We are in Switzerland, we have been here in Lauterbrunnen for a week and we are in no hurry to leave. After leaving Croatia we stopped a couple of nights back at Natterersee campsite in Austria and made the most of the amazing showers ( and Rudy had a much needed one too in the special dog shower room). And then after checking out the maps we decided if it was mountains and snow we wanted then where better than Switzerland?

So with John harping on about Clint Eastwood and The Eiger sanction I checked out the guidebooks and programmed up the Sat Nav in the hope we would end up in the right area! En route we stopped overnight in Liechenstein in a free car park at the football stadium, or so I thought until we tried to get out of the barrier in the morning and it wouldn't let us out. After checking another book I realised it was no longer open as a motorhome stop but after paying a small fee at the machine we got out. I see that the Prince of Liechenstein has been splashed all over the news here this week with something to do with banking so think he has bigger fish to fry. I cannot make head nor tail of why as the only TV we get is in German but from what I know he has been investigated for fraud and embezzlement in the past but nothing proved. I get the feeling that nothing will proved this time either!

When we reached Switzerland we stopped in a lovely little village called Engelberg. We were the only camper in the campsite! Not sure if that was down to the weather or the prices? They charged you extra for everything (showers, electric, rubbish disposal) but it was a really lovely area so we stuck around for a couple of nights and went on an 18 mile hike up through the valley to Surrenpass at 1800 metres.

Then with our appetites for the Swiss mountains whetted we set off in search of the Eiger! 3 hours later we found ourselves in Grindlewald with the North face of the Eiger looming above us. Wow, as you may have realised we have seen a lot of mountains on our travels but this area is something else!! With the deep valleys, alpine hillsides and towering mountains it really is jaw-dropping!! We were very disappointed to find that both the campsites in Grindlewald were closed, so headed for the nearest campsite I could find on the Sat Nav which was a few miles away. And that is how we found ourselves here in Lauterbrunnen at the JungFrau Holiday Park. We cannot believe our luck, this village is much nicer than Grindlewald and the campsite is fantastic. A stunning location, the best facilities we have seen (although showers cannot compare to Natterersee!) a lovely cozy pub (The Horner) just around the corner, and walking trails at every turn. We don't have a view of the Eiger from the campsite but discovered that once we got out and hiked up to the nearby mountain village of Murren the views of the Jungfrau mountain range, The Eiger (Ogre), Monch (Monk), and Jungfrau (Virgin), are spectacular.

We have spent the last few days hiking from 8 in the morning til 5 at night. Yesterday we hiked up to Obersteinberg at 1800 metres. This area is very secluded and remote with deep snow at the summit, the route up through the forest area was like a scene from Narnia. It was hard work through the snow and ice, but at the top we were rewarded with the site of an Ibex. We heard a strange screeching noise and didn't understand what it was, then we looked up and were totally awestruck to see him standing there. We expected him to bolt off but he didn't seem bothered about us at all and just stood staring at us and John had time to get the camera out and take some great pictures of him.

After all this hiking we are having a rest today as there has been heavy snow overnight and hasn't stopped yet today, and forecasts of - 17. Even Rudy who never seems to run out of energy seems glad of the rest. We know something is wrong when we pick up the lead and he lifts his head from his cozy bed as if to say 'you have got to be kidding me?".

You may be wondering if we are cold? Well it is most definitely cold here, but we are not really cold! We have all the gear we need to keep us warm. When we set off hiking wrapped up we feel a bit cold, but before you know it we are hot and de-layer and then re-layer if we stop for a break. In the van no problem..... the heaters we have are working a treat and our fleecy electric blanket is a dream. John has made some DIY insulation out of cardboard and foil for the skylights to stop heat escaping. I will post some pictures of that next time :)

After our first visit to our "local' The Horner pub, and chatting with an English lad we discovered that it is the hangout for the local and visiting base jumpers. Makes sense when you see that we are surrounded by 1000 metre vertical cliff faces. We have seen tons of para-gliders coming down form Murren at the top of the mountain and the helicopters stationed next to the campsite taking supplies up and down , but no base jumping yet much to John's dissapointment.

We have got chatting to the Maintenance man on the campsite ( Barry from Manchester) and "Baz" seems to be quickly becoming John's new best friend. He moved here 5 years ago after he lost his job and his house got repossessed. John has been grilling him for information about the area and work situation and I am getting worried that he is actually after poor old Baz's job and I may be leaving here on my own!!! Our supplies form our last Lidl stock up are dwindling away and after finding out from Barry that the nearest Lidl and major supermarkets are back up the valley to Interlaken we have decided to make do with what we have til we head away from here. I think that it could actually be sooner than I thought as Barry also let slip that there is a Hooters restaurant in Interlaken. I am thinking barbecue chicken wings and hot girls on rollerskates may be the only thing to lure John out of these mountains.........

Bye for now

Sarah, John & Rudy xxx