Yesterday was a travelling day.

We left Surrey and travelled by bus up to Heathrow airport on the edge of London, meeting up with the Oak Hall tour and flying over the English Channel, then over parts of Europe to Basel. There were not a lot of clouds, so it surprised me how narrow the English Channel is as we flew over it.

I’m not sure how many countries we flew over – I didn’t track the plane’s flight. But it was just over an hour’s flight! Amazing. At Basel (pronounced variously as Basil, Barsil or Barl by different people) we got on a big coach together. Going through customs, the officer asked us where we were going. We started fumbling through our data, trying to remember the name of the town we’re based in. “No,” he said, “Which country – France, Germany or Switzerland?” Because from Basel you can easily get to any of them. “Oh, Switzerland please!”

Not a good photo but the only one I took on the coach of the scenery before it got dark

The big coach rolled on big highways, through a mix of industry and intensive cultivated land – many crops already harvested. Lots of tunnels, some of them very long as the dusk darkened and night came on. A two- and half-hour bus ride, skirting south of Zurich and driving further east, as we gradually started going higher and higher into the mountains. We couldn’t see the mountains – just felt their presence as we started driving steep switchbacks up and up.

We were glad to arrive at 11pm and be welcomed. Straight to bed for us! We didn’t read our Oak Hall instructions properly. We didn’t bring towels. I’ve got a shawl I can use, and Philip used one of his singlets. The only shop here is a tiny supermarket. It’ll help to make us innovative.

We’re based at the town of Flumserberg – a ski resort in winter with summer activities too. Staying in a chalet that’s 100 years old, badly neglected for years, but now recently renovated. Basic but very comfortable. Run by volunteers and we help with some of the duties. But we have our own room and en-suite, for which I’m grateful!

When we woke up this morning, this was the view from our bedroom window! Sunshine and warmth, clear mountain air. We’re at 1,400 metres above sea level.

There is no photo that gives any scale or idea of the majesty of these mountains. It’s hard to stop taking photos wherever you like, but none of them do justice to the scene in front of you.

One of them most enchanting things is hearing the constant ringing of cow bells. Where’s Heidi? …. but she had goats, not cows. It’s enchanting – there’s different tones and pitches in the bells. Like a lullaby in the background. I love it.

After breakfast this morning, some of us went on a mountain hike. We were told it was a fairly easy hike – to a mountain lake. But not this lake (below). That’s Lake Walensee – we saw it far below while walking on our hiking trail.

Only about half of the group finished the hike. Not sure what “easy” means. Compared to scaling the Matterhorn?

Philip and I are both so glad we did it. But were surprised at the slow speed of some of the younger people. It took us an hour and a half to get to the lake destination, and 45 minutes to get back to the chalet.

Beautiful, fascinating, stunning wildflowers everywhere, the varieties of flowers changing as we climbed higher and higher.

It was a very steep track, but wide. I couldn’t resist taking lots of wildflower photos but wasn’t happy with many of them. They never really captured the range, the colour intensity or the variety and carpets of them.

We did two brave things today!

At one place on the track, even though it was wide, one side dropped away very steeply – a very long way down, all the way to Lake Walensee way, way down below – a long, wide, milky green-blue lake. Philip turned his face resolutely to the safe cliff face, gritted his teeth and got through that section.

We arrived at our destination Lake Seebenalup. It’s over 1600 metres.

A much smaller lake – still the same milky, green-blue lake – and stunningly beautiful. Not only families playing on and around the water, but ducks with their ducklings.

My turn to be brave!

I decided I’d go for a lake dip, no matter what! Cold water with stony, muddy lake bottom and weeds. I gritted my teeth and did it. Icy, icy cold and it was a very quick dip, but I did it! The only reason I did it was that I knew I would regret it if I didn’t.

We ate our picnic lunch in that beautiful spot and then enjoyed the walk back down the steep track back to the chalet.

A wonderful challenge.

So glad we did it – and so grateful we can still do it! Do it together and enjoy doing it together. I can’t help but be awed by the spectacular imagination of our Creator and Father God.

Too many photos I know! But what a gloriously stunning place. It makes me glad to be alive!