Glacier spewing like lava

To quote Scott, "The glacier looks like it is lava spewing."

A little cold, a little dizzy, a little scared, but still managing to smile

Mont Blanc - Part II

Mont Blanc ~ Elevation 15,781 feet

Scott with Mont Blanc in the background

We were literally above the clouds

You could pay to ride an elevator up to an even higher viewing deck, but we were satisfied with the view

Mont Blanc - Part I

Scott's co-worker Ryan Riggs was back in Geneva for a few days, Ryan was one our of travel companions back in April when we visited Cannes and Monaco. After much thought on what we should do on this glorious Saturday, we decided to drive to Chamonix, France and take the cable car up to see Mont Blanc. We officially pushed my fear of heights to the limit on this one. I am proud of my accomplishment, but will not be taking this ride again.

Cable car coming down through the clouds

Ryan and 60 of his closest European friends

Chamonix down, down, down below

We are going all the way up there

If you enlarge the photo, you can see a climber walking down

Closer shot

The view from the cable car

More to come...

One week until Logan arrives!

Time to start toddler proofing the house! In one week Logan and his parents come to visit! We are excited to show them Switzerland and spend time with our adorable nephew.

Images from Yvoire

The Savoie

The Savoie ~ Shuttling people between Geneva to various other towns along the lake

These two kids are idiots. They dove into the water while the ship was loading with passengers and proceeded to hang on to some bars under the boat, even after it continued on. We weren't impressed.

Swimming in Hermance

Scott and Kyle swimming in Lake Geneva on Sunday from the dock in Hermance, Switzerland. We biked to Yvoire, France and this was our half way stop so they could take a refreshing dip in the lake.

New Camera

We purchased a new camera while in Portland last month and are still trying to learn how to use all of it's features. The mountain setting was perfect for our trip last weekend. Stay tuned for better photos, hopefully...

Last Photos of Schilthorn

Looking down the stairs where the hikers (crazy people) depart or arrive from

The middle cable car stop between Murren at the top, Birg, as you can see it is on a cliff!

Looking down at Murren from Birg

Going Up! Murren to Schilthorn

On Sunday we rode the cable car to the Schilthorn (elevation is 10,000 feet) to enjoy the 360 degree view of the mountains. This entailed riding a cable car from Murren to Birg and then up to the top. Total travel time was about 20 minutes. We were so lucky to have a clear day and could see for miles and miles. Even though we didn't eat the James Bond breakfast at the revolving restaurant, I am grateful we had this experience and that I tackled my fear of heights!

Side Note: If visiting the Schilthorn, take the cable car up before 9 am, tickets are more than half off the normal price.

View from the cable car between Murren and Birg

There it is! One more ride to go

Hand Cut Grass

We had read in our travel books about farmers hand cutting grass on the steep hillsides of the Lauterbrunnen Valley, but we didn't think we would actually witness it. As we were walking along on Saturday a boy that looked about the age of 15 drove by on his motorcycle. He stopped at a field up ahead and pulled out a long stick with a large blade on the end. Then he started moving the blade back and forth at rapid speed and precision, perfectly cutting each blade of grass. We were beyond impressed. The amount of labor that families put into cutting their grass and gathering every inch of hay is unimaginable in modern day farming regions.

The best photo I have of the boy cutting grass. Next time I will be more brave and ask if I can take a picture.

Perfectly harvested field

The only trucks we saw come through Murren were trucks loaded with hay

Looking down at Murren

Hiking from Murren to Gimmelwald

After arriving on Saturday we chose to hike down to Gimmelwald, a village we had read about in our Rick Steves travel book. After touring the only street in the village, we hiked up the hill (Scott's idea, not mine) and then returned to Murren. That evening we had a surprisingly good meal of lamb with french fries and a Swiss roastie (cheese and potatoes).

This area is very popular for hang gliders as well as hikers.

Gimmelwald

Catching my breathe and enjoying the view

Did I mention that hills tire me out?

Scott checking out the map for more hills to hike