An Unplanned Vacation

View of the Alps : Schilthorn, CH

Recently, work has been, shall we say, bureaucratic, so we decided to take a few days and get away to the Alps. Friend and colleague Mary C. was in town from Atlanta. She and her husband used to live in Oxford, UK, but had never been to the Alps before. We rang up Mary and asked her if she'd like to join us today as long as she was willing to ride the train back to Geneva at the end of the evening. She enthusiastically said, "Yes!" So, off we went. Here are a couple of pictures taken from the top of the Schilthorn--10,000 ft above sea level!

Alpine flora : Schilthorn, CH

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/11

The Alps a la Apple

 The Monch and a Paraglider : Mürren, CH

We took Sheryl to Lauterbrunnen and rode the Luftseilbahn to the top of the Schilthorn. Afterwards, we rode the 'bahn back down to Mürren and enjoyed watching the paragliders and eating rosti with Raclette cheese! I've already shot albums-full of pictures in this area, so I mostly left the camera in my bag and used my Apple iPod Touch instead.

The view from Piz Gloria : Schilthorn, CH

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/11

Blick vom Schilthorn

9,744 : Schilthorn/Piz Gloria, CH

As I mentioned a few days ago, the Schilthorn stands more than 9,700 ft (2,900 m) above sea level. The day was rather hazy and I forgot to use my polarizing filter. While there was some lovely layering among the mountains, Piz Gloria closes at 6:00 p.m., so we weren't able to stay on for sunset. Hopefully we'll be making a return trip in November and that will afford us some spectacular early evening views. To see more pictures of the panoramic view of the Jungfrau-Aletsch mountains in the Bernese Alps, visit my Picasa Web Album.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/10

Telecabine auf den Schilthorn...

Taking the telecabine from Stechelberg to Schilthorn : Lauterbrunnen Valley, CH

While we were in the Lauterbrunnen valley, we decided to take the telecabine up to the top of the Schilthorn. This mountain featured prominently in the 1968 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service. To get to the top, you can take a telecabine from Stechelberg (3,024 ft / 922 m) to Mürren (5,412 ft / 1,650 m). You transfer to another telecabine from Mürren to Birg (8,783 ft / 2,677 m) and from that to another that carries you from Birg to Schilthorn (9,744 ft / 2,970 m). The entire trip, including transfers, takes approximately 32 minutes.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/10