| Switzerland, Flims to Andermatt to Raron
It's our driving day but L&J suggested we declare it a non-riding day because they didn't like any of the riding options for the day. No problem with us.
We jumped in the car about 8:30 and headed up through the mountains. We drove for miles through really beautiful mountains and really charming and quaint towns. We drove up switchback after switchback to get over Oberallpass at 2046 meters (a little over 7000 feet). There we met and traded stories with some tourists from Wisconsin.
The drive continued through more fantastically beautiful mountain valleys and small, interesting and unusual villages. Then we headed up many more switchbacks to get over Furkapass, elevation 2431 meters (over 8000 ft.)
We stopped there, had a cup of tea on a deck overlooking many mountains and several glaciers. We met Andy and Ursela, friends of Waltee (Walte and Anna from Switzerland). They were meeting Walte there at noon. Nice people!
They told us about a fantastic view from Grimselpass, just a few miles off our route. We convinced Larry and Joan to take the side trip for the recommended views.
Were we disappointed :-( The climb was quite a challenge -- steep and full of switchbacks -- but the magnificent views didn't materialize. I wonder if we're getting jaded from all the fantastic scenery we have been experiencing?
We stopped in the village of Muenster for lunch. We sat on a deck under umbrellas surrounded by spectacular views of the mountains, valleys and villages. BUT, Muenster did NOT have Muenster cheese -- but they DID have a wonderful baked sandwich with cheese, tomato, onion, eggs and ham.
Something unusual we see in every little town and village here in the Alps. That is, buildings made from lumber that is very dark and weathered looking. They are built from very heavy lumber that has interlocking notches -- much like Lincoln Logs -- and they look like they have been weathered for at least a hundred years, maybe two or three.
We continued on to Raron. Arrived about 4:30. Larry and I secured a room in the hotel right across the street from the TK&A campground. As luck would have it, the hotel was also serving the Odyssey dinner tonight, so we were right there.
Lisa was antsy from riding in the car all day, so we changed and went for a run. We ran along a river for about 30 minutes. Then we came to a very small crossroad that led to a town on the far side of the valley. We decided to jog over and see the town.
WHAT A FIND! The name was Niedergestln. We don't know anything about it, BUT . . . WAS IT INTERESTING!!
As we approached, an old woman wearing a housedress, rolled down stockings and a babushka came out of the field just in front of us. She was pushing an old two-wheeled cart. We followed her until she turned into a driveway of one of the few newer houses.
Most of the buildings seemed to be very old -- hundreds of years. But then there was a modern-looking bank squeezed right between them. And fairly new cars. We saw a man looking out a window of one of the very old buildings, who looked like he was 100 years old. Seemed somehow fitting. Right out of Norman Rockwell.
But then we saw a young guy who looked like he might have lived in Manhattan. Very strange mix of people.
There was a very old church on the hill over the city. And in the cemetary behind the church, which we thought was very old, the gravestones were all dated in the 1980s and 90s!
We've seen many old, charming towns in Europe, but this one was really different. Difficult to put into words. We're going back tomorrow with the camera!
We had a nice run along the river back to our hotel. We showered (in our room), toileted (down the hall), and went to dinner. After dinner we had a nice evening just reading our books.
Love to all,
David and Lisa
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