It is certainly no Narnia and there wasn't a White Rabbit anywhere to be seen as we ploughed through the prairie landscape of northern France with homogenised efficiency on the autobahns. Six hours from Calais and eventually the much anticipated fairy tale started to unfold as we left behind the vast fields of maize and the acres of dejected looking sunflowers, until so recently the party animals of the agricultural world, tilting their optimistic faces towards the August sun, but now with the imminent prospect of inevitable harvest, standing like so many rows of condemned men awaiting sentence, their heads bowed in silence. Finally we can exit the autobahn and slowly ascend, the crops giving way to lush green meadows dotted with cows and horses. Once we reached Pontellier, the sleeting rain of the day gave way to a secretive mist, but we could still make out charming steep-roofed farmhouses and wonderfully unspoilt wooden barns. The winding road climbed its way through forests and tiny farms, each with the prerequisite herd of picture perfect dairy cows and a couple of horses, and a froth of summer flowers at every windowcill.
After eight hours we finally decended into Neuchatel, on the north western shore of Lake Neuchatel, to break our journey for the night. References to Neuchatel go back as far as 993 and 1032, and apart from its beautiful lakeside setting, Neuchatel has an enchanting Medieval heart. Our hotel was lakeside, where we both slept like babes after a long day in the car, but we were able to enjoy exploring the old town this morning before setting off for Grindelwald.
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| Modern and medieval - a view of the Cloisters at Neuchatel |
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| The Banneret Fountain in Neuchatel dated 1581 |
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| A warm up for the mountains? |
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| The Place des Halles, Neuchatel |
Rather by accident than design we reach Grindelwald by a combination of "D" roads and autobahn, the rich soil around Neuchatel full of market gardens which finally give way to the most charming farmhouses and fields dotted with dairy herds as we ascend once again. The houses are remarkable, in that they are home, hay barn and cattle barn combined under one roof, which strikes me as a remarkably sensible arrangement. The Swiss are obviously extremely house-proud, and even the simplest farm house is adorned with billowy windowboxes and everything is immaculate. Not a mucky farmyard in sight!
Wooden chalets begin to take the place of farmhouses as the enticing Grindelwald grows ever closer, which is where we leave the car and begin our hike. Grindelwald is situated at the foot of the three world famous mountains, the Eiger, Moench and Jungfrau. These great mountains, the names of which are synonymous with acts of great courage and the scenes of astounding human triumphs as well as terrible tragedies, are finally a reality.Tomorrow we will have a "warm up" six hour hike to the Schynighe Platte, returning by train to spend one final night in Grindelvald before the hike "proper" starts on Saturday.
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| Mountain country at last - Grindevald - the start of our hike |
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