Bike Ride Around Mt. Gurten

I was anxious to get an early start this morning. The weather in Interlaken was supposed to be nice and I was eagerly looking forward to going back there. The last time we were in Interlaken it rained (see 5/17/08 post), so we never made it to the Jungfraujoch -- Europe's highest altitude railway station (3454 meters). On a nice day, the views from Jungfraujoch reportedly extend as far as the summits of the Vosges Mountains in France and the Black Forest in Germany. You can also visit the Aeltsch Glacer, which means year-round snow and skiing.

Unfortunately, Pam was not feeling that well and wanted to sleep in. Junfraujoch would have to wait for another day. But I was still restless. I decided to jump on the bike and go to Mt. Gurten by myself. At a mere 864 meters, Gurten doesn't offer the same views as Jungraujoch. But it is close to Bern and any views of Switzerland -- no matter how high up -- are still pretty amazing. I didn't actually peddle the bike up the mountain. I opted to save energy and take the train.  :)  That gave me more time to ride around taking pictures of Bern and the surrounding area. I saw a lot of grazing cows, a few meadows, and (of course) the beautiful countryside with the Alps off in the distance. Here are some pictures.

Pam called me from home just as I started to head back down. We decided to meet for a late brunch at a nice little restaurant along the Aare River not far from our apartment. We had both wanted to go there since we pass it all the time when we go running. I decided to take the long way down the mountain, which provided the opportunity to take more pictures of the Aare River, the running path, and the wooden bridge where we turn around during our runs. 

Unfortunately, I didn't realize the Frauenlauf was being held in Bern today. The Frauenlauf is an annual woman's race with almost 13,000 participants. It is conducted in several disciplines, including nordic walking (i.e., walking with ski poles). Using ski poles to walk looks a little odd to me, but I guess it is supposed to be great exercise if done properly. Anyway, I ended up trying to maneuver my bike through a stream of angry woman on my way back to the restaurant to meet Pam. I heard a lot of German being mumbled as I slowly meandered my way past the nordic walkers. It was not a lot of fun. I was a little fearful they would turn their ski poles on me! But alas, I made it safely to the restaurant where Pam had been waiting for me. We enjoyed a nice brunch. Then we headed back home to prepare for the start of another week.  Here are some more pictures.