August 25 - Gimmelwald and Murren

This is the view we started with from the door to the little chalet we are staying in in Murren, Switzerland. Today we decided to go on a hike through some of the nearby villages. We stopped first at the local grocery store to pick up some things to make lunch with, and then headed down hill to the very small village of Gimmelwald.

Rick Steves raves about Gimmelwald like no other, Sean and I have to dissagree, it is possible to visit a place that is TOO small. So despite his ravings, Sean and I are quite happy with our choice of Murren. Murren is a resort town like whistler, but about 1/10th the size, and is everything charming, nothing stuffy like Whistler. We enjoyed a lunch on a quiet bench overlooking the Berner Oberland Valley, and then continued on hiking.









We are in love with this stop on our trip. The only sounds around are the quiet crunch of gravel under our feet, the distant roaring of glacial waterfalls, and the occasional cacophony of a herd of cow or sheep and their bells in the hillsides (ironically better sounding than some bell choirs we have heard!). The air smells clean, with just the slightest scent of grass. Everywhere we look we are awed at the beauty of the mountains, and the meadows.

On our way back into Murren (in picture) we stop by the grocery store again and get everything we need to make chilli for dinner (we thought chili would be good as it has just started raining and is a bit cool). After a tasty dinner we are so tired from our travels the day before that we hit the sack!