Today Juerg took us to the top of a mountain in the Alps. It was at an estimated 2,340 meters or 7,000 feet above sea level.  We were so high up we were actually in a cloud. In case you didn’t know, that’s pretty high.

The day started at 9 am where we had breakfast with Juerg and his parents. We had their coffee and yogurt as shown in the picture. The family has this dog named Deboer (I think) that is a large black lab with an even bigger personality.  He begs everyone to give him food. Here, he is begging Juerg’s dad for some Swiss cheese. The cheese is just that good.



Next, we were off to climb the mountain. Before this, I was mentally preparing to make sure I don’t make a fool out of myself by not keeping up with Juerg or be out of breath. Let me tell you, I did both.

The drive up was a bit scary but I got used to it. We were driving an older Jeep with stick shift on gravel roads wide enough for just one car. The type of thing you always see in the movies. If you do happen to cross someone on this road, the person heading down the mountain has to go in reverse until they can back up into a wider part of the road while the guy heading up the mountain drove right on through. During the climb we saw a ton of waterfalls from the snowmelt higher up and aquifers within the mountain. So pretty!



Also, on the way up was a castle. Yep, a real one. Built in the 12th century, this castle was falling apart and had some restoration done to prevent it from crumbling and killing people down the mountain. Here are a bunch of pictures.


We continued on until we got to the farthest we could drive on this mountain. This was at 1,900 meters. At 1,700 meters was the milk parlor for all the cows that are sent up to the Alps in the summer. We climbed by foot to the peak at 2,200 meters. This is the height where the trees stop growing because the air is so thin with a lack of oxygen. This is also the place where Elizabeth is huffing and puffing because my lungs are empty. After 2 minutes I was fine. I’m such a princess.

We were able to climb the mountain on its cow-made steps from past grazing seasons.  Also on the mountainside were gophers/beavers/prairie dogs (Juerg was a bit confused with his English and resorted to a demonstration), mountain goats, and lots of moss. It was a gorgeous landscape.


Once we got to a good spot, we stopped and had a little picnic with sandwiches, apple mineral water, and wine. We then played with throwing rocks down the mountain and yodeling. Like I said, we have the best host ever.


After that, we talked for hours about anything and everything. I then fell asleep on the mountain for about a half hour. Just my speed: food, wine, friends, mountains, and a nap.



Here are my plethora of pictures of this unforgettable and life changing view. Seeing something so beautiful makes you know that there is a God who is greater than we think. We could actually see Juerg’s farm and his dad plowing because the view was so clear! We could even see Austria to our left and behind the mountains. Sarah, I thought of you and the girls with Sound of Music.




After four hours of this adventure, we decided the half an hour trip home. I returned to find that I am extremely sun burnt (again) and hungry yet again. The dinner was the best yet with carrots in a butter onion sauce, fried potatoes, and local sausage.  I loved it so much I hovered over it and it was gone in 5 minutes flat (nothing new.) I was left with a constant smile on my face. This was one of the best days of my life ☺