SWITZERLAND

November 22nd 2017
Up early for our drive of about 300klms, we are taking a small detour to visit Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. Gary being a Deep Purple fan he has to check out the Eden Palace Hotel where the song Smoke on the Water was written. Before we get to the hotel we stop at Chillon castle on the side on the lake. Very picturesque. We manage to find the hotel easily and we sit outside overlooking the lake for a very nice hot chocolate. It is very decorated very nice inside and the rooms look beautiful on the brochures.We must keep going as we don't want to be driving through the mountains and snow as it is getting dark.
It is very scenic drive but the one thing we notice as we get closer to Grindelwald is the occasional really bad smell from the cow sheds. The cows are kept in barns over winter and I guess when you are in a valley and everyone has cows it can get a bit stinky at times. Most look to have extraction type systems and some have huge tanks for when they clean the sheds out. Probably why the stink.
We find our chalet where we have a small apartment, unfortunately we are at the back so don't have the nice view over the Eiger and surrounding mountains, but it is lovely and warm and cosy and that more important when its 1c.

November 23rd 2017
After a good nights sleep and a nice breakfast we have a quick drive into town and wonderful view of the Eiger Mountain. We then head down the mountain a little for the drive along Lake Thun to the town of the same name at the opposite end of the lake to Interlaken We have always wanted to visit this beautiful area. The drive along the side of the lake is very scenic and we stop at a beautiful waterfall right beside the road. Its called St Bateatus Caves and there is a small museum and cave tours but we just stop long enough for some photos and to take in the magnificent views and stunning autumn leaves. There are postcard view right along the lake, the clear blue sky and snow capped mountains just add to the beauty. The town of Thun is very scenic like most in the area and there is an old wooden bridge that is above a series of mechanical locks to prevent floods and of course some ducks and beautiful white swans to feed. After exploring the town we head back towards our Swiss home(unfortunately no Swiss bank account) along the opposite side of the lake and stop to admire the beautiful Spiez Castle, and of course its perfect views over the lake. There is no one else around and we can't go inside but we take a walk around the gardens and inside a very old chapel. Time to head back and home to a nice hot chocolate and rest before finding somewhere for dinner. I decided long before I arrived if there was one thing I wanted to try in Switzerland

and that was Fondue, we find a family type restaurant in Grindelwald and get to taste our Swiss fondue, it's very delicious and comes out with its own little burner to keep it hot and a selection of crusty bread and vegetables. That really warms the tummy up. We even got to watch a local ice hockey game on the way home as our car was parked under the stadium so we thought we would have a quick look.

November 24th 2017
The next morning we borrowed a lovely wooden sled from our hosts and head to a large patch of snow to try it out. It was so much fun, we laughed so much, fell off several times and boy did I have bruises the next morning. We also visited a very small bird sanctuary where they look after injured birds so they can be released back in to the wild. The owl was huge and some other large birds I have never seen before. The funniest thing on the way back down the very icy road was the mattress attached to one on the corners in the road, must have been put there by locals I'm guessing as people must slide off in that spot. We took it VERY easy. Beautiful views all around and the huge Eiger Mountain looming above the valley.
One thing to note about Switzerland its VERY expensive for everything and unfortunately not exactly friendly people! I waved to walkers we drove passed on more than one occasion and they glared at us!! They should take note of the wonderful hospitality of Italians and the French!