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Autumn in Mürren:
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There is a cable car that goes to the top of the Schilthorn, and it can be totally different weather at the top of the mountain. There are video monitors in the cable car station just up the street, and you can see what the view is like before you take the trip. Unfortunately, the view from the top of the mountain was even worse. On Tuesday, I awoke and immediately got up and looked outside. It was unbelievable. Right across the valley was the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau Mountains, looking magnificent. It almost looked fake. I felt like I could just reach out and touch the mountains. I just stood there looking out at the mountains and seeing the wind blow wisps of snow off the tops. This is what we had been waiting for. We first walked up to the local tourist office in the Alpine Sports Center. They gave us detailed descriptions of various local walks, and I also purchased a map of the area for SFR 2. We walked up to Allmenhubel, and then back down to Mürren, which was about a 1-½ hour leisurely walk. There was some snow on the ground, but the path was clear and the temperature about 55 degrees Fahrenheit – a lovely fall day. We only saw 6 people the entire hike. Part of the walk takes you past several Alphuts/restaurants, but they were closed during the Fall, which was too bad because a cup of hot chocolate with a shot of Schnapps was definitely called for. We walked back through Mürren down to the little village of Gimmelwald. The walk was gorgeous – past picture perfect Alpine houses with cows and sheep grazing. The cows wear these enormous cowbells around their neck that you can hear for miles. One day we heard a racket outside our window and looked out to see the local herders walking their cows through town on the main road. There are no cars in Mürren or Gimmelwald, except for some farm vehicles – but no tourists driving around – so it is quiet and serene. In Gimmelwald, we took the steep Schilthorn cable car down to the valley floor, and got off at Stechelberg. Our destination was Trümmelbach Falls, the spectacular waterfalls that cascade and corkscrew inside the mountain. I doubt I could describe this, but it is a sight that should not be missed. One can take the bus, but it is only about a mile or so walk through the woods along a beautiful path next to the river. The colors of the deciduous trees were spectacular -bright reds, yellows, and oranges. Trümmelbach Falls is about a 20 minute walk from the base of the cable car at Stechelberg. At the falls, one takes an elevator to the top, and then walks back down. There are 14 or so areas that you can view the falls from as you slowly walk down the stairs back down to the bottom/valley floor. The force and sound of the falls inside the mountain is thunderous and awesome. We couldn’t believe that there were only a dozen other people there. Afterwards, we walked back to Stechelberg, and took the Schilthorn cable all the way back to Murren, which took maybe 15 minutes. We then walked up to the Alpine Sports Center and each paid SFR 6 to use the pool and jacuzzi, which had a tremendous view of the Eiger! That night we had delicious grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and a bottle of Robert Mondavi cabernet in the apartment – all from the Co-Op. The Schilthorn/Piz Gloria Restaurant offers an early morning breakfast "special". It is a reduced price of SFR 42 per person, which includes the trip up and back, and a breakfast of coffee, bread, cheese, jams and juice. All this while you enjoy the incredible view from the revolving restaurant. There were maybe 20 people in the whole place. This is NOT someplace you go for the food. It was fine, but I wouldn’t want to have dinner there. It was a beautiful clear day, and well worth the trip. You can see over 200 peaks from the top, which is at 10,000 feet. It is amazing that this structure is in the middle of nowhere on top of a mountain. Another excellent walk is walk #5 in the ‘Hiking Possibilities’ handout that we got at the tourist office. This hike takes one up above Murren towards the back of the valley, which was covered in snow when we went, then down to Spielbodenalp and then back to Mürren, about a 2 ½ hour hike. Since the ground is cold (and wet) this time of year, there weren’t any opportunities to picnic until we got back to the village. There are benches strategically located above the village, and of course next to a small garbage receptacle. There wasn’t a speck of trash anywhere. One can sit down and look out over the valley, down to the village, and across to the mountain vistas, smelling the smoke from the chimneys of the picture perfect houses. Not too shabby. On our way to Zürich the next day, we had a couple of hours to wander around Interlaken, which is very touristy. We were very happy that we didn’t stay there. If you like to hike, enjoy nature, and don’t care if you have English TV in your hotel room, then I’d strongly recommend heading up into the mountains. And the fall is a fine time to go, if you don’t mind wearing a sweater and are willing to spend the rainy day inside with a good book (and a bottle of grappa from Venice doesn’t hurt either!). [Editor's Note: In fact some of the hotels in Mürren do have English language TV, including CNN International. But who goes to the mountains to watch TV? You'll find several of our favorite strolls in the mountains sketched in Swiss Mountain Rambles. Mürren and the area are delightful in winter as well even for non-skiers, as you'll learn in 2001 - A Swiss Odyssey. You'll find our brief notes on off-season visits to the mountains in Timing Your Visit ...] Mürren's WebsiteMürren's HotelsCopyright © 1998-2001 Larry
Baker Questions about planning a similar
trip? Comments for the author? Larry Baker is an East Coast transplant who now resides in San Francisco. He has traveled a little in Europe and Israel, and all over Northern California. His hobbies are mountain biking, snowboarding, hiking, camping, reading, cooking (and eating), playing guitar and avoiding television. Complete Index of Articles on Switzerland Our
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