One of the driving reasons for our trip to Italy a few years back was to visit the Cinque Terra. It is such a beautiful place that we wanted to see it, and I wanted to photograph it. We just spent the day in the same type of place in Switzerland: the Berner Oberland, specifically Murren and its immediate surroundings.

The fact the it was raining and overcast this morning didn't slow us down at all. We started the day with a great walk down the mountain a bit to the tiny village of Gimmelwald. The rain stopped and it looked like the sun was trying to peek out, so we hopped a couple of gondolas to the Schilthorn (10,000', give or take). It was mostly in the clouds, but there were some interesting photos to be had. It is also the location where the Bond film “On Her Majesty's Secret Service” (starring that oh-so-famous-Bond George Lazenby and the lovely Diana Rigg) was filmed, so it is a Bond-centric place. Whatever. The people watching was outstanding, however.

Back to Murren for another short walk, then we picked up a large bottle of beer and a small bottle of wine and sat on our balcony and watched the sun light up the face of the mountains on the opposite side of the valley and the paragliders float right across in front of us. And below us. Awesome.

Another great day in Switzerland.

(BTW: yesterday on the way here, the bus was loaded onto a train — with us on it — that took it through a mountain. Saved us 1.5 hours on the road and was a very odd experience.)

Murren, Switzerland, 5/30/16

The view from our balcony. Jeez.

Murren, Switzerland, 5/30/16

After another rough day.

Murren, Switzerland, 5/30/16

Again, the view from our balcony.

Murren, Switzerland, 5/30/16

Murren, Switzerland, 5/30/16

Murren, Switzerland, 5/30/16

Murren, Switzerland, 5/30/16

Somewhere in Switzerland, 5/29/16

Riding the rails. In a 40' bus.