Swiss Oberland Untour JULY 26 - AUGUST 18, 1999
by Carl and Myrna Peters, Silver Spring, MD
July 26
We departed Washington's Dulles a little late due to the heavy air traffic and endured the tiresome flight. Austrian Air operated this code-sharing flight with its partners, Delta and SwissAir.July 27
We escaped from the Airbus and made our way through customs to the bahnhof on the lower level of Zurich's flughafen. Since we used SwissAir's "fly luggage" we didn't have to wait at the luggage carousels. We just picked that up from the bahnhof in Kandersteg, our "home" for the next three weeks.A train ride of about 2.5 hours took us to Kandersteg and we found Adams Alpine Eden to be a short walk from the train station. Pam Adams (a retired project manager with Novartis) showed us our 3rd floor apartment. (2nd floor to the Swiss) The Adams' have renovated an old hotel into a home for themselves and four holiday apartments. The renovation had been completed within the last year and everything is first class. And, the view from our balcony was to the east toward the Blumlisalp.
Pam Adams had stocked the kitchen with some staples to tide us over until we could do some shopping of our own (butter, milk, coffee, cheese, jam, bread, etc.). And, Bill Adams (a still-employed neuropathologist at the University of Basle) had selected a bottle of wine for us as well.
We occupied the afternoon with some grocery shopping at the local Co-op grocery store and got things put away just before a thunderstorm. We sat under the roof overhang that protected our balcony enjoying the rain, the view and the wine until bedtime.
July 28
The rain was still falling when we arose so we opted to do some gift shopping at Interlaken and visit a former landlady and some friends in Meiringen.Frau Meerstetter, in whose apartment we've stayed on several occasions, was busy preparing her holiday apartment for guests who would be arriving in a day or two. We spent about an hour with her and got all the news about her family.
Our friends, the Lees, from Manassas, VA were scheduled to arrive in Meiringen on this day. We visited their apartment but didn't find them home. We checked the grocery stores without our finding them before heading home to Kandersteg.
July 29
Another rainy morning convinced us to give up our walking plans and head for Salgesch, a small wine-producing village in the Rhone Valley. I'd heard about this village on the travel message boards and looked forward to our visit.An hour-long train trip with a change of trains in Brig delivered us to the Salgesch Bahnhof. The train station and a small hotel were surrounded by vinyards stretching up the mountainside. A yellow wanderweg sign pointed us toward the center of town 15 minutes walk away.
During that walk we passed at least a dozen wine cellars of the various vinyards offering free wine-tasting. And saw signs pointing us toward dozens others. It seemed that almost every bit of land that could be cultivated had been planted with vines. The center of the town has narrow streets lined with very old wooden houses and a beautiful church. We noticed a very old house and wished to get closer. We could find no street to get us to the front of the house but we did find an alley that ran to its back. As we were admiring the back of the house a man emerged, noticed us and started a conversation--in Swiss Deutsch. Needless to say we understood very little. But, that didn't deter him. He just kept on talking and he led us toward his wine cellar and sales room. He spent about 45 minutes or so with us giving us samples of his wines and large slices of cheese. A combination of charades and a tiny understanding of his actual words instructed us on the types of wines, the varieties of grapes, etc.
A long lunch at one of the local restaurants and then the train ride back to Kandersteg gave us plenty of time to reflect on what a great day we were enjoying.
July 30
We awakened to sunshine and drank in the view of the Blumlisalp from our breakfast table while dining on birchermuesli, bread, butter, black cherry jam and coffee.On the way to the bahnhof we stopped off at the Co-op and picked up some things for a picnic lunch--fruit, salami and soft rolls. Those went into the backpack with our rain gear and cameras.
In front of the bahnhof we caught the little Mercedes bus-taxi up the valley, then up a steep road carved out of the face of a cliff and into the high valley known as the Gasterntal. Selden is a small village at the head of the valley where strong walkers take the trail that leads over the spine of the Alps and into the Rhone valley. But we departed the bus at Waldhaus then walked the half mile or so across the valley to the Hotel Waldhaus. This hotel is surrounded by the steep sides of the valley and is the site of a dinner sponsored by Idyll (the company that arranged for our apartment thatyear) in 1990. At that time we enjoyed a fondue dinner, a little wine, merangues for dessert in a dining room lighted by kerosene lights. No electricity at this hotel!!
We walked back toward Kandersteg along the rushing stream. The stream is pretty tame as it flows from Selden to Waldhaus but turns violent as it plunges down the hundreds of feet from the high valley through a narrow opening to the level of the Kandertal. This is a great trail the offers great views of the mountains, the stream and of an old stone bridge that crosses the stream. Once reaching the level of Kandersteg we walked along gentle paths back to Kandersteg, enjoying our picnic at a convenient bench along the way.
There is a chairlift from Kandersteg up the mountainside toward a mountain lake known as the Oeschinensee. We rode that chairlift up and walked the 30 minutes or so needed to get us to the level of the lake. There we had a little dessert on the terrace of one of the two restaurants and watched people enjoy themselves rowing on the lake, picnicing along the shores or playing in the water.
It took us about 1.5 hrs to walk from lake back to Kandersteg. The views along the way were great and they change constantly as one progresses along the wanderweg. Our walk was marred by an accident. A couple came up behind us on the narrow path and, in passing us, they hurried a little more than they should have. The lady tripped on a stone or a root and fell forward on her hands and knees. Her knee struck a protruding stone and cut a large gash just beneath her kneecap. Nasty! Her husband and I got her seated and managed to staunch the flow of blood. I had some neosporin, some bandages and adhesive tape. But none of the compresses I had were large enough. So her husband used a handkerchief to cover the wound and held it in place with the tape.
Myrna and I walked on and the man and his wife hobbled slowly down the trail. They needed to walk about a mile to get to a road where the woman could sit and wait for her husband to bring a car up to rescue her. I'm sure that lots of stitches were needed to close her wound. We resolved to stand stock still when we wanted to look at the scenery and to watch each step carefully when we were walking.
It was a very good day and we were glad that we had not given into the temptation ro walk on up to the Unterbergli, around and above the lake, as we had done on past trips.
July 31
On this day we travelled to Adelboden by train as far as Frutigen and then bus to Adelboden. An hour or so of window shopping occupied us before we left this pretty small town and caught a cable car for the Sillerenbuhl, a mountaintop ski area near Adelboden. The cable car ride crosses green meadows and passes beautiful farm houses before it starts uphill. The 360 degree views from the summit of the Sillerenbuhl are impressive--bare, rugged mountains rising above lush green fields being farmed at lower altitudes.Our walk from the summit of the Sillerenbuhl back to Adelboden was interrupted by a lunch stop where we again whipped out our purchases from the Co-op. But there were many other pauses to drink in the scenery. Some of the walk was along a paved mountain road (we met one car and a few bicyclists) and then on a wanderweg that wove its way through forests and along a rushing stream before emerging onto the village streets of Adelboden.
The walk of about three hours stimulated our hunger for ice cream. We picked up a couple of ice cream bars at a kiosk across from the bus station in Adelboden and the 30 minute wait for the bus back to Frutigen didn't seem long at all.
We were intercepted as we returned home to Adams Alpine Eden by Bill and Pam who invited us to share a bottle of wine with them at the picnic table in their backyard. We were pretty tired but summoned enough energy to feed bits of bread to the trout that inhabit the stream that forms one boundary of the Adams' property.
August 1
This is Swiss National day which is one of Switzerland's big holidays.It commemorates the formation of the Swiss Federation more than 700 years ago. Most homes and businesses are decorated with Swiss and cantonal flags. In Kandersteg plans were made to have a presentation of music and patriotic speeches in a park-like area known as the Oeschinenwald. And, the hundreds of scouts that are staying at the international scout center will parade through town. There will be lots of wurst, rosti, raclette served and a few people will "hoist a few cold ones" as Greg Goeller would describe it.The Adams had invited us to have lunch with them and the other residents of their apartments at 1 PM today. All four apartments were occupied by people who speak English. One couple and their 3 children are from Britain, a second couple live in Switzerland but she's Australian, and the third couple and their two children live in Philadelphia. We decided not to travel outside of Kandersteg because of our invitation to the cook-out with the Adams.
The lunch consisted of several different kinds of grilled sausages, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, 3 different salads, tomatoes baked with cheese and herbs, lemonade, soft drinks, beer, red and white wines, and dessert of ice cream with a raspberry sauce.
We had considered taking in some of the village's celebration but rain started falling late in the afternoon so we settled into our apartment and watched a video. The Adams' stairwell has shelves at each landing stocked with at least a hundred English language videos and several times that many books--all available for their guests' use.
August 2
Walking the Gemmi Pass was our goal today. We'd not done this before but we got our directions from Idyll, Ltd.'s Hiking and Biking booklet. It required about 30 minutes to get to Brig in the Rhone valley, through the Lotschberg tunnel, emerging high on the mountain above the Rhone and then descending gradually to Brig. We changed trains at Brig to a local train that would stop about 20 minutes west of Brig at Leuk.At Leuk we boarded a bus that took us upward to the head of a high valley at the village of Leukerbad. The bus travelled steeply upward, first through the vinyards on the lower slopes then into forests and finally emergying above the tree line--switchbacks all the way. Leukerbad is a resort village sitting at the base of a 900 ft cliff known as the Gemmi Wall.
Here we walked through the beautiful little town to the talstation of the Gemmi cable car that lifted us up to the top of the Gemmi Wall and the Gemmi Pass at an altitude of 2340 meters. At the top there is a restaurant where we had lunch while taking in the great views through its windows and from its sun terrace.
Looking north from pass one sees the dark Daubensee sandwiched between steep mountain slopes. The wanderweg here is broad and well maintained as it drops gradually to the level of the lake. In about 30 minutes we reached the north end of the lake where we crossed a small snow field. The lake has been created by a glacier-created dam of rock debris over which the wanderweg crosses.
Another 30 minutes of walking brought us to the Hotel Schwarenbach which is built into a steep cliff face. There were many other walkers enjoying a drink or a meal on the terrace of the hotel. The road leading up to this hotel from the direction of Kandersteg is a gravel road suitable for only rugged vehicles. Myrna and I speculated on how supplies could be ferried up to the hotel--perhaps by small 4X4 trucks or, just as likely, by helicopter. We've visited several berghotels and restaurants that aren't served by roads that must be supplied by helicopter.
Continuing our walk and gradually descending toward the bergstation of the Sunnbuel cable car we were able to see broad sections of evergreen forest that were evidently overrun by avalanches during the winter. Trees have been uprooted and shoved along inside the avalanche.
We passed a few huts occupied by cheesemakers. These are buildings that are typically occupied only during the summer when the cows have been brought up to the high meadows (alps) to feed on the lush grasses above the tree line. All summer long the cows are milked and then the milk is made into huge wheels of cheese. These cheesemakers almost always have several pigs that consume the whey from the cheese-making progress. The Swiss are not in the habit of wasting anything.
About 2.5 hours after leaving the Gemmi Pass we arrived at the bergstation of the Sunnbuel cable car that could take us down the last several hundred feet to the level of the valley in which Kandersteg sits. As we paused at the restaurant there for a refresher of baked apple slices (apfel kuchen) drenched in a vanilla sauce we could look across the valley to our left to the Allmenalp, and to our right into the Gasterntal. And we were distracted by a huge black dog lying on the terrace. He must have been blocking the space between tables because a lady came out of the restaurant and gave him a gentle reminder. The dog arose, walked a few steps and lay down with his head on a pillow that had been placed to remind him of where he should lie down.
The 16.30 Sfr price we paid for a combination ticket on the Gemmi and Sunnbuel lifts was a bargain considering the views from the gondolas. At the talstation of the Sunnbuel lift we caught a local bus back into Kandersteg. We found ourselves sandwiched between what seemed to be dozens of school children returning from a class trip. Just like American kids some were teasing their young teacher.
Another great day spent in awesome mountain scenery.
August 3
Because there was rain falling when we arose and because Myrna needed to rest a blistered toe and an aching ankle by wearing sneakers instead of hiking boots we elected to visit Andermatt. The blister resulted from her having loosened the boot laces to relieve pressure on her ankle bone. But, some good came of it all because we got to meet a very nice man who owned a shoe store near our apartment. He took Myrna's offending boot and used a huge tool that looked more like something a blacksmith would use to soften and stretch the ankle of the boot. The fellow would not charge us for his services and we got to meet his two daughters and his grandson (about the age of our own grandson).Once we reached Brig the rain had stopped so on our trip up the Rhone to Andermatt we could see the pretty little villages with their church steeples shining in the sun. We could also see signs of avalanches that had left scars on the mountainsides during the past winter. Very often at the mouth of some steep valley could be seen piles of avalanche-transported debris covering snow and ice that has not yet been melted by the summer sun.
We spent about two hours exploring this small town which hosts lots of skiers during the winter months. It has many old buildings with painted facades and, on a small hill back of the village's main street, there's a small church with a plain, white exterior. The interior of the church, in contrast, is a restrained baroque. Beautiful, with fresh flowers at the front of the altar. We had lunch at the Hotel Suisse in the Schweizerhof restaurant--rhamschnittzel, potatoes, carrots, peas in a beef broth. Some Coke for Myrna and weissebier for me.
We got "home" to Kandersteg by 6:30 PM and the trip was made in sunshine.
August 4
We opted to repeat one of our favorite walks today. We took the train north to Spiez on the Thunersee, changed to another going east to Interlaken's Ost station. There we boarded the train for Grindelwald--actually the back half of a train that would split upon reaching Zweilutschinen with half going to Lauterbrunnen and the other half to Grindelwald.In Grindelwald we walked downhill to Grund to the talstation of the Mannlichenbahn, one of the longest cable car rides in Europe. These little 4-person gondolas carried us up to Mannlichen on the ridge between Wengen and Grindelwald in a little over 30 minutes. The place was pretty crowded. We waited in line 40 minutes to board the cable car and we found a crowd at Mannlichen.
The trip up to Mannlichen was spiced up because of our sharing the gondola with a newly-married couple from Brazil. He is employed by a company in Belgium that makes Damask fabric for covering mattresses. His undergrad work was in Sao Paulo but he has a master's from Northwestern University. A very interesting couple that we'd never have met were we traveling with Globus or Trafalgar.
The walk from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg, described by Ron Fahnestock as "grandmothers' walk" because of the many elderly people encountered there, was as beautiful as ever. We could look down into the steep-sided Lauterbrunnen valley from Mannlichen, down to Grindelwald, past Grindelwald to Grosse Scheidegg at the foot of the Wetterhorn, and straight ahead at the north face of the Eiger and its companions, the Monch and the Jungfrau. The downside of the walk was the number of people who were sharing the path with us.
After reaching Kleine Scheidegg we bought the discounted tickets (with our Swiss Pass) we needed to be able to ride the train down to Wengen and then further down to the valley floor at Lauterbrunnen. Reversing our morning path got us "home" at about 6 PM. We left Kandersteg about 8:30 AM and spent the following 9.5 hours getting to the 1.5 hour walk. The train rides were scenic and fun, but we have doubts about repeating the process to do other walks in the Jungfrau region.
August 5
This morning we walked across to the west side of Kandersteg's valley floor, across the railway line to the luftsielbahn Allmenalp. It cost us 8 Sfr einfach (one way) to ride up in this small gondola with six companions with death wishes. Each of these men were carrying his parasail in a large nylon backpack. They were headed for a mountainside above the bergstation to unfurl their parasails and hurl themselves off the mountain.At the top of the lift our companions walked off in one direction toward their startplatz while we followed the wanderweg signs that pointed to Kandersteg. The sign indicated that 2.25 hours would be needed for the walk. Yeah, right!! We walked alongside the flower-bedecked restaurant and along a narrow ridge beside a cheesemaker's hut. The cheesemaker was busy scattering manure to fertilize the pastures where some of his cows were spending the summer.
The path was pretty rugged for the first 30 minutes or so of our walk. It passed another berghaus, ran through a section of forest and then up and over a ridge. There was a steep muddy section just before the top of the ridge that required all our attention and the use of our walking sticks. The views over the alp and down toward Kandersteg and beyond to the Oeschinensee and the Blumisalp were spectacular. Just off the path the mountainside was nearly vertical underlining our knowledge that you can't walk and gawk simultaneously.
Once over the ridge the path consisted of a gravel road past several cheesemakers' huts, then changed to a paved road. We had options of walking on the road or on paths that made short cuts across the big switchbacks the road made in descending the mountain. Sometimes we opted for the roadway and other times we took the path along the stream.
Before returning to our apartment we stopped by the bakery that's just a few doors from the apartment and had blackberry tarts that were huge and tasty. Coffee for me and Coke for Myrna. We rested there on the bakery terrace and watched a little boy discover some rabbits. The bakery shop's owner has a little cage that can be moved from one part of the lawn to another so the rabbits have fresh grass to eat each day.
August 6
At about 3:30 this morning we were awakened by a thunderstorm that really got our attention. Bright flashes of lightning followed by crashing claps of thunder that bounced back and forth between the peaks that surround Kandersteg were impressive, almost frightening. The rain that accompanied the storm was enough to muddy of the streams that we observed this morning on our way to Adelboden.We've chosen to visit an area new to us and do a walk that should be relatively easy. At Adelboden we caught a bus, whose fare was not covered by our Swiss Pass, for a nearby valley with the village of Unter dem Birg at its head nestled against a high cliff. There is a giant set of waterfalls that plummet down from a much higher valley that is reached by cable car from Unter dem Birg.
The walk back to Adelboden from this spot is very pleasant and easy. The path follows the stream almost all the way. There are farms, barns and houses on the mountain slopes on both sides of the stream. When we reached Oey, a lower suburb of Adelboden, we caught the bus back to Fruitgen and then on to Kandersteg on another bus that runs south up the Kander valley by the Blausee.
August 7
Another thunderstorm during the night has stirred up the water in the trout stream that flows by our apartment. The water is usually clear enough to be able to see the trout lurking under the banks. But this morning the stream is quite milky from the fine silt that has been ground out of the glaciers much higher on the mountain.Since it was raining lightly and TV predictions indicated continuing rain we elected to visit Bern, Switzerland's capital city, and Thun, located at the west end of the Thunersee. The weather predictions turned out to be in error--the sky cleared and only a few high, puffy clouds could be seen. And, the air had been cleared of haze so that the mountains of the Jungfrau region could be seen from the train as we rode between Thun and Bern. Very impressive.
Our day in Bern was spent window shopping, visiting the cathederal and another beautiful church whose interior we'd not had the opportunity to view. For lunch we stopped at the Merkur restaurant that has been reliable on other trips--the first time in 1988 when we ate there with Kay and Paul Snyder and on another trip with Craig and Dawn, our son and daughter-in-law. During that latter visit we each had a ham sandwich on a soft roll that had slices of pear with gorgonzolla cheese melted on top. On this visit wurst salat and grilled chicken breast covered with a creamy noodles were our choices.
We then returned to Thun and walked around the old town, being careful not to miss the store that sells those great Geiger clothes, window shopping and people-watching.
Pam and Bill Adams captured us on our way to our apartment and forced us to help them drink a couple bottles of wine with a friend of theirs from Britain. They truly have been hospitable.
August 8
When we went to bed on the 7th the air was clean with only a few high, fluffy clouds and we were hoping for more of the same this morning--and we eventually got it. But, upon arising, we found a gentle rain and clouds hanging low and obscuring our view of the Blumlisalp. So we just delayed our departure until about 10:30 AM.We took the train southward through the 9-mile long Lotschberg tunnel to the first stop at Goppenstein. There we took the postal coach to the head of the Lotschental almost to the toe of a gigantic glacier at Fafleralp. Here there are a cluster of simple vacation chalets and a rustic hotel.
On past visits we've started walking at Fafleralp and taken a high wanderweg that gradually increases in altitude as we walked back toward the mouth of the valley in the direction of Lauchernalp several hundred feet above the valley floor.
But, today we chose to walk the valley floor. There was no haze and the sky was a dark, almost black, blue. The contrast between the white of the high clouds and the blue of the sky only made the sky's color seem deeper. The walk took us near a small church where services were being held. In most cases we enter such churches, that almost invaribly are open here in Switzerland, but passed on this one not wanting to intrude.
All along the route we could see other glaciers along the mountainsides on both sides of the valley. The trail took us through forested areas, through small villages with houses sporting their flower boxes full of red geraniums, and along the tumbling stream, to the village of Blatten where we had our lunch at the Hotel Eidelweiss.
We continued to enjoy the views offered by the snow-capped mountains as we walked on to Wiler where we had time for a drink on the terrace of another restaurant as we waited for the postal bus to return us to Goppenstein and the train "home" to Kandersteg.
August 9
Because we've arranged to meet Dick and Susan Hess at the Blausee for lunch we had time this morning to stage some trout tricks. I put Myrna to work "chumming" for the little critters with scraps of bread. She would throw in a crumb and I followed it downstream with the video camera until one of the trout struck. Our sons, both trout fishermen, were very impressed when we got that tape home.The walk down the valley to the Blausee, a crystal-clear lake stocked with huge trout, is an easy, pleasant walk along a pretty forested path and beside the Kander River. And one also passes some beautiful rural homes along the way.
We paused at the restaurant at the entrance to the Blausee to await the arrival of Dick and Susan Hess who we expected to arrive by bus from Frutigen. Dick and Susan are staying in Murren for several days. I've been corresponding with Dick for a couple of years by e-mail. Our first contact was through AOL's travel message board. The Hess' live in Wisconsin where they own a packaging materials business.
A missed train connection in Spiez caused Dick and Susan to have to take a taxi to the Blausee. Although we'd never met face to face it was not hard to recognize Dick from his red hair. We enjoyed a nice lunch of trout at the restaurant and toured the lake, marveling at the large trout that are easily seen. We're hoping that Dick and Susan enjoyed the afternoon as much as we did.
We traveled back as far as the Interlaken Ost bahnhof with the Hess' and then proceeded by train to Meiringen where we were greeted by our friends, the Lees. After a few snacks and glasses of wine we headed back home by train.
August 10
We boarded the train in the diection of Brig at 10:25 this morning. Thunderstorms again interrupted our sleep during the night and we've delayed our departure this morning waiting for clearing weather.Just in front of the Brig bahnhof we caught the bus for Saas Fee. We arrived in Saas Fee just after lunch time a little out of breath. Out of breath, not because of exertion but, because of holding our breath as a result of some of the views from the bus that carried us up the steep, spectacular valley. Saas Fee is a vacation destination village both summer and winter--skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer attracts many Europeans to this high village surrounded by snowy mountains and with glaciers pushing almost into town.
We did some shopping in Saas Fee and had our lunch but because of our late arrival felt that we didn't have time to explore any of the hiking possibilities. But, it seems apparent from seeing the many wanderweg signs that there are lots of opportunities for scenic walks.
We got home to Kandersteg at about 5:30 but stopped on the way to visit Brig's old town. Brig is complete with many handsome old houses, nice churches, green space and an impressive castle.
August 11
We decided to use this day to get our gift shopping completed so we travelled to Interlaken. We bought Steinbach nutcrackers for Craig and Dawn and Jeff and Chris. We're hopeful that they will be able to use them as part of their Christmas decorations.When we got back to our apartment we found a bottle of champagne from Bill and Pam Adams as an anniversary gift (our 41st). Thoughtful people.
August 12
Griesalp in the Kiental was our destination today. We trained to Frutigen, bused to Reichenbach and then transferred to a short wheelbase bus for the trip to Griesalp. The little Mercedes took us a few Km up to the head of the Kiental and then steeply up the cliff face, switching back and forth all the way to the little community of Griesalp. There isn't much there except a couple of small berghotels. The attractions there are the walking trails and the spectacular series of waterfalls.We walked back down the road and along the trails beside the waterfalls for about half an hour until the valley levels out. Then the wanderweg follows the stream back down the valley. We followed the wanderweg back to the village of Kiental where we had about a half hour to wait in misty rain for the post bus to take us back to Reichenbach.
We retreated to our apartment since the rain was beginning to get heavier. And, we delayed having lunch until Myrna could prepare rosti and wurst at Adams Alpine Eden.
But this evening was special because we were invited, along with another couple, to have dinner with Bill and Pam. Bill and Pam have visited New Orleans where they attended a Cajun cooking school and learned to make jambalaya. So we enjoyed the jambalaya after beginning the evening with champagne and finger foods. Dessert was baked apple with raisins, syrup and ice cream. Then came coffee and calvados and schnapps.
The affair began at 7:45 and we were in bed by midnight. The intervening time was spent in good conversation. The other couple, Jill and Rudy, brought along Jill's father who is a retired Austrailian research scientist. It was a very enjoyable evening.
August 13
We returned again to Sillerenbuhl near Adelboden. From this high point we walked along the ridgeline path the 1 1/2 hours it took to reach the Hahnenmoos pass. We did stop a few times to puff and to gawk at the scenery and to examine the dozens of varieties of alpine wildflowers that had been marked with small, yellow identifying signs.We were surprised to see sailplanes soaring above the pass. But, as we got closer we discovered that the sailplanes were model, radio-controlled planes with wingspans of six or eight feet. The wind that was blowing steadily over the pass allowed the gliders to soar endlessly. There were usually about half a dozen soaring at any one time. The number of available radio channels limit the numbers of planes that can fly at once.
We had a nice lunch at the restaurant at the pass and then walked on the gentle path down into the valley to the village of Geils. In Geils we caught the post bus that transported us back to Adelboden, then buses to Frutigen and Kandersteg.
August 14
This morning we traveled back to Adelboden and on to Geils by postal bus. There we rode the small gondola up to the Hahnenmoos pass where we'd had lunch yesterday. While there we'd noticed a wanderweg sign that indicated we could walk down the other side of the pass to Lenk in two hours.Again today the model sailplaners were putting their gliders through their maneuvers.
We began our walk on a gently sloping gravel road. This lasted about 3/4 an hour and then the nature of the trail changed. It became much steeper and narrower and had lots of obstacles like roots and rocks. The path had many switchbacks, passed fields, went through forested areas, through barnyards and beside streams. We did manage to complete the walk in just over two hours. Nearly exhausted, with aching thighs, we dragged ourselves onto the station platform of Lenk just as the train pulled out. Were we discouraged? Not in the least! That just gives us a chance to have an ice cream bar as we wait for the next train.
We got on the train with rubbery, unsteady legs. But happy that we could savor the memory of great scenery as we trained back to Kandersteg via Zweisimmen and Spiez.
August 15
An "iffy" weather day caused us to pull in our horns today. We took the train to Spiez and changed to a local train in the direction of Interlaken and left the train at the lakeside village of Faulensee.The train station is on the hillside above the town and requires an easy walk down to the lakeside. Here we walked through the town, passed a beautiful church and then further up to the summit of a small hill that stands between Faulensee and Spiez. We returned to the lakeside through the forest and then skirted the lake on the wanderweg that's shaded by overhanging trees. The views of the lake, the villages across the lake and of the Neiderhorn make this a pleasant walk.
The uphill trudge you must make from the lake shore to the Spiez bahnhof is the payment you must make for beautiful views. Today we had our lunch at the restaurant in the Spiez bahnhof then returned to Kandersteg in the rain where we holed up in the apartment for the remainder of the day.
August 16
Another rainy day forced us off the trails. Instead we traveled over to Wengen to shop. Despite the rain the views from train kept our attention.In Wengen we had to don our Goretex jackets to walk from shop to shop along Wengen's only main street. The only excitement today came when we ran into Bob Ryan, the meteorologist on Washington's television station WRC (an NBC affiliate), just outside the Geiger store. He wasn't rude but after a few brief comments I became aware that he wasn't going to suggest lunch together.
Alpine macaroni was our lunch at the Bahnhof Restaurant in Lauterbrunnen on our way home in the rain. Each restaurant has its own version of this dish of macaroni, cheese, potatoes and carmelized onion slices. And this was one of the best.
August 17
We spent this morning packing our bags in anticipation of sending them ahead this afternoon. We're using SwissAir's "fly luggage" service. Pam will drive us and our luggage to the bahnhof and we'll check in our luggage. We will see them again when they come off the luggage carousel at Dulles International in Washington.We spent our last day walking in the immediate area of Kandersteg.