7/9: Wengen Hikin'

Our first morning in Wengen greeted us with a great continental breakfast. The buffet had plenty of breads, cheeses--and bologna!--cereals, fruits and juices. After stuffing ourselves (after I stuffed myself and Annie drank coffee and ate a cup of yogurt), we made plans to explore around Wengen.

Above: Our hotel, the Alpenruhe.

Packed for a short hike, we ventured off through and then above the town on one of its many hiking trails. All we brought were waters, crackers, long sleeves, and a camera.

Above: The view from the front of our hotel.

Along the way through town, Annie snapped photos of all "the cute little cuckoo clock houses" before we hit the hiking trails. We ascended from town on the path to Kleine Scheidegg, which was a village 2.5 hours away, but we only hiked slowly for maybe an hour before finding a picturesque spot for a water break.

Above: Wengen in the distant background.

We wanted to get closer photos of the Swiss hillside cows that we saw from a distance on our way up, so we backtracked and climbed up a different trail in their general direction.

After one dead end, we took an educated guess/last-ditch effort that paid off, and we found ourselves in the mountain cows' pasture!

Above: Moo.

Those bovines had a great view! We liked their bells, which we could hear clanging across the hills from probably 1/2 mile away. They were docile, though we didn't get too close because their horns and heft outnumbered ours.

Cow mission accomplished, we returned to Wengen from a different path--a quiet, verdant one through fertile forest. We felt like the only hikers for miles, despite the fact we were within a half mile of civilization for much of the trail.

Finding our way back to town, we located a supermarket and bought bread, cheese, coke, and beer, then returned home to feast.

We napped & trip-planned in the afternoon, then wandered back into town around 9pm for dinner at Pasta & More. Annie got penne forestia and I got Alpine macaroni: Mac & cheese with bacon, onions, and potatoes. With a side of apple sauce. I won.

The high-altitude hike sapped us, so after dinner we retired early with thoughts about climbing the Jungfraujoch in mind for our near future.

Wengen July 9 Album:

Wengen: July 9, 2011

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Location:Wengen, Jungfrau, Switzerland