Grindelwald, Switzerland August 22-29
We started out journey with a flight from Portland to Zurich, with a stop in Chicago. Bill and Karen were on our same flight. We had a 3 hour layover in Chicago, so Blaine, Bill and Karen headed to the United Club, while Jeri went to the Polaris Lounge. After getting Bill and Karen settled in the United Club, Blaine joined Jeri in the Polaris Lounge. Bill was very concerned that we were leaving Jeri by herself, and it was a battle to convince him to follow Blaine to the United Club!
Once we arrived in Zurich, it was straight to the train station to buy our train tickets to Grindelwald, as well as our Berner Oberland passes. Those passes are the best. It covered all of our train, gondola, cable car, and boat rides the entire trip. Well worth the cost.
We arrived at Hotel Bernerhof in Grindelwald too early to check in, so we just sat on the veranda and vegged out! All four of us were in a jetlagged funk!!!
After we checked in and had time to recover, we wandered down the street to The Lounge to have a drink and not exert too much energy. Our dinner that night was in the bar area of the hotel, and consisted of some good swiss cheese and bread
Saturday August 24th -Mannlichen and Lake Brienz. Our day started out with a wonderful breakfast at the hotel. Then it was on to the Grindelwald Terminal stop, where we caught the gondola to Mannlichen. What a gorgeous view!! After taking the gondola down to Wengen, we caught a train to Lauterbrunnen, and then to Interlaken Ost. We arrived just in time to jump on the boat tour for Lake Brienz. There was a first class section of the boat, which we qualified for, since we had bought first class tickets with the Berner Oberland train pass. That was totally unexpected. The boat made a few stops and ended up staying at the town of Brienz for about an hour and a half. Jeri and Karen went into town to the local Coop, while Blaine and Bill just relaxed on the boat. The tour lasted about 4 hours!! After taking the train back to Grindelwald, we stopped at Derbystube, a restaurant by the train station. We had to try the fondue!! It was delicious!
Sunday August 25th - The Wetteraus arrive! We decided to visit Murren since it was cloudy. It’s quite a trek to get to Murran. We took the train from Grindelwald Terminal to Zweilutschinen where we had to connect to a train to Lauterbrunnen. From there we took a gondola to Grutschalp, and finally a narrow gauge train up to Murren. Whew! The real draw for Murren are the views across the valley, but unfortunately there was none of that for us. We stopped at the Eiger Hotel bar to enjoy a couple of drinks before heading back down. Dinner that night was at Ristorante Pizzeria DaSalvi, in the Steinbock Hotel. Our waiter reminded us of Luigi in Mario Cart..
Monday August 26th - Today was cloudy once again. Since we have unlimited use of the trains, gondolas and cable cars, Blaine suggested we just take the Eiger Express to the top just to see what was there. Lo and behold, as we neared the top, we were above the clouds. Awesome! We bought tickets on the Junfraujoch train to take us to the Top of Europe. It was not nearly as crowded, since most people down below assumed that the weather was cloudy. The Discovery Tour took us through the mountain and there were historical pictures and exhibits. The Ice Cave was truly unique. There were nature ice carvings depicting different animals. John, Reid, Karen and Bill walked to the top of the glacier Blaine walked most of the way up, but didn’t stay for pictures, as there was a line to get a photo with the flag. Blaine and Jeri did get their picture at the indoor exhibit. Much less wind!!!
Tuesday August 27th - Today we decided to explore the First thrill rides. Once again, our train pass provided free transportation on the gondola to the top. It was a 25 minute gondola ride!! The thrill rides looked fabulous online, but once we got to the top and saw the actual rides, we were pleased that we did not buy any. We walked around at the top, but the cliff walk had a huge line and it was really hot, so, instead, we got a table inside and had a nice relaxing drink. The First Flyer and First Glider rides were not as long as we had thought they would be. The Trottbike and Mountain Cart were on the paths down the mountain, which were very steep. Most of the riders were slowed by younger kids, so if you wanted to go fast, it was somewhat difficult. Plus it was hot and humid, and the ride down would have been at least an hour!!! No thanks.
We decided to head to Mannlichen again since John and Reid had not been here when we went on Saturday. John, Reid, Bill and Karen went on the Royal Walk. More cows and good weather.
Wednesday August 28th - Today we visited the Grindelwald Glacier Gorge. Jeri stayed home, as she wasn’t feeling well. An impressive work of nature! The 300 metre-high rock faces of the glacier gorge bear witness to the incredible power of the Lower Grindelwald Glacier. Unfortunately, this glacier no longer exists. The footbridge deep into the gorge offers you a unique, genuine glimpse into the past. The rushing waters of the Lütschine, the constant light wind and the impressive light conditions make this place exciting for all the senses. One of the activities is the canyon swing. The platform is almost 300 feet high, and you jump off that platform into the canyon. Unlike a bungee jump, which is straight down, this swings you toward the end of the canyon. It’s pretty amazing the watch. There is also the Spiderweb, which is a walkable net stretched across the gorge about 30 feet above the river.
