Bells, bells, bells and more bells! All through the night, on the hour,
every hour and every 15 minutes throughout the day! The local church right
opposite our chalet was very pretty but the church bells at 6:00 were much less
charming. But with so much to see and do, we were glad to be up early to start
our days full of exploring!
We were extremely blessed with the weather; sunny and hot for most of
the week, Thursday and Friday were a bit cooler with a bit of cloud and rain
but not enough to stop our exploring! We were also glad we got an 8 day Swiss
Rail Pass for our stay. Not only could we travel freely on all the trains, we
could also use the ferries and some cable cards for free. The Pass also gave us
free entry or discounts to many museums and cable cars and special mountain
trains and the flexibility to go anywhere at any time. Definitely a worthwhile
investment!
From Lauterbrunnen we first had to take the train into Interlaken and
change there for most of the places we wanted to visit. Interlaken is in the
middle of two lakes, Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. On Monday we went to explore
Brienz and Thun at opposite ends of their respective lakes. First up was Brienz
which we reached by train. Brienz is popular for wood carvings but we didn’t
realise that not much would be open on a Monday. We enjoyed ambling through the
town and walking along the lake front. We took advantage of the flexibility of
our train passes and took the ferry from Brienz back to Interlaken Ost, a
lovely relaxing hour on the water watching the mountains and waterfalls pass us
by.
Back in Interlaken again, we took the train round the other lake to Thun. It was extremely hot in Thun and not much was open but we enjoyed walking around this charming town. We made our way up to the castle, shared an ice cream and watched teenagers swimming in the icy river. Time to head back for a relaxed evening of card games with the Finnemores!
A happy traveller at Lake Brienz
At the wood carving museum in Brienz
Dave with a grizzly creature walking along the Brienz Lake front
Fun water activities, suitable for all ages!
Views of Lake Brienz and mountains from the ferry
A cascading waterfall as seen from the ferry
The castle in Thun
On Tuesday we bustled off to catch the two hour train to Lucerne, and
what an impressive train journey it is, climbing steeply up the mountains to
cross to the other side. Once in Lucerne, Dave headed to the transport museum,
Olga went to do some shopping and the two of us explored the city.
The most popular attractions in Lucerne are the Chapel Bridge, the Lion
Monument and the excellent transport museum. The Chapel Bridge is the oldest
wooden covered bridge in Europe and also the world’s oldest surviving truss
bridge. It spans the Reuss River and the 17th century paintings in
the interior make it unique. The Lion Monument is a wounded lion carved into
the mountain and dedicated to the Swiss Guard who were killed protecting King
Louis XVI during the French Revolution in 1792. The inscription reads, ‘to the
loyalty and bravery of the Swiss’.
Chapel Bridge in Lucerne
The Lion Monument
Near to the Lion Monument is the Glacier Garden. The Glacier Garden is a
massive rock with 32 large potholes that were formed at the bottom of the Reuss
glacier by the action of the water and stones during the last Ice Age, evidence
that Lucerne was covered by a glacier in the last Ice Age. There are also
fossilised palm leaves and shells, evidence that Lucerne was once subtropical.
At the Glacier Garden is also a Hall of Mirrors that looks easy at first but is
actually impossible to navigate through!
Near the Glacier Garden is also the Bourbaki Panorama. This is a large circular
style of painting depicting the crossing and disarming of the Eastern French
Army under General Bourbaki during the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. The painter
was a Red Cross volunteer at the time and witnessed the event. It is a very
impressive painting and the commentary brings the event to life.
The rest of our time in Lucerne was spent wondering the streets, walking
up to the castle, climbing castle turrets, trying not to melt in the heat,
eating ice-cream and having a drink on the lake front waiting for the train to
arrive.
Cows near the castle, we think they got lost... They did not look happy in the heat, poor things.
Views over Lucerne from the top of a castle turret!
Outside the hall of mirrors at the Glacier Garden
We all opted for a quieter, slower day on Wednesday, a decision which
was confirmed by the cloud cover in the morning. We headed into Interlaken with
Olga to explore the town and do some shopping. The best triptych views of the
Monch, Eiger and Jungfrau mountains can be seen at the mid-point of the town.
The views that day were extra dramatic because of the rolling clouds. In
Interlaken we also saw our first real live Edelweiss flower! Ok, it was in a
florists shop, but still! It is quite pretty but different to how I thought it
would be.
A saying close to our hearts seen outside a chocolatier in Interlaken
Edelweiss!
In the afternoon, we took the train up to Grindelwald on the other side
of the mountain to Lauterbrunnen. We ambled through the town (everything closes
at lunch time…) and caught the cable car to Grindelwald First, popular for
skiing in the winter and for hiking in the Summer. By this time the clouds from
the morning had mostly cleared and we enjoyed the most magnificent views of the
mountains and valley below from the cable car, simply breath taking!
From Grindelwald First we did the not-so-flat-but-completely-worth-it
hour walk to the Bachalpsee. It was still early Summer with lots of icy snow
still on the ground. We were completely unprepared for going up the mountain
and doing the walk since we were not planning to do this today but the
opportunity presented itself and we are so glad we took it! Next time: wear
proper walking shoes, not flip flops and eat lunch first! We only had half a
slab of melted chocolate with us; the remedy: jam it in the icy snow for a few
minutes! A totally worthwhile adventure, we highly recommend it if you are in
the area!
Grindelwald
Views from the cable car to Grindelwald First
Streams from the melting ice and snow
The Bachalpsee
Frozen water at the Bachalpsee
Boibs at Grindelwald First
On Thursday we jumped on a train to Bern for another day of exploring!
We mostly walked around the old city centre, some of the old roads were dug up
for some kind of renovation or construction which was a pity but there was
enough intact to get a feel for the old city. We stumbled upon the Einstein
Museum where Albert Einstein lived with his first wife between 1903 and 1905.
From there we crossed the river and walked up to the Rose Garden for views over
the city. We weren’t particularly looking for them, but we found the bear pits
anyway. Our opinion is still undecided on this but they were not as sad as I
thought they would be. A late lunch on a terrace to pass the drizzle and then
time to head back to Lauterbrunnen! On the way back to the train station we saw
people setting up for a mountain bike race through the city, down crazy steps,
round corners and back up steep alleys. We thought of you Julian Burke!
In the main streets of Bern
Views over the river
Boibs in Bern
Friday already and our last full day in Lauterbrunnen =( Another cloudy
start to the day gave us the chance to visit Wengen. Wengen is the first main stop
on the way to Kleine Scheidegg which carries onto the Jungfraujoch and is also
the start of the cable car to Mannlichen which we would have been very keen to
do if it wasn’t cloudy… Instead of the cable car, we decided to do the hour
walk down the mountain back to Lauterbrunnen. It was a lovely walk but
extremely steep! My calves were sore for a week! I felt really sorry for the
people walking up! It was lunch time by the time we were back in Lauterbrunnen
and also the time the clouds started clearing.
An interesting furry plant in Wengen
The cable car from Wengen to Mannlichen shrouded in mist
Views of the valley and Stechelbach waterfall on the walk down from Wengen to Lauterbrunnen
The train going from Kleine Scheidegg to Wengen
On Friday afternoon there was time for one more activity on our must-see
list: take the cable car to Grutschalp and walk across to Murren. A really
lovely leisurely walk in the Swiss mountains with great views amidst the sound
of cow bells. From Murren, we took the cable car down to Stechelberg. More
amazing mountain views and steep cutaways in the mountains. Another highly
recommended activity from our holiday!
Bron and Dave walking from Grutschalp to Murren
The path was shielded by tall trees most of the way
Views over the valley
Swiss cows!
Waterfalls along the way!
The absolute last stop for us in this area was the Trummelbach waterfall
on the way back to the chalet from Stechelberg. Carved out of the mountain by
water, this waterfall is completely set into the rock, nothing can be seen from
the outside. Yet this is the only outlet for the melting snow of the Jungfrau,
Eiger and Monch mountains and a whopping 20 000 litres of water flow past per
second. Incredible! Extremely impressive and extremely loud! This waterfall was
totally worth the walk back to the house in the rain!
Part of the Trummelbach waterfalls
A last cheese fondue with the Finnemore’s and time to learn one last
card game! Watch out if you ever play cards with Justin, he is so competitive
and an undercover hustler! Then time to pack =(
Cheese fondue time!
On Saturday morning we travelled as far as Spietz together where the
Finnemores departed for another week in Les Diablerets while we continued onto
Geneva. We had some time before we were due at the airport, so we left our bags
in lockers at the station and headed into the city. Another toasty sunny day,
we were so blessed with the weather on this trip! We only had a couple of hours
but managed to walk around the city centre and see the main sights of the
Cathedrale St-Pierre, the floral clock and the Jet dÉau (fountain in Lake
Geneva), and to have a short walk along the lake front. Bron was in Geneva as
part of a lab trip in October 2012 but didn’t enjoy it very much as the part of
the city we were in had a very dodgy vibe. This time however, the city had a
very pleasant vibrant feel and we are glad we stopped off. There was a music
festival of sorts and every square was filled with local choirs, children
choirs, bands and every form of music you can think of. The city felt very
vibrant and alive, it was a great end to a lovely holiday =)
Statue in Geneva
The Jet d'Eau on Lake Geneva
And on to the airport =( We had such a wonderful week in Switzerland
with the Finnemore’s. Thank you for inviting us on your Swiss holiday, we loved
spending time with you and thank you for sharing your knowledge of Switzerland
with us. We highly recommend the Interlaken/Lauterbrunnen area to anyone
travelling to Switzerland! It was a lovely welcome break from the first half of
the year and the sudden new adventure we have found ourselves in. More about
that next time!
x
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