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The day starts on a grey note, with clouds down to 8,000 feet. There is a bit of rain falling, but nonetheless we head down to Brig on the postbus at 10.48 am. After a visit to the Post Office, we head up to the Stockalper Palace. It has lovely gardens, with fruit trees and small fountains. It is muggy and warm, with the thermometer at 27C / 80F. We go up the steep road to Termen. A group of scholars is headed home for lunch ahead of us. We slowly leave Brig and end up amongst the farms. Another cat is friendly to us out there. Just before 1pm, we head into Termen, another typical Alpine village. Nice views there, as far as Mörel to the east and Visp to the west. Just as a downpour starts, a small restaurant serves us pint-glasses of iced tea as well as a schnitzel and chips. Half an hour later, we go down to the Rhone, 800 feet below. I take my time on the descent. The fields around Termen are full of poppies and fruit trees. Once down by the river, we face a walk of about 2 or 3 miles into Brig. The Rhone is a wild, churning river here. First along the Matterhorn Gotthard railway, then past the tunnel openings for the Simplon Tunnel, which heads through the mountains towards Iselle and Domodossola in Italy. The oldest tunnel was opened in 1905, but is currently out of use following a train fire on 9 June. At 2.30, we walk into the station at Brig, where we rehydrate using a beer. Then, it is a flying visit to the Migros supermarket (closed tomorrow due to the Corpus Christi holiday) before jumping on the 3.18 postbus to Blatten. The weather turns more ominous, with a thunderstorm grumbling up in the mountains. Our friendly puss comes to call, even if it's raining a bit.
Backstreet in Brig
Stockalper Palace
Track up to Termen
Termen
Brig from Termen
Along the Rhone river near Brig
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