Eiger

It was a different visit to Switzerland this time.In many ways it was a first.It was for the first time that I slept on the hay,first time that I visited a cave,and first time that I scaled a mountain !

Yes I was out hiking in the Swiss Alps.I slept in the hay and not some luxury hotel and surprisingly everything was so easy to fall in love with.I was right below the grand Eiger, and the very next day I decided to walk towards my destination.It was a great hiking experience.I walked almost 10 kms and a steep climb to top it all.Sometimes I even carried the little hiker on my back ! (ouchh it still hurts!)
The journey back from the Kleine Scheidegg in the mountain train was extremely beautiful to say the least.

First time in my life I saw Stalagmite caves and walked inside a cave with the thousands of streams flowing around me ! It was eerie at the first thought but once inside ,I could have easily stayted back to explore...
From the entrance of the caves was a breathtaking view of the Thunersee...the Lake which is around 16Kms and connects the cities of Thun and Interlaken.

Grindelwald was as always a typical tourist place until your head was held high.The sight could easily humble you in ways more than one.The city is surrounded by huge mountains on all the sides,and this is the place from where the Jungfrau train takes the steep climb up to the highest point in the mighty Jungfrau glacier in the mountains above !

Sleeping in the hay with Mrs Wyss's cattle was another out-of-the-world adventure.To top it all, the early morning breakfast which she served us was better than what one would normally get at the best hotels.Experiencing the Suise hospitality at its best was the best feature of this trip.Hotels are formal, but staying with the family in the countryside made it all the more worthwhile.

If you are caught up in the usual circus of being a tourist you can never really get to see Switzerland in the way you could remember it all through your life.It is always better to roam as a backpacker and voila ...you can easily see through the little things that make up the country which is one of the richest and easily the most beautiful.

The Bernes Oberland was breathtaking and now my next trip to Suisse will be to hike across the Jungfrau summit ! and yes I will sleep in the hay, and I will go as a backpacker again.