The Castle

[Flyfrequently]

We were stymied in our decision to get to Interlaken a few weeks ago. The Swiss Rail had rail issues!

I'm thinking Mrs H may have had trust issues!

 

[VPS]

Schilthorn

After getting our thrills, we boarded our fourth gondola for the day and set off towards the next stop on the mystery day I'd planned for the girls.

We climbed beyond the cloud, eventually reaching 2,970 metres and the peak of Schilthorn.

It wasn't postcard perfect, but there were glimpses of sunshine showing of the stunning scenery of the Alps.

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There’s a large viewing terrace and walkways extend out the ridgeline.

The crane operator likely has the best view of all.

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Scraped bare by the almost year round cover of snow and ice, Schtilthorn at the height of summer looks like a moonscape.

Dark grey gravel with craters of residual snow.

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Schilthorn is also the location where parts the James Bond film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” was shot.

There’s a museum with artefacts from the film and some excellent behind the scenes explainers.

At the top of Schilthorn is a revolving restaurant and the next part of the surprise was that I’d booked us a table for the buffet lunch.

On a clear day this would have been spectacular.

But even with plenty of cloud around we had great views of the Alps.

It was a fairly average buffet but included Italian sparking.

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For those keen to visit Schilthorn, the train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen takes about 30 minutes.

It's another 15 minutes by bus to Gimmewald where you connect to the Schilthornbahn base station.

Here's the series of four cables cars/gondolas from there:
View attachment 364729

I was disappointed we didn't get a clearer day for our visit, but the girls both enjoyed themselves.

But on the way back to Interlaken I had more surprises planned.

Do you remember the cost of the buffet lunch? I was thinking about going up there this year

 

[Pushka]

Do you remember the cost of the buffet lunch? I was thinking about going up there this year

You are seeding threads with 'places' you are going to for this year hey? What's up.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Do you remember the cost of the buffet lunch? I was thinking about going up there this year

No need to remember, there's a spreadsheet for that.

We paid CHF300 (AUD478) for two adults and a child - but that included the four gondolas.

The gondolas alone were CHF270, so by my questionable maths the buffet was less than AUD60 for the three of us - no brainer.

My spreadsheet also has this link to the pricing & gondola timetables.

In addition to booking tickets, you have to make a table booking separately as they have several sittings (see time & menu options below)

Note the slight discount if you're on the gondola before 0855.

It wasn't busy the day of our visit so the 90 minute / two rotations wasn't enforced.

Since you're interested @VPS , here's couple of things I didn't post earlier, including the menu and a bonus buffet pic:

 

[VPS]

You are seeding threads with 'places' you are going to for this year hey? What's up.

all will be revealed when I get my cough together and book something - lots of balls at the moment

 

[Captain Halliday]

Murrenbachfall & Trummelbachfall

Departing Schilthorn our gondola descended into the abyss.



Bit it wasn't long before we emerged from the cloud to spectacular scenery and a view of Murren.



From the gondola base it was a five-minute walk along the banks of the Murrenbach to Murrenbachfall.



Initially thought to be a cascade, Murrenbachfall was re-measured in 2009 and determined to be a freefalling waterfall.

With a height of 417 metres, this makes it the highest waterfall in Switzerland.

We continued the walk along the creek and in around 20 minutes reached our next stop, Trummelbachfall.

This is a series of subterranean, glacier fed waterfalls deep within Schwarzmonch mountain.

To reach them, you can climb unreasonably large number of stairs, or ride a miner’s carriage through the side of the mountain and up the equivalent of seven floors.

From here you can navigate a series of caves, tracking the falls down.

We chose the latter.



Inside, the roar of the falls is deafening as 20,000 litres of water per second crash through the inside of the mountain.



Deep, smooth bowl shapes care carved into the rock by the raging water as the mist from the falls left everyone feeling like they’d been through a car wash.






The sign tells the story better than me:







Despite setting out pre-dawn, we almost skipped Trummelbachfall because it was getting late in the day.

I’m pleased we didn’t.

It’d put it up there with the top two or three best experiences of our five week trip.

Highly recommended.

 

[ellen10]

We are enjoying your photos and reminiscing about our time spent there.

And yes the roar of the falls was deafening and the volume of water amazing!

 

[Captain Halliday]

From Old Spice to First Class
After the falls we caught the bus back to Lauterbrunnen.

From there we were to board a train back to Interlaken.

Lauterbrunnen is the meeting point of several lines, all of which go to very popular tourist spots.

When our bus arrived we found thousands of tourists all jostling for a spot on the platform and a seat on the last train of the day.

We picked a spot on the platform that seemed to have fewer people and when the train pulled up, I realised why.

We were waiting by the first-class doors.

As the scrum to board the train began, we shuffled down the platform to the next door.

Once on board I found myself squashed at the back of the carriage peering helplessly through the Perspex into first class as people stored their bags and made themselves comfortable with about three seats each.

Something sharp from another passenger’s backpack dug into my left rib.

Shifting to avoid the stabbing pain, I found myself rubbing up against a sweaty, bearded man.

The bloke in his late 60's gave a half-nod confirming the touching of our bare skin didn’t bother him.

At least, I think that's what it meant.

Almost simultaneous with his nod, I was slapped across the face by the invisible but unmistakable wave of Old Spice and something fishy.

It all began to make sense.

The bearded man who was occupying my personal space was a fisherman.

He had evidently spent the last month in one of Switzerland’s picturesque rivers or lakes.

Despite the abundance of crystal-clear water, he’d chosen to bathe in a home-made blend of fish guts and cheap aftershave.

I faced a 40-minute train ride being poked in the rib and breathing a nauseating blend of raw trout and Old Spice.

I was on the brink of sharing the Schilthorn buffet with the entire carriage when the doors from first class burst open.

“Good grief!” exclaimed the Swissrail guard as his face contorted in a look of horror.

It wasn’t clear if he was shocked by the crowd, the smell, or both.

He spotted Miss H wedged between both her parents and invited us up the stairs to first class.

A handful of other passengers were also granted a similar op-up.

Thankfully, Old Spice, was not one of them.

 

[Captain Halliday]

A school excursion

Having long ago given up on winning any awards for parenting, we’d taking Miss H out of school for three weeks for this trip.

As a diligent student she'd requested work from her teachers and was keeping up-to-date.

But with Mrs H keen for a rest day, I decided a field trip was in order so Miss H could learn a thing or two.

The day’s first lesson: Geography.

We made our way to a bridge behind the main street of Interlaken.

It offered nice views, but also marked the merging point of three neighbouring communities: Interlaken, Matten and Unterseen.



Next lesson: Economics

For this is was back into town where we made our way to a small shop called the Funky Chocolate Club.

Here, a 90 minute chocolate making class will set you back ~$350 Australian dollars.

Miss H was set a multiple-choice economics exam:

A: Join the chocolate making class.

B: Go on a chocolate buying spree back in Australia and make your own at home.

Miss H scored an A+ in debating after successfully arguing for a hot chocolate while considered the economics question.



I'm pleased to report she passed economics with flying colours... and did an excellent job with the chocolate lesson back home a few weeks later.



The chocolate hearts had peppermint centres and were easily the most delicious!



Lesson number 3: Hydrology

From the chocolate shop it was back to the river to learn how engineers keep the water levels of both lakes even.

We toured the flood gates and learned how the flow rate is remotely adjusted to match the seasons and rate of snow melt.







Lesson 4: Biology.

With all these flood gates, how do the fish get upstream to breed?

We made our way to look at two different types of fish ladders.





The final lesson of the day: photography.

For her exam, Miss H was required to take a picture of the Interlaken scenery demonstrating depth of field.



It was a low key and enjoyable father-daughter day.

Miss H learned something.

Mrs H had her nap.

And I managed to erase the guilt of Miss H missing three weeks of school.

 

[Major]

A school excursion

Having long ago given up on winning any awards for parenting, we’d taking Miss H out of school for three weeks for this trip.

As a diligent student she'd requested work from her teachers and was keeping up-to-date.

But with Mrs H keen for a rest day, I decided a field trip was in order so Miss H could learn a thing or two.

The day’s first lesson: Geography.

We made our way to a bridge behind the main street of Interlaken.

It offered nice views, but also marked the merging point of three neighbouring communities: Interlaken, Matten and Unterseen.

View attachment 365420

Next lesson: Economics

For this is was back into town where we made our way to a small shop called the Funky Chocolate Club.

Here, a 90 minute chocolate making class will set you back ~$350 Australian dollars.

Miss H was set a multiple-choice economics exam:

A: Join the chocolate making class.

B: Go on a chocolate buying spree back in Australia and make your own at home.

Miss H scored an A+ in debating after successfully arguing for a hot chocolate while considered the economics question.

View attachment 365423

I'm pleased to report she passed economics with flying colours... and did an excellent job with the chocolate lesson back home a few weeks later.

View attachment 365425

The chocolate hearts had peppermint centres and were easily the most delicious!

View attachment 365426

Lesson number 3: Hydrology

From the chocolate shop it was back to the river to learn how engineers keep the water levels of both lakes even.

We toured the flood gates and learned how the flow rate is remotely adjusted to match the seasons and rate of snow melt.

View attachment 365427

View attachment 365428

View attachment 365429

Lesson 4: Biology.

With all these flood gates, how do the fish get upstream to breed?

We made our way to look at two different types of fish ladders.

View attachment 365430

View attachment 365431

The final lesson of the day: photography.

For her exam, Miss H was required to take a picture of the Interlaken scenery demonstrating depth of field.

View attachment 365432

It was a low key and enjoyable father-daughter day.

Miss H learned something.

Mrs H had her nap.

And I managed to erase the guilt of Miss H missing three weeks of school.

And you probably learnt something as well

 

[Captain Halliday]

The centre line

Next day we woke to more good weather.

It was the first day we’d had a truly good view of Jungfrau from the front of our apartment.



We set off on a walk through the hilly forest behind our accommodation heading for the town of Wilderswil.

It should have been around three kilometres.

But as is often the case for us, we managed to almost triple that distance.

Just over the hill was the Rugenbrau factory.

We skipped the tour and the tastings, having tried their beer around town.

Next, we came across the ruins of the Unspunnen Castle.

Named after Burkhard von Unspunnen who lived there in 1232, it was better known through the 1800s as the home of the Herdsmen’s Games.

Held on the flats below the castle, events including Alpine horn playing, wrestling, crossbow shooting, and stone throwing.



The overall purpose of the festival was to decrease tensions between the various towns in the region.

Nothing like a bit of alpine horn blowing to keep the neighbours happy!

Entering the town of Wilderswil it was in a typical Swiss looking suburban street that we found Paracyclage.

It’s a one-woman operation recycling the disused sails of paragliders into everything from bum-bags and purses to sleeping bags and spray jackets.




Wilderswil was our intended destination and from here I’d planned to take a bus back to Interlaken.

But the family was happy to keep walking and we decided to track the creek north towards Lake Brienz.

This added an extra five kilometres to the day and took us past the old Interlaken airport.



The main airport is now closed and just a heliport remains with a rescue helicopter base.

Plenty of the old airport infrastructure remains.

We couldn’t go inside but we were able to walk around the old control tower and terminal buildings.



You can also access the airfield.

We took the opportunity to stand on the centreline of the main runway.

It gave a good perspective on how challenging the approach and departures must have been as pilots navigated around the towering alps.

What was RWY05:



Even though the airport’s been closed for many years I still found myself looking around to make sure nothing was going to land.

We then continued towards the town of Bonigen – which for the rest of the day was referred to as Bonnie Doon.

It’s effectively an eastern suburb of Interlaken and sits at the end of lake Brienz.



The scenery is spectacular and Bonigen is just far enough out of central Interlaken that there’s few tourists.

Or maybe the lack of food and drink options has something to do with it.

Either way, a seat under the tree was a relaxing way to recover from our unexpectedly long walk.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Adrenaline rush

Interlaken is the adventure sport capital of Switzerland.

All the usual thrills are available.

Bungee jumping.

Rock climbing and abseiling.

Jet boating, white water rafting and canyoning.

For instance, this group had just completed the run down the rapids from Lauterbrunnen.



There’s also the major aerial pursuits like hang gliding, parachuting, or paragliding.

Most of them land in a big park right in the centre of town.



But if throwing yourself out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft or off the side of a very solid mountain doesn't do it for you, Interlaken offers a handful of more challenging landing sites.

First option: the old airport.

It might seem like a safe bet.

Flat, open spaces.

But you’ll recall from my previous post that it's an active heliport and the base for the very busy local rescue helicopter service.

So if parachuting in between chopper movements is how you get your thills, your landing zone is this grassy area right in front of those helicopter hangars.



Interlaken also has a surprisingly active target shooting community.

On the western fringe of town you’ll find the Schiessstand Lehn, or “shooting range.”

From my slightly wonky photo taken out the bus window you can see the club on the right and the targets along the base of the hill.



Notice the gliding sign on the clubhouse wall?

The gun club shares the site with a gliding club.

As a result, the shooting range is also a designated hang gliding and paragliding landing site.

Landing in a hail of bullets - what could possibly go wrong?

And if those thrills aren’t enough, your final option to get some thills is to just go for a walk.

A quick look at google maps will show you the gun club on the lower right of this image, while at the top and slightly out of focus are the targets.



Notice now they have to shoot across Lombach-Promenade?

That's a freely accessible public footpath.

No gates.

No fences.

No warning signs.



Interlaken – thills a minute.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Neiderhorn

On our final day in Interlaken we had a choice between relaxing, or taking on another of the mountains that make up the Swiss Alps.

Exploring Mount Niederhorn won a split vote 2-1.

Like most of the mountains in Switzerland, it’s free to walk up.

Or, for an amount roughly equal to the GDP of a small developing nation, you can ride a funicular, followed by a gondola.

This was the best weather during out nine day visit and and the view of the top was stunning.



There are plenty of places to take in the scenery including a very small bridge, perhaps 20 metres long, between two rocky outcrops.

Below the bridge it’s a very long way down.



The view North West includes the city of Bern.

To the south, many of the peaks visible are actually in northern Italy.



In the bright sun, Lake Thun shone a vivid ice blue.



Niederhorn is also a sensational spot for a picnic.

You can rolling out a blanket on the grass.

Unpacking a nice wicker basket.

Enjoy cheese, bread, some olives and grapes, perhaps some Parma ham or prosciutto and a nice glass of your favourite wine.

All while taking in the stunning scenery and soaking up some rays.



There's three ways down the mountain.

First, the gondola and funicular combination.

Second, you can run down this ramp and trust the person who made your paraglider.



The third option is to walk.

According to the tourist map this should take a little over two hours.

With such great weather, we'd bought one-way gondola tickets, confident that the walk down would be a breeze..

As so often happens on a Halliday holiday, our ambition was not matched by our ability.

 

[SuePa]

our ambition was not matched by our ability

I know that feeling!
Looking forward to the next instalment.

 

[Captain Halliday]

A slow descent

After a light lunch we set off from the peak at an elevation of 1,963 metres.

We departed right on 2:30pm.

If the tourist map was correct, we’d be at the lake just after 4:30pm.

The first part of the walk, above the snowline most of the year, was a mix of gravel and tussock grass.

We enjoyed great views across the lake and tried to ignore the fact that we were being overtaken by people long retired and more than twice our age.



After about an hour, the path began to criss-crossing below the gondolas.

Reassurance that we weren't lost.



But it was also in this area that the terrain became steeper and rockier.

Readers of my previous trip reports will know that rocks and Mrs H is a dangerous combination.

Our pace slowed.

Mrs H began taking tentative steps.

I exchanged a look with Miss H.

We both knew what it meant: Don't mention that this was your mother's idea!

We navigated the rocky ridge-line accident free and with plenty of daylight to spare.

And were soon into an area of pine forest.



It was about here that we were passed by a family of runners.

Mum, dad and two kids.

No backpacks, or water.

Not a drop of sweat on them they were dressed in crisp looking sportswear as though they'd just come from a photo shoot.

I marvelled at their irritatingly chiselled calf muscles as they climbed the mountain with ease.

Well past the 90-minute mark, we were still a long way from the bottom.

We'd lost sight of Lake Thun.

The gondola was somewhere on the other side of the ridge.

And our only point of reference was the mountain range on the other side of the lake.



By now Miss H was hungry.

Again.

I took the last of the snacks out of the backpack and handed them over wondering if crumbled shortbread might be her final meal.

The 2hr 10min claimed by the tourist map was beyond ambitious.

Another Halliday holiday calamity loomed larger than the alps from which we were descending.

At about the two-and-a-half-hour mark, we emerged from the pine forest and a small hut came into view.

So did the lake.

But it was much further away than we'd hoped.



But just beyond the trees in the picture above, more houses appeared.

They were lined along a narrow road which gave us hope.

But after checking the map and bus schedule, it became clear we had to walk a further 20 minutes to the bus stop.

Sometime just after 6pm the bus rolled in.

It was a tough day on the legs, but the scenery was spectacular.

I’m glad I voted in favour!

 

[RooFlyer]

Exploring Mount Niederhorn won a split vote 2-1.

That really is a fantastic view/area. Bookmarked for sometime in the future, thanks.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Rhine Falls

Our departure from Interlaken the next morning was uneventful, and our train arrived in Zurich schedule.

From Interlaken to Zurich, a Swissrail daypass was cheaper than a one-way ticket, so after dropping our bags at the hotel we headed back to the train station and continued North to the town of Rheinfall.

After a 6am start and three-hour trip from Interlaken, another hour on the train wasn’t ideal….

But a visit to Rhine Falls any other day would have cost an extra AUD200 in train fares.

Our thrifty choice was rewarded with another amazing view:



150 metres wide and 23 metres high, the falls carry a massive 600 cubic metres of water per second in summer.

For those who need the pool analogy – that’s the volume of a Olympic swimming pool every four seconds.



You can view the falls from both sides and cross the bridge above the falls for free.

On the southern side of the falls is Schloss Laufen – an old castle.

Below it is a viewing platform that costs EUR5 to access.



We skipped the viewing platform and instead jumped on one of the boats for the “rock ride”.

EUR20 will get you to the rock that’s at the centre of the falls.



From here, the power of the falls is evident.



From the rock, the view south includes the café precinct, souvenir shop and departure point for the ferry rides.



In theory you get 20 minutes on the rock, but there was no enforcement, and you could easily take the next boat.

If you want the best view, try for a seat at the front of the boat because after leaving the rock, your skipper will take the boat towards the falls.



The small outboard motor is no match for the flow of water – but you still get very close.



Your ticket also includes the boat that shuttles across the river – saving you going up and over the bridge.

We did both.

The view from the bridge offered a good perspective on the width of the falls and clarity of the water.



Ex. ZHR you need to allow at least half a day, but it's well worth it.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Hilton Zurich
Four our digs in Zurich we’d selected the Hilton to make the most of my new gold status.

Tip of the hat to @citrusb who very generously gifted me this status while I was planning this trip.

Having booked the cheapest available room, we were pleased to be upgraded to an executive room with carpark views.









The only physical difference from the room we booked appeared to be a pod coffee machine and two bottles of water that would otherwise have cost AUD7 each.



We’d anticipated paying for breakfast for Miss H, but the big benefit of the upgrade was executive lounge access and breakfast for all three of us.

Breakfast was served in the restaurant and there was no up-charge for the hot buffet which included the usual fare (think mini chicken chipolatta sausages).

Omelettes were also made on request.

The executive lounge was modestly appointed with a selection of diecast planes from several airlines.

It also had great view of departures from RWY16.



A self-serve coffee machine and soft drinks were available throughout the day.

Sometimes there was also a selection of pastries and baked goods, but they looked suspiciously like they’d had an earlier outing on the breakfast buffet.



In the evening, beer, wine and basic spirits were on offer along with a small selection of salads and two hot dishes.

As I lifted the lid on the Baine Marie, something about the devilled sausages made with chicken chipolatas that brought memories of breakfast flooding back.



A quirk of the hotel is that despite entering the main doors at ground level… you’re actually on level 4.

The remaining floors of the hotel, including most of the rooms, are on the lower floors.

But with the hotel built on the side of a hill, these are still above ground.

It clearly confused several guests.



If you want to do some plane spotting in the open air, the hotel's rear car park - or the public park just beyond - both offer great vantage points.

EK088 heading home.



The hotel is not walking distance to the actual airport, but a free shuttle operates from the airport to the hotel.

However, if you want to go in the other direction, that’ll cost you CHF10 per person.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Uetliberg

Just like Amsterdam two weeks earlier, Zurich was about to be hit by a heatwave.

Despite a forecast top of 30 degrees, we set about doing all the outdoor and walking activities ASAP.

The following two days were forecast to be 34 and 36 degrees respectively.

First stop was Uetliberg.

It's a small mountain (870m) about five kilometres South West of Zurich CDB.

It’s easily accessible by public transport and is the last stop on the Uetliberg rail line.

An open terrace offers view across Zurich, the lake and to the alps.



For the full 360 degree view there’s a viewing tower and you’ll need to climb ~120 stairs.





We were fortunate to have a clear day, allowing us to see the peaks of Weisshorn and Jungfrau on the Italian border ~100 km away.



We then took the train back to Zurich central where we found this shop:



No part of the world is left out:



There's was nothing from Australia in the limited wine section, leaving these as our only representation:



At central, we changed trains and rode to a station about 2kms outside the CBD on the banks of lake Zurich.

Our plan was to walk along the lake back into town - hoping for some breeze.

In the sweltering heat it seemed everyone was at the lake.





But we soon realised the lake wasn't the only reason it was crowded.

Our visit happened to coincide with the Zurich City Festival.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Zurich City Festival - part 1

Turns out the Zurich City Festival is a big deal.

It only happens every three years and attracts two million visitors.

That’s five times the city’s population!

No wonder our accommodation was so expensive.

The streets along the River Limmat and all the roads fronting the lake basin are closed to traffic and packed tight with festival activities.

All up, the festival site takes up about 8km of the waterfront.

We saw just a fraction of the fun including live music, street performances and beach volleyball:





Miss H shot three from three to win herself an ice cream:



There were also carnival rides…





And coughtails so big you could barely lift them:



Right next to the giant coughtails were these port-a-loos with helpful signage just in case the person installing them had been at the coughtail stand.