Grindelwald, Switzerland

The train ride from Austria to Switzerland was ABSOLUTELY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, SCENIC, BREATH-TAKING AND HEAVENLY VIEWS I HAD EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE OR IN DREAMS!!! Soft, rich rolling grass and tall timber trees covered the mountains which climbed higher than the clouds. Crystal fresh waterfalls poured down the mountainside into pools of icy blue. Quaint little homes dotted the landscape together with sheep, cows, and wild horses. Bright blue lakes anchored the base of snow-capped mountains that rose higher than the mind could fathom. Sun beams shot golden rays through the clouds like paintings of heavenly light. I haven't even fully arrived and I'm already making plans to visit later in life - and even have a 2nd home. This is definitely God's Country. This place seems blessed by peace. The land looks untouched by war, poverty or dirt. The land is delicately peppered with bright colored flowers. I can't say enough - it has to be seen by the human eye to be fully appreciated!

photo by Dennis Water

Saturday June 16th, 1990

Traveled up 10,000 feet into the Grindelwald Mountains. Hiked up even higher into the Swiss Alps. The skyride took us on a half-hour journey to the top of the mountains. It was even more beautiful than anything I had seen before. We were riding high above the pine treets, as the crystal streams poured down from the mountain's melting glaciers. It was so incredibly peaceful. It was the closest thing to heaven you could imagine. The air was so fresh and all I wanted to do was suck in the air and gaze into the panoramic mountains. No picture or movie can capture the awesome beauty of the mountain peaks - they were HUGE. I took a lunch tray and used it as a sled to slide down the mountainside - Sick! Cows were grazing up in the high ridges of the mountains - with cowbells. Real cowbells around their necks - like the kind you see in 70's funk bands, only they got their cowbells from these cows! When the heard of cows got together, it sounded like "Time" from Pink Floyd' "Dark Side of the Moon." All the cowebells were clanking at once.

photo by Wiki photo

Up that high, the air was very think and hard to breath. This was by far the most majestic, breath-taking days of my entire life. I don't think anything can match the view of these snow-capped peaks.

Sunday June 17, 1990

Took a boat ride on Lake Interlaken. This was also nice. Homes were scattered along the banks and up into to foothills surrounding the lake. We then hiked up into the mountains and took a tour into the St. Beatus Caves where they were inhabited way back in the sixth century. Great powerful waterfalls rushed through the interior of the mountainside. There were thousands of underground streams and passageways that were many kilometers deep and wide. Within the cave, the temperature never changed from 45 degrees - both winter and summer. The rocks were ice cold to the touch. The caves were stunning to look at, but I coudn't take any meaninful photos - not enough light. The rest of the day, we spent on the boat soaking up the sun. Finally, after 2 weeks of touring, we had glorious weather in the most glorious of destinations! Up at the top of the mountains, we had just been playing in the snow, and now were are on the lake and people are waterskiing. I LOVE Switzwerland! Next up... Geneva and the South of France.