Today our wonderful host took us for a hike in the Swiss mountains near the village where he grew up and his family still lives. The name of the peak, Mittaggüpfi, literally translates to ‘Midday point’ as the peak was a half way point where people would stop for lunch.
Wendelin promised an easy, short walk in the mountains but I can safely say this was by far much more difficult than any of the hiking I have done in Victoria in my teens. We had nothing to fear though as our guide and his younger brother have walked this mountain all their lives.
At the peak a bunker that was used to watch the German border during WWII remains and now contains a guestbook that we signed. If you look at the bigger version of the photo above you will see a house in the middle. Our car is a small dot on the road to the left. Looking behind you can see the snow capped Swiss Alps and Mount Pilatus overlooking the town of Lucerne. This mountain is a big tourist attraction and it is believed by some to be where Pontius Pilate was buried.
I was a little concerned as we started our descent as my knees had locked up a bit in the cold gusting wind while we had lunch. They warmed up again though and we made it back to enjoy a cool drink with Wendelin and his family
– Simon
