Can't believe it is our last day. We've had a couple of really good days. We went to Grindlewald pool after our walk down from Pfingsteg and I swam 50 lengths and read for a long time as the children entertained themselves really well. We didn't get back to the caravan until 7.30pm and then we had a Moore family buffet ( bread and cheese). Yesterday the weather was beautiful again so we had a leisurely breakfast outside and then drove to Interlaken. As we were driving through the town centre we saw the Liverpool coaches on bikes cycling to presumably the stadium. I took a couple of photos of Sammy Lee and a couple of others Graham didn't recognise.
We then caught the new funicular up to Harder Kulm. It is 100 years old this year and to celebrate a new train has been built. At the top we had ice creams before coming down. We then drove to Oberhofen pool and I swam 50 lengths and then sunbathed outside. We drove to Thun and found a McDonald's overlooking the river.
After tea we drove back to the campsite and walked to the pub. Rosie had a go on the bungee trampoline.
Today the weather started off really fine and has slowly deteriorated. We drove to Grindlewald and is our tradition on our last day of our holidays we caught the bus to Grosse Sheidegg and walked to First. The views are splendid overlooking the valley from the east side, however the clouds obliterated some of the mountains. The walk took over 90mins and we stopped at First restaurant for lunch. I feel really tired today and found the walk arduous in places. Graham felt the same.
We then caught the cable car back down the mountain and meandered through Grindlewald stopping off at a couple of shops to buy t shirts and souvenirs. It then started to rain making it difficult for Graham to pack the car. Graham went to the lake with the children and Harry went swimming in the rain. We're almost packed and almost ready to walk to the pub for our tea. Sunday night is half price pizza night at 10SF and we have booked a table.
We have had a fantastic holiday, although 11 nights was not long enough. Despite feeling tired today I know all the exercise has done us all good and spending quality family time together has been great.
Thursday, 7 August 2008
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
Friday 18th July 2008
Our walk on Wednesday didn't go as well as anticipated due to Harry having abdominal pain for most of the day! He needed to go to the toilet and unfortunately the only toilet during the six hours on the mountain peaks was a hole in the ground in a small hut on a cliff edge! No running water so we had to wash our hands in the snow!
The weather, however, was perfect. It was so hot and we didn't encounter the same weather conditions as we did the year previously. There was a lot more snow this year that we had to walk through which was challenging in places and quite scary due to the sheer drops either side of the path. We knocked 35 minutes off our time from last year so had time to use the bathroom at the top of First, our destination. We took some stunning photos which I will upload at a later date. We caught the cable car back down to Grindlewald and then walked through the village to the station. As we had just missed a train we enjoyed lovely ice creams in a restaurant adjacent to the station. Back at the campsite we showered and then walked down to the lake.
Yesterday we had rain all day. We enjoyed a leisurely morning of Monopoly and then went to a retail park in Interlaken. Charlie bought a cheap pair of skate shoes ( £10). We found a Spar supermarket and stocked up on provisions including sandwiches for lunch. It was still raining so we drove to the river and ate our lunch sat in the car. We then walked to the pool and Graham and I swam 50 lengths whilst the children fought/played/dived etc.
We then walked to the Victoria Jungfrau to see if we could spot the Liverpool squad. We saw their coach ( the four wheeled version). Still raining so went to the top of the Metropole and had ice creams. Back at the caravan we played Monopoly and watched The Bee Movie again- which is great. Went to bed and read for ages. I'm two thirds of the way through A Voice in the Wind which I cannot put down.
The rain continued through the night but it has now stopped and the sun is shining and the day has the potential to be hot and sunny. We plan to drive to Grindlewald and Graham will walk up Pfingsteg. We will catch the cable car and meet him up at the top. The children will go on the rodelbahn before we all walk down.
The weather, however, was perfect. It was so hot and we didn't encounter the same weather conditions as we did the year previously. There was a lot more snow this year that we had to walk through which was challenging in places and quite scary due to the sheer drops either side of the path. We knocked 35 minutes off our time from last year so had time to use the bathroom at the top of First, our destination. We took some stunning photos which I will upload at a later date. We caught the cable car back down to Grindlewald and then walked through the village to the station. As we had just missed a train we enjoyed lovely ice creams in a restaurant adjacent to the station. Back at the campsite we showered and then walked down to the lake.
Yesterday we had rain all day. We enjoyed a leisurely morning of Monopoly and then went to a retail park in Interlaken. Charlie bought a cheap pair of skate shoes ( £10). We found a Spar supermarket and stocked up on provisions including sandwiches for lunch. It was still raining so we drove to the river and ate our lunch sat in the car. We then walked to the pool and Graham and I swam 50 lengths whilst the children fought/played/dived etc.
We then walked to the Victoria Jungfrau to see if we could spot the Liverpool squad. We saw their coach ( the four wheeled version). Still raining so went to the top of the Metropole and had ice creams. Back at the caravan we played Monopoly and watched The Bee Movie again- which is great. Went to bed and read for ages. I'm two thirds of the way through A Voice in the Wind which I cannot put down.
The rain continued through the night but it has now stopped and the sun is shining and the day has the potential to be hot and sunny. We plan to drive to Grindlewald and Graham will walk up Pfingsteg. We will catch the cable car and meet him up at the top. The children will go on the rodelbahn before we all walk down.
Sunday, 3 August 2008
Tuesday 15th July 2008
At last, a lovely hot sunny morning without a cloud in the sky! The last two days and nights have been reminiscent of the Great Flood of '05! On Saturday we walked around Interlaken in the rain and then went swimming again. I did 50 lengths and then we walked to McDonald's for our evening meal. At night we walked down to the lake ( still raining) and then came back to the caravan for a game of Monopoly ( Graham won).
On Sunday we went to a lovely church service on the Hohweg. It was a C of E service with communion, and despite its formality the vicar was very good and the focus remained on Jesus.
We then went to the Victoria Jungfrau for coffee. David had texted me to say that the Liverpool football squad were in Interlaken for pre-season training. We deduced that they would be staying in the nicest hotel in town, and they are. The kindly waiter told us they are here for 10 days. However we didn't see them, but I wouldn't know who they are anyway!
We then walked up Heimwehfluh and had lunch. I walked down and the others got the rodelbahn back down. We then drove to Gunten and had an ice cream in our favourite hotel overlooking the lake.
Still raining and we drove back to the caravan and played another game of Monopoly ( Graham won again).
Yesterday was another good day despite the rain. We all woke up after a chilly night. We were all cold due to a lack of bedding with only a sheet and two thin blankets to keep us warm. We lounged around playing Monopoly and then drove to Grindlewald. We went straight to the pool and I swam 80 lengths and then read my book by the poolside, The boys eventually got thrown out of the pool by the badmeister for blocking up the slide so we got dressed and listened to the Fakenham High School band who were playing outside the sports centre. They were very good. By now it had stopped raining, but was cold and cloudy (12 degrees). However, despite the bad weather conditions, sat opposite the north face of the Eiger encircled by a ring of cloud half way up, the scenery remains stunning and beautiful.
We then walked to Hotel Spienne and had a huge meal. We hadn't eaten all day so were hungry. We had garlic and parma ham pizza bread to start followed by gigantic pizzas- I had tuna, onion and olives with a lovely glass of house red.
We drove back to Interlaken and resumed our Monopoly. Graham won again! No chance of him discreetly letting one of the children win.
I finished my book ( Engleby- Sebastian Faulkes) which was ok. As the majority of it was set in Cambridge I could relate to the places and settings that were described. However, I did not like the overarching theme of the book ( the life of a dysfunctional, psychotic student). I have read all of the author's novels( except Human Traces)and have really enjoyed all of them. This was very different although well constructed and well written.
Anyway I am sat outside sunning myself waiting for the others to return from feeding the ducks. I have done two huge loads of washing and it is perfect drying weather so we can have clean clothes. We are planning to go up the Niederhorn today, walk down to Vorsass and then get the trotti bikes down to Beatenberg. If the weather remains hot we will take a pedalo out onto the lake this afternoon. Tomorrow all being well we will do our six hour walk across the mountain peaks.
Later on... We've had a lovely day and are all gently toasted from the sun. The Niederhorn was superb. The views from the top were second to none and the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau were majestic. I took some fab photos of cloud free views of Lake Thun and mountains which were covered in snow. After lunch we walked down to Vorsass and got the trotti bikes down. The experience of going downhill so fast with the warm wind blowing gently around and the smell of freshly cut grass is amazing. At the bottom we bought a drink and ice creams from a cafe and then drove back to the campsite.
We then walked to Neuhaus and hired a pedalo. Our pedalo leaked but we managed to manoeuvre it around to the beach and back. We then walked back to the beach and sunbathed for a while. Everybody but me swam in the lake! It looked far too cold and I was too engrossed in my new book ( Notes on an Exhibition- Patrick Gale). Stopped off at the camp shop to stock up on food for the BBQ.
After we had eaten we walked back to the lake to watch the sunset. We wandered around the campsite and then came back to the caravan and got our things ready for tomorrow's hike.
On Sunday we went to a lovely church service on the Hohweg. It was a C of E service with communion, and despite its formality the vicar was very good and the focus remained on Jesus.
We then went to the Victoria Jungfrau for coffee. David had texted me to say that the Liverpool football squad were in Interlaken for pre-season training. We deduced that they would be staying in the nicest hotel in town, and they are. The kindly waiter told us they are here for 10 days. However we didn't see them, but I wouldn't know who they are anyway!
We then walked up Heimwehfluh and had lunch. I walked down and the others got the rodelbahn back down. We then drove to Gunten and had an ice cream in our favourite hotel overlooking the lake.
Still raining and we drove back to the caravan and played another game of Monopoly ( Graham won again).
Yesterday was another good day despite the rain. We all woke up after a chilly night. We were all cold due to a lack of bedding with only a sheet and two thin blankets to keep us warm. We lounged around playing Monopoly and then drove to Grindlewald. We went straight to the pool and I swam 80 lengths and then read my book by the poolside, The boys eventually got thrown out of the pool by the badmeister for blocking up the slide so we got dressed and listened to the Fakenham High School band who were playing outside the sports centre. They were very good. By now it had stopped raining, but was cold and cloudy (12 degrees). However, despite the bad weather conditions, sat opposite the north face of the Eiger encircled by a ring of cloud half way up, the scenery remains stunning and beautiful.
We then walked to Hotel Spienne and had a huge meal. We hadn't eaten all day so were hungry. We had garlic and parma ham pizza bread to start followed by gigantic pizzas- I had tuna, onion and olives with a lovely glass of house red.
We drove back to Interlaken and resumed our Monopoly. Graham won again! No chance of him discreetly letting one of the children win.
I finished my book ( Engleby- Sebastian Faulkes) which was ok. As the majority of it was set in Cambridge I could relate to the places and settings that were described. However, I did not like the overarching theme of the book ( the life of a dysfunctional, psychotic student). I have read all of the author's novels( except Human Traces)and have really enjoyed all of them. This was very different although well constructed and well written.
Anyway I am sat outside sunning myself waiting for the others to return from feeding the ducks. I have done two huge loads of washing and it is perfect drying weather so we can have clean clothes. We are planning to go up the Niederhorn today, walk down to Vorsass and then get the trotti bikes down to Beatenberg. If the weather remains hot we will take a pedalo out onto the lake this afternoon. Tomorrow all being well we will do our six hour walk across the mountain peaks.
Later on... We've had a lovely day and are all gently toasted from the sun. The Niederhorn was superb. The views from the top were second to none and the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau were majestic. I took some fab photos of cloud free views of Lake Thun and mountains which were covered in snow. After lunch we walked down to Vorsass and got the trotti bikes down. The experience of going downhill so fast with the warm wind blowing gently around and the smell of freshly cut grass is amazing. At the bottom we bought a drink and ice creams from a cafe and then drove back to the campsite.
We then walked to Neuhaus and hired a pedalo. Our pedalo leaked but we managed to manoeuvre it around to the beach and back. We then walked back to the beach and sunbathed for a while. Everybody but me swam in the lake! It looked far too cold and I was too engrossed in my new book ( Notes on an Exhibition- Patrick Gale). Stopped off at the camp shop to stock up on food for the BBQ.
After we had eaten we walked back to the lake to watch the sunset. We wandered around the campsite and then came back to the caravan and got our things ready for tomorrow's hike.
Saturday 12th July 2008
We've been here since Thursday night. We set off on Wednesday at 8pm after Graham arrived home from work. I was also working and managed to pack on Monday when not working.
We drove to Cheriton and stayed in a Holiday Inn Express which was reasonably good value. We had two rooms and breakfast was included which cost £98.
Our Eurotunnel crossing was at 9.50am so we had some time to browse the shops. It is the first time we've ever been early for our crossing. We either just arrive and board straight away or miss the crossing completely and have to catch the next train.
We drove all day through rain to begin with and then just south of Reims the weather became really hot and sunny with temperatures of 30 degrees. We arrived at the campsite at 9pm. Our mobile home is very spacious and much nicer than the one we have stayed in with Canvas Holidays the previous two years. We have three bedrooms and a dining area. I did have a bit of a blip, however, as I forgot to pack the bedding! The Eurocamp rep gave us some sheets and pillowcases and there are blankets here, so we should be ok.
We unpacked and then walked to the lake. We couldn't believe it as we saw Richard and Margaret who we have met several times over the last few years. It was their last night and they were sat outside their caravan admiring the view. They told us the weather had been gloriously hot and sunny for the last couple of weeks.
We then walked to the pub and had a quick drink before coming back to the caravan. The children went to bed and then Graham and I shared most of the bottle of wine courtesy of Eurocamp.
Yesterday we woke up early. The weather was stunning so we ate breakfast outside. Harry and Rosie went to the shop for bread and jam.
We then drove to Grindlewald Grund and parked our car at the Mannlichen bahn. We decided not to buy a train pass this year as not sure whether it is financially viable this time. The children still have their passes from last year. We caught the Gondola which is the longest cable car ride in Europe up to the top of Mannlichen. The children played on the rope hammock and had ice creams whilst we had a coffee and enjoyed the views of both valleys. The weather was still hot and sunny so we rested for some time before setting off on our walk. We have done the walk from Mannlichen to Kleine Sheidegg many times and the views never cease to amaze me. What we noticed this year were the beautiful flowers. The fields are full of tiny yellow and white flowers and bushes resplendent with small red flowers adorn the hillsides. We normally come here at the end of August and I guess that these flowers are not around by then.
We stopped at the restaurant before we reached Kleine Sheidegg and had a late lunch. The children had frites and we had rustic brown bread and salami, ham and pickles.
We then caught the train to Grund and drove to Interlaken swimming pool. We discovered this year that if we stay on the campsite we get a free entrance into the pool. When I think about how much money we could have saved over the yearsf we had known that! It costs about £20 each time for the family.
Anyway Graham and I swam 50 lengths whilst the children played/fought on the huge tyres. Graham then took them to the adjacent outdoor pool with a huge slide whilst I drove to the Co-Op and stocked up on provisions for the planned barbeque.
I then collected the others and drove back to the campsite. Graham assembled our new gas grill and we started to barbeque the chicken, sausages and veg kebabs. It ended up being a bit of a disaster though as the weather suddenly changed so i had to finish off the cooking in a frying pan on the indoor stove. We ate inside listening to the rain and thunder. Rosie became really frightened and kept counting, ' one mississippi, two mississippi, three mississippi' etc after each bout of lightening. At one point she counted up to two and there was an enormous noise making the caravan shake.
We resumed monopoly and played for the rest of the evening. It looks like Harry might win. I'm almost out of the game which we will continue tonight. Went to bed late and I was too tired to read. I have hardly read at all so far this holiday. I'm reading Voice in the Wind which is an epic novel by Francine Rivers.
Woke up at 8am to the sound of rain on the caravan. Looks like the bad weather has put a stop to our plans to climb up Harder Kulm today. Instead we will go into Interlaken and visit the Tourist Office. We want to find out where we can go to church tomorrow as the we are not sure the English speaking church we usually attend in August is on.
We drove to Cheriton and stayed in a Holiday Inn Express which was reasonably good value. We had two rooms and breakfast was included which cost £98.
Our Eurotunnel crossing was at 9.50am so we had some time to browse the shops. It is the first time we've ever been early for our crossing. We either just arrive and board straight away or miss the crossing completely and have to catch the next train.
We drove all day through rain to begin with and then just south of Reims the weather became really hot and sunny with temperatures of 30 degrees. We arrived at the campsite at 9pm. Our mobile home is very spacious and much nicer than the one we have stayed in with Canvas Holidays the previous two years. We have three bedrooms and a dining area. I did have a bit of a blip, however, as I forgot to pack the bedding! The Eurocamp rep gave us some sheets and pillowcases and there are blankets here, so we should be ok.
We unpacked and then walked to the lake. We couldn't believe it as we saw Richard and Margaret who we have met several times over the last few years. It was their last night and they were sat outside their caravan admiring the view. They told us the weather had been gloriously hot and sunny for the last couple of weeks.
We then walked to the pub and had a quick drink before coming back to the caravan. The children went to bed and then Graham and I shared most of the bottle of wine courtesy of Eurocamp.
Yesterday we woke up early. The weather was stunning so we ate breakfast outside. Harry and Rosie went to the shop for bread and jam.
We then drove to Grindlewald Grund and parked our car at the Mannlichen bahn. We decided not to buy a train pass this year as not sure whether it is financially viable this time. The children still have their passes from last year. We caught the Gondola which is the longest cable car ride in Europe up to the top of Mannlichen. The children played on the rope hammock and had ice creams whilst we had a coffee and enjoyed the views of both valleys. The weather was still hot and sunny so we rested for some time before setting off on our walk. We have done the walk from Mannlichen to Kleine Sheidegg many times and the views never cease to amaze me. What we noticed this year were the beautiful flowers. The fields are full of tiny yellow and white flowers and bushes resplendent with small red flowers adorn the hillsides. We normally come here at the end of August and I guess that these flowers are not around by then.
We stopped at the restaurant before we reached Kleine Sheidegg and had a late lunch. The children had frites and we had rustic brown bread and salami, ham and pickles.
We then caught the train to Grund and drove to Interlaken swimming pool. We discovered this year that if we stay on the campsite we get a free entrance into the pool. When I think about how much money we could have saved over the yearsf we had known that! It costs about £20 each time for the family.
Anyway Graham and I swam 50 lengths whilst the children played/fought on the huge tyres. Graham then took them to the adjacent outdoor pool with a huge slide whilst I drove to the Co-Op and stocked up on provisions for the planned barbeque.
I then collected the others and drove back to the campsite. Graham assembled our new gas grill and we started to barbeque the chicken, sausages and veg kebabs. It ended up being a bit of a disaster though as the weather suddenly changed so i had to finish off the cooking in a frying pan on the indoor stove. We ate inside listening to the rain and thunder. Rosie became really frightened and kept counting, ' one mississippi, two mississippi, three mississippi' etc after each bout of lightening. At one point she counted up to two and there was an enormous noise making the caravan shake.
We resumed monopoly and played for the rest of the evening. It looks like Harry might win. I'm almost out of the game which we will continue tonight. Went to bed late and I was too tired to read. I have hardly read at all so far this holiday. I'm reading Voice in the Wind which is an epic novel by Francine Rivers.
Woke up at 8am to the sound of rain on the caravan. Looks like the bad weather has put a stop to our plans to climb up Harder Kulm today. Instead we will go into Interlaken and visit the Tourist Office. We want to find out where we can go to church tomorrow as the we are not sure the English speaking church we usually attend in August is on.
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