Eurotrip 2011 – Bern, Swiss Alps, Luzern, 1 -7 May

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Bern turned out to be Jace’s least favourite town of the trip due to the lack of “breathtaking sights” which we would encounter a quite a number of times on this trip. I guess fountains and clocks didn’t really interest her much. But, I actually liked the cobber-stone streets and the numerous flags hanging out on one of their well known streets. Furthermore, I liked the feel of riding our bicycles in the cool weather to explore the town. Lock it up, explore the streets and cycle on. So, while there were not many sights, I liked it. The roads are bicycle friendly and traffic is light. Did I also mention that our hostel provided free bicycles? We liked out accommodation in Bern. It was cozy, it had a nice common kitchen and it provided free bicycles. We cooked on both nights as we didn’t find the food around here particularly delicious after our gastronomic experience in Italy. Our rice we brought from home tasted really good. Good thing I got some tips on how to cook rice without a rice cooker.

The Bernese Oberland Swiss Alps was up next and we were naturally excited. I suppose that’s the main thing why people come to Switzerland, to see the breathtaking views from the mountains. Unfortunately, the first day was a bummer. We arrived at our accommodation at Lauterbrunnen Valley around noon. It was drizzling and our views of the surroundings were shrouded in mists. Worse come to worse, I fell ill and I felt lousy. After a walk to the nearby waterfall, we called it a day and turned in early.

The good thing was, I felt much better the next day with my energy returning and we went up the Schilthorn. This was one of the peaks around here where one of the James Bond movies was filmed. Our views of the valley and the little houses as we went up in the cable car were pretty. The Swiss Alps was just beginning to show its potential. Up there, we played with the snow like crazy people (we come from a temperate country with no snow) and had hot soup in the nice revolving restaurant at the peak. We had good views of the capped mountains before the clouds came in. In the afternoon, we spent some time at Murren before hiking down to Lauterbrunnen. Not many people around and some towns were closed as it was the off peak season. Nevertheless we appreciated the quietness and the splendid views.

The following day was the time to visit the Jungfraujoch  The highest railway station in Europe. We woke up and there not a shred of cloud to be seen in the sky. The view from our hostel suddenly looked amazing with the snow capped mountains around us. Flowers were starting to bloom and the air was really fresh. The weather was perfect. So up the alps we went in a train. At Kleine Scheidegg, we changed to the Jungfraubahn a cogwheel train which is basically a train with “teeth” that cling on to the tracks. The trains in the Swiss alps are really cute. They look like toy trains from far, small rectangular chu chu trains but powerful nonetheless. It is an amazing engineering feat that such trains can bring us all the way to the top. Up there, we visited the ice palace and its ice sculptures. The “Sphinx” offered panoramic views of the surrounding and it was very pretty. After more snow throwing, more craziness and more picture taking, we began to feel the effects of the thin air. We took a last walk out into the glaciers, walked halfway out in the snow before deciding that we would be better off turning back.

We arrived back at Kleine Scheidegg for a picnic lunch on a hill which had breathtaking views of the 3 peaks, Eiger, Monoch and Jungfrau and also pretty views of a town beneath Kleine Scheidegg …probably Grinderwald. The trains pulling in and out of the station and the magnificent views really made this place one heck of a place for a picnic. This place will truly hold special memories for me for many reasons. We opted to walk down to Wengernalp given the great views and good weather. From there, it was the train back to the valley.

We left Lauterbrunnen for Luzern the next day. Although not as euphoric as the Swiss Alps, lake Luzern, the swans, ducks, old city walls and boats make this city quite pleasant to visit. In the distance you can see more snowcapped mountains and blue skies. I think it was a Saturday, as there was some running activity in the old town. People decked in all kinds of costumes and running gear ran through the old town. Musicians playing music, people enjoying sausages and beer, the people were out to have fun.

Back at our hostel, we met Karen! She was friendly and was very kind to give us advice on where to take the best pictures in luzern. She also bought us chocolates! Thanks Karen….hope you liked our white coffee too.

Our next stop was Germany.

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