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Switzerland

"Take only memories, leave only footprints." —Chief Seattle

Day 16—July 18th, Lauterbrunnen  

                                                                                                    Arrivederci Italy! We leave the sunny costal towns of Italy and travel to the mountains and green fields of Switzerland. With Peter’s smooth driving and great navigation we wind our way through tunnels and around the beautiful lakes and mountains to Lauterbrunnen.

 “Adventure should be part of everyone’s life. It is the whole difference between being fully alive and just existing.”
—Holly Morris

We check into our hotel — Hotel Oberland. As I enter my room I see that I have access to the balcony with a stunning view of the             valley and the sheer mountain cliffs. I                    could sit on this balcony for hours but                there is exploring to do.  Leslee and                  I are going to do a walkabout
                   and have some dinner. 

 “Wanderlust isn’t about running away from it all.  It’s about experiencing the outside to discover the inside.”
—Unknown

describe how beautiful our surroundings          are. It is like we are walking through the                 pages of a storybook. Have you
                  ever wondered if those pictures
                      on postcards are accurate?
                       In this case…Yes, it is that
beautiful!

We stroll leisurely along the valley floor. While having good conversation we explore quiet lanes, roaring rivers, and stunning views. There are no words to 

           We finish with a good meal and
       wonderful view from the patio of
a local restaurant. Afterward, with the use of WhatsApp,  I sit on my room's balcony and video chat with my family. Yes, I wanted to make them a little jealous. 

Day 17—July 19th, Schilthorn  

                                                                                          Today is a free day in the Alps. I have decided to join Andy and the adventurous group who are going to the top of the Schilthorn, followed by a hike from Murren to Grutschalp.

 “Love the beauty and miracles found in nature. Mother nature can teach us so much about resiliency and inspires us in the most magical ways.”
—Unknown

Okay……Heights are NOT my thing.                      Hanging from a relativity small cable                  is NOT my thing. However, having                      an adventure is my thing. With the             encouragement and help of my                      fellow adventures I take the                            leap.  After four stages of                                cable cars (Stechelberg to                             Gimmelwald to Murren to Birg

                      to Schilthorn) we make it to the top.                     It is a stunning view…..as long as there                  is ground below my feet. I must thank               Susan for holding my hand so I could be in the group photo. Seriously, why would you build 

it with an open grid that you can see below you. After some time to explore and find some gifts we head down two stops to Murren.

 “To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.”
—Marie Davis

We arrive in Murren and have some time to grab some lunch at the local Coop supermarket. We eat our lunches with 

the best views. After some time to relax, eat, and fill our water bottles we meet to start our hike. Before we go
we make sure we all have a good covering of                               sunscreen as the heatwave is still continuing. As                we hike, we view the beautiful Lauterbrunnen                    valley around each bend in the trail and through              the trees. After a rest stop at Winteregg railway                station we continue our hike down to Grutschalp 

cable car station. It is fascinating to see how they transport the materials needed on the mountain. It rides up under the passenger car and unloads on a platform under the passenger platform. You can see this in the video above right (wet concrete on this run).

 The day finishes with a group dinner. We enjoy Fondue and great conversation before making our way to some much-needed sleep.   

 Day 16 Arrivederci Italy! Headed out to Switzerland. We arrived at Lauterbrunnen and Mom and I went for a walk with a new friend from the group. It was beautiful. No words can really describe it. Mom is both looking forward and not looking forward to tomorrow. She says that she’s going to be scared but that’s she going to do it.

 Day 17 Just call me BOND…GO! Today we went to the Schilthorn. Mom was very scared. We had to take four gondolas to get there. They call them cable cars (like that makes a difference). I guess they filmed a really old movie here about a guy named James Bond. We explored for a while and then took the cable car back down two stops to Mürren and hiked the rest of the way back. Mom had fondue for dinner with the group. She also got to have some ice cream. Yet again, I wasn’t included in that!

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