Grindelwald - Switzerland.

Firstly I think I have fixed up the comments section so anybody can comment now instead of only a "privileged" few but if not email me and I'll have a fiddle with the blog settings again.

Secondly, ding ding it's round 2, the plague is back.  This time, like the new iPhone 5, it boasts new features including mad fevers, aches like you've been run over by a truck and projectile vomiting.  Bloody champion.

Gondolas - gold bullion accepted.

Ryan spent the night sick as a dog so this morning Nicki did the motherly thing and took one for the team.  Harry, Max and meanwhile I took the cable car up a thousand metres to a gondola station called First (pronounced Feerst, 2168m elevation) and off we went.   

I'm glad we took the gondola because it would have been a killer walk up but bloody hell the Swiss don't miss with their prices as discussed yesterday.  $32 for me and $16 each for the kids.  ($64 all up.)  Just as well Nicki and Ryan didn't go otherwise a lovely stroll in the Swiss Alps would have cost us $112.  That's one-way!! And they saying walking is cheap exercise. (In Germany something similar cost about $40 for the 5 of us.)

View from Gondola.

Walked up to 2 alpine lakes called Bachalpsee (2265m) which were pretty and then decided to take the trail up to the summit of a mountain called Faulhorn (2686m) which I'd heard had 360 degree views.  Quite a climb but well worth it in the end.  Had a bit of a picnic up there as well as some chocolate for the lads and a celebratory beer for myself. 

There was still some remnant snow on the ground at about the 2300m mark which thrilled the kids to bits.  Needless to say they took full advantage and made snowballs to peg at myself and each other. 

I exhausted my mountain knowledge with the sage advice to the kids of "never eat the yellow snow."

Lake Bachalpsee.

Trail to Faulhorn.

Faulhorn. 

View of the Alps.

Massive walk back to Grindelwald descending some 1700m which killed the knees by the end of it.  All up we walked for easily 4 hours solid so I'm estimating we covered roughly 12km if not more.