Switzerland 3 - Wengen


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July 12th 2014
Published: July 12th 2014
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Switzerland - Wengen, July 8-11, 2014

Our good luck with the weather finally gave out as we awoke to heavy rain in Zermatt on the 8th, reinforcing our appreciation of the great views we had enjoyed. We had five legs of train travel to reach Wengen near the scenic attractions of the Jungfrau. Our plans for the day kept evolving in consideration of the wet weather. One intermediate stop was Interlaken, and on the spur of the moment we decided to visit Jungfrau park there instead of going directly to Wengen. There were convenient lockers large enough to hold our big suitcases at the station, so we could proceed relatively unencumbered. Also convenient was the fact that bus 103 to Jungfrau Park left right from the train station. With the Swiss Flexi Pass, bus tickets are half price and are purchased from the driver.

Jungfrau Park is an unusual place, to say the least. Its theme is unexplained phenomena hinting at alien visitation, so there are displays and films about the Nazca desert pictures in South America, Mayan calendars, Stonehenge, etc. If you are prepared to suspend disbelief it is quite fun. Be prepared for such statements as, "The creators of Stonehenge were remarkably accurate engineers and astronomers. This stone is 12.35 meters tall, and at sunrise on the summer solstice it stands at exactly 12 degrees 35 minutes from the sun. Coincidence?" Well, yes, I guess it is quite a coincidence that they were using our metric system and the same angle measurements in 2000 BC! Anyway, it kept us entertained and dry on a rainy day. There is also a kids' indoor play area with ball pit, lazy river, video games, etc., and the children seemed to be having a great time.

Back at the Interlaken train station we made what we considered to be a very economical and interesting dinner find. In the Coop grocery store in the station plaza there was a buffet-style restaurant where we could pay a set price for a plate ($10 small or $15 large) and fill it with one meat serving (chicken, beef, salmon) and all the sides and salad we could pile on. Very tasty for cafeteria-style food.

On to the Hotel Caprice in Wengen, a small hotel two minutes from the train station, although we were confused by the map in the station and ended up doing about a twenty minute walk lugging suitcases in the rain. If you happen to go there, keep walking along the TRACKS away from Lauterbrunnen, not along any road, and you will see it almost immediately. This hotel has good reviews on Trip Advisor, and we found it to be a great base for what we wanted to do. Wengen is a cute Swiss mountain village with all the essentials (restaurants, groceries) and train or cable car service up to the peaks for hiking. The hotel itself had an excellent breakfast included in a dining room that offered great views of the rain and fog (and of the Eigengletscher and waterfalls in the valley when clear). There is a free sauna and billiards table, which we took advantage of, too. Our room was large and shared the same view as in the dining room from our enormous window and balcony. Great accommodations. If you are a coffee fiend you might be disappointed that there is no in-room coffee maker, but that was our only negative observation.

Wednesday dawned rainy again, so we gave up on the idea of a hike up on the heights and opted to walk down the trail into the town of Lauderbrunnen and to visit two spectacular waterfalls: Staubach Falls (free), with a (wet!) trail leading up behind the water and Trummelbachfalle (pay), a waterfall inside the cliff. It might be wise to bring a poncho. You can take a funicular up inside the shaft carved by the water and see the 10 falls that pound down through corkscrew caverns inside. The power is bone-shaking.

The hike from Lauderbrunnen out to the falls is flat and scenic (of course) even in the rain, and it passes by a large campground (Jungfrau Campground) which was full despite the weather. This cheered us up immensely, as for the next three days we kept saying, "It could be worse. We could be camping!" We ate the prix fixe menu at Hotel Caprice that night which was excellent but turned out to be even more of a splurge than expected when we were charged $15 for a bottle of water we didn't even intend to order. Must learn to say, "Tap water is fine, thank you."

That evening we went out for a stroll around the village. We passed by the English Church just as a couple were coming out. Remembering that the chaplain in Zermatt had joked that if we saw someone at the Wengen church we should accuse them of stealing Zermatt's guitar, we paused and said hello. This turned out to be one of the most memorable encounters of our trip. The chaplain, Jess, had spent his early childhood in East Aurora, NY (same as Wayne)! I think the chaplain was even more impressed by this than we were, and he and Wayne had a great time reminiscing. We returned the next night for a service there. Two others besides us attended, one of whom played piano and was drafted into service.

Thursday was another rainy day, but we decided to chance a trip up the mountain on the cable car to Mannlichen. We were rewarded right away with the sight of chamois grazing down below us. I was really concerned about being underdressed in just a long-sleeved shirt and windbreaker when we reached the top and found snow had fallen overnight and the rain was pretty steady. I did have gloves and a wide-brimmed hat which looked pretty dorky but came in handy in the rain. We did not have great views, but the flat hike (a little over an hour) to Kleine Scheidegg was beautiful in its own way. Wild flowers were poking up through the snow, and the clouds and fog around us were constantly changing. Occasionally we caught glimpses of the snowy peaks and glaciers just above, giving us false hopes of clearing weather!

When we got to Kleine Scheidegg we were pretty soaked and cold, so we were looking for somewhere to get warm. The people at Eiger Nordwand Restaurant were very welcoming to bedraggled hikers who just wanted to get out of the rain (unlike the busier restaurant in the train station), and we enjoyed cappuccino and soup in a bread bowl after our appetites kicked in. So "Ha," train station restaurant!

We just couldn't get excited about hiking any more in the rain although we had planned to hike trails 38 and 39 which get rave reviews. We gave up and got on the train to go back to Wengen. Well, we thought it went to Wengen, because it seemed to be the only train there and it was time for the Wengen train to depart. Always ask! When we started going in the wrong direction and Grindelwald was announced as the destination we got pretty worried. Any trains above Wengen charge an exorbitant price,and we had already paid $35 for this ticket just down to Wengen. What were we going to have to pay to make this unwanted round trip out to Grindelwald and back?! Fortunately, the two conductors were merciful and let us get off and on again at an intermediate stop, Alpiglen, without charging us. Waiting in Alpiglen we met a British woman hiking with a dog that she had "borrowed" from her hotel owners! Only in Switzerland? Back at Kleine Scheidegg we finally got on the right train after an hour's extra tour of the countryside. I was chilled enough to enjoy the Caprice's sauna when we got home!

For our last dinner in Wengen we went across the street to Jack's Brasserie in the Hotel Regina. We had seen an ad for a fixed-price dinner for two, "Asian style with tastes of Switzerland." At $90, with drinks included, this seemed a bargain. How our standards have shifted. We were allowed to sit in the fancier, glass-enclosed section of the hotel instead of the brasserie due to the slow night. It took a very long time for our first course to arrive, but then we found out why. The whole dinner came at once and was presented bento-box style. The portions were very small (about a quarter-cup of soup each, small salads, a veal/mushroom appetizer, small serving of rosti (like hash browns), mashed potatoes, a few steamed veggies, and a four-ounce filet of white fish which had been identified on the menu as "grilled chicken"). That explained the bargain price, but we were actually quite happy with the meal, given that we were able to try some Swiss foods while enjoying a view of the changing clouds in the valley. Plus, the passion fruit ice cream dessert was delicious.

Rain again on Friday, so we got an early start for our final destination, Stein am Rhein, planning to spend some time (indoors) in Bern along the way. Thank goodness for the nice weather we had in Zermatt and Lutry! We'll never forget those views.

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