Before embarking on this trip, and with anticipation of all the awaiting wonders of the hitherto great unknown of Europe, I had in mind Switzerland would be a particular highlight – it didn’t let me down!
Our ingress from Marseille is via Lyon into Geneva where we change trains and travel along the picture postcard shores of the lake of same name to Palezieux, where we interchange again for a train to Bulle. Not having dispensed with public transport quite yet we board a bus from Bulle to the charming Swiss village of Charmey. Our destination? The home of friends we met at Easter 2002 in the back blocks of southern West Australia on a previous expedition. Since that time we have remained in contact with Harry and Roselyne, who also visited our home some years ago whilst travelling away their retirement. Harry and Roselyne are (very) seasoned world explorers who now divide their time between Switzerland and Tucson Arizona – I imagine quite a contrast of backdrops! A big thank you to Harry and Roselyne for hosting Julie and I, and for being reminded what it is like to have two cyclones circling around interfering with nature’s delicate balance.
If Amsterdam loves a bike the Swiss love a cow bell; every bovine creature wandering the hills, steppes and other parts has one; however far be it for the constant tintinabulation to be annoying the sound is very soothing and we fall asleep with our beasts of campanology playing tunes an orchestra would be proud of.
The mountains around Charmey? Indescribable beauty and it would be petty for me to ask you to think of our nearby Dandenongs, add about 1600m, add more mountains to the north, south and west, place a smattering of snow on top and then imagine you are in an enclosed verdant valley with these behemoths overlooking your every activity. Hard to imagine? Get your lazy arse to Switzerland and see first hand true beauty laid on by mummy nature! And these are just the pre-Alps.
Being in the company of “the King of Charmey (Harry)” we are able to drive quite close to the peaks Baderhorn (2009m) and La Berra (1719m). The remainder of both ascents is done on foot and in considerate temperatures thus affording us a panorama of the surrounding mountains (in the company of several pealing cows). On other occasions we walk along the very pretty Gorges de la Jogne; and with Charmey being in the Gruyeres region we again take up our cheese odyssey by visiting a local cheese factory and the Chateau.
It was great to catch up with Harry and Roselyne again! A big thank you for your hospitality and invaluable advice on how to tackle the remainder of our Swiss stay.
If the pre-Alps of Charmey knocked you over with their beauty the Jungfrau area finished off the job, and then some! If this isn’t the most spectacular place on earth it has to be thereabouts! I imagine the clear weather helped form this view but what scenery!! My writings here simply cannot do the place justice and I’m disinclined to even try for fear of laying down in words a disservice that only the eyes could remedy first hand. We have taken photographs but again these will only serve as a place reminder without providing much of an insight into either the majesty or perspective.
Here’s what we did; there’s a whole lot more though!
Our accommodation is at the gorgeous Grindelwald, an alpine village sitting under the snow-capped Eiger that caters year round for nature lovers; and being appreciators of nature we loved this quaint locale nestled into the mountains and surrounded by the green, green grass of Switzerland (with accompanying cows of course).
We take a gondola ride up to the First, passing views of the snow covered Bernese Alps including the Wetter and Mittel-horns. It is only when we alight from our carriage and look back to the mountain range that you think (I did anyway) that this is simply the most beautiful panorama in the world! The mist gathers momentarily and robs us of our reverie; it soon dissipates and when we reach the nearby Lake Bachalpsee the previous view becomes the second best in the world as the foreground now encapsulates the delightful tarn.
Another gondola ride takes us on another sunny day to Mannlichen (2,343m – some 100m higher than our own highest, Kosciusko). From here we hike to Kleine Scheidegg and then along the north face of the imposing Eiger to Alpiglen where it’s a train ride back to Grindelwald. We couldn’t quite emulate the feat of John Hemlock (Clint Eastwood) by scaling the 3,967m Eiger – it’s intimidating from our back porch in Grindelwald; at close quarters it’s simply awesome, the scaling of which would be frightening but now done in a quarter of the eighteen hours taken by the first pioneers. The Eiger trail follows the base of the tor and is a sturdy hike from Mannlichen to Alpiglen.
Now we get serious! A train ride from Grindelwald to Kleine Schiedegg sees us connect with the Jungfraujoch train that travels some six kilometres inside the mountains to reach “the top of Europe”; from this 3,466m saddle in the Bernese Alps we are at the foot of the inspiring 4,158m Jungfrau. The day is nothing but blue sky, snow covered ground and scenery to die for! I will say that the altitude troubled me for awhile with the hike to and from Monchsjochhutte surprisingly tiring in the thin air. The boys enjoyed a zip line experience that I was reluctant to do as I think vomit laced snow would be deleterious to the tourist trade (the zip line did overpass the aforementioned trail). Jungfraujoch – with the day we had, worth every franc!
Our third day sees us travel by train across a valley or two to Lauterbrunnen; for fear of sounding hackneyed another picture postcard Swiss village. We walk along the waterfall trail that culminates with the amazing Trummelbachfalle. Trummelbachfalle is a 140m waterfall that cascades almost entirely within a mountain. The most popular experience is riding the internal elevator up the mountain to near the top and then exploring the thunderous rapids by stair and foot, firstly up and then back down to the base, all within the mountain itself – what a spectacle, what an engineering feat to put a lift and stairs inside the mountain! Another gondola ride and we take a late lunch at Murren but clouds rule out following in the footsteps of George Lazenby to the Schilthorn; instead we hike and ride another gondola and a couple of trains back to Grindelwald. By the way, you might be surprised to learn the Swiss trains run on time almost to the second.
It’s time to depart Grindelwald and the Jungfrau region. We do so reluctantly knowing we have seen and experienced something special – ‘nuff said!
From Grindelwald we travel by train to Interlaken and then on to Lucerne. Whilst the train trip is slow the scenery on the way and the climb into the mountains and then back down is worth the travel fee alone. For Doyle fans we pass the impressive Reichenbach Falls at the end of Brienzersee.
Whilst our two days at Lucerne affords us no sun and are indeed punctuated by the hitherto non-existence of rain, the city/town has a pulchritude that easily overcomes the elements. How do I not sound bucolic by just saying, what a pretty place! We explore the old town by crossing the Reuss on the Kapellbrücke, built in 1333, and climbing to the fortifications that once protected this noble town. If I understand correctly (though simply) nearby is the seat of the old Swiss confederacy formed by three cantons in 1291.
On a grey and sometimes wet day we ride the 30km length of the lake by getting on and off the boats (paddle steamers through to modern catamarans) that form the public transport system around Lucerne, again run like clock work. What visit to the city would be complete without a visit to the doleful dying lion of Lucerne? We didn’t see Lucerne in the sun but we nonetheless agreed it was another wonderful city.
Naturally the boys come away from Switzerland with that essential tool of tools, the army knife, conceived in 1890 by a smart bloke!
Next: the frontier lands of Slovenia and our Italian experience.
Love it. I agree – words cannot do justice to the beauty of Switzerland. I’m glad the weather was mostly kind for you.