Day 12 - Schilthorn-Murren, Switzerland

We've really lucked out with the weather. I thought for sure that the recent rain and clouds would make going up on the mountain a wasted trip. But the weather was great. We caught a bus to Stechelberg where we started our journey to the Schilthorn. The route consisted of taking 4 different cable cars, but it was very fast. On the top of the Schilthorn is the Piz Gloria. A panoramic 360-degree rotating restaurant, viewing deck and museum. It was also the principle location of the James Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" staring George Lazenby as James Bond and and Telly "who loves ya baby" Savalas. The museum is not all that impressive, but the views topside are excellent.

Here is the Eiger on the left, the middle is the Monch, the the highest peak in Europe is the Jungfrau named for the Monk protecting the young maiden from the ogre. 

Coming back down the mountain, we stopped at the town of Murren. It was right around noon and a lot of the shop owners shut down for lunch. Perhaps on their lunch break they go paragliding because we saw one after another taking of down and gliding down the mountain side. 

This is the Eiger. 

On the way back to town we stopped at Trummelbach Falls where you can see 10 glacier-waterfalls inside the mountain made accessible by a tunnel lift, or you can walk up all the steps. We took the lift. It says the falls drain 20,000 liters a second, and carries 20,200 tons of detritus (organic matter) per year.

It's hard for you to tell what is in these pictures, but there is a neat cave, very cool and breezy.

Another note about the hotel. I never thought to see if the hotels I booked had elevators. Typically these older hotels do not. This time were on the 3rd floor. Even our bathroom has 2 steps. And then you have to step up in the shower/bath tub. Now, I don't consider myself tall, but with the narrow tub base, I have to assume the downhill snowboarder position to get my head under the shower head.

As a side note, the gas station here has petrol for 1.73CHF. Now the Swiss frac (CHF) is pretty close to our dollar. Approx $1 = .90CHF. However, fuel is bought by the liter. So it's more like $6.55 per gallon.