Wengen

By Gretchen Fifer

Complete Index of Articles on Switzerland

"Mürren is the most beautiful place in the world," wrote Sidney Clark in his now out of print book, All the Best in Switzerland. It was in 1981 when I first read these inspiring pages and became determined to find not only the place but also the "ragged" edge so enticingly described.

And, find it, I did, in time for a somewhat inadequately planned 5-day trip to this mountaintop jewel called Mürren. Little did we know! It was five years later before we returned to the area, and then only for several short visits over a span of several years, drawn by the scenery, the Berner Oberland Pass, and the abundant gondola get-aways from Wengen on the five "free days." 

Now it was a hard choice - the immediate scenery in Mürren far exceeded that of Wengen, but for a lengthy stay in 1994, we opted for Wengen. Its grocery stores, cheese shop, meat market, and numerous bakeries, though none of them produced the marvelous rhubarb torte found in Muerren, were a drawing force for a two week stay. Besides that, husband, Ray, would go to a mountaintop named First (First Mountain) every day if the parasailers were there. 

[Since 1994 a grocery store (Coop) has been added to the bakeries and butcher shop in Mürren. Food is no reason not to stay in Mürren! (EJG)]

With retirement in hand we rented an apartment, sight unseen (though we don't recommend this to first timers to the area). Having spent sporadic periods of time over six years in Wengen, walking around the village, searching out apartments listed in the Tourist Office brochure, taking pictures, inspecting empty apartments, we felt we knew the area well enough to choose from the descriptions, our personal requirements, and the map, while being more than 4000 miles away. And, of great importance, the most desirable apartments are rented during high season and are not available for inspection.

In choosing an apartment we consider the location, how far UP or DOWN a hill it is, the price per day including the end cleaning, all the taxes, and the rating or number of stars it has in the Tourist Office brochure. We also like 2 separate rooms so you don't sleep in the living/cooking /TV area. In all three situations we paid about $100 per day total for the apartment. 

We faxed the apartment of choice and received a confirmation within hours, exchanged information, received a contract, signed it, sent a deposit, and the apartment was ours for 14 nights! We were neither disappointed in the apartment nor in our two weeks stay! Using our past experiences and the Berner Oberland Pass we have devised a list of wonderful things to do from or in Wengen:

• Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg via train and on to Grindlewald and on to the top of First Mountain and return via Grund and the gondola to Männlichen and down to Wengen - or in reverse.
• Go to Mürren and absorb being surrounded by mountains as you eat rhubarb torte. 
• While in Mürren take the tram to Allmendhubel. And/or go to the Schilthorn and eat lunch as you watch 360 degrees of mountains as you sit in the revolving restaurant. 
• A steep walk down to Gimmelwald from Mürren will lead you to a peaceful area you will hate to leave, either by foot back UP or by gondola.
• Go to Grindlewald and on to the Blue Ice Grotto.
• Go to Grindlewald and then on to Grosse Scheidegg and on to Meiringen where we purchased a blue glass dish from an outside honor display where we dutifully placed the asking price in the metal box, and went on to the Sherlock Holmes Museum as soon as it opened after the lunch "break." 
• In Wengen, after supper at night, sit on the bench by the Lutheran Church , if you can find room to sit in this favorite spot, and watch the mountains in twilight.
• Eat lunch at the Gruebi Café in Wengen where we first heard a CD by Ivan Reboff; we now have three of them and still searching for one more, the exact one we heard that rainy Sunday eating goulash soup at the Gruebi.
• Take the gondola to Männlichen and walk to Kleine Scheidegg and take the train back to Wengen. Some people walk back down, but we have not tried that yet.
• Walk to Mary's Café for lunch on "stay in Wengen" days.
• Finish walking all the paths in Wengen we haven't traversed in these past years.
• Take all the rest of the excursions on the Berner Oberland Pass that we still haven't done - we keep running out of time.

[As to rail passes: Gretchen's preference is the Berner Oberland. For other visitors the Jungfrau Pass may work more effectively. For Ed and Julie who often take excursions outside the area the Swiss Pass seems to work the best. Visitors will have to make their own choice based on their expected activities.]

Since this first apartment stay we have rented two more times in as many subsequent years. The second time was also a sight unseen and turned out well. On that trip we saw another apartment which we liked very much and rented just this (1998) year. Unless something drastic changes, we will return to this last apartment again, or maybe the first, or maybe a week in Mürren and a week in Wengen.

But return, we will. For the 9th time. It is fun just looking through the literature and making plans, the first one being: how long shall we wait?

[Both Wengen and Muerren tourist offices offer brochures with pictures and descriptions of all apartments in their village.

• Wengen
• Mürren

The Fifers' stays have been at the Miravalle, Barg-U-Tal, and Am Hundsbiehl.]

Copyright © 1998 Gretchen Fifer

Questions about planning a similar trip? Comments for the author?
rfifer@bellsouth.net

Gretchen is a retired Speech-Language Pathologist and she and husband, Ray, a retired Data Processing Manager, have lived in South Carolina for 30 years. They have traveled to more than 23 countries and more than 30 islands, mostly on their own. They have taken few tours and prefer unusual cruises. Their favorite destinations are Switzerland and Bavaria; Turkey is a close third.

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Published December 28, 1998
Edited February 23, 2001

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