Heather Lucier Stanley

For lunch, several in the group descended to Mürren to eat at the Hotel Alpenruh Restaurant. The food was excellent. I had a small bowl of lentil soup with goat cheese for 12 American dollars. The food in Switzerland is expensive; on the mountain, it is even more expensive. One person in the group ordered more food than she could eat and shared her hearty traditionally Swiss meal with those of us who had only ordered soup.

This restaurant does not take credit cards; if you go, bring Swiss Francs with you.

The purpose of my trip to Switzerland was to visit many hotels and ski areas in Grindelwald, Wengen, and Interlaken to propose to Austin Skiers a ski trip for the 2012-2013 ski season. Holidaze sponsored the familiarity (FAM) trip.

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During my time in Switzerland, I saw many majestic mountains. On top of the Schilthorn, I was cold. The view was spectacular and peaceful. I have learned that starring at beautiful scenery is calming.

I appreciate the escape from the hustle and bustle of the 21st century. I know this is why I like to find remote areas at ski resorts to ski. Alan and I find ski runs where we are the only people: nature surrounds us. I imagine skiing in Switzerland would have a lot of that type of skiing. There is so much to ski.

The purpose of my trip to Switzerland was to visit many hotels and ski areas in Grindelwald, Wengen, and Interlaken to propose to Austin Skiers a ski trip for the 2012-2013 ski season. Holidaze sponsored the familiarity (FAM) trip.

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In 1969 George Lazenby played James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service; it was his only appearance as James Bond. Scenes from the film were shot at The Schilthorn. The original restaurant was deliberately blown up during movie shooting and the explosion is captured in the film. The new restaurant was constructed shortly thereafter.

Our group saw a short film that showed scenes from the original movie. I enjoyed the high speed skiing scenes the best.

The purpose of my trip to Switzerland was to visit many hotels and ski areas in Grindelwald, Wengen, and Interlaken to propose to Austin Skiers a ski trip for the 2012-2013 ski season. Holidaze sponsored the familiarity (FAM) trip.

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The fourth and final cable car. We made it to Schilthorn. When there is more snow, people can ski from the top.

The purpose of my trip to Switzerland was to visit many hotels and ski areas in Grindelwald, Wengen, and Interlaken to propose to Austin Skiers a ski trip for the 2012-2013 ski season. Holidaze sponsored the familiarity (FAM) trip.

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Now it started looking like a James Bond movie. I thought about skiing and how fun it would be to ski this area. I felt calm. The cable car did not sway. I realized I am not afraid of heights when I am inside a container high in the sky. I do not like being on the edge of a ski lift chair, however.

The purpose of my trip to Switzerland was to visit many hotels and ski areas in Grindelwald, Wengen, and Interlaken to propose to Austin Skiers a ski trip for the 2012-2013 ski season. Holidaze sponsored the familiarity (FAM) trip.

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Don’t look down! That command applies more now. The second cable car ride took us higher up the mountain. While in the second cable car, I snapped a photo of one of the first cable cars. Look at how much higher we are. I still felt calm. The cable car did not sway. The town of Mürren is breathtakingly beautiful.

I could spend a Valentine’s Day in Mürren. How romantic! Happy Valentine’s Day!

The purpose of my trip to Switzerland was to visit many hotels and ski areas in Grindelwald, Wengen, and Interlaken to propose to Austin Skiers a ski trip for the 2012-2013 ski season. Holidaze sponsored the familiarity (FAM) trip.

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The first cable car took us to Gimmelwald. Don’t look down!

We were high above the ground. The car did not sway. I did not get motion sickness. I brought some snacks to eat. I snapped a lot of photos. I felt calm. The scenery got better and better with each cable car ride.

The purpose of my trip to Switzerland was to visit many hotels and ski areas in Grindelwald, Wengen, and Interlaken to propose to Austin Skiers a ski trip for the 2012-2013 ski season. Holidaze sponsored the familiarity (FAM) trip.

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The group could not ski this trip: Not enough snow! This meant we went on a couple sightseeing excursions. The first sightseeing excursion was to the Jungfraujoch. The second sightseeing excursion was to the Schilthorn.

The trip to the Schilthorn requires 4 cable car rides. I had never ridden 4 cable cars in a row and I was excited. The scenery was dramatic.

The purpose of my trip to Switzerland was to visit many hotels and ski areas in Grindelwald, Wengen, and Interlaken to propose to Austin Skiers a ski trip for the 2012-2013 ski season. Holidaze sponsored the familiarity (FAM) trip.

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The best food of the trip was at the restaurant at the Hotel Metropole, Interlaken. Having suspected gluten intolerance, I requested special meals on this trip. This restaurant did it best. In fact, every trip participant commented on how delicious the food was. I highly recommend the Specialty Restaurant Bellini if you visit Interlaken.

The purpose of my trip to Switzerland was to visit many hotels and ski areas in Grindelwald, Wengen, and Interlaken to propose to Austin Skiers a ski trip for the 2012-2013 ski season. Holidaze sponsored the familiarity (FAM) trip.

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After touring a few hotels, we walked through Interlaken. The group found something else green that matched my jacket. Another photo op!

Interlaken is a good size city for a ski vacation. There are plenty of shops, restaurants and bars to visit when the group is not skiing.