Hiking - Tellenburg Castle and

 The weather was predicted to be foggy and rainy again so we decided to hike in the valley. we headed down to Frutigen to hike up to the Tellenburg castle. As it was Saturday we found a parking place in a factory just below the castle and hiked up the hill. The Castle is in ruins but has been renovated in some places such as the stairs. The stairs did give me the heebie-jeebies as they were narrow and steep, although there was a barrier railing. The views at the top need to climb all worth it. They were spectacular panoramic views on all sides of the castle. It was the typical Swiss countryside that you think of when you think of Switzerland - Chalets, mountains with snow, a winding river, Cowles, alpine pastures. after taking photos I headed back down the horrible stairs and this time was rewarded with cows at the backside of the castle. We hiked farther up the path and soon passed the shooting range. We found that interesting as they were shooting crossbows. It was starting to rain and we were happy to see that the path went under the train track and let us back towards our parking lot.

 From there we drove up the mountain the ways to Hangebrucke Hostalde. This bridge was built privately and it’s supposed to be one of the longest suspension bridges in Europe. It is 153 m long and 38 m above the river. It is supposed to be able to hold 100 people. For the second time in a day I felt the heebie-jeebies. I started off with baby steps, but realized I need a bigger steps to get across quicker And that’s what I did. On the other side of the bridge is a family run restaurant that owns the bridge. The restaurant is big enough to hold two long tables sitting 12 people together. There is already two hikers and a family inside and we join them at the table. We ordered a charcuterie board with 2 local meats, the thinnest sliced cheese we’ve ever seen and homemade bread along with Radlers. It was a delicious for lunch and so gemutlich! It was such a unique place for lunch and thoroughly enjoyable. We hiked back across the bridge and down to the water where we could look up at the bridge. Guess what, it still looked scary. 

We headed back to the lodge and after a while ventured into the village to find a bank machine. For the first time on the trip we need to exchange money because Switzerland only takes Swiss francs and not always a Visa card. Mission accomplished and then we headed to the Kandersteg Oktoberfest. It was a small tent, definitely a true Oktoberfest tent that brought back many memories. We each got a bratwurst, mine was a pretzel and Scotty’s with french fries. We ordered Franziskaner weiss biers and they were excellent. The two performers played the typical oompah music and we loved it.