Saturday, April 5
I'd planned to be out of Bern first thing in the morning but opted to sleep in a bit; and I'm glad I did. An extra hour of sleep under my belt went a long ways today and having the opportunity to walk the old town of Bern was nice. Honestly, I think the old town of Bern was nicer than Zurich's and Geneva's; it felt like it'd been integrated into modern times but also kept an old town atmosphere.
I was tempted to have some milk with my breakfast at the hotel, but I was too intimidated by the milk carton; I didn't want to botch opening the thing up and then put it back in the communal fridge 😅
I don't know Switzerland's government but I'm guessing this is an important building for the federal government
It took it a bit of effort not to wander through the market, the idea of buying some bread and cheese was tempting but I didn't want to get too distracted.
The view from the government building terrase looks out over a bend of the river. Much of old Bern appears built high up on the cliffs/hills, with my suitcase's small wheels, it was nice to have relatively flat terrain 😆
An imposing church to command a nice plaza. The street market continued from the main straight all the way to here, which was impressive. The buildings along this street had their ground levels recessed so that the sidewalks were covered, which was pretty neat.
And I'm always a fan of little, covered throughways. I don't know why exactly but these are just so cool 😆
Bern had no shortage of fountains with potable water but these ones often featured bears.
The clock mechanism looks just a little complicated. I'd have stuck around to see if the figurines danced about at the top of the hour but I had a train to catch.
I eventually managed to catch a train headed towards Lauterbrunnen via Interlaken. I'd taken up a seat on the left side of the train but switched to the right side when I spotted a few mountains of the pre-Alps; however, I quickly realized I'd made a "mistake" by giving up my spot when we started to pass by the lake. Oh man, that lake scene was sublime and my view of the mountains was quickly obscured by a wall 😅 oh well, I'll have another chance tomorrow on the return trip.
You look out and see a mountain like that and you think, "ooh, I should soak that into my peepers a bit more", no?
The train was late to arrive but I think the train conductor knew to hold the Lauterbrunnen bound train a few minutes to allow passengers to board rather than double stuff the next train in 30 minutes. The ride to Lauterbrunnen wasn't like that to Zermatt, Zermatt's train climbed while it felt like today's train stayed very flat while the valley walls crept higher and higher. On the ride, a couple from Canada took seats across from me and we chitchatted a bit: one of them grew up north of Bern and they're currently taking a 3 week vacation around Switzerland. They pointed out the possibility of using buses to reach some of the areas on the Italian border if I think I might go that way during my vacation, not a bad idea 🤔
In Lauterbrunnen, I dropped my bag off at the hotel before working my way to the train station to climb to the major activity of the day. I'd hoped to swing by the office of tourism but found that they close for lunch, so I made do with a few brochures and my cellphone 😂 Really, all I needed to do was to purchase a train ticket up to Jungfraujoch, which is straightforward enough on their website. My decision to get the demitariff card paid off today when I saved 100 CHF on my ticket to Jungfrau 💰
Lauterbrunnen is nestled into a pretty sheer valley and has no shortage of dramatic waterfalls, this one happened to be the closest to the town.
Aside from the town and tourism, there's still plenty of agriculture and dairy happening here. At this exact spot, it was nice to breathe in the fresh Alpine air and feel the sunhine; in other spots the Alpine air can smell like cows...
Taking a quick lunch pause prior to starting the ride up to Jungfrau. How could I pass up a 5CHF bratwurst being grilled along the sidewalk? 😋
This was an example of glacial milling, where high speed glacial meltwater can form eddies that allow small to large debris to sculpt out a little hole.
You've been warned. Pretty nice if them to include the emergency numbers though.
The ride up featured spectacular views of the surrounding peaks and there was only a smattering of clouds about. From Lauterbrunnen, the train climbed up to Klein Scheinedeg; which appears to be a small slope hub. From here, one can travel to Grindenwald, ski/sledge, or climb to the train stop called Eigengletscher, where one can change again for the train to Jungfraujoch. Turns out the train to Jungfraujoch is entirely through a tunnel dug through the Eiger, which makes for a pretty dull, cramped 30 minute ride 😆but I arrived at the top all the same at around 2PM.
The ski trails terminating at some of the earlier stops were looking pretty sorry but still had people using them. I suppose renting out a chalet at one of these towns would still put you at a very worthwhile place for sightseeing and skiing at higher elevation.
From left to right: the Eiger, the Mönch, and the Jungfrau; three very imposing mountains closely nestled together.
Trains from both Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen arrive here and then there's further ski lifts to get around to yonder slope or up to the Eiger glacier. There was a decent number of people hanging about at Kleine Scheidege and not all of them appeared to be snow sport people taking a lunch break.
I had 15 minutes or so to kill before the next train up to the Eiger Glacier so I enjoyed the view over the ski slopes and of the three peaks. There were a decent number of people using toboggans on the purple marked sledging/hiking trail, both young and old.
Still an hour of travel up to the top, but life's about the journey so I guess this is the main attraction?
Snowball fight!
For 100-200 CHF, the Jungfraujoch facility has a few activities for you to partake in: a 360 cinema showing (I looked for a minute and moved on), an observation deck with panoramic views (I spent the majority of my stay up there), a walk-through exhibition of various events held at the venue (a lot of sporting event gimmicks), the ability to access the glacier/peaks if one chooses to take their life into their own hands (I noticed several guided groups finishing up such an activity), a small-world like Alpine experience room (I'll take the accordion music of "It's a Small World" anyday), an ice gallery carved into the glacier featuring ice sculptures (a quick visit item, it's a pretty neat concept but it seems strange considering people are freaking out about the glaciers melting), a plateau complementing the view of the previous deck, and finally tons of shops & a restaurant.
I found the whole experience both gimmicky/touristy but also well done. There were tons of tour groups (I want to say Indian, Malay, and Korean) but I didn't feel too crowded. Apparently, Jungfrau was used as a filming location for the K-drama "Crash Land on You" and also hosted India's Olympic Gold Medalist javelin thrower for a publicity stunt; the company managing the peak is certainly doing a good job of cultivating tourist demand for itself.
To carve a tunnel into these mountains is a pretty bold feat in the name of tourism 😅
Womp womp, looks like clouds have started to move in over the Berner Oberland. No view of Interlaken for me today but ...
Things are still clear on the mountains and to the other direction!
I really lucked out on the view out across the Aletsch Glacier; from what I hear, the view from Jungfrau is impressive but many people will hike in summer from the opposite direction to have a view along the glacier's whole length.
Just me and a couple of young ladies. The observation deck had a really nice platform that was unfortunately closed on one side due to the risk of falling icicles; but I managed to grab some great views anyway.
Crazily, there were people out there hiking up and skiing down the glacier! They looked like tiny ants slows scurrying along the white canvas.
I was worried it'd be incredibly cold up here but the winds were relatively calm, I was already bundled up warm, and the sunshine was intense.
I can't say I approve but it was pretty cute to see the birds responding to people attempting to hand feed them. I think it was an employee who was showing people how to do it and even furnished some of the cracker bits.
I've heard that this show has increased the popularity of some of Switzerland's sites even more; I know that several of my friends really enjoyed the Netflix K-drama but most people interacted with this display by simpy emulating the heart frame.
A few brave souls walking past the "you'll probably die" signs to start their trek and ski adventure. There's a cabin out that direction which is described as taking 1.5 hours to walk to; I wonder if there's a route to ski down to base camps because these guys are starting near the tail end of when train service is active for the peak.
I'm not sure what the groomed snow here signifies; there was a helicopter landing pad a bit out of shot but what this particular field is for, I dunno.
Inside the building, the tour continued with a bit of history regarding how this observation building was constructed as well as some oddities found while tunneling up through the Eiger mountain. Yup, some guy had a dream of building a tourist trap near the peak of the Jungfrau and got a crew to start digging a super long tunnel up through a mountain to make it real.
Part of the tour delved into an ice palace, featuring corridors carved into the glacier and ice art exhibits. Surprisingly, the floor wasn't slippery at all, though I still stepped gingerly just in case.
What's cooler than a live piano performance? Ice cold.
Now, that's just hysterical 😂 It's been a while since I've seen Ice Age.
I don't know how much is real vs simply touristic hype, but there were a few casks of whiskey kept in the cool, humid ice tunnels. The plaque described these as being "ideal" storage conditions for the Swiss mark of liquor and even wine; I'm dubious of the actual effect on the beverage but à chacun son truc.
The tour terminates at the glacier plateau, a nice wide outdoor area for people to get the feel of snow under their feet while admiring the view. These guys were outside the marked boundary and appeared to be filming some sort of documentary.
Like the observation platform another 100m up, the plateau offers a good view the Mönch and Jungfrau with a window down to the Aletsch glacier; but I think the having to struggle up a snowy/icy ramp to here helps solidify the experience 😆
In the time I'd spent up here, the sun had faded just enough for things to get properly chilly. It was also around this time that I realized I'll need to wash my jacket when I get home: I wasn't sweating today but I had definitely sweat last time I skied and could detect it. Where's the mountain breeze when you need it 😂
I had to snap this pic, not for the view of the flag and Jungfrau but because the little girl sitting on the snow (equipped with a spoon for digging up - and potentially eating- snow) had just informed her mother that her head was turning to ice. Hence, the mother fitting a hat on the girl's head 😂
Hmm, looks like the wind is starting to whip up a bit of the snow; those ski hikers better start their descent soon.
One last look over the Aletsch glacier. I know people say it's best to view it from the other side but the pictures I've seen from summertime involve lots of dirt at the edges: here, the glacier is a pure white river flowing through the valley.
And a final look at the Jungfrau(s). Coming up here is pricy and touristic, but I'm glad I came; there's no way I could have climbed the mountains in winter to get this spectacular view.
Lest you doubt my claim of tons of tour groups: the café had even introduced Indian cuisine to accommodate groups that really want it. To be fair, I recall many of the workers at this facility to be somewhat Asian, which I'd say checks out with other parts of tourism I've seen in Switzerland but that isn't entirely true. Perhaps it's really these Disneyland level items that pull in a wide swath of immigrants to work?
I had just finished my visit and was thinking of maybe heading back when the announcement rang out that the last train for returning to Lauterbrunnen would be leaving soon. Turns out, the last train from Jungfraujoch is at 4:47 but the last train from Eigergletsch to Klein Scheidegg is at 4:40; and unless you plan to ski down from Eigergletsch, you'd better grab that last train then. So another cramped ride back down (this time they gave us squares of chocolate instead of checking our tickets!) and a bit more train all the way down to Lauterbrunnen and my high altitude adventure was complete. I kept debating getting off the train during the main descent to Lauterbrunnen to do some snow hiking between stops and continue on; but I ultimately decided to ride all the way and walk around Lauterbrunnen later.'
It was a very crowded train down to Eigergletsch and since it was all in a tunnel there wasn't much to see/do except nap. So a surprise square of chocolate was a very welcome distraction 😋
The clouds had really picked up in the area; compared to this view on my ride up in the morning, one could hardly even see a few mountain peaks.
Auf wiedersehen
I had just a few minutes to walke around Klein Scheidegg and noticed that they had already closed the pistes and begun grooming the snow. I was surprised that they had shut things down well before the sunset but I guess if you have some 117 km of pistes to groom, you want to get started before sunset 😅
In yonder direction lies Grindelwald. I won't touch it this weekend but we'll see if I can swing a visit later during my vacation week.
For a mid-way point between two towns via two trains, Kleine Scheidegg makes for an interesting location. An old couple I'd met on the train to Lauterbrunnen had planned to spend their day here, which puzzled me at first but I think I get it now.
Following the railway is the pistes that run from Klein Scheidegg down to the stop before Lauterbrunnen, though the snow starts to rapidly disappear as we drop in altitude.
And like that, the peaks are further away while the snow is practically gone. It's truly impressive how tall the mountain walls are compared to the valley's lows.
After checking into the hotel, I headed back out the door, determined to get a few more steps in by walking along the valley. Turns out that this is a great way to get acquainted with the numerous sheer waterfalls that dump into the valley and give this place its extra little charm. You'll also get acquainted real quick with the smell of cows: the valley is covered in dairy farms. I didn't hear many cow bells ringing but I could detect their presence in the area.
This year's harvest is looking good!
I think the person is really what sells the danger of the situation.
What's starts as a roar up top ends up a trickle at the bottom, I guess a fair amount of the water gets stripped off by the wind and dispersed across the face.
The sun has long since passed the rim of the canyon but I'm still enjoying the colors on the eastern (westerly?) faces.
Not just tourist facing, these dairy farms in the valley are fully operational, that includes whatever you use to pile up "used" hay.
A relatively recent land slide is proof of why they don't want people hanging about the foot of the cliffs. I think it's neat that the trees have grown over the spoils.
When in Rome, snack like the Romans (?)
To assist with eating cheese, several of these farms had honor system vending machines.
Stop to smell the roses; depending on the wind direction, they might smell like cow dung.
The Lauterbrunnen valley features some nice, tall cliffs that people have taken advantage of to conduct base jumping and parachuting. There was a tube along this path pointed at one of the more popular jumping points, can you spot the metal step used to mark the point of no return?
Maybe one of the coolest things I've seen in Swiss parks are the fire pits available to the public, often these are equipped with a nearby supply of wood too. The form of the fire pit varies by park so it's neat to see what options exist.
C'est dommage that this waterfall was closed for the season; I guess in spring people are concerned about *too* much water melting and possibly flooding areas.
I called the Trummelbachfalle as the turning point for my meandering and began the walk back to the hotel from here. The return trip featured a nice promenade along the river in the valley and a refocusing of my view as the sunset began to paint pretty colors on the high elevations.
The valley had been cast in shadow almost a whole two hours before official sunset but it was nice to observe the changes in light on surrounding peaks and slopes. It was so serenely quiet in the valley here with just a gentle breeze accompanying the babbling brook.
I was surprised to see this one had a credit card reader! A previous one had rejected my franc bills and I was so thoroughly impressed with the tech that I bought a piece of cheese and a bar of soap. Gotta love the intersection of old traditions and new tech.
I'm not sure what piling the used hay is supposed to accomplish but here's proof of the dairy farm's poo pile and the cows generating it.
I poked my head in to this one and found two things that piqued my interest: I'd been searching for Sinalco for weeks now and hadn't found it in a Genevois grocery store and the Raw Milk was too curious an item to pass up. Sadly, the milk was disappointing: I'd expected the richest, creamiest milk of my life and received a mouthful of non-fat/1% cow juice. Not worth rolling the dice on.
When I asked the server about the classic vs bratwurst rösti, he was adamant that the bratwurst was the way to go. I'll concede that the carmelized onion sauce was darn tasty 😋
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