Heidi's Hut

From Pam:  Today Meredith and I traveled to an amazing “hunting hut” high above our apartment on the Planplatten mountain.  Our hostess/landlady, Hedi, offered to take us up the mountain in her car.  She was visiting the family hut on the mountain, where her husband was finishing work on the roof of the hut.  Meredith and I were amazed at how steep and narrow the road was. The mountain was totally engulfed in a cloud, but we could still appreciate the steep drop offs on the right side of the car. When we arrived at the hut, Hedi’s husband, Heinz, was walking on top of the roof.   

They both welcomed us into the hut, where first we saw the area where the cows are kept when they are grazing at that altitude.  When we entered the living part of the hut, we were greeted with the pleasant smell of a wood stove burning, boiling water for tea.  Although it was cold and damp outside, the inside of the hut was warm and inviting.  If you have ever read the book, Heidi, you will understand when we say that it was exactly as we imagined Grandfather’s hut would look. The first floor contained an ancient table and chairs, the wood stove, a single bed, a cupboard with dishes, and a small sink. On one wall was a large wood-burning furnace made out of stone and cement.  A ladder led to a loft above with a double bed and thick comforter covering it.  It was all storybook perfect!  We kept wishing that Jack and Rob had come with us, but they were back at the apartment working on the computers!

 

 

We returned to the apartment, then we all took the gondola down to Meiringen.  We had a great lunch at the Hotel Adler, each of us ordering schnitzel and pommes frites. Delicious!  After grocery shopping, we took the lift back up to the Hasliberg, the name of the area on the mountain where we are staying.  We hiked back to the apartment ready for a quiet evening of reading, a light supper, and some table games.