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Romping in the Berner
Oberland
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Denise Fussell, who runs the Chalet, gave us Room 4, the triple room. What a delightful room! Big, bright and cheerful. A huge window overlooked the street and a partial view of the mountains. In Mürren, we didn't have to worry about street noise since the village is car free. If you call Denise (0)33-8552686, ask for Room 4. Room 3 for CHF75 was half the size. On our first hike, we were a bit over ambitious. While heading toward the Mürren train station to catch the trail to Winteregg, we saw a sign pointing upwards to Mittelberg, 15 minutes. A short detour. Why not. It took us 30 minutes. The view on top was well worth the huffing and puffing. The meadows against the backdrop of the mountains were gloriously covered with white and yellow wild flowers. We just sat and gawked. After reaching Winteregg, we stopped for a coffee break. Decision time. Should we continue to Grütschalp and catch the train back to Mürren or go on to Lauterbrunnen? Signs pointing to Lauterbrunnen said 1 hour 30 minutes. That's nothing. Wrong! It turned into a 3 hour long walk, descending 3000+ feet. We encountered not a single soul on the trail except for cows and goats. The last mile was very steep with nothing to hold onto. By the time we reached Lauterbrunnen, with legs rubbery like Gumby's, I headed for the nearest sports shop and bought a hiking stick for CHF40, my one but very needed souvenir from Switzerland. We learned 4 hiking lessons on that first day. First, double the time given on the sign. (Only 18 year olds could run the trail within its allotted time.) This would allow ample time to look, mosey around, take pictures, and rest. Besides, you tend to tire more easily because of thin air. Second, don't trust the degree of difficulty denoted by trail signs. You may disagree with the rating. Third, get yourself a hiking stick. And fourth, don't over-do on your first hike unless you want to live in pain (like us) for the next 3 days! It was neat to see young and old, all wearing hiking boots and carrying backpacks... except for those who didn't know any better. As we rode the cable car to the Schilthorn summit, we met a couple in their late fifties traveling with their twenty something daughter. They came from Taiwan. The husband wore a suit and tie. The wife wore slacks and dressy leather shoes. Only the daughter had enough sense to wear jeans and sneakers. The wife fell in love with Mürren and did not want to leave. She said her hotels had no local flavor. (The travel agency in Taiwan booked them into 4 star hotels in major cities throughout Switzerland). Discovering we were paying CHF80 a night as compared to their CHF400 a night added to her grumbling. Learning that we did not pre-reserve our hotels compounded her distress even more. When she looked at our hiking boots, she was close to tears. Reluctantly, they returned to their big hotel in Interlaken. For the next four nights, we stayed with Denise's friend Clare who recently opened the downstairs of their home in Wengen to travelers. Wengen is the car free village 4180 feet up another mountain, separated from Mürren by the Lauterbrunnen valley. This was a treasure of a discovery. For CHF37 per person, we were given a "flat"... bedroom, living room with satellite TV, CD player, and phone, fully equipped kitchen/dining room, bath, and balcony. Our unobstructed view were the mountain peaks, Lauterbrunnen valley, and a couple of waterfalls. And, we got to taste Clare's muesli... the best in all of Switzerland. Both Clare (English) and her husband (Swiss) are wonderful, hospitable people. You can reach this hideaway by writing Clare and Andy Regez, Chalet Trogihalten, 3823 Wengen. Tel/Fax (0)33 855 17 12. Memorable hikes included Allmendhubel to Mürren, Männlichen-Kleine Scheidegg, and Mürren to Winteregg. These were distinctive Alpine trails... with views of the Eiger, Jungfrau, and Mönch peaks, the valleys and meadows, covered with wildflowers in June. Other trails remain nameless because neither of us could pronounce or remember the names. Hubby may be gifted in many things, but language is not one of them. He took wonderful video but really butchered the names in his narration. Even Jungfrau diehards would have trouble understanding him. Weather in the mountains was unpredictable. Several mornings it rained. Don't let that dampen your spirits. On one rainy day, we went by train to Thun on Thun Lake. We climbed to the castle (Schloss Thun), paid the CHF5 admission, and clambered up more stairs to the towers and were rewarded by a gorgeous view of the city and lake. Afterwards, we caught the train to Bern and spent the afternoon in the old city. On another rainy day it was a boat ride on Brienz Lake. We caught the boat from the Interlaken Ost train station, got off at Iseltwald, explored the quaint village, and walked the 1 hour 20 minute lakeside trail to Giessbach. It took us 2 hours and 20 minutes. An elderly couple from our boat greeted us with a "Grüss Gott" as they passed us and a "Wiedersehen" as they disappeared. They certainly were no couch potatos! From Giessbach we caught the boat to Brienz. After exploring Brienz, took the train back to Interlaken Ost. On yet another rainy day we took the train to Grindelwald (changing trains in Zweilütschinen). Our immediate reaction was, "we are so thankful we are not staying here!" There were so many cars, people, and shops... having stayed in car-free Mürren and Wengen for 8 days, we were experiencing city-shock. I might add here that we never had one day that was a total washout. The sun always came out sooner or later. Since our Swiss Pass included the PTT postal buses, we wanted to try the experience without sacrificing too much time and therefore picked the PTT bus (van) from Lauterbrunnen train station to the mountain village Isenfluh ... a memorable 15 minute experience. We found ourselves on a narrow mountain road and through a small mountain tunnel. Don't count on Swiss drivers to slow down just because they are on narrow mountain roads! In the tunnel we met a big truck head on. It had to back up (how you do that in a narrow dark tunnel is beyond me) so we could drive forward to a small shoulder. After arriving in Isenfluh, we kept our eye on the van and the driver because we did not want to be left behind. This village stands isolated at 3557 feet, and the van was making the last run for the day. Liberating ourselves from our "fly-drive" mode by using only public transportation was a huge success. We took a total of 77 trains and cogwheels, 17 funiculars, 18 buses, 9 boats, 7 cable car/gondolas, and 4 Metros. But then, we were in Switzerland ... famous for their clean, fast, efficient, and punctual transportation network. Would we try to do the same in other countries? Let's wait and see. Someone once said, "When you start to look like the picture in your passport, it's time to go home." Although we didn't look quite that bad, it was time to leave so hubby could return to work. But our hearts will stay in Berner Oberland and our fond memories will linger on. Copyright © 1997 Rebecca Chan Questions about planning a similar trip? Comments for
the author? It comes as no surprise that Rebecca Chan loves to travel. It goes hand in hand with her interest in languages and photography and her background in cultural anthropology. She has lived in China, Hong Kong, Argentina, and Austria before settling in the U.S. Although New Jersey has been home for Rebecca and husband Al for the past 31 years, she still considers Berkeley, California her hometown. They are proud parents of 4 adult children. When Rebecca is 'home', she stays actively involved with the ministry of Community Bible Study. Would you like to add an article about your travel experiences in Europe? It's easy to do. Our Favorites Trip Tips and Tools The Not-For-Profit Site For Your
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