![\"Cabbage](\"https:\/\/www.jmcw.blog\/swissblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2012\/08\/DSCF0222.jpg\" "\\"Cabbage")
<\/a>Jon's Cabbage Patch Doll<\/p><\/div>\n
Gliding over the rolling hills, we passed classic Swiss scenery and paused in an ancient and amazingly serene rock church in Amsoldingen.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Difficult to show in a picture is the feeling of peace 'in your bones' that I experienced in this church in Amsoldingen.<\/p><\/div>\n
Then we rolled on down to Thun where the quiet ended.\u00a0 Thun was in festival mode.\u00a0 Streets were lined with booths and packed with people, amusement rides hard at work, and rock bands blaring as though they all wanted to be heard at the other end of the lake.\u00a0 We chose to leave Thun\u2019s castle for another day and followed the edge of the Thun See to Schloss Oberhofen (Schloss is German for palace, more than a home, less than a fortress, usually pretty elaborate \u00a0residence).<\/p>\n
<\/a>Schloss Oberhofen<\/p><\/div>\n
It was a beautiful day for a wedding\u2014we saw at least 3 in progress, including in the courtyard at Oberhofen.<\/p>\n
Our return route was more direct and that meant, unfortunately, quite a bit of time within earshot of the heavily trafficked A6 freeway.\u00a0 But we had clocked another 84 km on the bike and ticked off a few more Swiss sights.<\/p>\n
Sunday, ah, that will be peaceful, yes?\u00a0 Our friends picked us up at the all-too-early hour of 7:15.\u00a0 We drove (via the A6) back south beyond Thun to Engstligenalp where Jon risked life and limb to try Klettersteig (aka via ferrata).\u00a0 This is climbing with a harness along a permanently-installed cable line.\u00a0 I took the easy way up in a gondola.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Jon climbing on the Via Ferrata<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Edelweis 'in situ', spotted along the Via Ferrata<\/p><\/div>\n
I arrived at the top at 9:30. It was just me and maybe 6 other people in view in the whole meadow.\u00a0 After a short nap atop a hillock, I woke to see a line of people walking the trail, including quite a few in wheelchairs!\u00a0 Switzerland believes in access:\u00a0 this meadow includes 5 km of wheelchair-accessible trails so everyone<\/em>\u00a0can get their dose of Alpine air.\u00a0 Climbing down from my perch, I started hiking with the crowd, passing the two restaurants, one of which had live music.\u00a0 \u00a0It took walking almost an hour to the other side of the bowl to find \u2018quiet\u2019.\u00a0 There I could hear only the rippling streams and cowbells, the latter rather noisy in their own right.\u00a0 Jon and friends completed their climb and we pic-nic\u2019d by a cold mountain stream.<\/p>\n Picnic at Engstligenalp<\/p><\/div>\n Jon gets a cow close-up<\/p><\/div>\n We all walked down via the same path used by the cows when they come up in June for their summer pasturing.\u00a0 Please check out the video of the cow climb: http:\/\/www.adelboden.ch\/en\/page.cfm\/NewsEvents\/SommerEvents\/Alpaufzug<\/a><\/p>\n Amazing views on the 2 hour downhill climb from Engstligenalp<\/p><\/div>\n This path was not as steep as Jon\u2019s climb, but my toes still ache from being constantly pushed into my shoes!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Itinerary: Saturday: bike ride through peaceful farmland to Thun and back Sunday: hike an Alpine meadow with friends Sounds like a quiet weekend, getting in touch with nature?\u00a0 It certainly started that way.\u00a0 The route we planned to Thun was … Continue reading <\/a><\/a><\/a>