Lauterbrunnen, Bern, Switzerland Monday, August 20, 2012

Leaving Alpiglen

Our goal today is to hike to Wengen and then take the train down to Lauterbrunnen. Compared to the other places we have stayed, the breakfast here was a little lacking. No meats and no eggs, so we have cereal, bread, and cheese. Carol has to bandage up her toes, as she still has some major Swisster problems. She has a couple that are underneath her toenails and look painful to me. I am always anxious to get going in the mornings and try to do better at being patient, while she tends to her feet. Just close my eyes and relax!

Jungfrau View

We hit the trail at 0915 for the steady climb to Kleine Scheidegg. It climbs steeply right away and then the grade is not that bad. We walk below the Eiger wall and than start to get glimpses of the Jungfrau peak. We even hike in a few little foresty areas with the rarest of things on this trail, shade. A short stop for water out of a spring, a few more steep sections, and we arrive at the top at 1055. We are both sweating profusely, shirts drenched and my hat just drips when I take it off.

It’s Flat

Packs off at the station, we take a bathroom break, fill up with nice cold water, and find the trail down to Wengen. Leaving the tourist scene which we were part of yesterday, we hike along the rail line beneath the Jungfrau and the glaciers we had experienced. We are walking along a service road and the grade is not too bad for the first 2 miles or so. We pass a construction crew building another lift, huge concrete platforms and electric lines to interrupt our view. They have some nerve!

Swiss Beauty

We cross under the tracks at Wegneralp where there is a small hotel and cafe. We round a bend and have a view down into a new valley and what we think is Wengen. There are some benches on a knoll, so we stop to eat lunch where we can enjoy the view and solitude. It turns out to be a great spot but a 1500 foot descent awaits, so we lift the packs back on.
The road/trail steepens and is quite rutted as they seem to have done some recent work in the area. We then level off slightly as we pass a field with cows in it. These are the first cows we have seen on the descent, but they have been a mainstay along the trail in many areas. You do not realize how much noise their bells make, until you hit a section that is cow free, and notice how quiet it is.

Wengen below

We hit some woods and the welcome shade the trees provide as the trail steepens again. The Swiss downhills are long and hard on the knees, thighs, and feet, with our toes pushed against the front of our shoes. We cross under the tracks beneath an old stone bridge and soon break out into meadow where a sign says Wengen is 30 minutes away.
My poor wife is struggling with her feet issues and her bursitis in her hip started to act up yesterday to make things even tougher for her. I am really Proud of her for toughing it out when I know she is in quite a bit of pain. As we hit the edge of town it gets hotter as the sun is reflecting off the now paved path we travel. Wengen is a car free village sitting on a plateau 2000 feet above Lauterbrunnen and its valley. We reach the Wengen station and only have a 10 minute wait for the train. It arrives on time and we find some seats by the window where we can enjoy the breeze going down. It is a nice ride to the Lauterbrunnen station and we can see our hotel as we reach the edge of town.

Lauterbrunnen

There is a Coop across the street from the station and we stop there and put down our packs. Coop is one of two chains of small grocery stores we have encountered in Switzerland, the other being Migros. Carol waits on some shaded steps, while I go up the street to make reservations for dinner at a place we had read about that has good fondue. When I return, I go into the store and buy a couple of cold beers and a surprise.
We sit on the steps drinking our beer and I take out a Swiss chocolate bar I have bought. It is the brand Katherine from two nights ago recommended but I am not sure if it is the exact variety as they had several different types of bars. This has Kirsch in it, a kind of cherry liquor. When Carol bites into the first section, she realizes that the chocolate pocket holds quite a bit of the liquor. There are eight pockets in this bar so we may get a buzz between the beer and the chocolate.

Hotel Staubbach

Feeling better, I visit the ATM so we can afford more chocolate and head for the hotel. We are all checked in to our attic room by 3:00, shower and go down to their lounge so I can catch up on the blog while Carol uses their computer to check e mails and weather. I almost forgot to mention that they have ice cubes here. As far as we can tell, Europeans do not use ice cubes and no place we have stayed has ice. We told the check in lady this is the first place that has had ice and she says that is because the owner is from America.

Fondue Swiss Style

It starts to rain slightly as we head down the street to dinner and our reserved outdoor table. It is covered by an awning and although near the street, it has great views up the mountains toward Wengen. We order a cheese fondue and an Indian Curry Rosti. Rosti is a potato dish, kind of like hash browns but usually with melted cheese, a meat, and sometimes an egg on top and is a dinner staple on most menus. It is very good but no cheese in the curry one. It doesn’t matter as the cheese fondue is all cheese. We add garlic, chives, and onions to the mix and it is really good. You can definitely taste the wine they added to the melted cheese. It is served with mushrooms, potatoes, and bread for dipping. Carol is becoming somewhat of a mushroom lover on this trip so I no longer get to eat her mushrooms. I hate when that happens.
We return to the hotel and I go back to the blog while Carol socializes with a woman that she met from Arizona. I end up joining in the conversation so the blog is still behind at the end of the night. Marina and her husband Mike are traveling with Mikes 90 year old mom. We think it is great that at 90, she is traveling around Switzerland. We exchange e mails with Marina and head up to our penthouse attic for bed.
CNC
“If at some point you don’t ask yourself, ‘what have I gotten myself into’, then you are not doing it right”- Roland Gau

Expenses
5.80SF- 2 beers and chocolate
58.60SF – dinner and 2 beers
120SF – Hotel Staubach

Miles Walked – 9 Miles
2.3mph moving average, 1.6mph overall average