Train Rides & Mountain Tops

I was looking at my trip photos with a friend last night and today I just can't resist posting a few more shots of Switzerland. It was so unexpectedly beautiful.

The second day there it rained and in the late afternoon I took a rickety train to the top of a mountain peak for views that stretched all the way to France, Italy, and Spain (very far off in the distance.)

I was the only person on the train except for the driver and his girlfriend, who got to sit up front next to him. The squeaky train inched up the mountain and then stopped. The driver told me he would stay at the small station for thirty-five minutes and then turn around and head back down hill.

It was cold and getting dark but I tromped through the mud to the very top of the mountain and stood there alone for a few minutes. These moments of quiet were one of my favorite parts of the trip.