Weekend in Gimmelwald

Kevin takes a seat at the outdoor bar of the Gimmelwald Youth Hostel
Does this count as hiking in the Alps??

This stream here looks like a perfect place....

.....to take a break and cool off a beer.

Matt and Ian take a view stop on the trail

The last weekend in May we were fortunate enough to spend with our friends from Chicago, Kevin and Ian. We woke up early on Saturday morning to take a train, bus, and gondola to reach our destination of the Gimmelwald Youth Hostel. This was our launch point for hiking in the area.
Our first hike led us up to the town of Mürren. We stopped in the the grocery store there to pick up some croissants, cheese, beer, and chocolate. We continued up the mountain with our bag of goodies and found just the right place to stop and take in the view. We stuck our bottles of beer in the ice cold stream to cool them down as we munched on our snacks.
The hostel was brimming with activity by the time we returned that evening. Young and old alike gathered at the bar to share in a beer while we pulled up at a table and ordered some pizza. The rain, which had been drizzling on and off for most of the afternoon, picked up intensity as the night wore on. We drank wine brought from Zürich and contemplated getting in the outdoor hot tub (though we never did) as we watched the rain. Later we bunked down in the snug 16 person dorm.
The next morning we hiked a different path that led us on a beautiful path underneath a waterfall. We took a coffee break at a hut that didn't amount to much more then the back room of a Swiss family's kitchen. Part of the charm of hiking in the Alps is you can be on a remote trail and still come across little huts serving coffee, beer, and sandwiches.
We made one last stop at Trümmelbach Falls before heading back to Zürich. We spent about an hour seeing how 20,000 litres of water per second have carved a series of 10 waterfalls inside the mountain at the base of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau.
We had fun hanging out with Kevin and Ian in the Alps as well as Zürich. Any guest that arrives with beer straight from Belgium is welcome back anytime!