Addicted to the Alps

It has happened--we have officially caught the Gimmelwald bug. We had our best day yet today, and the weather was perfect! With the gorgeous day, we could fully appreciate the beauty around us. We can't believe it is time for us to leave in the morning, as this is the type of place hikers and skiers could stay for weeks and not see everything. To top it off, Gimmelwald is so untouched by development that it offers undisturbed beauty as well as a fantastic feel for how locals live. It is probably not the place for someone who doesn't care for cliffside farming, but it is very interesting to see it all as well as the animals! We are always talking about Grandma and Grandpa Theis and the Theis and Schneider farms back home in PW and Fowler. Farming aside, this place is indescribable, and pictures will not do it justice--especially those from the iPad posted on here.

Our day started early as we took 3 cable cars up to the top of the Schilthorn, where we had a breakfast buffet while sitting at 10,000ft. Able to see for miles in every direction, the restaurant rotated around for jaw dropping panoramic views. Not only did we have great views of the peaks and valleys, but what made it so impressive was how remarkably close to it we were. Once again, this is because of the unbelievably topography of the region.

After feeling thoroughly stuffed from our breakfast, we literally hiked the rest of the day. Once again, the hiking and trails were marvelous (as the song goes--too marvelous for words!) We did a significant amount of up and down hiking, overall gaining a few thousand feet. The trails were tremendously well kept and marked, and once again, we had it basically to ourselves. The waterfalls, lush forests, old fashioned chalets, wildflowers, animals, valley, cliffs, and snow covered peaks made for day which could not have been better!

We just finished a scrumptious dinner, as we grilled on our patio and just enjoyed the views. We are all sad to go back to civilization, but we still have one city left to see. Tomorrow we will probably to a bit more hiking before heading off to Luzern for mom and Andrew's final stop.

We are sending happy thoughts to everyone back home! Lots of pics from today, although they just don't show the true beauty of the area!