December 26-January 5

Wednesday December 26

We recovered from Christmas! Took MM to the train station early a.m. Then came home and rallied the troops to head into Bonn for the 2nd Christmas Day mass at the Bonn Münster church. I sang with the CityProjekt Chor, performing Mozart's Messe in C-moll which was interspersed with the traditional Catholic service. J sat with the girls and managed to keep them from climbing the pews but gave up trying to get GE from sitting on the prayer knee rests!
Afterwards, we at lunch at a restaurant in the pedestrian zone. On the way home ME stopped at her friends house and asked if she could come over to play & spend the night, so we added another girl to the troop!

Thursday December 27

After lunch ME's friend went home and I took the girls into Bonn to get ski goggles! Then a quiet evening and started my packing list.

Friday December 28

Cleaned house, packed. Got everything into 2 giant suitcases! Plus one bag of food stuff, a small cooler, the backpack and shopping Korb. Everyone to bed early...

Saturday December 29

On the road by 6. Hit a lot of traffic--many with ski racks! But had gorgeous weather. Watched the sun rise then stopped for our packed breakfast. Packed a lunch too, so we stopped only to eat, potty, and get gas.

Arrived in Lauterbrunnen around 2 p.m. to find nearly every parking lot full! Our landlord had said we could park near the church but that was full, so the hunt was on. A kind gentleman suggested a lot by a campground on the outskirts of town but that had a free shuttle. Bingo! Parked there, then as we waited for the shuttle saw them turn the sign at the entrance to "Besetzt" (full)! Whew! Got our train tickets for the cograil up the mountain, loaded up and began the ascent. Sun still shining on the peaks.

Waiting for the shuttle to the train station.

MK spotted this waterfall on the opposite valley wall. Probably fell a good 1/2 mile down!

Heading up in the cograil...

First views off the balcony of our vacation rental. Later figured out that the big peak towards the left is the Jungfrau! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungfrau

Looking back from the balcony into the master bedroom.

The peaks directly on the opposite side of the valley from the apartment.

Sunset!!

From the Wengen station we called a " taxi" to take us and luggage to the apartment.

After putting the bags in the apartment and taking a quick tour, we promptly turned around and walked back into town:
Visitors tax paid, CHECK.
Week's ski passes purchased, CHECK.
Skis, boots, helmets, poles sized and fitted, CHECK.
Storage spots reserved and gear stored for tomorrow, CHECK.
Signed up J, GE, and HR for ski classes, CHECK.
Groceries for the evening and next day, CHECK.
Walk back to the apartment for dinner. Whew!
Biggest draw back: a good 15 minute walk from the apt to the bunny slopes. 200 metres to another lift but one can only ski back here via an intermediate slope so it's not an option for the kids. The big girls are managing but the little ones get pretty tuckered out!

Everyone to bed early!

Sunday December 30

Out the door a little before 9. Ski lesson groups gathered at 9:30 so I helped the little girls get geared up and then to their class meeting point. The big girls got themselves ready and I hurried to get myself ready. J made it out on his own too. The two big girls and I got on the gondola lift up to Männlichen where there was a long blue trail down to another lift. Didn't realize that the bunny slopes where the ski classes were are also open for others and would have been a good warm up place for the big girls too. But as it turned out they pulled together and despite some scary spots (crossing steeper intermediate slopes in order to continue on the blue trail) they made it all the way down! Then the big lift back up and it was already time to head down to meet the little girls.

After lunch the two little girls crashed for naps (both have colds so were particulaly wiped). J had stayed longer on the bunny slopes to get some practice in so I waited at the apartment until he was back then headed back to ski some more on my own. Couldn't convince the big girls to come out again and decided not to push it. The morning had been quite adventure enough for one day! I had a nice couple of runs, finding my pace where I wasn't thinking so hard about the next turn but just sort of feeling the slope and the snow. Still kept to the blue slopes until I'm a little more sure of myself. Pretty awesome. Oh and did I mention the view? The main ski area is on the back side of the ridge above Lauterbrunnen and Wengen. The gondola from Wengen goes up to Männlichen from which point you look up to the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau peaks. Looking down in the opposite direction one can see the valley leading back to Interlacken. There are long waterfalls falling down the opposite side of the valley (Mürren). From Wengen we have the option of taking the cograil further up to Kleine Scheidegg or the gondola to Männlichen. There is another cluster of bunny slopes at Kleine Schleidegg so we will likely try that later this week. Weather is supposed to be clear again tomorrw but then some snow overnight and during the day Tues-Weds. New Years Day there are no lessons but the slopes and lifts are all open. Lifts close at 4:30 since there are no lights on the slopes, but that seems to be enough!

When I finished I stopped at the store for some more groceries. This time went to the one with free delivery and purchased enough to qualify for the service. When I got home ME was gone! She'd changed her mind and decided to try the bunny slopes on her own! Way to go, brave girl. She didn't get to do much since the slopes were closing but we cheered her for her gumption. Tomorrow I'll set MK and ME up on the three bunny slopes near the gondola and the ski classes then head back up to Männlichen on my own. We'll tackle that blue slope together again after they've practiced and gained more confidence. J is sorting out his own best learning/practicing strategies. Learning to ski when you're 6'2 and middle-aged is no easy task! He's taken his usual forward-or-nowhere attitude and is discussing game strategy (i.e. ski technique and ski school instructor's idiocies)!

Monday December 31

GE woke up with the stomach bug. So I stayed behind while J took HR to her class and went to his. ME and MK skied on their own at the practice slopes. When MK came home for lunch I went out and hit the slopes. Accidentally went down a red slope when I got off a different lift than I had used before. Discovered it wasn't too hard, so when I reached the end of that slope I took another red trail to a midpoint where I could pick up another gondola back to Männlichen. Great run! The big difference (aside from the astounding mountain peaks) in skiing here vs. somewhere in VA or WV is the ratio of time spent on a slope to the amount of time spent in line or on a lift. At home in VA you can ski a slope in a few minutes and stand in line for 10, ride the lift for another 5 and then ski down again in less than the time it took to get to the top! Here I ski for at least 20 minutes from the top to the lift and am back up in 10-15 minutes. More time skiing, less time waiting/riding. There are also many more options with splits off the main slopes through the woods and crisscrossing slopes with varying difficulties and technical challenges. Hardly needed to ski the same slopes more than once or twice since there were so many options!

Picked up some groceries on the way home in the afternoon. GE recovered quickly and was able to keep food down by afternoon. It was New's Eve but we didn't do anything special. In fact we were so tired we all went to bed and slept through the "Rutsch" (slide) into the NewYear! Woke to hear a lot of fireworks going off at midnight but then rolled over and went back to sleep.

New Year's Day (Tuesday)

The slopes were empty! Everyone else was sleeping off their hangovers! Clouds moved in. Snow in the forecast for tonight. There were no group classes so we all took the gondola up to Männlichen and ME and I skied the blue 6 and the easy red extension I had discovered the day before. J stayed with the little girls on the baby bunny slopes and MK practiced on the plate-lift bunny slope. At lunch I took the little girls back and J stayed to ski a bit more.

Wednesday January 2

Everyone healthy and in class again. Fresh snow too! J's class was headed up the cograil so after dropping off the little girls, MK and ME and I hopped on the same train and got off at the same stop. We took the same blue slope as J's class but did a section in the  middle with a T-lift several times before continuing down into Wengen (this slope skies right into town and comes out next to the ski school slopes). Great run through the woods with a few challenging spots but not too overwhelming. MK and ME agreed to take the little girls home and I went back up with J to ski the same stretch again! He wanted to solidify his new skills. I was able to pass on some more tips from my own experience and he did a great job--only a few falls and generally staying in control. Woohoo!

Looking up the hill from the apartment's front door.

Locked and loaded for skiing in the fresh snow!

The creek we crossed going to and from town.

Looking down into the main part of Wengen on the walk into town.

Looking up from Wengen to the Männlichen gondola station (little tiny black box with the pole sticking up). While riding up/down you can sometimes spot the mountain chamois (Gaemse in German) grazing on the steep slope below. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupicapra_rupicapra

The gondola lift to Männlichen. There were two so that one was always leaving and one coming. 70 people would be allowed onto the platform and then squashed sardine-style into the car for the trip up. The ride down was never crowded.

  
Thursday January 3

Little girls back to ski school, J too. His class took the train to Kleine Scheidegg this time and skiied a long blue slope down the back side of the ridge toward Grindelwald. MK and ME and I took the cograil to the same stop as Weds but took a different slope down into the valley to catch another chair lift up to the Eigernordwand then a technical blue slope (easy but with more techical difficulties, i.e. steeper hills but still smooth and wide) down to another lift which took us up to Kleine Scheidegg. From there we skiied the upper part of the same blue we had skiied on Weds, eventually coming out in Wengen again. Big girls are getting more confident and faster so the whole thing only took us as long as what we had done the day before! Everyone said it was the best skiing day so far. After lunch I took the train up to Kleine Scheidegg again but this time with my camera! (Too afraid of damaging my camera to bring it along skiing--I do wipe out every once in a while!) Too bad the clouds had rolled in again! The peaks had been stunning in the morning. Oh well.

The cograil to Kleine Scheidegg.

Wengen train station.

Riding the cograil up to Kleine Scheidegg.

Part of the blue slope leading back into Wengen. We all skied this at least once or twice. You can just make out the Jungfrau in the fog at the top of the picture.

Looking back down at Wengen and the Lauterbrunnental in the background.

More of the blue slope (36) from Kleine Scheidegg down to Wengen.

The train stop at Kleine Scheidegg. From here one can take another cograil up to the Jungfraujoch "Top of Europe" or a cograil down the other side of the ridge towards Grindelwald. Too bad the clouds and snow had moved in since earlier this morning there were stunning views of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau peaks where now it's all white!

We made reservations for Raclette at a restaurant in town for dinner. The kids didn't think they were going to like it because the cheese was so stinky but when it came, they said it was really delicious! Traditional sides with the cheese: pickled onions, marinated cherry tomatoes, pickles, and boiled potatoes. How do combinations like that get started?! Topped the meal off with "Chocolat Fondant". Just one so we all had about 4 little bites. Yum!

Friday December 4

Wow, last day! HR and GE had a race at the end of their class time. J, MK, ME, and I took the gondola up to Männlichen and had time for two runs: ME and I skied the blue 6 that we had done before. MK and J stayed at the plate-lift bunny slope and perfected their turns. When ME and I got back to the top, MK joined us for another run down the 6. Then it was time to head down to see HR and GE in their races. HR got first place and a gold medal! GE got third and a bronze! What fun souvenirs for them. They were pretty tickled. HR's teacher said she thought HR could handle a blue slope so J took everyone else home and HR and I took the cograil to Kleine Scheidegg to take the long blue down to Wengen. Unfortunately the clouds had brought some rain and warmer temps so the snow got worse as we got closer to town. Plus HR was pretty wigged by a couple of the steeper slopes even though I let her ski those between my legs, so we stopped at one of the train stops part of the way down and took the train the rest of the way to town. She was pretty happy about ending her week on a real slope though! We returned all the rental gear and then went "home" to clean out the fridge for supper... Doing the wash here (there's a dryer!) so we can head home tomorrow with suitcases full of clean clothes. Feeling very thankful for this experience. J is thrilled with his new skill and the girls loved the skiing and I got to fulfill a dream of returning to ski in Switzerland some day. Win for all! :)

Last day!

The Jungfrau in the morning light.

GE getting ready.. set..

GO!

 

Finish line!

HR making a grumpy face. She's up next!

Go HR! No help from the teacher for this girl!

Finish line!

Awards "ceremony". GE gets her medal.

HR gets first place!

Check out that grin!

MK coming down (teal and brown coat on the right).

MK

MK finishing the slope. (GE in the purple coat in the foreground.)

Looking up the valley towards the Jungfrau (center, hidden in the clouds).

Looking up from Wengen at the Männlichen ridge. Gondola cables visible on the left.

ME at the top of the plate-lift slope in the center of Wengen.

ME coming down! (teal and brown coat)

Proud of her medals! One for completing the beginner level and one for winning the race.

Saturday December 5

We packed up, cleaned up, and were out of the apartment at 10. Ordered a "taxi" to take our things back to the train station and got the train to Lauterbrunnen. I raided the grocery store one last time and used nearly all of my Swiss Franc coins up for food for the drive home. Retrieved the car without a hitch and were soon on the road. We stopped around noon for a picnic along the Thunersee before passing into Germany again.  Much less traffic in this direction, so we made decent time. The kids slept a lot and were generally pretty chipper about the drive back.

Last shot of the Jungfrau from the train station in Wengen.

Waiting for the train back to Lauterbrunnen.

Sunday December 6

Slept late, then started to unpack. After lunch I took the rental car back to the airport. The girls were happy to be home--playing elaborate games and make-believe with each other with very few spats (always a good sign). School starts again tomorrow, so everyone went to bed at 8. GE fell asleep before I'd finished the chapter I was reading aloud! Tomorrow she'll go to Kindergarten again and I'll get back in my daily shopping routine...