Switzerland
From Zürich, our next destination was the town of Lauterbrunnen, also in Switzerland.
Lauterbrunnen is located in south-central Switzerland and couldn't exactly be described
as a metropolis, as it has less than 2,500 inhabitants. Most Americans have probably
never heard of it, but if one confines oneself to asking only extreme fans of skiing,
the percentages would go up significantly, as the area is home to a number of
well-known ski resorts (e.g. Mürren, Wengen and Lauterbrunnen itself).
Piste Map of Lauterbrunnen Area
This status didn't matter to us a bit, as first, we were visiting in early
September, and second, we don’t ski at all ("These people don't drink, or smoke,
or medicate themselves recreationally, or even ski. Don't they do anything??”).
We were interested in the scenery, however, which is breathtaking. You may have seen
some of it too, as area scenery has appeared in a number of movies (e.g.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), The Eiger Sanction (1975)) and
television shows (e.g. The Amazing Race (2009), The Bachelor (2012)).
Those with more literary interests might find it interesting that a young J.R.R.
Tolkien visited the area in 1911, and later used a hike he completed to Lauterbrunnen
from nearby Interlaken as a direct inspiration for the crossing of the Misty Mountains
by Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit. Tolkien was also a talented artist and made
sketches of the scenery he saw, and is said to have used the sketches in creating his
descriptions of the Elvish realm of Rivendell.
J.R.R. Tolkien, 1916
Getting to Lauterbrunnen from Zürich involved a train ride of about two-and-a-half
hours. Or rather a few train rides, as transfers were required in the towns of
Spiez and Interlaken. The name "Interlaken" might suggest to you a town between
two lakes, and this is in fact the case. We had a good look at one of the lakes,
called the Thunersee, whose shore we followed as we approached Interlaken.
Nella and Luggage at Zürich Train Station
Hillside
Thunersee
Thunersee and Mountains
The transfer in Interlaken put us on a privately-run train route which took us
southward, up into the Lauterbrunnen Valley. On the way we followed the
Weisse Lütschine River. "Weisse" means "white", and this is an apt
description of the river, which has an odd whitish-blue color to it, a product
of glacial material mixed in with the water.
Lauterbrunnen Vicinity
Approaching Lauterbrunnen Valley from Interlaken
Weisse Lütschine River, Trees and Mountains
We disembarked from the train, which immediately turned around and went back
to Interlaken. Lauterbrunnen is not a large town, and everything is in
walking distance, including our hotel, the Hotel Silberhorn. On the way we
noticed a banner welcoming runners to the Jungfrau Marathon, which apparently
was upcoming but which did not happen during our stay.
The Hotel Silberhorn consists of a large main building, plus some smaller
buildings. Our room turned out to be in one of the smaller buildings, but the
room itself was quite large, with a nice view. It was also very close to the
cable route of the Mürrenbahn gondola ride, which takes passengers up to the
west rim above the valley.
Bob and Jungfrau Marathon Banner
Bob and Lauterbrunnen Valley
Hotel Silberhorn
Hotel Silberhorn and Mürrenbahn Gondola
We dropped off our luggage in the room, but we didn't stay long, as we were
anxious to find ourselves a late lunch (it was about 3 PM by this time).
We found a place where we could get some sandwiches, and they also had
Toblerone ice cream, which we hadn't seen before.
Map and Toblerone Ice Cream
We returned to the room and rested a bit, and then went out to see what we
could from Lauterbrunnen. From the area of the hotel, we could see southward
into the valley, and upward at some of the snow-covered mountains rising above
it. Across the valley we could see one of the many waterfalls that empty into
the valley from above. There are said to be 72 waterfalls in the valley, but
we only counted half a dozen or so. Most are probably on the subdued side,
and I have a feeling some only appear after heavy rainfalls.
Mountains and View into Valley
Mountains Above East Side of Valley
Waterfall Across from Lauterbrunnen
Cows Across from Lauterbrunnen
Ridge and Gondola from Lauterbrunnen
We made our way through town, so we could have a better view of the bulk of
the valley, which was to the south.
Jungfrau Garage, Lauterbrunnen
Hotel Oberland
Hotel Jungfrau
We were able to get the view of the valley we were hoping for, plus a nice
view of Staubbach Falls, the largest waterfall in the valley, which happens
to be only a short walk south of town.
Mountains and View into Valley
Staubbach Falls
Staubbach Falls
Staubbach Falls drops 974 feet and is floodlit at night. There is a Swiss flag
to the left of the waterfall, I guess so you don't forget what country you're in.
I have no idea how it got there, but it must have been a challenge. We noted
that there seemed to be some kind of passageway behind the waterfall, as we could
see people back there. I was intrigued, but Nella was not so interested.
Fortunately she was tolerant, as she didn't complain when I expressed my fervent
wish to see what was back there, and promised to await my return (or send out a
search party if necessary). I headed out onto the trail, and after half a mile
or so, including a tunnel, I found myself in the coveted damp position behind the
waterfall.
Tunnel on Staubbach Falls Trail
Walkway Behind Staubbach Falls
Behind Staubbach Falls
I didn't stay long (after a minute or two, you've pretty much exhausted the experience)
and started back. There were some nice views on the way back down. One thing I hadn't
noticed on the way up was a small cemetery with a playground next to it.
Trains from Wengen
Mountains Across from Lauterbrunnen
Cemetery and Playground
Cemetery and Playground
True to her word, Nella was still there when I returned (working on a crossword
puzzle if I remember correctly), and we headed back through town on the way to the
hotel. On the way, we passed a store that had a display of Swiss Army knives, of
all things.
Swiss Army Knife Display
Mountains from Lauterbrunnen
We rested in the hotel room some more and eventually had dinner at the hotel's dining
room. We returned to the room, watched some German-language TV and eventually fell
asleep. Our plans for the next day were somewhat weather-dependent, but they included
an excursion to the town of Mürren.