Berner Oberland, Switzerland

After our morning in Meersburg Mom and I drove into the heart of Switzerland. We visited the towns of Mürren and Gimmelwald. The towns view the majestic 13,600 foot Jungfrau, which is accompanied by the almost as tall Eiger and Mönch.
Mürren must survive completely on tourism. There are no automobiles in the town, everyone goes everywhere on foot; there are, however, a few tractors. I'm not sure how many guesthouses and hotels there are -- many! This area is a busy ski resort by winter and wandering/hiking area by summer.

A short walk down a paved path leads to one of my favorite European villages, Gimmelwald. This quaint little place boasts of one hostel and one bed & breakfast; nothing else. There can't be more than 50 residents, all of which are related. This village also has no cars.
The trails offer view after view of the mountains across the way. We were actually lucky enough to see a few avalanches caused by the weight and pressure of the melting snow.

We hiked as far as this waterfall. In my younger days, I hiked over this fence and climbed up these slippery rocks to get pictures. Funny thing is that those pics are now in a photo box -- I don't think I've pulled them out since development.
We strode back up to Mürren and cruised to the top of town, hoping to hike a few miles back to the gondola that lifted us over the massive cliffs these towns both sit on (I'd guess somewhere in the ballpark of 1,000 feet). The snow was still piled too high in the trees though to do much hiking so we mosied towards the car and ultimately the town where I lived for a year, Maugenhard, Germany.

While the Alps don't have the cool shapes of the volcanic Oregon mountains, they have a naturally stark appearance; they're rugged, tough, and steep. They also get enough water to grow lush green grass far above the tree line. It is quite a treat to hike the rugged, yet different than home, Alps.

Switzerland, south side of the Bodensee

Last week was the halfway point of my trip to Europe. I spent the week in the little haven of Switzerland; one of the most rediculously expensive places on earth.
I spent much of my time walking around and taking photos because that is about all you can do for free.
The weather was mostly overcast and rainy but the sun poked out once or twice.
I had plenty of time to run back and forth and take shots of myself. I didn't get a real sailboat ride so this lil guy in the park had to suffice.
I was on the Bodensee, or Lake Constance, and was able to spend a ton of time just relaxing near the marina. I read a lot and spent some great time looking at the old school beauty of the area.