Early morning.
We were on the bus by 8:00 for a LONG day on the road.
Active marble mine outside of Stresa 
Image of a post card showing immigrant workers 
Your odd waterfall 
There are lots of defensive works in the mountains 
Huts (these are stone) spread around the fields, used for storage 
Mountain village 
Former monastery now used as military housing 
Lots of granite, little arable land 
Monument from WWII looking toward Italy. the message is clear – Don’t come this way.
Reaching the top of the first summit we stopped for fluid adjustment and photos.
Coming down the other side, the spectacular scenery continued.
In most houses the ‘barn’ in the basement has been converted into additional housing. 
We crossed the tallest bridge in Italy – and the third tallest in Europe 
Water and glacier carved foothills below the mountains 
Farm outbuildings in traditional construction 
Row of sheds climbing up the hill 
Serious Alps 
The next stop was the town of Tasch. Here we caught the train to the popular alpine town Zermatt. This is a center for skiing, mountain climbing and other outdoor activities.
Arriving in Zermatt we took a walking tour thru the town, noting restaurants and ATM’s along the way.
We ended up at the viewpoint for seeing the Matterhorn.
After a break for lunch and a bit of shopping it was back on the train and back to the bus for the next stage in our journey.
Coming down the hill we enjoyed watching the clouds playing with the mountain peaks.
A bit lower we saw more waterfall action along with more alpine scenes.
Eventually we pulled into the city of Interlaken (between the lakes) and got situated in our hotel.
We took a few minutes to get settled and stretch our cramped limbs before joining the crew in the hotel dining room for dinner.
Tomorrow we get our orientation to the city and visit a wood carving museum.
Till then…
R