Friday, October 13- Our day had a sad start. One of the couples in our group got word 2 days earlier that their son-in-law with cancer was not doing well. He seemed to stabilize a bit, but overnight that changed; they were looking for the first flight home. We prayed with them and our hearts ached for them as they sped back to Zurich and we went on our way to the Schilthorn. By the time we got to the top of the mountain, word reached us that the SIL had passed. 😢 (After we got home we discovered this young man was one we had been praying for, as he was the nephew of someone from our church. Small world.)
We didn't think it looked like there was room for our whole group in the tram car, so we were holding back in order to all ride together. But a worker came and herded us like cattle into the car. They have a system for counting heads and cram people in till it's so full you can't fall if you lose your balance. Unfortunately our group got split up, some had to catch the next car up.
We're talking a steep uphill ride, a long drop to the ground if a cable snapped... 😲
There is actually a road going to the top- for hauling building supplies and the like up there. The cable car operator told Richard truckers have to have a special permit to drive the road. Not kidding, you wouldn't want just any rookie doing that job!
When we got to the top, we still had to climb stairs to get to the outdoor viewing platform. Huff puff. That high elevation is no joke! Fortunately we knew to take water along and stay hydrated to fight off the altitude sickness.
So much majesty! Where to take pictures first??
Proof that I was literally on the mountain at nearly 10,000 feet.
Richard & I got off the viewing platform just so we could say we set foot on the Alps.
It was perfectly clear. We could see for miles in all directions. Apparently this is rare. We could see Titlis, Jungfrau, Mönch, Eiger, and Mont Blanc, although I won't pretend to be so educated as to point out which is which in my photos. It was not as cold as we expected. With the sun shining, a jacket was sufficient. The weather up there was another hug from God because we couldn't go to Israel.
The Schilthorn became famous for the James Bond movie filmed there in 1969. The producers paid to construct
the restaurant at the top in exchange for filming rights. The Bond cutouts seemed to be particularly popular with the Asian tourists, go figure.
We rode the cable car down a level, to Birg, and went out on the Skyline Walk. The mountain breezes sweeping up through the metal grating may or may not have given some of the ladies 'hoop skirts'.
This is where we sang "How Great Thou Art"
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, Consider all the worlds thy hands have made...When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur, And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze...Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee: How great thou art! How great thou art! Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee: How great thou art! How great thou art! Amen and Amen. 
Check out the miniature villages down in the valley...
As we were leaving we saw cows with huge bells on their neck. It was not clear where they were headed, possibly to a dairy show. Cool to see!
Honest Confession- I'm not a fan of sharp cheeses. This fondue was made with a sharp, tangy Swiss. I'm glad we did it -for the experience- but I wouldn't order it again. Next time I would go for the chocolate fondue.
We browsed the shops, buying souvenirs and some amazing truffles from Swiss Chocolate Chalet.
Then we sat on a park bench and watched paragliders landing in the park across from our hotel. Richard really wanted to try it, but by the time we arrived the day before, all the companies were booked solid for the day. The beautiful weather meant they were extremely busy.
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I almost would try it. Almost. But watching a girl puke -and her unhappy instructor- scared me off.
Interlaken is a resort town; skiing in the winter, hiking in the summer. Wouldn't that be the ski trip of a lifetime?! We felt a connection to this area because this is where Richard’s great-great-great-great-great-great-grandpa on his dad’s side, Samuel Mueller, came from.
We had dinner at Des Alpes. We had a salad every single meal in Europe, almost always plain lettuce. But then we got a nice juicy burger & fries! They didn't tell us till later that it was lamb burger.
Saturday, October 14- We had an early start this day. We had to have all our luggage in the hotel lobby by 7 and eat hurriedly so we could be leaving by 7:30.
We drove to Emmental. As soon as we entered the valley I recognized the distinctive style of houses as where my paternal family, Stauffer, originated from! I think I could make myself at home there.
We Americans have a habit of calling this the Emmental Valley, which we learned is redundant. Emme is derived from the river Emme and tal is the German word for "valley."
Cheese
made in this area is Switzerland's oldest cheese and famous worldwide. It is made from fresh raw milk from cows fed exclusively on grass and hay. We were split into smaller groups; our guide showed us the 4 eras of cheesemaking- from this Herdsman's cottage (with hanging vat & open fireplace dated 1741) to modern day methods. It was very interesting!
There was so much historic stuff in the herdsman's cottage living quarters; I could've taken so many pictures! I regret not getting a picture of the antique Bernina sewing machine.
There was a sign on the wall in German- "For centuries, the Emmental Succession Law has prohibited the division of farms. The youngest son took over his parents' farm at a reasonable price, but had to compensate his older siblings. In many cases, Bernese patricians provided loans and secured themselves with interest and carefully selected mortgages. With this inheritance regulation, many farmers' sons were given the opportunity to work as cowherds and herdsmen rented Alps with their own livestock but without land ownership."
Modern Cheesemaking in progress
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Fermentation Cellar -where the famous [Swiss cheese] holes form
We sampled cheese of all ages of maturation. My favorite was the 4 month stuff. Yum! The 8 month was okay, too, but the 30 month was too sharp for our taste buds. There was the equivalent of a charcuterie board every morning for breakfast, and I joked that I've eaten my quota of sharp cheese for a couple years now. The factory store was so crowded that we skipped buying any cheese. Truthfully, I didn't want to risk it turning sharp while we schlepped it around Switzerland for 6 more days without refrigeration.
Beautiful view of Emmental from the cheese house made my heart happy.
I said it before, and I'll say it again -pictures don't do justice!
Next we drove to a tiny bell shop, Glockengiesserei Berger (Berger Bell Foundry). If I'm not mistaken, I believe it is where the locals shop. I was told previously that the reason Swiss farmers hang bells from the eaves of their homes or barns is to display their wealth- the larger the bells, the more wealth. But on this trip, we were told bells are traditionally given as gifts- indeed someone was at the shop while we were there to purchase an engraved bell for a farm apprentice, so a row of bells is maybe an indication of one's wealth of friends. We purchased small bells here for our grandsons.
Next we went to the Fankhauser Farm in Trub -famous in Anabaptist circles for its Taufervershteck (literal translation = [Ana]baptist hideout). Sadly, I failed to get a good photo of the barn.
It was built in 1608 and has been in the
same family for centuries. The way I heard the story is that the farmer's wife was an Anabaptist but he was not, however he was sympathetic to them because of his wife. The barn had this hiding place for Anabaptists, with a clever trap door that allowed them to disappear into “thin air” when they were being pursued. Only when a spy hid in the barn and watched what happened, was the secret revealed. And Farmer Fankhauser was arrested for aiding Anabaptists.
It is entirely possible my Stauffer & Burkholder relatives hid
here in this very spot. I felt an inexplicable connection.
We were treated to a delightful lunch by the family in the upstairs of the barn.
Then the Mrs. shared her fascinating testimony and an oral history of the farm, which I enjoyed very much.
All these signs were in German, English & French. 
A model of the barn...
There is a whole museum in the barn, which I believe is a more recent addition. Someone put a lot of time into research & family history!!
It is only by peaking into these 2 rooms -one right after the other- that you can detect the smokehouse room is shorter than the other -a false wall conceals the hideout. If it wasn't for what this courageous family did, I may not be here today.
After that, in a Troyer Tours tradition, we worked on the farm plus a neighboring property for the afternoon. It felt good to do some manual labor after several days of touring. Richard helped pick apples and pull up stakes in the gardens...
...I cleaned windows, and helped weed the garden.
The Mr. was laid up due to an accident where he nearly bled to death from to a leg injury, so they were very grateful for our help. We were happy to help in exchange for the meal & tour. There was rain in the forecast, but the Lord held it off until we had finished our jobs- then it poured. We got to see them bringing the cows in for milking as we were loading up to leave. A quintessential Swiss experience! 😍
We got off too late to stop at a cookie factory that Ernst wanted us to see. We drove to our next hotel, Hotel Appenberg.
View from our balcony. Too bad you can't hear the cow bells ringing!
We waited in line to talk to Duane about travel arrangements going home. Our nonrefundable tickets from Chicago had a steep fee to change it, and new tickets were expensive on short notice. But it couldn't be helped. It was a relief when we had tickets booked. 
These beds are comfortable, but oh my, I miss my American sheets! These duvets are too hot & heavy for menopausal women. I actually pulled the duvet out and used the cover as a sheet at this hotel. 😁
-to be continued-
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