1000/496: 12 July 2011: Bern Baby, Bern

On the move today – the second week of the hols is in Geneva. decided to ignore the suggested train times, go a little earlier and visit Bern on the way – as we have to pass through it while changing trains.
Bern is a very attractive city – although I don’t think we saw it at its best as a large chunk was being dug up – this seems to happen to us a lot:0(
It’s the home of the Swiss Parliament – a building fronted by some very pretty fountains and looking out on to a fruit and vegetable market – which is somewhat more attractive than our ‘peace camp’.

Bern is also host to a fancy antique clock, of which much is made in the tourist guides. In particular we ere lead to expect a parade of animals and old father time turning an hour glass.

Now, maybe it was because we waited half an hour for the clock to strike one, and maybe we’d have been more impressed if it had bonged 12 times so that we had 12 bongs-worth of parading animals etc, but it was, to be honest, an anti-climax. The large group of American teenagers next to me were either suitably impressed – muttering ’Cool’ and ‘Whoa’ as it happened – or maybe they were practising sarcasm – it’s hard to tell. Either way – it’s very attractive, but maybe not the draw the guides would have you believe.
The clock is at the head of the Kramgasse – a rather stunning street of baroque houses with arcades of shop on the ground floor. Bern is notable for this, and although the houses there now are 17th century replacements this must have been the place that nobles went for a days shopping in the middle ages – a kind of Medieval Arndale centre

Einstein lived around here for a while, but we couldn’t find the plaque. By the way – if anyone can explain why one of the shops was selling a cow in an aqualung and flippers feel free to comment.

The street remains attractive all the way to the far end, where a bridge crosses the river to the bear pits.

The second shot was taken from the river bank above the bear-pits. They have thing about bears here – not quite sure why, but they are clearly of historic significance to the city.To be truthful I’m not sure I really approved of the bear pits (modern and landscaped as their enclosures now are). They aren’t ‘pits’ in the traditional sense and I’m sure the critters are well looked after, and there may well be some conservation value associated with their maintenance – but….So I’ve got some shots, but I wasn’t really trying and I’m going with this one of the original pits – complete with life size bear carvings.

As we wandered back to the station we took in the cathedral – which was also being repaired (see I told you it often happens to us) relatively plain inside except for one gorgeous side chapel with wonderful stained glass and some quite cute carvings.

And finally – I couldn’t resist these street entertainers. I’m sure youngest daughter has friends with hair that colour.

1000/495: 11 July 2011: In the footsteps of James Bond

Last day for a trip into the mountains today so we’re going for another high one – Schilthorn and the Piz Gloria – scene of the James Bond movie that featured George Lazonby. But – it’s a lovely day and there’s no point in rushing . First off – the cable car from Lauterbrunnen to Grutschalp.

Then a train ride along the very edge of the Lauterbrunnen valley to Winteregg (a concession to youngest daughter who didn’t want to walk all the way) and a gentle stroll to Mürren. Stonking  - and inevitable – views of the mountains, and wildflowers and butterflies all the way.

Feel sure I should be able to identify the butterfly, but it’s not happening. Then some more walking – two more cable cars and lo and behold we’re at the souvenir shop and restaurant. Which is just as well because I was thirsty and hungry, and in all fairness, this was the best value meal we had in the whole country. Of course, I only took a photo of the beer!

Even at nearly ten thousand feet, and with snow still on the ground, Switzerland still manages to produce flowers.

For once I also remembered to take a shot of all three of us together, with the film location in the background.

Fortunately there were enough gaps in the cloud to see that the site really did live up to its claim of having the best views of the surrounding mountains, so yet more megapixels were committed to memory.

Eventually we’d had our fill and meandered back down to the hotel for a final, quiet evening in Wilderswil and a stroll along the ‘round village walk’. The museum was closed – although we visited it last time we were here - so I settled for a shot of the old mill wheel and a final shot of the setting sun on the mountains behind the hotel. Tomorrow it’s cities – starting with the capital – Berne.

1000/494: 10 July 2011: Happiness isn't complete without a plastic cow stuck to an office block!

Taking it easy again today – by which I mean walking about on the flat and not going far. Went for a walk through Wilderswil and then on to Interlaken past the ruins of Schloss Unspunnen – which seems notable mainly for its obscurity.

Walking trails in Switzerland are all nicely signposted and nobody appears to knock them down or block the paths with barbed wire, destroy the stiles, put bulls on the paths or grow cash crops over them – which is nice.

We found somewhere to eat just in time – I was just settling down to sausage, onion gravy and rösti when the heavens opened, the lightning flashed etc etc. Serious rain – this shot doesn’t really capture just how heavy it was.

Fortunately it soon passed and we set off to complete out task for the day – which was to claim our free cake from the restaurant at the top of the Metropole Hotel (we had two ‘free cake’ vouchers in our welcome pack from Swiss Travel).
First we had to negotiate Interlaken where we were distracted by this plastic cow:

But we finally made it – Marion went for apricot slice, Naomi had some strawberry cheesecake confection and I went for a dependable and entirely British custard slice.

The restaurant is called ‘At the Top’ which is an entirely apt name as it’s on the 18th floor of the tallest building for miles – the Metropole Hotel. Unsurprisingly it has cracking views of Interlaken, and judging by Marion’s smile cracking apricot slice as well.

1000/493: 09 July 2011: Top of Europe

Off to the Jungfraujoch today and the highest railway station in Europe. But first it’s the train to Lauterbrunnen and then a cog railway up to Kleine Scheidegg at the foot of the Eiger. This is the view from the cog railway looking back at Wengen – the Lauterbrunnen valley is already well below us – you can just see one of the cliffs on the far side.

This next shot is as we approach Kleine Scheidegg – we’ll be at about 6,500 feet by this stage. The Eiger is on the left and Mönch on the right. Pretty tricky shot to make anything of so I’m quite pleased with the way this one has come out (I’m not mentioning the 10 failures).

When the cloud lifts it is even more stunning.

At Klein Scheidegg we change trains for the final leg of the journey through the Eiger and Mönch and out onto the bit between Mönch and Jungfrau. There are two stops on the way – one station has a window in the northface of the Eiger and the other a view of the Eiger Glacier. First up the station – inside the Eiger at 9,400 ft.

And then on to Eismeer station at 10,368 feet and with cracking views – mostly down.

And finally, Jungfraujoch – at 11,333 feet. Out of the maze of tunnels and into the snow. Obviously the mist is not something that features strongly in the tourism guides, but ‘you pays yer money and keeps yer fingers crossed’. Obviously I didn’t take this shot.

So now we’re here, what is there to do – as the view is not going to oblige for a bit. Well there’s an ice palace for starters with amazing ice carvings and a frozen Scrat the Squirrel from Ice Age.

 

Clearly I wasn’t going to joke about something as serious as Ice Age! There is also lots of rock and snow to look at. The decor is quite minimalist – all grey and white.

Then there’s a canteen, a Bollywood Indian restaurant (I kid you not) and the research station and souvenir shops. Oh – did I mention the snow and icy wind? Obviously youngest daughter didn’t notice them.

…And probably the highest zip-wire in Europe, if not anywhere. She’s got serious thrill issues, dude!

Before we knew it 5 hours had passed and it was time to make our way down. The thin air makes it quite tiring so it was a relief to be able to sit on the train…and in our typically British fashion we even found time for a restorative cuppa while waiting to change trains.

1000/492: 08 July 2011: Interlaken and around

Decided to give our legs a bit of a break this morning and do some gentle ambling about on the flat. One of the joys of Switzerland is the quality of the transport network – another is the fact that as a tourist  you get a little pass from the hotel to use the local networks for free – so we took the train to Interlaken.

Weather was excellent as can be seen from this shot from our hotel balcony taken just before we set off. The building on the right is – very handily – the tourist information office.

Arrived in Interlaken Ost and wandered westward along the riverbank – wherever you go in Interlaken you can find views of the mountains.

Eventually we reached the  suburb of Unterseen – not sure if it’s technically a separate town – but it’s definitely older than the centre of Interlaken. It’s also equipped with the usual collection of horse drawn taxis, fountains and bowls of geraniums – and completely litter free.

After wandering through the newer part of town we spent an hour or so watching paragliders landing in a grassy area close to the town centre – this really is idyllic – it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. Kind of wish I had the nerve to have a go at this – there are a lot of two seat versions and operators in the area.

Returned to base to get ready for dinner - we’re coming back into town later. Here’s the hotel with youngest daughter standing on our shared balcony – a nice family arrangement.

Fairly dramatic thunderstorm late afternoon – serious rain – but it did freshen the atmosphere a bit.

As planned, once the rain had stopped we went back into Interlaken – another three cheers for free rail travel – and found somewhere for dinner. The hotel food is pretty good but our intent was to find somewhere a little cheaper. We rapidly discovered everywhere costs the same and it’s all expensive. Not to worry – after a swift one of these everything seemed fine. A good way to end the day.

1000/491: 07 July 2011: Lauterbrunnen and Trummelbach Falls

Staying at lower level today we visited Lauterbrunnen, which is as near to unspoiled as you’ll get in central Europe I suspect. Not sure what the weird statues are supposed to convey but on the cliffs in the background you can see the Staubbach Falls which fall about 900 feet. Here’s a shot of the base of the falls to give you some idea of scale. There are some people on a viewing platform, bottom right, if you look carefully.

We headed up the valley along the riverbank. The Lutschine is a peculiar white colour – presumably entrained dust from the melting glaciers that feed it. It’s also very, very cold – it was glacier only a few hours before. The waterfalls at the bottom  of this post carry about 20,000 tonnes of debris a year into the river, and they’re just one source.

We were aiming for another waterfall – rather unusually inside a cave – at Trummelbach, further up the valley. Obviously we were keen on punishing our legs for past misdemeanours because we were up and down lots of steps – not easy after yesterdays exertions.

The Trummelbach falls consist of 10 separate waterfalls, totalling about 500 feet, and they drain the glaciers around the foot of the Eiger/Monch/Jungfrau. At this time of year we’re looking at 20,000 litres of water a second – so unsurprisingly there’s a bit of spray. Not much of an issue in this shot…

…but rather more so in this one!

1000/490: 06 July 2011: Up in the Alps

Switzerland is impossibly photogenic so some of these posts are going to be more than just a single photo a day for a while.

Today we took the funicular to Schynige Platte – not that high up – but far enough to make a good start on the mountains. Have been here on a previous trip to Switzerland and hope to return in the not too distant future. The views from the summit station are stunning – quite possibly the best view in Europe.

Once you’re up there there are plenty of short walks to get your legs in working order, and at this time of year the flowers are in full swing which means there’s a permanent tension between needing to move on and wanting to stop and admire.

Later on in the holiday we’re planning to take the train to near the top of Jungfrau, which is the rightmost of the three big peaks in the centre/right of the next shot. From centre to right they are Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau

It’s as well we limbered up a bit strolling in the meadows, because our next decision was to walk down – all the way to Wilderswil.  After four hours of downhill walking we were beginning to wonder about the wisdom of the decision!