Unberella Day

Saturday, September 29, 2012

We awoke to wet pavement walkways through town this morning.  Our plan for today was to ride the cable car up to Murren then head south up behind the station and up out of town on the North Face Trail.

A view from our rest stop today

There was fog at certain levels today and we passed through one such layer on our way up to Murren but stepping out of the cable car station it had started to spritz so we went for cover and donned our almost full length rain coats.  With the fog at certain levels, our view of the valley floor was blocked but the snow capped mountains were still visible.

Always something new around the corner

 It was a steep climb and after a couple rest stops and a bit further climbing, we noticed the air was thinner so abandoned our planned climb and made our slow descent to the Murren cable car station.  Following a brief rest, we decided to walk through town to the north side looking in a few stores as we went.  We met a very nice Malaysian couple, he a retired English teacher and stopped to share travel stories.  What started the conversation was - he was walking with an open Rick Steves Switzerland Travel Guide and was trying to figure out where he was.  We talked for perhaps 30 minutes - we meet the nicest people in these places.

Cows with bells followed us up higher.

At the Murren Cable Car Station we had seen a flyer on the bulletin board announcing a Cheese Festival in Steckelberg for today so with umberellas and back packs we decided to head down to the valley floor where we had left our car several days ago.  The festival was advertized as a place where the high Alpine summer farmers get together and share or divide up the cheese made up there over the summer.

Had to wander down this path.

The North Face Trail above Murren

The Alpine village of Murren from North Face Trail

It happened to be in the parking lot right there - guess they know where to plant these occasions to catch the most visitors.  Numbers of farmer families had tents set up where they were letting the public test taste the cheeses and meats they had made.

Forget the calories

The gismos that heats the cheese

Then just spread the hot cheese on the thick slice of bread

Not only cheese was being sold but salami type meats as well as wines and breads.  One enterprising fellow had a line up at his booth - he had a gismo that held a half circle of the cheese on end and a heater above that slid over the block of cheese and melted it a bit on top. Then he would take a thick slice of bread and with a large knife, spread the warm cheese about an inch thick on the bread, cut it in half and sell it to anyone wanting such.  We think he was using the same brand of cheese as we threw out a week ago due to the unpleasant "aroma" - added to that smell was the slightly toasted or burned cheese.  These  two elements - the cheese smell and the burned smell was what was creating all the attraction - not for us though.

The Steckelberg Apline Cheese Festival

 I know we were chickens for not trying it - we will probably never have that opportunity again.  We did buy another fellow's cheese and someone else's salami which will serve as supper tonight.

Beside the Steckelberg cable station there is the fast flowing Weisse Lutchme River from melting glacier water in the surrounding mountains.

She came over to investigate - good thing the fence was there

Our walk beside the river

We walked the pathway beside the river for several km north before turning and re-tracing our steps back to the Steckelberg Station.  At one booth we got coffees and sat in our car and enjoyed the warmth and shelter from the rain.






Back up here in Gimmelwald we are completely fogged in - hope it clears by morning or we will be walking the street tomorrow with no where to go and not much to see.

Steckelberg, Switzerland