part IV : Switzerland : Europe – Summer 2017

The view across the valley from Murren towards Wengen.

 

Itinerary:

 

Wed. July 26 – disembark Basel – train to Murren – 3 nights at Hotel Eiger

Sat. July 29 – train to Lucerne – 2 nights at Art Deco Hotel Montana

Mon. July 31 – train to Lugano – drive to Lake Maggiore

 

Wednesday morning came too soon. It was a cool, dark drizzly morning in Basel, and we were quite sad to leave the River Empress and her crew behind. Quite a few passengers were headed to Basel central station, and so Uniworld had arranged a bus to take us. We were delivered to the station where we then drifted apart to separate platforms and on to different destinations. Ours would be Murren, high in the Swiss Alps. We took a train to Interlaken, and then changed for Lauterbrunnen, where we climbed into a cable car, which took us up 1400 feet to Grutschalp where we transferred to a small old narrow gauge train, which wound around the mountain to Murren station.

 

The narrow gauge rail car that runs from Grutschalp to Murren.

 

It sounds more complicated than it is. And of course Swiss Rail is famous for its timeliness; you really can set your watch by those trains. There was always just enough time to get from one to the other. The only rough moment happened as we switched trains in Interlaken, rough only because we went the wrong way and had to bump our luggage up and down the stairs rather than using the ramp. The best part was watching our luggage get transferred from the rack below the cable car to the vintage narrow gauge train in Grutschalp. They use a forklift to move the entire basket, which on our trip included a full-size upright refrigerator. Why would they move a refrigerator on a cable car? Because you can’t easily drive up to Murren, the window of time when the road is passable is very short, and the road is long and winding. There are only a handful of vehicles up in the tiny town. Aside from one vintage Land Rover, the handful of vehicles that I saw were undersized utility things, like you would expect to find maintaining the lawns at a golf resort.

 

The view down the valley towards Lauterbrunnen.

 

The entire trip up from Basel was one beautiful vista after another. But nothing really prepares you for the drama of Murren, situated across the valley from the trio of Alpine peaks, the Eiger, the Monch, and the Jungfrau. We checked into the Hotel Eiger, had a fantastic lunch in their bar, and then set off for a walk around town. Murren is a charming little village, full of Alpine chalets and the ever-present views across the valley. We watched paragliders soaring up and down the valley, and enjoyed the beauty and silence of a town free of cars and with very few tourists. Make no mistake; Murren is a resort town. People come from all over to hike in the summer and ski in the winter. But it never felt crowded, as most visitors, at least during the summer, come from Lauterbrunnen or Interlaken, and they only stop in Murren briefly on their way up to the Schilthorn, the mountain top restaurant made famous by the James Bond movie, “In Her Majesty’s Secret Service.”

 

Trummelbach Falls.

 

We enjoyed wonderful breakfasts and dinners at The Eiger Hotel, especially the traditional Raclette dinner on Thursday night. During the day, we explored the area, one day, taking the cable car back down to the valley floor and hiking down the valley to see the Trummelbach Falls. Trummelbach is a confluence of 10 glacial waterfalls inside the mountain, made accessible by a funicular lift. You are carried up several stories into the mountain at a nearly 45-degree angle, stepping out into a world of thunder and fog. The falls have carved a circuitous path through the heart of the mountain, which vibrates with the force of up to 20,000 liters of water per second, and the resultant mist penetrates every nook and cranny. It is loud, violent and one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. On returning to the outside world, we had an excellent lunch at the restaurant here before hopping on the bus back to the cable car station. It should be noted that Swiss Rail travel passes are also accepted for Swiss buses and most cable cars. Certain routes, like the cable car to the Schilthorn gives travel pass carriers a 50% discount, and the kids were always free with an accompanying adult.

 

Spectacular views from atop the Schilthorn.

 

The trip up to the Schilthorn requires changing cable cars halfway at Birg. There is a snack bar here and a large viewing terrace, the tip of which has a glass floor. There is also a “Thrill Walk” pathway that wraps around the cliff face, dangling out over space as it clings to the vertical wall of rock. Nope, nope, nopity nope. Not for me. But the views over Murren and out to the Jungfrau are spectacular. Hopping onto the next cable car takes you the final leg up to Schilthorn and Restaurant Piz Gloria at 9744 ft. The circular restaurant is at the top of the structure, and the outer edge of the floor rotates around so that in the course of your lunch, you rotate the full 360-degrees in 45 minutes. The view on a clear day is simply spectacular. But make sure you check the live webcam before heading up, as it is not unusual for the peak to be completely shrouded in mist. There is also a modest James Bond museum and a number of amusing 007-themed photo ops. The real magic is the view though, being surrounded on all sides by glacier-covered peaks simply takes your breath away. For some it even induces a little vertigo, as there is no flat line of horizon to be found anywhere.

 

The playground at Allmendhubel.

 

The next day we rode the funicular up to Allmendhubel, the site of a terrific kids’ playground, an excellent little restaurant and a wildflower sanctuary. We got lucky with our timing and watched a small herd of cattle being moved into the adjacent pasture. Swiss cows famously wear bells and are well versed in moo-ing loud enough to be heard above the din of the musical instruments hanging from their collars. They are talkative and actually seem pleased to pose for photos with the hikers. Seeing them in this stunning landscape you can’t help but understand why the local cheese is so delicious.

 

Happy Swiss cows.

 

Not just the cheese, but everything else too. We enjoyed excellent meals throughout our stay in Switzerland and terrific local wines. I had no prior experience with Swiss wine, as it is difficult to find in California, and often quite expensive here. Another surprise was the lettuce. Every garden in Murren has a vegetable patch and the Swiss especially enjoy their salads. Freshly picked each morning, crisp, clean and flavorful, and their local “French” dressing is a light creamy-white concoction full of garlic and herbs. I will be recreating that back home for sure.

 

From left to right; the Eiger, the Monch, and the Jungfrau – as seen from our balcony at Hotel Eiger.

 

The kids were sad to leave Murren the next day; it truly is a magical place. We all agreed we would come back as soon as possible. But leave we must, as we had reservations that night in Lucerne. The trip back down the mountain was more relaxing than the trek up. We knew where to go and how to avoid the stairs in Interlaken. We enjoyed the company of a nice couple from York, England. Having never met before getting on the old narrow gauge train, but knowing we had this place in common, we chatted away like old friends. We reached Lucerne, and filed out of the station, pulling our luggage behind us, directly onto the shore of beautiful Lake Lucerne.

 

Lake Lucerne – as seen from our balcony at Art Deco Hotel Montana.

 

Lucerne is a beautiful city, a somehow perfect meshing of old and new. Old painted facades abut modern buildings and vintage steam paddle wheel ferries carry passengers around the lake beside more modern vessels. Just as the cities along the Rhine engaged the river in a direct way, the river was the main method of travel when those cities were built after all, Lucerne engages the lake and the old town addresses the river that flows out of it in a similar way. Buildings all around the lake are oriented to take advantage of the lovely views. Waterfront cafes and restaurants are everywhere, as are docks for boats, both commercial and private. The river cuts through the old town and two ancient looking covered bridges span it, the famous Chapel Bridge, or Kapellbrucke, is adorned with paintings that date back to the 17th century. It was originally built in the 1300’s, but was partially destroyed by fire in 1993 when 2/3s of the paintings, created during the Counter-Reformation, were lost. The bridge was restored in 1994.

 

The view from Spreuerbrucke back towards the Old Town and Lake Lucerne.

 

Strolling through old town, you see many of the facades are decorated with painted frescoes; some made to appear as if they had 3-dimensional carvings, others with fanciful scenes, or large murals, and still others with family crests or whole family trees. It gives the old town a fairy tale quality, a feeling that is magnified by the old covered bridges, and by the stunning views across the lake. All of the big name jewelers and watchmakers have shops here in Lucerne, and its fun to window shop.

 

The Stadt Luzern pulls away from the dock in Weggis.

 

The beautiful views out of the lake from our balcony at the Art Deco Hotel Montana, drew us out upon the water. We saw the sailboats and ferries and pull way from their docks down below us and watched as they headed east across the lake slowly drifting around the bend and out of view. We walked down into the port area one morning and hopped onto the Stadt Luzern, the largest salon paddle steamer on the lake, in use since 1928. She is a lovely ship, the only thing that out shines her lovely art deco salons are the brass fittings of her enormous 3-cylinder engine. We rode the Stadt Luzern to the nearby village of Weggis, famous for its lovely lake front promenade and band shell, and an almost perfect tranquility.

 

Lucerne’s Lion Monument.

 

That famous American travel writer, Mark Twain, loved lake Lucerne, and he said of the small lakeside village of Weggis; “I believe that this place is the loveliest in the world, and the most satisfactory. The scenery is beyond comparison beautiful… Sunday in heaven is noisy compared to this quietness.” There is a small park dedicated to Twain on the eastern edge of town and a hiking trail leading up to Mount Rigi, commemorating Twain’s own hike up to the top of this famous peak. Twain was also a fan of Lucerne’s Lion Monument, calling it “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world.”

 

Hofkirche St. Leodegar, Lucerne.

 

That night, based on the recommendations of locals, we peaked into Hofkirche St. Leodegar a beautiful little church, on our way to the restaurant of a small inn, Hotel zum Rebstock. We sat in the back garden and enjoyed a wonderful meal and terrific local wines. Next time I return to Lucerne, I will be staying here. Don’t get me wrong; the Art Deco Hotel Montana has large comfortable rooms, unbeatable views, an excellent restaurant and a jazz bar with an impressive scotch selection. But Hotel zum Rebstock, is more intimate, and it’s charming décor, excellent traditional food and small, dedicated staff is more my speed.

 

Hofkirche St. Leodegar, Lucerne.

 

The next morning we packed up and pulled our luggage back to the train station. We were heading to Italy, and we were taking Swiss Rail to Lugano, a Swiss resort lake town nestled between the Italian lakes of Como and Maggiore.

 

Bahnhof, Lucerne.

 

Good For Your Soul – Switzerland:

 

Swiss Rail – clean, comfortable trains that are always on time.

Murren – amazingly beautiful scenery and relaxing atmosphere.

Hotel Eiger – awesome views, delicious food, comfortable rooms, great staff.

Trummelbach Falls – natural beauty and power unlike anything I’ve seen before.

Schilthorn – breathtaking 360-degree views, a dramatic trip up and a 007 museum. Wanna-be James Bonds can hike or ski back down.

Allmendhubel – beautiful views and a nice park for kids make the excellent restaurant even more appealing. The funicular ride up is fun, but next time I’m looking forward to hiking back down to Murren.

Lucerne – old town, Chapel Bridge, Hofkirche St. Leodegar, Lion Monument, window shopping, Hotel zum Rebstock.

Swiss Cheese – Raclette, fondue, and any local cheese you can find.

Swiss Wine – We had wonderful wines throughout Switzerland, but my favorites were the Cabernet-Zweigelt from Brunner Weinmanufaktur, the Riesling-Silvaner from Weinbau Ottiger, and the Rose of Blauburgunder Garanoir from Spiezer. Oh, and don’t miss the excellent distilled spirits from Sigrist, especially the Vielle Prune.

 

 

 

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