Cheese in the mountains

We woke to a cloudy morning. A short walk thru town to the funicular that took us up the  mountain. We began with a nice easy hike across the mountainside to a dairy farm where they make cheese. We were able to watch the curds stirred, then strained and drained and put into molds. We then saw where the cheese is aged in a cool root cellar. The cheese that was made today will be put into a salt bath and then aged for at least a month. The longer it ages, the stronger the flavor. 
Then we began going up. We switch backed across one slope and had some very steep climbs. At the top, we had magnificent views. Some very rocky edges. A steep descent to a small lake for our picnic. As tough as going up was, the down was 1 1/2 times the distance we had just done and steep in sections. We went from alpine region to pine forest, thru a few very small hamlets into the valley of Gruben. For the first time our knees felt strained. Our hotel is a hikers inn with individual rooms, but shared bathrooms. We got a corner room with windows on both sides. Nice breeze. So tired, we took a long nap before dinner. We will have a family style dinner. We have been warned that tomorrow's hike is 3 hours straight up to start. Oh boy!!!!!! This trip is certainly one of endurance and perseverance. With each hike we view various landscapes which has been a thrill.



















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