EUROPE - SWITZERLAND : NO PROBLEM IN BERNESE OBERLAND
by Ursual & Eldrid Retief







The train climbs out of the shrouds of the early-morning mist hanging over the twin lakes of Thun and Brienz and heads for the snow-capped mountain-tops. Our guide, Ernst, leans forward: "You have a change from the scene every five minutes. No problem."

He's right. With every passing click of a railway sleeper, a new scene unfolds.

We're heading for Jungfraujoch, the highest rail station in Europe, a journey that begins (several times a day) in Interlaken, the main resort city of the magnificent Jungfrau Region in the heart of Switzerland.

Postcards do the reality of Interlaken scant justice. Nestled on the isthmus between the lakes of Thun and Brienz, Interlaken is the Switzerland of cute cuckoo clocks, of cows with painted bells, of gingerbread chalets with flowered balconies.

It sits at the foot of three spectacular mountains, the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Look up anywhere, anytime, and you see the mountains.

Interlaken's main street (the Höheweg) is an inviting boulevard of hotels, cosy cafes, fashion boutiques, watch and jewellery stores and a blaze of flower beds, much of it on a 35-acre meadow. And the Kursaal, built in 1859 and set in a romantic gas-lit park with a wonderful flower clock, stages shows, concerts and theatrical performances, and has a casino.

Off the Höheweg, the spotless streets are lined with flower-decorated houses and chalets.

Interlaken, as the gateway to the Bernese Oberland, is the starting point for many excursions – boat trips on the lakes, railway trips or coach trips like the one along Lake Thun into the Emmental region with its gentle rolling hills and exquisite old farmhouses. You can take in a lesson on cheese-making on the way.

Who doesn't know the story of William Tell who shot an apple off his son's head with a cross-bow and then shot the man who made him do it. Real historic figure or not, the tale inspired Friedrich Schiller's famous stage drama. Every year, between June and September, some 200 amateur actors, along with horses, cows and goats, re-enact the story of Switzerland's legendary hero in the Rugen woods near Interlaken.

Interlaken's biggest attraction – an astonishing rail trip from Interlaken past the notorious Eiger north face up to Jungfraujoch, at 11,333 ft. the highest railway station in Europe.

The train leaves Interlaken at regular intervals, taking you through wonderful woodland and Alpine pastures. The mountain tops are almost within reach, and deep below us are the verdant valleys. On a branch line (from Wilderswil) we reach Schynige Platte Station and its Alpine Garden. This famous botanical attraction has some 500 different flowering plants and ferns grouped in 15 groups of near-natural locations. From mid-June until late September, the Alpine Garden is an ever-changing blaze of color.

Next stop on the main line is Grindelwald, The Glacier Village, an unforgettable sight. The foreground is full of country charm. Fields with fruit trees, maples and fir are dotted with storybook chalet-type houses with geraniums hanging in profusion from boxes at every window and balcony. All around are the high mountains of the Bernese Alps, a paradise for skiers, hikers and mountaineers and just plain sightseers.

"You think you're in the mountains, but there are many, many level walks for hikers," says Ernst. "No problem."

On to Kleine Scheidegg, gateway to the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau where mountain farmers converge with their cattle, where many climbers start their assault on the Eiger, and where some of Switzerland's most attractive hikes start.

As we climb onto the platform to change trains, a group of Japanese tourists are posing with a patient St. Bernard, brandy-flask around his neck. They're not going to be needing him this day and he'd need some help rescuing a party of 37 anyway.

From Kleine Scheidegg, a looping tunnel, an astonishing engineering feat, literally carved by hand and completed in 1912, takes you through the Eiger and Mönch mountains. There are two stops on the way with huge observation windows carved out of the mountainside.

You emerge from the mountain-top station at 11,333 ft. and the high-speed elevator whisks you a further 108 meters to the top of the Jungfraujoch.

Perched there is The Sphinx, Europe's highest altitude observation terrace. As we gaze down on the longest ice-stream in the Alps, the Aletsch Glacier, and over the icy peaks of the neighboring mountain peaks, an Alpine Dolly, a blackbird, takes bread from our hands. From here, "on a clear day you can see the Black Forest in Germany," says Ernst. "No problem."

To the right is The Schilthorn peak, the world's highest revolving restaurant perched there, made famous by the James Bond movie "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".

On several levels are restaurants, a souvenir shop and post office; and a research complex comprising sophisticated telecommunications equipment, a high-altitude research station and weather observatory.

One of the most remarkable features is the Ice Palace, an underground cave hewn out of the glacier, with human and animal figures carved out of the ice.

Husky dogs which have been living on the Eiger Glacier and on the Jungfrau for more than 70 years, cared for by an internationally-recognized breeder, will be eager to take you on a sledge ride of the glacier.

On the way down, from Kleine Scheidegg, you can take the spectacular circular tour of the mountains and of the Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen valleys or make a dozen detours to Alpine villages. Ernst adds a few more. "You have a thousand possibilities here. No problem," he says.

At Lauterbrunnen we make a bus detour to the unique Trümmelbach Falls. Actually located inside a mountain, they are the only accessible glacier falls of their kind in the world. A total of 10 glacier-fed falls are made accessible by an underground high-tech funicular and a network of bridges, tunnels and galleries. Special lighting enhances the spectacle. The raging Trümmelbach carries the waters of the gigantic Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau glaciers, transporting some 20,000 tons of glacier drift and debris every year – and up to 20,000 liters of water every second.

From Lauterbrunnen the views are as stunning going down as they were on the way up.

The variety is endless. No problem.





Photo: courtesy Switzerland Tourism swiss-image.ch
DESTINATIONS: Africa / Asia / Australasia / Canada / Caribbean / Europe / Latin America / Mediterranean / Middle East / United States
HOTELS: Canada Hotels / USA Hotels
HOME: Home Page / Contact Us / Submissions
ABOUT US: Travel Scribbles features hundreds of travel articles and travel stories with writing from some of the best travel writers covering hundreds of destinations from Africa and Asia to Europe, Canada and the USA. Personal experiences, travel guides, cruise reviews, wry commentary and even poetry on vacation destinations fills the pages of Travel Scribbles. We are always interested in submissions so if you have an experience of a destination you would like to share with our readers, or if you have any comments on our site - please feel free to contact us at info@travelscribbles.com