While I’m by no means a creature of habit, there are a handful of things in this world which are worth repeating. And while we’re tryi
ng to see as many different places as possible while in Europe, if there’s one place I could return to every year, Gimmewald would be that place. Although it’s only a small swathe of maybe 30 wooden mountain houses, you never run out of things to see. Goats and calves eating grass inches from the town’s only street; water fountains cascading into hollowed-out logs; farmers working their fields by hand because the mountain is too steep to use machines. Mountain vistas, fresh alpine air. Did I mention cows? Swiss cows personify just about everything in the world that is awesome, rolled into the shape of a bovine. They rule.
ng to see as many different places as possible while in Europe, if there’s one place I could return to every year, Gimmewald would be that place. Although it’s only a small swathe of maybe 30 wooden mountain houses, you never run out of things to see. Goats and calves eating grass inches from the town’s only street; water fountains cascading into hollowed-out logs; farmers working their fields by hand because the mountain is too steep to use machines. Mountain vistas, fresh alpine air. Did I mention cows? Swiss cows personify just about everything in the world that is awesome, rolled into the shape of a bovine. They rule.My parents were still in town trying to get a feel for Switzerland, so I figured this would be the perfect place to take them. As luck would have it, we’re now considered regulars in Gimmewald, so we were able to get the hook-up and secured “the” hotel room with a balcony (only about three hotels in the town). This allowed us to sit for hours on the deck and stare at the mountains while smoking Cuban cigars - and while I’m not big on cigars by any means, I am big on sitting on decks staring at mountains, so it worked out well. The most stressful thing we encountered was trying to time the opening of the cheese hut in order to get some fresh mountain produce, something we were able to get around due to the fact we were a two-minute walk from the hut.
Of course, the main appeal of this area is the hiking. This time around, Soph a
nd I hiked through the forest to a waterfall, while my parents went to the top of the Schilthorn to see the majestic peaks the Bernese Oberland is known for. We also hiked the easy route from Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg, affording a great view of the Eiger’s North Face. The fun thing about the hiking here is that you can pretty much take off in any direction and end up with that “good hike” feeling. Sometimes you can take a half-hidden trail that will lead you to a small winter hut that farmers use, while signs will point you in the general direction of mountain restaurants that serve snacks and other homemade goods. Streams and pastures lie in every direction, so you can explore until you get tired of walking. And if you’re not up for walking, you can just sit around and enjoy the mountain air while sitting on the edge of a precipice - or in a meadow, if you’re not big on precipices.Definitely beats sitting in a cubicle.
Next weekend: Nice!
