In one of my earlier posts, I had mentioned about my visit to Grindelwald (Switzerland) and how I feel at home in these mountains. If you are a “Lord of the Rings” fan, like I am, here’s a piece of trivia. In a BBC article, aptly titled “In Alpine villages, Hobbits lurk”, it is said that JRR Tolkien’s true inspiration for Middle Earth came from his travels in Switzerland. Tolkien’s Switzerland then must have been very different than the Switzerland I visited a few weeks ago. But, hey, as long as your imagination works for you, maybe you’d still enjoy these few more impressions from my visit to our very own “Middle Earth”.
View from Bort on the Alps and in to the valley below (May 2014)
Barns and chalets dotting the green carpeted valley all the way to the foothils of the peaks. (May 2014)
Clouds shifting across the alpine peaks like a veil being lifted every now and then offering a glimpse of this harsh beauty (May 2014)
A view of the Eiger from Bort (May 2014)
This barn looks abandoned – just going by the state of the roof. (May 2014)
Nestled right against the rocky face of the mountain behind (May 2014)
This lone chalet on the horizon – an inevitable sense of isolation (or solitude grips you imagining the winter months at this altitude (May 2014)
The softness of this green carpet in the foreground and the rocky harshness of peaks in the background make such a contrast (May 2014)
The shifting clouds also created magical patterns of light and shadow across the valley. (May 2014)
A lone tree guarding the way to one of the chalets hidden away from the view (May 2014).
At some points, you almost felt like you could stretch your hands out to grab the clouds above. (May 2014)
The natural rise and fall in the ground offers some seclusion from the passers-by. Though a friendly folk, Hobbits don’t like too many strangers.. 🙂 (May 2014)
Framed against the mountains in the background, this barn could be a prized real estate among the livestock in this valley. (May 2014)
This wonderland is what these cows would call home. (May 2014)
The yellow wildflowers within the grass creates this beautiful green-golden carpet covering the whole valley. (May 2014)
Well, not exactly a hobbit home as Tolkien would have it, but secluded enough to resemble Bag’s End (May 2014)
Gurgling down through a cleft in the mountainside and fed by the melting snow, the water is ice cold and so sweet… (May 2014)
Having read the article, I can imagine how the Shire could have looked – a village like this replaced by houses with round doors. An everlasting memory. (May 2014)
Categories: Art, Music & Literature, Books & Literature, Mountains, Nature, People, Personalities, Switzerland, Travel
Tagged as: Alps, Art, Awesomeness, Books, Grindelwald, JRR Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Mountainscapes, Music & Literature, Nature, Roadtrip, Switzerland, Travel
I only ever visited Switzerland in the winter – these images are stunning and make me want to go back in the summer and go hiking in the Swiss Alps!
Thank you, Peggy! Its been the opposite for me. I have never been there in winter and would so like to see the snowy winter wonderland. Last winter was very mild, so I hope I’ll be able to do that this winter.
Gorgeous!
Hello – thank you for dropping by! I couldn’t agree more with your comment there…the place is gorgeous.. 🙂
Grindelwald is one of my favorite places on Earth. You’ve captured it’s beauty wonderfully.
Thank you, Margaret! It has become one of my favourites as well… 🙂
Very beautiful scenery. Makes me want to visit Switzerland SOON!
Thank you so much for dropping by! I do hope you get your wish REAL SOON… 🙂
that is so beautiful 🙂
Thank you for visiting my blog, Joshi! Yes – it is a very very enchanting place! I spent half a day on this hike which could have been done in an hour.. 🙂