The Alps

Our second walk in the Alps was more difficult and also more spectacular. Dora decided to take on to Murgtal and do a 5 hours and 45 minutes walk in stunning surrounds. The walk was mostly on a marked route and here we came face to face with the Swiss grading system which Dora explained to us. A yellow sign with black writing says " I am an easy walk all the way and I am suitable for beginners. Our walk was white/red/white . These walks still follow walking trails but a moderate amount of fitness is required.


The next level is white/blue/white and this walk indicates a heavy walk with some scrambling required. On these walks you may also come across signs that instruct the walker to tie on, which means that you must use ropes. In Switzerland if you disobey this rule and something happens to you during your free climb, you will be given a hefty fine to pay. We usually do the heavy walks with some scrambling required in Australia but unfortunately we will not be able to this in Switzerland as the peaks are still covered in a layer of snow, making it to dangerous to attempt.

We were a little disappointed but our walk was an incredible experience. We decided to walk to one of the many mountain huts and have lunch there. Dora translated the menu to the best of her ability and I decided to settle for the local dish, Alpen makaronen. Gary and Dora both ordered the Rosti hit Spiegelei. Dora and I ordered a beer and waited for our order to arrive. Well when lunch was finally served I decided that my lunch looked an awful lot like Macaroni Cheese.


After the first bite I could positively say that Macaroni Cheese is a Swiss dish. The one served here was delicious. After lunch we decided to climb higher and soon we found ourselves in a layer of snow. Dora and I started foot skiing and sliding down the hills on our bottoms. Both of us was wearing a pair of shorts and soon our legs were freezing. We did not care but Gary informed us that he would never take us on a serious hike as he could not predict what would happen.

We looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders because we did not really care and started to throw snowballs to Gary. Gary absolutely hates the cold and snow but that afternoon he suggested that we return to Europe for a 12 month period so we could experience this wonderland fully covered in a good layer of snow. I have always wanted to go skiing and who knows, I might just take him up on that one day.