I think that's Mont Blanc in the distance. Just a bit difficult to make out though the... Cloud!!!!
I stayed for longer than I intended. It seemed that cloud was forming below and rising up. Occasionally it would break. It did lift in the end, enabling this Piz Gloria panorama:
Astounding. The tallest mountain is Junfraujoch. Click to enlarge.
Back down I was dismayed to find that the next ferry up the Brienersee was only 15 minutes away, and I had no bike. I was going to cycle back from Brienz. I thought maybe I would ride over the back over the mountains and then down to Interlaken from Grindelwald. The hostel was in Bönigen, the first stop of the ferry, so I hot footed back there and was making good progress but was dismayed again to see reception was closed till 2 pm, and then as I walked out dejected (toot toot) the boat sailed slowly past. Miserable, I decided to walk to Bönigen proper to find where the boat dock was. To my suprise it was next to a lovely campsite and swimming area, people did swim in the lake after all. Drat. I would have if I'd had the time, and if the bit of shore next to the hostel wasn't monopolised by school kids.
Anyway, I decided to take the next boat. I went back to the hostel and the hire bikes were really nice light mountain bikes. I was surpised. Also, to delight me, the next train was an old style paddle boat. It's great when those come into harbour and everyone comes out and waves. Here's a picture of the exposed pistons for the paddles:
I decided to ride back along the lake shore - cycle route 8. Cycle route it says... Well, out of Brienz I came to a sign in German. It said s-something for 2km. I guess it meant steep, and thank goodness I had 24 gears because it was crazy. I reckon I must have climbed halfway up the mountain. The top seemed very close at least. At the top it was clear where I was: Gleissbach. See photo below of the waterfall there:
After that was down hill to Istewald, then ANOTHER 2km uphill stretch, then a wicked fast downhill to Bönigen and flat lakeside to Interlaken.
Something great here is the apparent low risk of bike theft. You just lock the rear wheel to the frame and that's it. My bike just had a spoke lock. Supremely easy to use. I used it in Interlaken to buy the Cuckoo clock and then rode to the end of town and then south, ending up in historic Matten. One old chalet there had 1666 engraved on it. Cripes! Matten, it turned out, was where all the backpackers and adventure sports activites where. A real youth vibe on the street. I was oblivious to this from my lakeside retreat in sleepy Bönigen!
I watched Ghana scrape past the USA that evening. Bless the clueless Americans watching it with me. Only at the end did they figure out they had lost. They cheered at the action replays and the match summary. "why aren't they showing the score". I decided not to condescend and point out that E.-U is French abbreviation for US. Well done Ghana anyway.
I will only say this about my train ride to Martigny. If you see a train with unusually large windows, that suggests you should take it and see where it goes. Jaw dropping landscape from Thun to Brig. I'm now on an Intercity from Brig to Martigny in the middle of a huge u-shaped valley.
In Brig station the signs were in German and... Italiano! I'm heading south! The forecast in Chamonix is not good, so I'll make sure I do Mont Blanc early if I can.
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