Switzerland trip - part 2

Lyle loves adventure and is sometimes like a wild horse who can't stay in the corral. He needs space and freedom. The mountains give you that and he kept saying to me...."Let's rent a car and drive through the Alps" ..... or, "Let's HIKE the Alps". Well, my legs have gotten strong but not THAT strong! I just wanted a nice, relaxing, scenic train ride, and the Swiss are experts at those. Awaking to a foggy morning, I wasn't too excited about doing hairpin turns through a mountain range. I won. We walked back to the train station and bought tickets on the "Golden Pass" train for a two-hour ride to the town of Gstaad- about 3000 ft.



As we settled into our seats, we climbed above the fog and were treated to panoramic views of the Alps. We left the nearly-tropical area of Montreux and chugged our way up the slopes where we could see snow-capped peaks. On the way, we saw cows grazing on these slopes, chewing their way through the meadows to give us "gruyere" cheese.....












We arrived in the town of Gstaad, one of the most exclusive ski resort areas in the world. This is where the rich and famous come, I guess (such as Julie Andrews, Roger Moore, Liz Taylor)....but we didn't see any. In fact, we hardly saw ANYBODY except for the tourists who got off the train. We must have been in between the winter and summer season, as it was like a deserted town. By the way, we left the French-speaking area of Switzerland and somehow arrived to the German-speaking land! I was lost to translate signs now!









There are ski slopes all around this area, but Gstaad is also known as an "apres-ski" town for those who just like to be seen. Looking at the prices in the store windows proved that!

Our "hike" in the Alps turned out to be a short walk to the nearby town of Saanen, where we saw what Lyle REALLY would like to do someday.....

The bike ride......ok. Whitewater rafting? Hmmmmm.........anyone want to join him? I think I would rather just sip an espresso in a cafe in Gstaad!

We walked around this quiet town and found a simple church and cemetery. This is the land of the Reformation where Protestant churches are, so simple in contrast to the huge cathedrals of France.

This short trip was just what the doctor ordered.....fresh air, space, beautiful scenery, relaxation. After a few hours, we headed back on the train back to Montreux to anticipate our evening adventure on this wonderful weekend......