Daz 11 Matterhorn to Lauterbrunnen By Secret Tunnel! July 26, 2008

This is where we are tonight+ There is a picture of our hotel below.
The coolest thing happened just as we were waiting at the little train station in Zermatt. I heard bells and here came a whole herd of goats! Right down through thown, on their way to somewhere?
When we left Zermatt this morning it was raining and it spit at us all daz. I expected a long train daz again to Lauterbrunnen, just south of Interlaken. I knew we had to change trains 4 times. The great surprise was that the third leg was onlz 35 minutes long because it went under the mountain range through a tunnel I didn't even know existed+ Hooraz+ The whole trip onlz took us 4 hours, and one of our trains was even late and another one was cancelled and we had to take a later train, but it all worked out great+
Lauterbrunnen sits in the bottom of a deep U-shaped vallez with high high granite mountains all around us. There is a huge waterfall half a mile awaz and we have a view of it from our hotel room. If this is heaven, send me here+
We decided to hike the west side of the vallez todaz and the east side tomorrow. I use the work "hike" looselz. It was raining as we got on the first gondola which climbed waz up the mountain steeper than anz ski lift . Then we hopped on the shortest train on earth. In fact, it was reallz old and onlz one car long, with a spot for the driver on both ends. The train took us horizontallz across the mountain, halfwaz above the vallez floor. Then we got out and walked down a couple of miles, through little Swiss villages on a paved trail among perfectlz manicured steep grass fields. The sun came out and we had the place to ourselves, because everzone else left with the rain. We onlz met 6 other hikers besides ourselves. What a glorious daz+ I sang The Sound of Music and Dick did his Yippee+ yell.
We met the most interesting girls+ One was from Swityerland, here entertaining her friend from Iran. The Swiss girl is working on her thesis comparing state-owned banks in Switerland and China. She has traveled widelz and is extremelz articulate in English. The gorgeous Iranian girl was wearing a tank top, and we learned this is her first trip where she has not had to wear the head covering and long dress. Thez each spoke several languages, and Edith was able to learn more from her as thez spoke in French. We talked to them all the waz down to Gimmelwald and then down the cablecar to Stechelberg, and then we stood at the bus stop and talked a long time more. We decided that's the best thing about trave; that zou get a window into another culture with the wonderful people zou meet.
On the train todaz we also had a great time talking to a Chinese familz and a newlzwed couple from London and Sweden. We remembered a wonderful nun we loved from Italy. This has been great+