We stayed two nights in Wilderswil, which gave us a full day to explore the Alps.  They are gorgeous!!  We stayed at a small rustic lodge right at the base of a beautiful valley.  There was a creek just outside our window, and we enjoyed hearing it rushing.  The day we arrived, it was clear, and then the clouds rolled in during the night.  And of course, the clouds cleared up again the day we left.

From there we walked to a funicular that took us up to Allmendhubel.  Then we hiked for four and a half hours, about six miles, around and back down to Gimmelwald.

As mentioned, the clouds had rolled in during the night.  It did not rain on us too much during our long hike, but the peaks were usually obscured.  It was wonderful, so beautiful and fun, to hike through the world famous Alps.  The scenery was magnificent, both the large and the small.

We drove up the valley to Stechelberg and then took a cable car up the mountain to a small town called Gimmelwald.  We walked around that town a bit in the rain before we got back on the cable car, second section, to ride up to Murren.

We passed many summer farms.  The farmers herd their cattle up here when the snows have retreated.  During this move, the cows wear huge ornamental bells, some of which can cost a farmer an entire year's earnings.  The bells are then placed outside the alphouse, and the cows wear their regular bells.  We were fortunate enough to be back in town that evening when a small herd was being moved along the main street in town.  It was so fun to watch the cattle with their huge bells.

I so enjoyed the sound of the bells on the cows we passed, that I actually purchased one to bring home.  I bought a keychain with a small bell and hung it on our pack as we hiked that day, and then later I bought a regular sized bell that actually used to be worn by a cow in the Alps.  A cute and sweet sounding souvenir.

All in all, our stay in Wilderswil, Switzerland was amazing.  It is my favorite part of the trip, and I would very much like to get back there for a longer stay.

That evening, we sampled a couple of items at a local restaurant:  cheese fondue and raclette.  Johnny and I fully agreed that the cheese used in the fondue was the absolute worst tasting thing we had on our entire trip.  The raclette was pretty good, and it also included cheese.

Our trail wound along and down the mountains from Allmendhubel back to Gimmelwald, where we caught the cable car back to our car.  The trail was mostly downhill, and it was fairly well maintained.  At one point, the trail goes BEHIND the Sprutz Waterfall, which was very much fun.  Of course, we had to stop along the way a couple times to enjoy a snack and the scenery.