were happy to find we could eat at a nice spot at the bar. We both had the Plat du Jour which was a broiled fish (Perch) with spinach and jasmine rice. Extremely tasty!  Next up was our chocolate touring we planned as the museums were closed. We visited six shops in the Old Town and we each got one small chocolate at each. Our favorite shop was Chocolatiere Stettler. We also saw the Horloge Fleurie, a clock within a flower garden. After a bit of searching, we also found another famous clock, Horloge du Passage Malbuisson. It was hidden in a shopping passageway and it plays tunes on it's many bells as a parade of figurines march beneath it. After all that, we made our way back to our hotel to clean up and then went around the corner to a big "gourmet" grocery store where we put together a nice repas. For evening entertainment, we decided to use our metro pass to see the city at night. Not too exciting, really. Onward!

Day 20 - Allaman to Rolle 5 kilometers (Boat to Geneva!)

A somewhat mixed sleeping night (a late night arrival by a traveler woke us up and kept us awake about an hour around midnight) left Ed a little tired in the morning but not to worry as we planned a short walking day. A bit of breakfast and we started our slow stroll under overcast skies to the town of Rolle. Along the way we enjoyed lake views, vineyards, a few glimpses of Mont Blanc and even crossed paths with a fox! We were shocked to find a great little pâtisserie/coffee shop open on Sunday morning where we had espresso and a fruit tartelette. Indulgent! We arrived in plenty of time to catch a boat to Geneva. We felt the last bit of walking there may not have been very pleasant so we decided to make it a fun journey along Lake Geneva. We visited two French ports along the way. It was quite beautiful. Upon arrival we started maneuvering the streets when out of the blue someone shouts our names. It was two pelerins, Daniel and Danielle from the Czech Republic, that we had met two weeks ago. They had just finished their journey and were taking a bus home today. Next stop the tourist office for a map so we could find our hotel. It isn't much, but it will do for the next couple of nights as we explore Geneva. We dropped our bags and were off to find the Catherdral St. Pierre, which has quite an interesting history, tied to the Reformation. There we received our last stamp in our credencial for this pilgrimage. We started to look for the Reformation Monument when I spotted a restaurant we had scoped out to eat, Chez Ma Cousine. It was touted online as a local favorite with their famous roasted chicken. It was super delicious and reasonably priced. Funny moment: as we ate, a small bird flew in to our table and stole a bone off one of our plates. Afterward, our search continued and along the way we stopped for a giant coffee petit four, also very good. We finally found the wall we had searched for. Old medieval cities are hard to maneuver! Spent the rest of our evening researching Geneva for our day of sightseeing tomorrow. 

Day 19 - Lausanne to Allaman 12 kilometers

We were slow to get up as our walk would be short today. We set out to find breakfast in Lausanne and found a quaint spot, The Blackbird Cafe, and had a very good and different breakfast. Next we wanted to visit the street market which was spread over several streets. We only purchased some mirabelles for a snack. Back to the hotel to pack and head to the boat. Yep, we had decided to take a boat and shorten our walk in half. The ride was smooth but debarcation was shaky, but once off we were in Morges and the town was a buzz. We stopped to find a few lunch supplies and we were on our way. In the next village we stopped in the shade on a bench facing the Lake Geneva to have our lunch break. Great spot. On our way out of town, Ed spotted a small cafe so we stopped for an espresso and he got a chocolate dessert! He had met his daily quota of cheese and chocolate. On our way again, we came to another cute village where we stopped in the church and used the public bathrooms. We continued our walk until we came to a sign that said Allaman 10 minutes this way or 45 minutes straight ahead, well of course we choose the 10 minute route and arrived a Chateau Rochefort (an old family winery) our accommodations. Upon arrival our host, Michel, gave us a cold glass of apple cider from apples grown here. So good! Here a small room has been prepared for pilgrims; two bunk beds, table and chairs, kitchenette, and washroom. A very nice place and a large store call Coops (think Walmart) is about a mile away. Once our chores were done we set out to the store so we could make dinner and get food for breakfast and lunch tomorrow as many places are closed on Sunday. That went pretty well except for the display case the came crashing down on my (Joan's) left foot. A couple store guys came over, but were more concerned about getting the case back together than me. Oh well, just a bruised foot, will see how that goes when I put my shoe on tomorrow. Back at the Chateau we prepared a nice dinner as our host gives a wine tasting outside our window.

Day 18 - Vucherens to Lausanne 22 Kilometers

A surprisingly good breakfast with Moka pot coffee propelled us for the morning trek. We wanted to get an early start to beat the heat. Again. We were blessed with far more wooded and shady paths than we thought we would have and used it to our advantage. We logged quite a few kilometers before it started getting really warm. We got close to our destination city but our markings ran out. A gentleman on the opposite side of the road recognized our confusion and crossed to help us out. He pointed us in the right direction, albeit not on the path but probably saved us quite a few steps. We were thankful. We ultimately made it to the cathedral in Lausanne which had a special spot for the pilgrims to rest and hangout. Being after one in the afternoon, we were hungry so we found a spot for a simple meal and were off to look for our accommodations. Big cities are tough to manage and our best chance is to find a tourism office and ask. We scored, and within minutes we were at our hostel and it is pretty nice. The hostel has bus and metro privileges which is really nice as the town is built on a hill that slopes to Lake Geneva. We used the metro to go to the Olympic Museum. It is very impressive and we enjoyed it thoroughly. Then we took the metro back up the hill to see the St. Francis church. We didn't feel like eating out so we bought a few things and had dinner on the balcony of our room looking out to the French Alps.

Day 17 - Romont to Vucherens 25 Kilometers

IAfter a decent night's sleep, we went to the kitchen to see what our meager breakfast was to be. We met the nun who welcomed us on the way into the kitchen and she took out some butter and left. We helped ourselves to the bread and some jam, cups of yogurt  in the 'fridge, and Ed made a cup of coffee for me. There was also two of the crossaint bread with filling left so we split one. We packed up and we're off to Romont, the city on the hill about a kilometer away. The cool morning was nice and we arrived promptly and found a cafe for an espresso and a pastry. Then we were off to see the sights in town, a large church, ramparts, a castle, and the tourist office who allowed us in their office before they were actually open to use their wifi as we needed to change some of our plans online. Leaving town we went the wrong way twice, adding to our day's mileage. The day was full of ups and downs, which we have come to expect and we passed through several small villages and stopped in a couple small chapels. Afternoon came fast and we knew we needed to find a store to pack our dinner as we are in a small village tonight at a private home. We found a store and snack, as well. We split a box of ice cream bars (three each) as that was the best deal. Also drank an elderberry and lemon soda. Strange but good. The afternoon walk started with an uphill swing that took us through an old village but immediately returned us to the valley river which was fairly shaded. We made some excellent time traversing that path. We eventuall made it to the village Vucherens, where we would stay the night. The place is owned by an artist and she has a very quaint place here for us. We packed a dinner from the last town and ate amongst her garden. 

Day 16 - Fribourg to Romont 28 Kilometers

We had a nice breakfast in our room before we left. We had bought some local yogurt (so good) and a pastry the night before. We wanted to get an early start as we had many miles to travel and it was going to be hot. And it was hot this afternoon. We didn't get two minutes on our way and right in front of us was an open market. We love the farmers market and this was no exception. We bought a fresh herbed salami, fresh multigrain croissants, goat's cheese and mirabelles (a small fruit) which made for an excellent lunch. To avoid a thirty minute walk through the the suburbs and hard pavement, we hopped on a local bus for which we were not charged. We had a lovely walk this morning passing through some nice trails and crossed an old stone bridge. In a small village we stopped for espresso and continued on some nice patches until we stopped for our picnic lunch and rest. After lunch the walk took us on paved country roads with the sun shining down on us and we began to wonder when it would end. And after over two hours it did when we arrived at the Abbaye de la Fille-Dieu, founded in the 13th century.  Here we would stay for the night. We were shown to our room by an older nun who said she had a daughter??? living in the USA. The room is quite nice and rest was quiet. We went to vespers at 5:15. There were nine nuns and three other girls (not sure if they were in training or whatever). In the pews there were five of us plus a priest or maybe he was a monk. Next came "dinner". A rough looking man and woman, who were at vespers, seemed to be in charge. He grabbed a few bowls from the cupboard and poured some broth into them from a thermos. Then he got some spoons for us. Next he disappeared and returned with some cheese and bread. There was also three apples and four yogurt cups on the table. The highlight was a croissant bread with a filling. We never know what to expect when we sign up for the meals at the places we stay. Most are very good, some are outstanding and some are simply sustenance. Tonight was the latter. Tough when you have walked almost 18 miles in hot conditions. But we won't starve. Hoping for a good night's sleep to prepare us for tomorrow's adventure, whatever that may be. 

Day 15 - Heitenried to Fribourg 16 Kilometers

A typical yet good breakfast to start. Cheese and honey from the locality. Not a long distance planned so pace is medium. Stopped in Tafers where they had a cool Pilgrims Chapel (Pilgerskapel). It has beautiful frescos painted on the front. We got a stamp there and moved on. Right before we got to Fribourg, we arrived at this rugged cross that was next to what we were told is the border of where German is spoken and French is spoken. We arrived in Fribourg a bit before noon. Decided to go in the big cathedral. Having seen many cathedrals in Europe, we have found most are very ornate and grand but after a while can be monotonous. We found this one to be very cool. Just a little bit different than most yet very huge and detailed. Scoped out a little more of town before finding a nice lunch spot.  Were able to check in to our hotel early and took care of daily chores. Yes, a hotel. It is very nice to have real towels and sheets. We even have a TV so we can watch and brush up on our French. Found the Officine de Tourisme where a girl there helped us make reservations at the Abbye de la Fille-Dieu in Romont tomorrow night. Should be interesting. Spent time wandering around Fribourg, a medieval town hat sits above the Sarine river. Gathered some foodstuffs for the next couple meals and repaired to our flat in the Hotel du Faucone to rest. 

Day 14 - Riggisberg to Heitenried 19 Kilometers

Sleeping above a bakery has advantages and disadvantages. It always smells great there. It was a bit warm in our place overnight but eventually it cooled off. But breakfast offered us a variety of breads to eat and take with. A pleasant surprise was we thought it was going to be expensive but we were charged a very fair rate so considering our other place didn't work out last night we were pleased. Today's walk was under overcast skies and cooler temps. A more than welcome respite from the hot days that have added a bit of difficulty to an already challenging landscape. Since we didn't have very far to go today, having walked a bit extra yesterday, we purposefully took a slower pace today. We took a short break in the sleepy hamlet of Rüeggisberg where we viewed an interesting old shell of a monastery dating back to 1072. We had a short break where we had a coffee and some delicious local yogurt. We continued on our way through the prealpine hills and across beautiful farm lands with very large homes with attached barns and watched farmers tend to their fields as we strolled along. One unusual farm had camels and yaks. We lunched in another quaint hamlet, of course our lunch included cheese and chocolate, and then we were on our way walking an old Roman Road and onto our Pilgerhaus. It is quite nice and we sit listening to classical music as our host prepares a wonderfully smelling meal. Fact is, the meal was even more tasty than the smell. It was the best meal we've had in Switzerland. Fresh salad from their own garden with Beef Bourguignon with steamed rutabaga. We enjoyed talking with our hosts, Klaus and Freida. They are former pilgrims who have a heart for the wanderers of the way. Freida gave us recommendations for some things to see before we leave Switzerland. 

Btw, banana count 22 (11 each)

Day 13 - Spiezmoos to Riggisberg 28 kilometers

Had breakfast with our host Annalise and her pit bull Tina. Yup, you read right. But the dog was more interested in Ed than Joan so that helped. We had a relatively early start hoping to beat the heat again. It's Sunday so we were unsure of what kind of provisions we would find. The trails were a mixed bag for a while. Different surfaces, up and down.  But then we hit a stretch of road walking that, mixed with the heat, sapped us pretty well. We came to a town called Wattenwil where there wasn't much going on with no open stores. But we did find Cafe 44 open where we had a good meal with dessert and espresso. They also operate a bakery so we also bought some things which, added to our stash of food, would be our evening meal as we were to be staying out in the country. We talked a little with the owner's daughter who had recently been in the U.S. on a type of study abroad. She also told us about her family walking the way years ago. We left there with not much further to go to our accommodations for the night but it was hot and we were going very steep uphill. We arrived but no one was home. The little house we were to sleep in was open and so we opened the door but didn't go in as there were cob webs blocking the way and the bed was messy with dirty sheets. We checked around and saw lots of dirty dishes in the kitchen sink and then continued on our way. We made a turn based on the signs and ended up off our designated route but in an hour or so we were in the next town. As we had spoken to Jacqueline at the bakery restaurant, she had said her father ran a place for pilgrims in Riggersberg. Upon entering the town there was a sign board with three places and we ended up at the bakers place.  It is very nice and we are tired and our feet ache but we have fewer kilometers to walk tomorrow.

Day 12 - Interlaken to Speiz 17 Kilometers

Breakfast on the rooftop at our place allowed us to watch the sunrise. How quickly it got warm! We had a shorter distance day today so we were not too fast leaving Interlaken. A few provisions and away we went. It was pleasantly flat and shaded for quite a while. Some was along a swift running river. So nice. Came to a resort-type village where we stopped for an espresso. As we continued, the trail started heading up. Wouldn't be a day in Switzerland unless we did some climbing. We stopped at a historic pilgrimage site but much to our dismay it has become a tourist trap. We viewed a few things and moved on. Eventually arrived in Merlingen where we caught a boat to cross Lake Thun. Like the boat rides! This brought us to the town of Speiz. Tried to visit the ancient castle and church but a wedding party denied us the opportunity. It was too early to check into our accommodations so we decided to rest and eat a box of ice cream bars. Loaded up with some groceries after that then found our place. We prepared a salad with a pasta and chicken salad we bought for dinner. Our room is below the main house and quite cozy with all we need. The proprietor is very friendly and we will go upstairs for breakfast with her in the morning. We are quite curious to talk to her as there are many cycling awards on display here as well as some interesting cycling art. 

Day 11 - Brünig to Interlaken 30 Kilometers

A surprisingly good breakfast at the hostel jump started our day as we had some ground to cover. Very warm and humid to start which was not a good sign. Went a bit uphill before we started a steep wooded descent. Had an interesting encounter when we had to go through a farm when a bull decided we weren't welcome. We stood behind a rock and waited for him to move. When he finally did we thought we could walk toward the gate but the bull decided he would chase us. Well Ed thought we were clear, but I knew a young Brown Swiss bull might not just let us through so I kept checking behind and he started for us right as we were going by a barn and I saw a shovel and grabbed it and told Ed to run and open the gate and we made it out safely. Then during our lunch break we had a swarm of mosquitos show up so we packed it up and marched on a while before finding a new spot. We spent much of the day hiking up and down along the Lake Brienz on a clear and unusually hot day. We crossed a temporary 80 meter long suspension bridge, which I thought a bit scary and Ed loved it. Our last encounter was with a dog who looked fine until we started to pass and then he began his growling and so I found a rock and threw it at him which helped for a moment and finally his owner saw and called him off. 

We thought the afternoon was long but we finally made it to our hostel around 4pm. 

We found a very good dinner at a reasonable price. Food is very expensive here and meat most expensive. Cheese, which we eat a lot of, is a good price and very delicious. After dinner we found some chocolate to finish our day. 

It may be a few days before our next post as we are not sure about wifi the next three days.

Day 10 - Bethanien to Brünig 28 Kilometers

At 6:00 a.m. we woke to the sound of bells at a local church being rung off their hinges. We had planned to rise early as the weather is hot and we had a couple of good climbs to look forward to today. We were off by 6:30, our earliest start, and we had been given a bag lunch to take today. We made an early stop at a church that had frescos inside dating to the 14th century. It was beautiful and all was going well until we made a "wrong turn". The route made a circle to access three churches and when we had visited the last church we continued on the path which brought us back to almost where we started the day. We backtracked to the last church and headed on our way, adding about 3k to our day and an extra climb. 

At the first opportunity we stopped for an espresso. We gathered our brains and continued along a flat path which followed along a lake's edge. It was very nice. We took some rest stops and ate some of our bag lunches at each stop. We made some good climbs during the afternoon. At one point after passing a second lake, we were surrounded by very tall mountains and we wondered how we were going to get out of that bowl. We ultimately did and are now at our hostel. There's not much here in this town so pickings were slim for dinner. We ended up having a meal at the restaurant above our place. It was pricey, but actually pretty good. Ed had a homemade pork cordon bleu with excellent veggies and salad. Joan had Bünder-Pizokel which was a cheesy pasta and bacon dish. Very rich. We even splurged on a gourmet ice cream dessert. We spent the rest of the day resting and preparing for our long trek tomorrow.