17-October was sponsored by the letter "C".  The day began with a trip to Le Gruyère and a tour of their cheese factory.  While I have no pictures it was very impressive to watch the cheese-makers do their work and to see and hear all about the process that goes into making this world-renowned treat.

Next stop was The Castle of Gruyères.  

 For those cold rainy days, this is a medieval seat warmer : ) 

Had to take a pic of this, it is a mermaid thing with antlers... no clue whatsoever!

The original swiss army cannon!!!

We took a side trip to Murten on the way home.  Murten boasts the only intact town wall in Switzerland that you can walk around. 

Lovely fall colors:

Early in the morning on 11-October I hopped in the car with the Olson family for my first trip to the Alps.  Our first stop was Trümmelbachfälle.  10 glacier waterfalls cascade through the mountain, the sound at times was deafening, the views were spectacular.  Here are a few pics:  

After the falls we took a cable car up to Grütschalp and began our hike of the Mountain View trail.  The conditions were to be favourable for great views of the Alps, our patience was to be tested this morning as it was a couple of hours into the hike before we saw a break in the clouds.

But a break in the clouds did come and at last the Alps began to reveal themselves.  I have a friend who commented about the price of things in Switzerland and said that the the saying for Switzerland should be something along the lines of "we can charge whatever we want, we have the Alps".  After these views I have to say I agree with her.

From left to right: Eiger (3970 meters), Mönch (4107 meters), Jungfrau (4158 meters)

There are companies that offer para-gliding tours, needless to say my bucket list has a new entry!

To see the entire Alps photo album click this link, you won't be disappointed!

Shannon Alp Pics

Seeing the sights

One of the trips I was able to go on was a staff train trip to Freiburg. From the staff members who acted as tour guides I learned that at almost 900 years old Freiburg is one of the youngest cities in Germany.  

This is the old city gate:

Not sure how to feel about this one:

Out front of the old government house:

Freiburg Muenster Medieval Cathedral:

5 Euro Schnitzel night at Alpinblick.  Every Wednesday night is 5 Euro schnitzel night at Alpinblick restaurant.  This is the view off the back patio and it is rumoured on a clear day you can see the alps. 

Sights in Kandern:  Sunset near the monument.

Overlooking Kandern from the Monument (WWI and WWII).