Sweeping Views in Switzerland

Day 16
On the Autostrada, we sped through Genoa, past lovely Lake Como, and through the outskirts of Milano. The hills transformed into snowcapped mountains, which got steeper as we headed into Switzerland. There were a lot of switchbacks, and there were magnificent views out of both sides of the bus. We had lunch at a Swiss autogrill along the autostrada, and the food was surprisingly good, though more expensive than we were used to in the other countries. We stopped along the way to take a break and we all took pictures of each other in the snow, and even threw a few snowballs.

We arrived in the rural Lauterbrunnen Valley sometime midday. It reminded me of Yosemite Valley with its high steep cliffs and dramatic waterfalls. Ferdie said that Robert Redford has an estate nearby. The Hotel Staubbach was large and had a nice lobby, game room with a TV on one side and chess tables on the other, a dining room with dramatic views of a huge waterfall which looked closer than it was, and another sitting room with ironing boards, irons and toys. Jen’s and my large corner room was on the second floor. From our balcony and side windows, we could see 5 waterfalls! We had a little free time before our walk into town to our restaurant, where the menu was a simple family style salad and cheese fondue. Each table had a big bowl with chunks of hearty bread and potatoes to dip into a pot of rich melted cheese, with things we could sprinkle on it, like rye seeds, pepper, onions, garlic and sliced mushrooms. After dinner, we all went in different directions, exploring the small town, the hotel or just walking and enjoying the mountain air.

Day 17
It was another “free day”, although Ferdie was taking a group up the various lifts to the Schilthorn peak at 7:00 AM. I took this opportunity to sleep in until around 9 AM, had a leisurely breakfast with a few tour friends enjoying our stunning view of waterfalls, dramatic mountains and honest-to-goodness Swiss chalets all around us.

Fueled by coffee with rich Swiss cream, I headed outdoors, down our street. It eventually turned into a footpath headed toward the glaciers. I was surprised at how few tourists there were along this magnificent biway. I felt like I had the entire panorama to myself: 6 cascading waterfalls; dozens of gingerbread chalets with cutouts along the eves and lovely shutters for every window; rural unpainted barns and sheds full of neatly stacked firewood and farm implements; snow-capped majestic mountains just beyond reach; hand-hewn wooden troughs and haystacks; little wells, and bubbling brooks with footbridges. It was my nearly private movie set from “Heidi” or the “Sound of Music.”

I met a couple from London along the path. It was their 6th trip to this area, and they generously gave me tips about where to go and how to get there. Soon after, I came across Ferdie and our group heading back toward the hotel after their morning adventures. Ferdie kiddingly asked me with a grin, “You’re still in our tour, aren’t you?” I told him I was heading to Murren, and he pointed the way.

I was heading up the mountain on a gondola within 15 minutes. I got off the first gondola at Gimmewald, and then caught another one going up to Murren. Near the lift in Murren was a cute chalet style restaurant and bar. It had a nice view and I took the opportunity to stop for lunch. The restaurant was even cuter inside, and had great views. I had some kind of chicken cooked on a hot stone (sort of like a swiss version of fajita cooking) served with some special condiments, fries, bread, salad and beer.

The beer and food sort of slowed me down, but then the fresh pine-scented air and the spectacular views were invigorating. One could hear cowbells of varying tones making their own music long before one could see the cows. There were fields of delicate wildflowers and tall, lush green grass, paths overgrown with ferns and bushes, and pine forests. There was a little train track up there and a very small train passed by at one point. I finally made it to the lift going back down to Lauterbrunnen. When I got back to the hotel, I was proud of myself, a 55 year old woman with a bum leg, and realized I had walked for 6 hours, longer than I had ever walked before, with only one real stop – and I didn’t feel sore or too tired.

In the evening, many people gathered in the game room. About 8 people were tied to the TV watching the Euro Cup match. A few of us played Scrabble on my little travel Scrabble board. We realized into the second game that all the blanks were missing, but we didn’t care. My tiredness caught up with me and I fell asleep immediately upon getting in bed and slept like a rock!

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