We started off in Logano in the South of the country (Italian speaking area), a fairly large town built around a beautiful blue lake. This was just a stopover point really but we ended up exploring the town and renting a pedalo to cruise around the lake. We attempted to make it over to the other side of the lake but only made it halfway before wishing that we hadn't! The views all around were amazing and I had a dip in the lake before cruising back.
Next we went to Luzern, another (larger) town by an even bigger lake, and felt like we were in a different country as we stepped off the train (they speak German there and its all very German-ish!). We decided (for some reason!) that it would be a good idea to explore the town on roller blades....but, after falling over in the first five minutes, wondered if it was a good idea! It was great fun though and we explored the "old town" with its cobbled streets and big perimeter walls that contained towers.
Finally it was time to get over to the Jungfrau region, which I was really looking forward to. We took a long and exciting train journey right through the Alps and ended up in Lauterbrunnen, a small town set in a valley sandwiched between great mountains that make up some of the Swiss Alps. We went to Trummelbach Falls, waterfalls that thunder through the inside of a mountain, transporting up to 20,000 liters of water PER SECOND down into the Trummelbach River.
The next day we headed up to the tiny village of Gimmelwald, perched precariously on the side of a mountain, at an elevation of about 1,200m above sea level. The whole region is like a big climbers playground and I spent the next three days climbing mountains!!! First a few of us climbed to the top of Mt. Schiltorn (2,900m high), which took about 6 hours. The views from the top were amazing, we were above the clouds and could see the tallest alps sticking out of the white fluff and reaching up into the sky. The track even took us past a glacial lake and lots of snow, which I had fun sliding down!
Another hike took me through a forest, up a valley and into a huge circular valley surrounded by mountains on three sides. There were lots of little ribbonlike waterfalls that cascaded down, growing each time, to feed a large river - beautiful!!
The last thing we did was the via farrata course. A via ferrata course it a cross between hiking and rock climbing and its great fun! You work your way across rock faces and over canyons with the aide of metal rungs that are cemented into the rock face. There was also a HUGE rope bridge with a 600m drop below...that really got the adrenalin pumping!! At the end of all three days I was able to go back to the hostel and relax those aching muscles in the hot tub which was situated on the top of the hill and had the most amazing view over the canyon to the snow-capped mountains of the Swiss Alps....
Now I'm in Interlaken about to go canyoning, which is where you rock climb up the mountainside before you absail, slide and jump all the way back down along waterfalls and into glacial lakes - should be fun!!
Can't post any pictures from this computer apparently which is annoying but ill add them next time. Off to Zurich later and possibly Germany tomorrow, can't wait!
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