Cooling down

Let’s start the day with the tram, shall we?  Our “commute” is so efficient, we can be at the station in just over five minutes.  Yes, we could live here!

We were heading for Brienz today, to take a small steam powered rack railway up the Rothorn.  The weather forecast wasn’t too good, so we chose a destination with a few options, should the rain appear.  Waiting on the station platform this morning, we were standing opposite another favourite advertisement: Battery Man.  (Bring your empty batteries back, he advises)

We took a normal double decker Swiss train to Luzern and then changed to the rather swanky modern Luzern-Interlaken one.  That curved wall on the left of the aisle is the loo – a very large door slid open to reveal a huge cubicle with loo and wash handbasin, which was all very fine until the thought occurred to me whilst using the facility, that perhaps the door lock wasn’t 100% secure…and we went around the corner…and the door might slide open…and reveal the show to everyone sitting in the carriage!!  Oh my goodness!  Thankfully the door was secure and no such horror occurred, but I couldn’t help but think that at some point it might have done!!

No such modern facilities on the century old Brienzer Rothorn train, however.  We sat in open carriages and began the clunky journey up the mountain.  The weather wasn’t too bad, so far, at least.

As soon as we began, the view opened up and the valley below looked lush and green.  The mountains beyond are the same range as we could see from the top of the Nufenen Pass the other day, but this time, we’re looking at the other side of them.

Lake Brienz was that incredible shade of green-blue again today and sitting in the comfort of the open carriage, we were enjoying the fresh air when, was that a spot of rain?

Well, it might have been, but we’ll press on, ignore it and hope it goes away.  That’s the train track below by the way, curving its path through the meadows.

Unfortunately, somewhere nearer the top we couldn’t ignore it any more.  The valley below us was shrouded in mist and it was clear that the weather was changing quickly.  We pulled down the canopy so we could at least stay dry, but it didn’t bode well for the fine views from the summit.

By the time we reached the top, it was blowing a gale, pouring with rain and we were feeling rather chilly.  What happened to the sunshine?  Not only that, but the temperature must have plummeted 15 or 20 degrees in the hour –the combined effect of the altitude and the weather front passing through.  I braved the storm for thirty seconds or so to take this photograph, struggled with my umbrella, which turned inside out and ran back under cover again.  We didn’t feel like going right up there to the top in such conditions and stayed with most of our fellow passengers under the shelter of the terminus building.

Some hardy souls were more determined to visit the restaurant than we were, however!

The next train down was in 30 minutes or so, so we watched the weather and hopped from foot to foot to keep warm.

But as we did, a small chink of light broke in between the clouds.

Ten minutes later, the storm had passed and the air was clear again.  Should we stay or go?  Looking at the numbers of people coming down from the restaurant to the train station convinced us – we should stay in the queue and stick with the plan to return.

The way down was warm and sunny again!  The alpine weather can change in seconds and how pleased we were that it did.

Clear views of the mountains – where we’d been yesterday, the day before and the day before that.  Hard to imagine really.

More photographs being taken all around us, for our fellow passengers were mostly Japanese tourists and those who weren’t asleep took as many pictures as we did!

How could we not?  We switched on panorama mode, we tried different settings and snapped away.  The train was travelling at a stately pace, we had plenty of time and lots of disk space – why not keep going?

The alpine scenery is so attractive and we all love it so.

Then, just when I thought I’d taken enough of the same kind of photograph, something new would come into view and add some interest.

Or the view from around the corner was even better than the one before.  The colours today were different, too, we thought.

How’s this for the perfect picnic spot?  A small shelter, a table and benches all made from timber with a little stone barbecue set up right there on the side of the mountain, high above the lake. 

Back down by the lakeside in Brienz again, the beautifully decorated Jungfrau steamer was there, meeting the SBB train, the Rothorn train and the Postbus.  Such coordination is what makes all of this work – remarkable efficiency.

We didn’t hang around Brienz for long, though our train to Luzern was a little more shambolic than we’re used to here.  Earlier in the day, there’d been a power cut in Luzern and the railway officials were still trying to get everything moving again.  We were keen to get going because we had a date with a fondue pot!  Yes, even though it’s summer, we couldn’t resist…

Saying goodnight to the cow above the Chuchi fondue restaurant and also to Amy and Edward who were going off on the town whilst we olds came home to blog and put our feet up, we took the short walk to the tram stop and jumped on the #5 which brought us home.

It’s much cooler tonight, thank goodness.  The newspapers declare that the heatwave has broken.  We might need umbrellas again tomorrow.

Can’t get enough mountain air

Instead of a picture of the Hauptbahnhof today, how about one of our local station, a masterpiece of late 1920s architecture, built in granite from Ticino. 

Unusually, we were catching a different type of train today.  One of the boy’s in fact.

Spacious and airy, this train had begun the journey in Hamburg, just after midnight.  It had come via Frankfurt, Kahl (yes, really, Karin!) and Hanau before heading south towards Bern, where we hopped on and then finished this l-o-n-g journey in Interlaken Ost, where we got off.

Changing trains there was a bit of a rush, but we made it onto our little blue and yellow train which was going to take us to Lauterbrunnen, a village high in the Bernese Oberland.

Things were quite busy there, too, with many tourists milling around, not really knowing where to go for the next stage of their journey.  Some were heading up to the Jungfraujoch, a rather exciting journey which we’ve made a few times on previous visits.  Others, like us, were planning to turn left, not right, and head into the village before taking the cablecar towards Mürren.

Here in Lauterbrunnen, having considered the size and relative stability of the cablecar, my hero decided that perhaps he’d give it a try.  Maybe it wouldn’t be such a scary ride as he feared…

Of course, as soon as we were aloft, all fears were forgotten (well, until we went over a pylon, which sent the car rocking a little and there was a temporary intake of breath!)  How could one feel scared when those magnificent mountains are there, shining in the sunshine?  The Eiger had a little cap of cloud on the top, blowing in the breeze, it appeared.

Five minutes later we were at Grütschalp and out we got, to move to the next stage, which happened to be a small train.  We’d been expecting a smaller cablecar or a gondola, but much to my hero’s relief, the vehicle had at least four wheels and went along a track, not leaving the ground for as much as a second!

I have no idea who these people are, but they offer some scale to the picture of the view from the train.  Pretty good, eh?

With all the train windows open, our journey was accompanied by the usual Swiss Mountain Orchestra of cowbells!

Once in Mürren, we strolled along the path into the village, stopping every few metres to take yet another photograph of the beautiful view.  Considering that rain was forecast for today and my hero was carrying our two umbrellas, we were feeling pretty fortunate, I can tell you.

We refilled our water bottles from a mountain spring, gazed over the green fields to those snowy peaks and sighed.  Could there be anywhere more lovely than this?

The entertainment came in the form of hang gliders, coming down the valley one by one from somewhere high above us.  Not content with simply sitting and floating downwards on the thermals, these chaps were performing acrobatics by “skipping” over the canopy a few times, or spiralling down by swinging around and pivoting on it.  Hmm.  Fun to watch, but way better to have both feet on terra firma we thought.

The Eiger had lost its cap of cloud by now and was looking splendid against the clear blue sky.  Those people who caught the train to Jungfraujoch will have travelled inside the mountain and peered through windows in that north face.

They would have emerged at the structure which looks like a castle, to the right of the snowfield in the picture.  Funny to think that some of them could be there right now, looking over to us in our pretty green village.

Meanwhile, we were enjoying a wander and noticing a little yarnbombing here and there.

Not to mention a little bunch of Edelweiss flowers in a pot by a cute front front door.

Of course, we had to make the downward journey by cablecar as well, and this was perhaps a little less comfortable for those who dislike such things, but at least it was over and done with rather quicker than the upward trip.  Coming back down to Lauterbrunnen, we caught sight of the Staubbach Falls, but more noticeable were those clouds coming in.  We were so pleased we’d enjoyed the best of the day.

Back to Zurich then, by means of another little train, the return journey of the German ICE train which was headed back to Hamburg, but which we left in Bern, and finally, the Swiss SBB service to Zurich HBF.

What a day!  Each one gets better and better and though we missed having the youngsters along today, we knew they were having a similarly great time at Titlis, in the snow.  We’d arranged to meet up for dinner at the Kropf, a favourite restaurant of ours, and just managed time to come back to the flat to freshen up before going out again.

I’ll leave you with the same picture we started with this morning; the Enge station, but in rather different light as the storm passed quickly through as we were making our way to the restuarant.

But a couple of hours after the heavy rainstorm, it’s as if nothing had happened.  Back to the hot and sticky again tonight.

Going up

Ok, so you know the routine by now.  Having taken the tram to the station we caught a train from there.  This time, we were on a strict schedule, because with the help of Markus in the SBB booking office, we’d reserved places later in the day.  Firstly, we had to get ourselves to Andermatt.

The train journey is another scenic marvel.  First, there’s the approach to the Gotthard Pass from Arth-Goldau to Göschenen where the winding spirals of the pass itself begin.  The train weaves in and out of tunnels, winding around tight curves to work its way up into the mountains.

Forgive the terrible photograph taken through the train window, but this is the church in the village of Wassen which can be seen three times on the journey as the train spirals up in a double loop.

We changed trains in super-quick time in Göschenen, from where it was a fairly short ride up to Andermatt.

We’d climbed quite a way in just a short time.

Here, our Post-Auto awaited us.  We’d reserved five seats and hoped the bus wouldn’t be full!  First, we planned to take the route over the summit of the Gotthard Pass, crossing into Ticino, the Italian speaking part of Switzerland.

Not long after we’d started, we passed the old-style Post-Auto, just preparing to leave for a shorter tour than ours, I hope, for the horses’ sake.  Personally, I was glad to be comfortably seated on our air-conditioned Mercedes bus, though I’m sure the old style would be fun for a while.

The views along the whole route were spectacular and we soon ran out of superlatives.  In spite of an iffy weather forecast, the sky was clear and the visibility pretty amazing.

From time to time we glimpsed the old Gotthard road, over which I’d travelled with my parents in a Ford Anglia, sometime in the late 1960s, to visit our friends in Ticino.  I didn’t think much of it then, but recall how proud my father was at the time.  To think, he’d driven our old car all that way over the Alps!  Now, looking at the road, I can see how justified that pride was…what a star!

I’m not sure the road today is that much easier, but we were in safe hands and enjoyed the incredible views from the window.

This was a service bus of course and it made a stop in several small villages along the way, announcing its arrival with a sound of the horn – the first four notes of the William Tell overture, repeated!  In addition to those, we also had a few stops of around half an hour each, this one being the pass summit, where the cows were enjoying a little scratch against the barrier.  The air was fresh and cool, there was a clear blue sky and the accompaniment to our conversation was the sound of cowbells!

There was a small lake at the summit, too, and the driver joked by saying we could have a coffee, take a walk or swim a few laps.  I think that might have been a colder choice than we might imagine.

We continued down to Airolo, where another break gave us a chance to have a drink and catch our breath.  All of this travel is pretty tiring, you know!

From here, we started the second part of our journey, over the Nufenen Pass, the highest pass open to vehicles in Switzerland.  As we drove along the valley from Airolo, we could see the bridges and ledges along which we’d just come.  Sometimes, perhaps it’s good to look straight ahead!

If anything, the Nufenen Pass was more spectacular than the Gotthard.  The mountain views from near the summit were spectacular and we all agreed, it’s hard to imagine ever getting tired of such a view.

Up here, we could see well into the Berner Alps.  The highest mountain on the horizon was the Lauteraarhorn, though its peak was shrouded in cloud.  But what a great day to be up here.

Looking slightly to the left, the Gries glacier sat snug in the valley up there, shining beautifully in the sunshine.  Here, we were into the Valais, the French speaking part of Switzerland – were our linguistic skills being challenged today or what?

From there, it was another interesting drive down the other side of the pass to Oberwald, from where we planned to take the third and final part of our journey, over the Furka Pass, back to Andermatt.  But, sadly, Markus had made an error in his timetabling.  Instead of the Post-Auto continuing on the route we anticipated, it was going on to Meiringen – not what we had in mind at all, and not really an option we could consider.

Oh heck.

Never mind, our Swiss Passes allow just about anything and with a train due within a few minutes, we made a quick adjustment.  We were sad to miss out on the Furka Pass, especially since not all of us have been inside the glacier at Gletsch before (and one who has doesn’t remember anything of it at all).  But perhaps we save that for next time?

So, the little red train took us back to Andermatt and on to Göschenen, from where we caught another train to Arth-Goldau and back to Zurich. 

Tired, but happy, we ate supper in the Appenzeller Restaurant in the station this evening, rounding off with a Zuger Kirschtorte bought from Sprungli on the way home.  We’ll go our separate ways again tomorrow but will have fun when we meet up again in the evening with tales of our adventures in Switzerland!

Hope you’re having fun too?

Sunday

The weather forecast wasn’t so good today.  In fact, heavy showers, thunderstorms and suchlike were expected this afternoon and so our plans for the day were flexible.  The youngsters decided to go off to Stein am Rhein and we decided to head for St Gallen, initially at least.

So, as usual, we took the tram to the station and caught the 9-0 something or other train to St Gallen.

Unsurprisingly, the city was quiet because after all, it was a Sunday morning.  But we strolled around the lovely old town, taking photographs of the oriel windows which characterise St Gallen.

There are some lovely ones to admire and though I’ve undoubtedly got photographs of the very same windows from previous trips, I can’t help but take more.

This one has a delightful character holding it up.

He’s been there supporting that window for quite some time, too, by the looks of it.

Our destination is actually the magnificent Kloster Bibliothek, a fairly small but utterly breathtaking collection of ancient texts and artifacts, housed in a staggeringly beautiful library.  No photographs allowed, sadly, but google Stiftsbibliothek St Gallen for images and you’ll see what I mean.

In the meantime, we’d had a text from Edward, who informed us that he and Amy were currently sheltering from torrential rain, that the weather had turned pretty violent and that Stein am Rhein was in the thick of it.  About the same time, we felt a drop or two of rain ourselves and thought that, perhaps it might be a good idea to make our way to the station and put plan b into action.

With a few last shots of St Gallen, we hurried to the station and got on a train to Appenzell.  This is a fun little train which goes steeply uphill thanks to the rack and pinion mechanism.  Not only that, but travelling a little slower than the mainline trains, it also runs alongside the road, giving the impression of being right in the fields.

Not that these are fields as we know them, however.  These fields have grass that looks like a fitted carpet.

Without fences or walls to break it up, it’s cut neatly to fit right up to the road.  Gorgeous, isn’t it?

The people around here are natty dressers as well, don’t you think?  This couple stepped off the train and went on their way, arm in arm with a real spring in their step.

The residents are pretty content to be here too and look comfortable on their green, grassy slope.

Upon arrival in Appenzell, our first stop is the cheese shop.  You might recall, we’re rather fond of Appenzell – both the place and the cheese – and so the necessary purchase made, we moved on through the town, admiring the beautifully painted buildings as we went.

Next stop was the museum, which had been closed when we were here last Autumn.

Here was a lovely collection of the local art and crafts, exhibits of traditions and a charming video about life in the town. Even better, our Swiss Passes entitled us to free entry – what’s not to like about that?!

We could have lingered longer, spent more time admiring the great way in which this house has been opened up inside to accommodate so many interesting items.

But sadly, we had a train to catch.

Fortunately the rain had held off and the clouds had cleared a little – enough to spot Säntis there from the station platform.  Our train arrived on time and we were headed back in no time.

We returned by a different but equally lovely route, via Herisau.  The train was full of families and groups of friends returning from a day in the mountains and the soundtrack was happy chatter the whole way.

Along the way, I spotted “my” house.  It’d do me nicely, I think!

In just over an hour we were back in Zurich, just in time for a quick freshen up before dinner.  Amy and Edward had plenty of tales to share and we enjoyed a great supper at the Zeughaus.  Simple but yummy!

Afterwards, we went our separate ways again. They planned to explore the city a little, find a bar or two and linger a little, whereas we were ready for home and headed towards the tram stop.  That was that for today.  

Or so we thought!

As we stood looking over the river, a ferry boat headed towards us and we noticed a small pier beneath us.  There on the sign was “Enge” – the area of the city where we are living right now.  So, Swiss Passes to the fore once again, we hopped on board and came home by boat!

On such a glorious evening, it was a delight to see things from yet another angle.

And the route, which took us out onto the lake and a little further than we thought, went past the beaches of the lakeside, still busy at almost 9pm on this Sunday evening.

Finally, it turned and stopped at the pier just below our apartment.  A short walk back and we were home.

Another great day!   We love it here.

Guess where?

Anyone who knows us and who also knows Bern would know where we were headed for when we arrived in Bern.  We planned to take the number 12 bus, over the bridge to the Bear Pit, of course!

Since our last visit here, the old Barengraben has been improved somewhat and the bears of Bern now have a most magnificent park in which to play.  The whole of that riverbank is terraced and secured which means the three bears can explore the large area to their hearts content whilst we get to see them from all directions!  They even have a section of the river to swim in, there at the bottom of the slope.

We arrived to find all three of them out and about on the grassy slope and were happy to stand and watch, taking photographs by the dozen.  Zoom lenses were in action all over and these bears were happily wandering about the place, uninterested in the attention they were receiving.

To begin with, we stood on the top terrace, with the old bear pit behind us, and admired the smallest bear playing around.  So sweet!

And though, of course, we were using our camera zooms, actually, these bears were pretty close to us, possibly as close as we’ve been to bears anywhere, in fact.

We loved it.

Just when we thought we’d move along, maybe go and find somewhere for our picnic, they would have a run around, lark with one another or something, but we convinced ourselves that they’d still be there when we’d had our lunch…

 

We found a picnic spot amongst the trees, a little upriver and sat for a while enjoying the fruits of the farmers market earlier.

The Solothurn cake was delicious and of course, I wondered why on earth I’d bought such a small one!!

And then it was back to the bears.  This time, we walked along the lower, riverside level and found the youngster paying a great deal of attention to a group of people with a bright yellow inflatable.  All the time we were watching bears, people were floating down the river on airbeds, in small inflatable boats and so on, and this bunch of folks had just got out a little lower down to take a look at the bears.  Clearly, the bright yellow had caught this one’s eye and he was showing quite a bit of interest.

But they were the other side of his swimming pool and he was too scared to go in!  So, he stood on the side of the water, splashed a paw in it from time to time and then stood up to growl a while, maybe feeling threatened by this strange yellow being?

The commotion he made drew the attention to one of his parents, who ran down the slope and dived straight into the pool with an enormous splash!  (A cheer went up at this point!)

We were treated to a great display of bear swimming skills and a bit more chasing around until the people with the yellow li-lo moved on and peace was regained.

What a great place to visit.  How well the bearpit has been extended to create not only a fine home for the bears but also a really interesting and satisfying visitor experience too.

As we left, my hero spotted the “bear” on the telegraph wires just outside the bear park, too!  How could we miss such a fun sign by the entrance?

We strolled back up the main street in the afternoon heat, doing our best to keep going and taking every opportunity to enjoy the cold water in the fountains.

We admired the work of a group of artists, thinking we might have a go at the same scene ourselves, but working from a photo, later.

Then we stood for a while trying to work out the astronomical clock but really, were ready for home.

It was a full train home but we all found seats and even managed a nap.  Arriving in Zurich with what seemed like a holiday crowd, we decided to go out there and then for a bite to eat.

Having done so, we caught the tram home again.  The 6 and the 7 go to the Enge station, so we never have long to wait.

How handy that it arrives in front of that helpful reminder for our shopping list!

And, after another enjoyably busy day, we return to the flat and a table full of leaflets, guidebooks, cold drinks and yes, chocolate, to decide what we’ll do tomorrow.

We have so many options!