Weekend In Bernese

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Headaches in tow from last night, we woke up and took part in the free breakfast Balmer’s offers, which for me was oatmeal and fruit. We checked out at 10am and walked next door to a shop that rents scooters. It was only 25 Swiss Francs for two hours so we decided to go for it. Now I have never been on a motorcycle, dirtbike, or really any motorized two wheeled vehicle ever, so even these little “Dumb and Dumber” scooters were kind of intimidating. After the shopkeep showed us the basics of operating these machines, we strapped our nerdy helmets on and we were off. We decided to drive up to Lauterbrunnen, the guy said it was a nice scenic drive and close by. It felt awkward on the scooter, but its kind of like riding a bike, and after awhile it seems natural and actually felt pretty cool and liberating. The things didn’t go fast at all, I think the fastest I went was like 50 km/h. So we headed south out of Interlaken and for the hills.

We went through a short patch of plains and then we were surrounded by tall pines on a narrow, winding road. The sky was much clearer than yesterday, so we could see the snowcapped peaks that were previously wrapped up in clouds. It was very relaxing, a stream (in Arizona it would be considered a river) followed alongside the road and it was that same steel turquoise color as the one in Interlaken, but this one had more force to it and white foamy rapids. You could hear the river even above the scooter humming and the wind screaming in your ears. The only stressful part was the cars passing us on the road, I’d see them whiz by me on my left and then get dangerously close to Richard who was probably 30 feet in front of me on his scooter. I would pull over to a clearing when I’d see a line of cars start to form behind me. I became amazed by the guys on real deal motorcycles speeding past us, I was nervous going 50km/h and those guys had to have been doing 100km/h.

In no more than 30 minutes we were in Lauterbrunnen, a small village that was in a valley surrounded by cliffs that shot straight up. There are so many waterfalls coming down the cliffs and one in particular in Lauterbrunnen was especially tall and had more water and sound coming from it. It was so tall the water would dive off the edge of the cliff and then about halfway down it would mist out and disappear almost entirely. Then towards the bottom it would magically reappear. Up on one of the cliffs in the distance was Gimmelwald, where we would be in about three hours. Took tons of photos and then headed back to Interlaken. We had another hour left of the scooter rentals, so we drove to the eastern lake to check it out. Glad I was wearing sunglasses, because I could see the bugs for a split second headed right for my face and then, bam, they would hit my helmet or sunglasses, one hit my cheek. We found our way to the lake and there turned out to be a little restaurant on the lake, so we stopped in for some lunch, both had burgers and fries, and talked about how all the beer signs in the restaurant made us want to throw up.

We scootered back to the rental shop, returned them, picked up our bags and did the same walk we did yesterday from the station to Balmer’s in reverse. It’s a popular hostel, so it was funny to see newcomers walking up the road towards Balmer’s. In with the new, out with the old. Thought about the outrageous turnover of guests at hostels like Balmer’s. Arrived at the station, bought our train tickets to Lauterbrunnen where we would catch a bus to Stechleberg and then a tram-lift up to Gimmelwald. Quite the effort and logistical adventure trying to get to Gimmelwald, but we were both very excited to go there. The train was only about 15 minutes to Lauterbrunnen, as was the bus ride, and then we stepped into the tram-lift thing and were carried above the Lauterbrunnen Valley and placed on the cliff and in Gimmelwald, tiny village of about 90 people. Immediately as we exited the tram-lift station, the path to the Mountain Hostel was to the left. We had to stop and look around at the incredible views of the Alps. Literally, your whole line of sight was the jagged, almost straight done, cliffs of the mountains. You had to look up to see the peaks. The rock walls looked so close you would almost thing you could throw a tomato across the valley and watch it splat against them. Wandered into the Mountain Hostel, which is like a pretty big cabin, the rooms are split into boys and girls and the rooms are heaps of bunk beds, but they looked comfortable, and were. It was about 4pm and reception was closed till 6pm, so Richard and I set our bags down, walked outside to marvel, came back in and watched an intense game of Jenga between an English guy and two American girls, and then we played some pool.

Pool is the game we have both picked up on this trip. We are the perfect match, because we both are terrible. Most of our games end with accidentally hitting in the 8-ball or scratching when one of us actually only has the 8-ball left. We talked to some of the guys and girls staying there while we played pool and listened to music. It’s a really cool hostel. Its owned by a couple, Petra and Walter, and it’s a very free and self-sufficient place. The internet is free, the pool and games are free, the plates, utensils, and glasses you have to wash and rinse yourself after using. There is a kitchen you can use and since there isn’t anywhere to eat in Gimmelwald, they will make you pizza and fondue. One of the amenities of the Mountain Hostel that is sort of well-known amongst backpackers is the hot tub that sits outside.

With still an hour till check in, Richard and I decided to take a walk outside. We passed by the tiny wood houses along an uneven asphalt road. On our left was a steep green hill that shot up till it hit the tree line. There were a couple scattered houses on this hill as well as goats and Holsteins grazing. I really can’t describe the town, because its everything opposite of every town I have ever been to. Some of the dark, aged wooden houses we passed had signs out front informing us that they sell homemade cheese from their Holsteins. We went to one of the house’s door and rang the bell, but no answer, so no Alpine cheese for us. Gimmelwald had a maybe two other lodging places, one of them is Ester’s Guesthouse, which sells local products, so we figured we’d just stop in and sample the local flavors there. We went in and bought a block of cheese and a link of some dried beef from the local Holsteins. Walked back to the hostel, checked in, got our bed assignments, and walked outside just as the other guests were sitting on the picnic tables for dinner, most opted for pizza, some had fondue, everyone had at least a beer or a glass of wine in their hands, but Richard and I ate our local cheese and beef. Would have liked to drink a beer and watch the sun hide behind the Alps, but knew I needed a night’s break.

After dinner, I went on the computer real quick and Richard and I sat at one of the inside tables, found a deck of cards and played the classic game of War. The game lasted awhile, as they always do, and after Richard squeaked out a victory, we just hung out and talked to people. One guy was with his parents; he just got done studying in Spain, so we talked about Spain and exchanged pickpocket stories. Even though people were sitting around and drinking, everyone went to bed pretty early, around 10 or 11, to prepare for the activities tomorrow will bring. Richard went to bed early, he’s mountain biking early. I might do paragliding, we’ll see, I am feeling bold after my successful motor scooter session, but its quite the leap from scooters to paragliding off a cliff. Might do the hike up to the bigger village of Murren, where they have restaurants, stores, and markets. Although I enjoyed venturing out in Rome, Florence, and Venice to hunt down the main attractions, its going to be nice to have a whole day of basking in the “beauty of doing nothing.”

Have fun,
Matt

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Photos

Scooters
Modern-day Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper

Swiss Gondola
A different kind of gondola. Took us up to Gimmelwald.

Valleywide
The view across the Lauterbrunnen Valley from Gimmelwald.

Comments

[Gram]

Love you !
Pop and I are enjoying your daily adventures so much...you sure are excellent at making us feel we are there with you...lots of love, Gram