Lazarow World-Hike-About

The sun catches the peak of The Eiger, a wonderful moment. (If we had a den, we'd frame the picture.) One of the most beautiful spots in Grindelwald, Fiescherhorner Returning after discovering too much snow tumbling down the mountain; Eiger Glacier separates us Life is a collection of trade-offs. You want to go hiking at high altitudes, then forego the beauty of snow-covered mountains. "But Mommy, can't we have both." 'No, Jeffrey, it doesn't work that way. Now take a hike.' Sometimes when we make a point we tend to knock the recipient over the head. Sorry for that. Funnily enough, as much as we like, actually love mountains, when you remove the snow, some can be quite drab. Mind you, not all. However, hiking and climbing them is never dull. Jenni overlooking the town on way down from Baregg An awfully wonderful place. In a way, (nearly) lucky to have had so much snow. It was just yesterday that the locals were commiserating with...

What's not to like and fear. A 'bloody monster' challenging the heavens. On my own... Hold tight, Girl. Jen comes down and readies for a slippery corner Each country or at least, each region has its hazards. When we first visited New Zealand and Hawaii, the ‘snakeless’ islands allowed us to take our eyes off the ground, giving us more opportunity to watch for sandflies, a mosquito type of insect. In the Western United States, snakes, bears, wolves, cougars are potential threats. For South Africa, remove bears and wolves but add leopards and baboons; in addition, include the most dangerous ‘animal’ of all, the mugger on some city trails. In Europe, besides the hazards common to all natural areas, it seems that standing in animal dung ranks as a big one, especially from cows. What me worry, Alfred? Breaking principle, publishing a picture from a later hike. Silberhorn, after 3,500 feet climbing, worth every strain and pain. Thinking of cows, with n...

At the Gorge, on a magic carpet ride Heavy, low clouds blocked the rest of our views leaving just this one Gorgeous ‘Let’s take a drive into Germany’, we suggested to our editor. ‘Why not’, she answered. We did just that. Off we went to Geiser Klam, the land of goblins, gremlins and who knows what else. We can’t say we saw any of these characters in the fairyland that straddles Austria and Germany. We entered through Mittenwald which is probably an hour from Munich. We did get a little lost but recovered nicely to arrive at the gorge in reasonable time. Everything is an experience from interpreting signs, trying to read German because our Afrikaans improved after a recent South African trip—who are we kidding. At the narrowest part of the cliff ledge, the gang would not let us through. That's when you appreciate the advantage of 4 legs The gorge is obviously in a mountainous region, also positioned in a forest, a type of rustic theme park dealing with the h...

Standing above Wetterstein Hut, clouds blot out the sun Similar view but now clouds dissipate Something one cannot ignore in the hamlets and villages is weather. It changes at the drop of a hat and with the winds blowing regularly, hats tend to drop off frequently. Each day is different. For that matter, each hour is, too. Today we were in snow again (at higher altitudes), heavier than the day before and within twenty minutes, the sun shone and the sky was blue. In fact, the blue was so clear it was as if it had been washed by the clouds. Thirty minutes later, the sky became grey and it turned cold. This process repeats itself constantly. It makes for wonderful scene changes but probably is not ideal for tourists. The locals have no choice but to accept it. Tranquility after a 'near storm'. Foreground looks park-like but is rather rugged. Talking of the locals, we spoke to Regina this morning, a charming woman in the lodge office. One thing led to another a...