GRINDELWALD 2013 Departure time

                         Saturday Sept, 28.  Our last day before departure back to Neerach. Of course we had one more day, but lots of plans. Our first priority was going to Interlaken and visit Andrea's mother, Rosli. She is 84 year old and in excellent spirit and shape. She lives in the middle of town in a forth floor condo. and as always we found her right away. It is always good to talk to her and see how happy she is.

Rosli and Donna

She is always so happy

                          We had some good laughs and stayed for a couple of hours before she accompanied us down to the main street and directed us to the right store. I had to get my Swatch repaired, the one I just bought 7 days ago. You think Swiss workmanship should last a little longer than 7 days.  The Swatch store owner was very accommodating and replaced the broken part.
                            After a last look at some great stores in Interlaken we headed back to Grindelwald to our home but not before a quick visit to the restaurant Grund for some Ice Beers and a Plumli and we took a pizza with us.
                              Donna started to clean the upstairs and had two loads of laundry going while I went back to the store for some Nussli salad and Epesses. We really enjoyed our last night up here with a good dinner, Epesses and a great evening scenery.

Donna on the way to do some laundry in the basement

Last evening on the balcony

The Wetterhorn (12000 feet)

A close up

The front of the house, a new addition.

The Eiger Nordwand from the back window of the house

                            Sunday, Sept 29.  After a good night sleep and a breakfast of leftovers we cleaned the rest of the house, stored the balcony furniture and closed the heavy shutters.  We left the house at 11:30 in direction of Bern.

                              We had an appointment to meet Heinz and Margaret at Grauholz, a Restaurant in Schonebuhl about 10 miles outside Bern on the highway to Zurich.

                              Heinz is a great friend of mine for the past 50 years. In 1961 we did our cook apprenticeship together in Montricher, a small village in the french part of Switzerland, and later we worked together in Switzerland, England and Acapulco Mexico.

We met Margaret and Heinz at Restaurant Grauholz

Heinz had some health problems lately and has a difficult time walking 

but he has adjusted well to his slower lifestyle and seems to be very happy

                             We had a great time reminiscing about our younger years and our professional accomplishments, leaving about 3:30 pm. 

                             Back on the road to Neerach we approached Turgi, the village where I was born and grew up. We decided  to stop and eat something in one of my favorite Restaurant. We veered off the highway and went to my old stomping grounds. It was Sunday evening  and I was looking forward to visit  a Restaurant I used to work on weekends when I was still in school. But we got surprised how everything changed just in the last 3 years.

                              The Restaurant Limmattal was under renovation, next the Restaurant Landhus was closed for vacation for 3 weeks, next the Restaurant Krone was replaced by a high rise building. Next the Restaurant Traube, once a gourmet Restaurant is now a refuge for immigrants. Needless to say, we are getting a little bit hungry. Of course I know more restaurants on the way to Neerach and we got lucky by the next attempt.  On top of the Hertenstein, a small mountain, we found the Restaurant Jagerhuus. It was open and we got served the best Cervelat salad of our vacation.

Finally something to eat!

Delicious, it cant get any better.

                            From here we had only 30 miles to go and arrived at Neerach at 6 pm. Toni and Andrea where surprised of our arrival, expecting us arriving on Monday.There just cooked some Zurich style Geschnetzeltes with rice and where afraid there was not enough for all of us. After a lengthy explanation that we just had a great dinner, they still made me eat a plate of there Geschnetzeltes !  I finally did and it was delicious.

                             Monday is Shopping Center Spreitenbach on our agenda. 

                             

                            

                             Monday, Sept 30. We drove to Spreitenbach to check out the Giant shopping Center we always  visit on our Swiss vacation. Surprise, surprise, the outside and the first floor was under construction and one huge mess! The rest was nice but changed, and I am afraid not for the better. Different stores and restaurants. 

You could spend hours  in here

Decision, decision, where to go first

                               Surprisingly we could not find a great chocolate store in here and we decided to go to Baden where I know some stores we will find some chocolate to bring with us to St Louis, like chocolate you will not find in the US.

                                We where walking on the main Street in a fairly big town (over 100000 habitats) and  Lilian, the wife of my older brother Heinz, surprised me by knocking on my shoulder. What are the chances?  She also let me know that she will see me tomorrow. 

                                Now I knew! Tomorrow is my birthday and Toni, Andrea, Donna and I planed on a nice dinner together. Obviously they invited the whole Family for the occasion and I think it supposed to be a surprise for me!! O well, it will be sensational to see everybody on my birthday party.

                                On the way home we stopped at Neerach's local restaurant "Zum Wilden Mann" for a few beers. 

The famous Stall bar, I celebrated my birthday in here 2010

Great tasting beer!

That night,  Toni and I walked down a steep hill  and back up, a accomplishment for me and my still healing ankle, to buy some rotisserie chicken from a street vendor for our dinner accompanied by Nussli salad of course. As always delicious!!

We had a great day and tomorrow is my birthday.

GRINDELWALD 2013 Final countdown

                           Friday, Sept 27.  I woke up at 4 am, washed up and had some coffee, so did Tony and Amy. We had to leave the house by 4:45 to catch the train in Interlaken by 5:30 am. It was dark and the street where deserted that early in the morning  and it took us only 25 minutes to get to the station. We arrived over a half hour early.
                            While Tony and Amy boarded the train to the airport to fly home to Florida, I drove back to the house in Grindelwald.  Donna was still asleep and I surprised her with a good breakfast. Afterward we went to town for some more shopping and a light lunch at the "Sportpub". A restaurant with the view at a Ice field where they played hockey and on the other side a swimming pool with a water slide. As always we had some delicious food.

Some more shopping.

                             We also decided to use our bahn pass the rest of the day, because they expire today. Just traveling around and admiring the view, we took the train to Zweilutschinen, Lauterbrunnen to Wengen, from there with the big gondola to the Mannlichen and with the small gondolas back to Grindelwald.

Notice the hang glider landing in a field behind the train

Waiting for the train in Zweilutschinen.

Train arrived, ready to board.

In Lauterbrunnen, sitting in the train to Wengen. The gondola in the background

we used yesterday to go to Murren.

On the way to Wengen.

Donna talking to a friend before taking the gondola up to the Mannlichen

A view of Wengen and the Lauberhorn race region in the background.

On the way down to Grindelwald

Europe's longest gondola cableway

Last ride down to Grindelwald with view's of the cows

Close to arrive at our destination.

Donna arriving at Grund.

The restaurant's owner donkeys, we enjoyed watching them play. You can observe them from the restaurant's window.

                              At the restaurant Grund tonight we were asked from everybody  of the whereabouts of our friends Tony and Amy, they were already missed.
                              We went ahead and had a great meal again. I know I will miss the atmosphere, service and food until we may visit again in the near future.





                                

GRINDELWALD 2013 Day 6

                          Thursday, Sept 26. Our final day together with Tony and Amy  over here in Switzerland this vacation. We are planing to go purchase their train tickets from Interlaken to the airport in Kloten, ZH. For some reason we thought that at 5:30 in the morning there would be nobody on the ticket counter. We combined our effort with a daylong site seeing and souvenir shopping tour.
                           We had plenty of breakfast food left and again enjoyed coffee on the terrace, leaving for our tour in the car at 9 am.
                           To follow our route, you can refer to the map I will publish again. Today we had lots of clouds but it was dry all day until later that day with the sun peeking out a lot.

                            We drove from Grindelwald down to Zweilutschienen, where we went left back up to Lauterbrunnen. This is a small town and I was looking for a small cable car going up to Grutchalp, but it changed since I was there last time in the winter of 1969. Now there is a brand new giant gondola going up.
                             We parked about a mile away from the station on the only public parking lot and started walking through the whole town back to that station. quite a long way, specially there was nothing to see of importance.

View from the Parking lot

With a close up

A long way back to the Gondola station

Amy and Tony don't mind walking

The brand new Gondola,

you still see the old tracks of the cable train on some places

Giant Gondola, just for us

The remarkable thing was how they build this gondola, that thing took of in total silence.
                               Arriving on top, we changed to a small railroad, who brought us to Murren. From here we walked up to the Palace hotel and all the way to the Schilthorn Bahn, a gondola who would bring us to the Piz Gloria.
                            It was nice for me to check out all the changes happening up here in Murren. Just for your information, 44 years ago, in 1969 I was hired to work in the Palace Hotel in Murren to cook for the crew and actors of the James Bond movie "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" a Broccoli and Salzman production.  They rented the whole hotel that winter. The best part was to feed the film crew on locations. We loaded the food on helicopters and went to bring them hot beverages and some luncheons where they build and filmed the avalanches or filmed other outdoor activities.

Walking up to the Palace Hotel from the Railroad station

At the Schilthorn Bahn station we had to decide if we go up to the 

Piz Gloria.

We decided not to go because of the weather.

That mountaintop in the back is Birg, half way station before Piz Gloria.

You can not see it because they are in the clouds.

Piz Gloria

Just a picture out of a brochure. Donna and I where up here 3 years ago, (if you are interested check out 2010 blog for more information on the Piz Gloria), the Restaurant 

actually rotates all around, at a speed of 1 time every hour.

We decided to a little shopping in Murren

Cows coming down the street

Waiting for them to pass

Their new pasture

 Another view of the Palace hotel, still the same as when I was there.

A view of the Kleine Scheidegg and the Eiger Gletscher

before heading back to Lauterbrunnen

                               Back down in Lauterbrunnen there where lots of people along the main street, waiting for the so called Alpenabzug. That's when the farmer bring down the cows from the alps to stay  in their warm stables for the winter. A tradition you will encounter in a lot of towns in this region.

Beside there giant bells, they all carry a decorated milking chair on there head

                                  From here we drove to Interlaken West Bahnhof and got the tickets and confirmed the train schedule. Amy and Tony had to take advantage of some last souvenir shopping inclusive some awesome chocolates.
                                  Driving back to Grindelwald we decided to try a new restaurant for our last dinner together but the one we chose was a bust. Most restaurant still allow smoking and that was the reason we left and went back to our restaurant  Bahnhof Grund.
                                   We had a great dinner and a fantastic time. Tony treated us for my birthday coming up. Actually we consumed 10 Eigernortwand (Ice beers), 5 Pfluemli (Prune schnapps), 2 Grand Marnier and 2 small beers. Wow!!

And of course incredible delicious food

Pork steak with herb butter

Spring roll salad

Wiener schnitzel

Aelplermakkroni

Cheers to great service!!

Back home we checked the mail, Tony and Amy had to pack, had one last drink 

and went to bed early.

Grindelwald last 2 days will follow soon