Retti & Faulhorn, Grindelwald, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland

Other than rockier mountains like the Wetterhorn, there were some greener ones to view too and especially as I gained height on the way to Alpiglen from Grindelwald. Though mountain tops lie in clouds, nothing here exceeds 2700 metres above sea level. Retti is the higher collection of humps beset with cloud and Faulhorn is a distant sunlit bump to the left that looks like it might be part of its neighbour. It also has a hotel on its summit, which is something that would never be seen in Britain or Ireland. The prevailing wind would see to that it is striking to remember that Grindelwald itself is at an altitude of over 1000 metres above sea level. That makes it higher than anything in England. There must be a very different climate here to allow pasture until about 1500 metres above sea level and a tree line around 300 metres higher than that again. Any sense of familiarity must be tempered by whatever is exotic too.