The Via Alpina, Switzerland

Starting out, by train from Zurich to Gstaad

Maria and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary with a month long trip to Europe.  The trip began with 12 days of hiking a section of the Via Alpina in Switzerland from Gstaad to Engelberg.  It was epically beautiful and thoroughly enjoyable.  We stayed in villages each night, crossing a high pass nearly every day to get to the next place.  The weather was perfect and the views amazing.  Really hard to leave the trail - I could have kept going for another couple of weeks - but that is part two of our trip - coming later.

Day One:  On the way to Lenk

A Swiss cow, one of many

On the way up to the Bunderchindre Pass

View toward Kandersteg from the Bunderchindre

Enjoying the Oeschinensee

Morning stillness on the way out of the Oeschinensee

Heading up the Hohturli Pass

Down from the Hohturli Pass

We were first here 25 years ago on our honeymoon, the Jungfrau behind us

Gimmelwald

Murren, fresh snow in the mountains!

 

Kleine Scheidegg

Eiger

Grindelwald

In Grindelwald

Hotel Rosenlaui

Gletscherschlucht

Reichenbachfall

Ridge walking toward Tannalp

Heading toward Jochpass, our final pass of the hike

In Engelberg, switching back to train travel