Ski trip with Matt

Father and son walked all over Paris the day after Matt arrived.  After looking down on Paris from the top of the Eiffel, hiking down the Champs-Elysses and into the Louvre, Notre Dame, and the street of St. Germain, a relaxing train trip to the Alps was a welcome rest.

 

Penny the travel agent again hit the internet and travel books to try and figure out how and where to ski in Europe.  France takes skiing seriously.  They divide the whole country into 3 areas and rotate their annual 2-week school winter vacations so that they keep those resorts busy all season!  And most French ski areas are booked well ahead of time.  France was out.

We had been in Switzerland our first year here in May and wanted to return someday, so that was our choice.  I searched for a ski area where we could take a train....and one less than 6 hours and a bunch of transfers.  I found Lauterbrunnen, a town nestled in the Jungfrau Region of Switzerland, in "a valley of 72 waterfalls".  The speedy TGV took us to Berne in three hours, a transfer to another train to Interlaken, where we transferred again........

....and headed for a beautiful ride along the two lakes up into the mountains.  Then, the brown hills turned white with new snow.  The ride was a delight for the eyes!  And so was the view from our hotel window!

I am not a skier. I gave it up after a two-hour snowplowing experience down a slope in Colorado over five years ago. I wish I had learned when I was young, but I convinced myself that I would be just as happy gazing at the beautiful scenery, reading a book, while the guys hit the slopes.  The weather was perfect, warm enough for just a light jacket, perhaps a little TOO warm for the bundled up skiers!

They got up early the next morning to catch the rack train to the ski runs,  above Wengen, all the way up to Kleine Scheidegg at 6,762 feet  ......

.....and a few hours later I got a call telling me to get on that train and come on up!  The views were fantastic and I shouldn't miss them, even if I DIDN'T ski!  He was right.....

 

  

  

  

 Even higher at over 11,000 feet, was the "Top of Europe", a complex of restaurants, an ice castle, shops, and views to die for.  But when I learned that it cost 180 euros round trip to get there, I quietly told the tourist office woman: "It costs less than that to go to Paris!"  We passed on that one and instead enjoyed a bowl of soup and hot coffee half-way...

Our trip was going to be a short one.  We had one more day to go up the other side of Lauterbrunnen, to Murren.  Lyle and Matt took the cable car behind our hotel right after breakfast to get a half-day of skiing in before we had to head home.  I followed an hour later and met them in the picturesque town, full of chalets, small hotels, shops, and beautiful ski runs.

 

  

And on top of THIS side of the mountain was another famous restaurant, Schilthorn,  which was in the James Bond movie "In His Majesty's Service".  We were tempted to to up there for breakfast, but...well, maybe another time (in the summer?).

The trip was too short, of course.....I know we all could have stayed many days longer.  But it was a good introduction to Alps skiing, and maybe one that we are fortunate enough to do again someday.  We love the mountains, and think about hiking them one day too.

Back in Paris, Matt was able to take in a few more sights, some French food.....well, mostly Italian I guess, and time with his dad.  We are glad he was able to come!