Middle-aged flash packers

I need to start by making an apology to a lady from Minnesota. I’m sorry I laughed at your TripAdvisor review – you were right. More to follow.

Today we left the comfort of the Hotel Turna and set off into Switzerland to visit the Trift bridge near Gadmen. It is a suspension bridge that used to span the Trift Glacier. The glacier has retreated so far now that the bridge is over a lake with just a small amount of glacier left. The bridge is supposed to have great views and it’s very long.

This was another got-to-see from our last road trip to Europe and was again cancelled due to terrible weather.

Ironically the weather is almost too good – a scorching 30 degrees when we reached the gondola station.

We were lucky and got on the cable car without having to queue ( it can be very busy apparently). It’s very small, it only takes 8 people. Steve wasn’t very happy; he hates heights and cable cars. He was very brave and didn’t scream once.

The only downside was that our return could only be at 15.36 and that gave us only 3.5 hours to see the bridge and get back to the cable car. It takes 3 hours to walk to the bridge and back. We were under the cosh – what if the times given were wildly optimistic? It has happened to us before.

Let the Tough Mudder begin.

We literally ran up the track. And let me tell you it was not easy, no way Jose. Hence my apology. Mrs Minnesota complained that no-one should call this walk easy. She described herself as “ a bit overweight and unfit”. She had to turn back. I chuckled, imagining a proper American big ‘un hauling herself up a slightly rocky path.

Nope. It’s taxing, especially when you have to cross a very slippy snow field which if you did lose your footing would not have a happy ending. Plus 2 waterfalls which again were very high up and a fall would be bad, very bad as Mr Trump might say. Add to this a virtual run and really you are taking your life in your hands.

Having said that, we quite enjoyed it, especially hurtling past young people at least half our age.

Eventually we arrived having broken the time set! YES!!

The bridge is quite something and the views were fab. The only annoying thing were the Swiss kids on a school trip who were horrendously badly behaved, either lying on the bridge or running at break neck speed along it. Teachers completely ineffectual. Be warned folks, this is how tragedies happen and that would be bad, very bad.

Anyway, we ate our lunch with a spectacular view. And no children falling off the bridge.

With a bit more time on our hands, we dawdled on the way down, taking photos etc. The snow was even worse to cross this time, very scary.

We made it in time to have the world’s most expensive cokes (5 euros each) before heading down the mountain in a very small cable car with 7 other quite big people in it. Not the most comfortable journey.

And then to the hotel Wetterhorn. I was very excited by the descriptions of this place. An old ruined house in the middle of nowhere, renovated smartly by new owners. Someone described it as “remote, with the sound of birdsong and nothing else”.

Well I think you must live on the M25 love, because I’m in my room at the moment and all I can hear is traffic. To close the window would be like sealing Steve and I into a sauna. I asked for a fan for the monastic cell we are sleeping in tonight (apparently this is what passes as modern renovation these days) but a they don’t have such things. Probably spoils the look. Even if I do die of heatstroke.

The receptionist (can I call her that? I’m sure she’s probably got a fancy title like “front of house director”) told us she’d made a reservation for us for dinner. Oh really? How very presumptuous of you. Oh, you only have the menu of the day to offer. I see. But you’re very close to your Michelin star so it’s very delicious. But what if I don’t like it? 60 Swiss francs on something I might not like. No thank you. I’ll go to the pizza place up the road.

I hate snooty places. You’d probably never have guessed.