Day 8: The Schilthorn and Piz Gloria

Saturday

When I got up Saturday morning, it was a bit of a downer knowing this would be our last full day in Switzerland. I could’ve stayed at Gimmewald for the whole vacation actually, but we still had a lot planned.

Perhaps you’ve heard of the Schilthorn, or the Piz Gloria. It was featured in an old James Bond movie (before my time) and somebody or other blew it up. Well, in the movie, that is.

The Piz Gloria is the revolving building/restaurant at the top of the mountain. There is an observatory at the top that lets you see a vast, 360 degree view of the Alps. To get there, we rode a gondola from Murren to the top. The weather was absolutely perfect and what an incredible view! I took a bunch of photos, but most of them will look the same to everyone else but me, so I’m just sharing a few. Lucky for me, I got to see the Gspaltenhorn and its basin from above. What a beautiful peak. Plus, the Eiger was right out there in front, which was cool.

That afternoon, we roamed Murren a bit, bought some souvenirs in Gimmewald at the smallest gift shop you’ve ever seen (where, incidentally, the shop owner who spoke very good English decided to engage us in a political dialogue about who should and should not be the United States’ next president), enjoyed the clear Swiss air and sunshine, and had our last dinner at the good ol’ Stagerstubli. It was nice enough we sat outside!

To be honest, I was downhearted to be leaving in the morning. From the country to the city. We should’ve done this trip in reverse. What were we thinking? As if to soften the blow, the alps gave us a beautiful show of alpenglow. (Is that cheesy poetry or what?)






The Eiger viewed from the Schilthorn.






The Gspaltenhorn massif. Our hike the previous day took us waaaaaay down into the basin below the horn, which you can barely see (if at all).






The Gspaltenhorn. I mean... is this not an amazing peak?





Going...






Going...






...Gone...

Day 7: Hike to Kilchbalm

Friday

The couple from New Zealand left this morning and Jared and I got up early to see them off. We then had breakfast and planned a hike for the day. There was still a lot of weather swirling about the peaks.

We decided on a trail leading from Gimmewald to a glacial basin below the Gspaltenhorn called Kilchbalm. I can’t tell you how many waterfalls we saw, tumbling down cliffs all around us. There was still so much snow up there, we needed snowshoes. I dragged my gators all the way from the U.S.A., and forgot to put them in my pack before we left for the hike, so both Jared and I were postholing most of the way and getting wet. We came upon an alp house in a little meadow. We saw some delicate wildflowers. We hit several avalanche chutes that had spilled snow and ice onto the trail and we had to maneuver through those. The trail followed a creek, so, along with the waterfalls, there was the constant sound of water.

The hike was certainly worth it. The Gspaltenhorn massif was breathtaking, albeit elusive, and the thunder of avalanches was frequent. I wish my pictures had come out better, but the atmosphere was so thick. I could’ve spent hours in the basin, relaxing, gazing at the peaks, but the clouds were rolling in thicker and it was cold. We headed back. On the way, we could see Gimmewald from high on the trail.

We arrived back at the village and changed into drier clothes and then walked the half hour to Murren to buy supplies for cooking dinner. The evening cleared up and it was a beautiful walk.

There’s something about a hike that gets you intimate with your surroundings in a hurry. It’s not like taking a train or bus through the mountains, or viewing them from afar; you are up close and personal, smelling the earth and tasting the sky (thanks Maggie). We had a relaxing evening at a place that now felt like “home”.



The view from our window that morning. It was still pretty cloudy.






This is looking back down the road toward Gimmewald as we were preparing to leave the pavement and hit the trail.






A typical sign showing the hours and minutes required to walk to various locations. The way to Kilchbalm was supposed to be an hour, but I'm sure that didn't account for the feet of snow we had to battle through.






A wildflower along the trail.






A view of the Gspaltenhorn from a distance. Our trail is on the right, under the melting snow.






The Gspaltenhorn as we drew closer.






Jared on a ridge overlooking part of the massif. We could see better than the camera. Unfortunately, the clouds at the top were too bright and they block the tremendous view.






The cwm at the end of the trail. Again, the peaks (especially the Gspaltenhorn) didn't make an appearance for the camera, so you'll have to take my word for it... they were the most dramatic peaks I'd ever seen.






Looking closely, you'll see Gimmewald in the distance as we make our way back to the village. I believe that is the Monch in the background, and, yes, more waterfalls on the left.






Just one of the many small avalanches raining down from the Gspaltenhorn.






Here's another shot of Gimmewald, resting there quietly on the hillside in the shadow of the Monch.

Day 6: Jungfraujoch

Thursday

Esther prepared breakfast for us. Through the windows beside the table we could see that the clouds were breaking and the tops of the peaks were beginning to appear. They were magnificent. In Gimmewald, perched on the cliffs, one feels as though he is in a castle in the air hovering above the valley in the midst of the mountains.

We and our new comrades decided it would be the perfect chance to take the Jungfraujoch (yoong-frau-yohchh), a cog railroad that burrows through the bowels of the infamous Eiger to a high saddle between it and the Jungfrau. This was the one mountain I had been waiting to see for many years.

I am not a climber, but I do read a bit of climbing literature, probably vicariously experiencing what I could never attempt to do in real life. Several years ago I read Jon Krakauer’s essay, “Eiger Dreams”, where he recounts his failed attempt to climb the peak. Forgive me (Mr. Krakauer and readers alike), but I must share a few quotes. Although I didn’t have them in front of me, their memory lingered in my mind as we rode to the top.

“The dust jackets of books with titles such as Eiger: Wall of Death, remind us that the Nordwand [the north face of the Eiger] ‘has defeated hundreds and killed forty-four… Those who fell were found—sometimes years later—dessicated and dismembered…’”

“The names of the landmarks on the face—the Hinterstoisser Traverse, the Ice Hose, the Death Bivouac, the White Spider—are household words among both active and armchair alpinists from Tokyo to Buenos Aires; the very mention of these places is enough to make any climber’s hands turn clammy.”

“The rockfall and avalances that rain continuously down the Nordwand are legendary. So is the heavy weather: Even when the skies over the rest of Europe are cloudless, violent storms brew over the Eiger, like those dark clouds that hover eternally above Transylvanian castles in vampire movies.”

The ride up was amazing, the weather beautiful, the views absolutely unparalleled. Soon, however, we indeed experienced the “heavy weather”. The train stopped at an intermediary station so that the passengers could disembark and look through a series of enormous windows to see the views from the Nordwand of the Eiger. The clouds and snow were so thick, we only caught passing glimpses of the terrible, frightening beauty of it. There is quite a complex of buildings at the top, one of them being the Sphynx Observatory, a platform where one can look out at the vista. Unfortunately, it was snowing and so foggy, we only managed to see bits and pieces at a time.

After several hours, we decided to head back. The four of us rode back together as well, but got disconnected somewhere around Wengen or Kleine Scheidegg. Jared and I arrived in Lauterbrunnen and ate dinner at the Hotel Oberland, where we had delicious roestli and raclette. Strangely enough, our traveling companions were eating at another table and came over to say hello. After dinner, the four of us tried to catch the bus to Stechelberg to take the lift to Gimmewald. Unfortunately, we missed the last one of the night. After some debate, we decided to split taxi fare and try to catch the next lift in 15 minutes. Miraculously we made it (although the fare was 30 franks!) and, after arriving in Gimmewald, settled into our rooms for a warmer, drier, reflective evening.




From halfway down the lift from Grutschalp to Lauterbrunnen. That morning, we walked to Murren from Gimmelwald, took a 15 minute train to Grutschalp, then took this lift to Lauterbrunnen, where we boarded another train for Kleine Scheidegg and the cog railroad. Sounds like it took longer than it actually did.






Some of the mountains above Lauterbrunnen as the sky began to clear.






The clouds cleared enough to see some of the beautiful peaks up the Lauterbrunnen Valley. You can almost see Stechelberg in the distance. Gimmewald is up the valley and high on the cliff to the right, but it can't be seen in this photo.






The Eiger/Jungfrau massif just before boarding the cog railroad from Kleine Sheidegg.






At the intermediary station on the cog railroad. The windows overlooked the view from the Nordwand and here is one of many crevasses. I just thought it was kind of pretty (in a frightening sort of way).






Another view through the glass near the observatory.






This is the Sphynx Observatory. Fog and snow prevented good views, but from time to time, things opened up a little...






The very thought of climbing this gives me vertigo. I freak out at Class 3 scrambling.






A view of the glacial valley (the longest glacier in Europe).






A rare clearing from the Sphynx Observatory






We went through an ice cave with sculptures, etc. Here is the initial hallway to the "gallery".






Jared and our new friends indulging me in a "jump shot" on the Sphynx Observatory. Esther lent Dylan the crazy sunglasses and he never heard the end of it.






The Hotel Oberland, back in Lauterbrunnen, where we had dinner that night.

Day 5: Lauterbrunnen Valley

Wednesday

We awoke to rain and fog today. Esther said there would be more rain throughout the day, and she was right. She suggested seeing Trummelbach Falls, since they were inside a mountain and out of the weather. Jared and I and an old man with a long beard and cane waited for the van in Gimmelwald. We rode it back up to Murren. The radio was playing American rock hits, and the old man and driver were talking rapidly in German.

From Murren, we rode the lift back down to Stechelberg. The beginning of a trail is right near the lift that winds down the Lauterbrunnen Valley to the town of Lauterbrunnen. We walked the trail for a couple miles under a light rainfall until we reached Trummelbach Falls. We paid our fare and rode an elevator built inside the mountain to the top of the falls. The attraction was a series of caves and precipices inside the mountain that follow the waterfall. It was extraordinary and very difficult to photograph. It was very dark inside and the walkway was very close to the falls, so you couldn't get a wide shot. Anyway, we spent a couple hours there with an oversized, unpleasant group of Indian tourists pushing and screaming to one another over the roar of the falls.

When we came outside, the sun was out and it was warming up. We shed some clothes. We walked over to some building on the grounds and had lunch on the porch. Jared (who was always up in the morning before me) had purchased bread, sausage, jerky, and alpkase (homemade alp cheese) from Esther's little store that morning. While we were eating, we heard a thunderous sound from the mountain above us and, looking up, saw an avalanche shooting down the side of the cliff. We would eventually see (and hear) quite a few of them during our stay. We spoke with one man in Gimmewald who said that one of the avalanches that week had come all the way down into Stechelberg.

We returned to our walk down the valley in intermittent sunshine, but the fog remained. Waterfalls were everywhere we looked. The mountains peeked out at us here and there, tempting us with a bit of grandeur and hope. We arrived in Lauterbrunnen, and, after a brief exploration of main street, we rode another lift up to Grutschalp, then took a train past Winteregg and on to Murren, then walked the main street of Murren to the lift station. The lift to Gimmelwald was working again (it was down for maintenance, which is why we had to take the van), so we rode it back down to Gimmelwald.

After a rest in our room, we made the 30 minute walk up to Murren. We made this walk quite a few times and it was a joy to me, especially when we could finally see the tops of the peaks. I can't imagine living in a place with such glorious views everyday.

We ate dinner at the Stagerstubli, which seemed to be the only restaurant in town that was open on a weekday. The town practically shuts down between ski season and the full-blown summer season. The food was great.

We walked back to Gimmelwald and when we arrived home we had new guests: a very fun, personable couple from New Zealand.








One of the falls at Trummelbach.






Another of the falls at Trummelbach. Many of them thundered through the carved rock like this one.






Lunch!






Looking down the Lauterbrunnen valley toward Lauterbrunnen town.






A little chalet in the valley I thought was cool.






On our walk home from Murren, we heard a rumbling and saw this avalanche.






This is the best view of the Monch (Monk) we saw so far.

Day 4: Gimmewald, Switzerland

Tuesday

In the morning, I had a croissant and coffee at a cafe in the train station before we left Montreux on the GoldenPass Rail. It was a panoramic train, which really means there were big windows so you could look out at the mountain scenery. Of course, the views were a bit disappointing because of the rain and fog. We arrived at Interlaken late morning. Interlaken is the major town and travel hub in the Bernese Oberland. While I was sitting around the train station sipping coffee, Jared spotted a CoOp store and wandered over. He came back about 20 minutes later, visibly excited, arms laden with food supplies. From that moment, CoOp became our new favorite store. Cheap(er) food!

We left Interlaken for Lauterbrunnen by train. What a ride! Although it was still raining, we could see some of the mountains. Waterfalls everywhere. Giant peaks. We were finally in the Bernese Oberland, and I was excited! Apparently, an elderly couple sitting across from us either found my constant "ooh-ing" and pointing as either charming or ridiculous.

We arrived at Lauterbrunnen where we took a bus (not obvious) to Stechelberg, a tiny village about 15 minutes from Lauterbrunnen nestled up the Lauterbrunnen Valley below towering peaks and cliffs. It was raining again and we couldn't see the tops of the peaks. From there, we boarded a gondola (which I'll refer to as a "lift" from now on) big enough to fit about 20 people or so. It took us up the steep rock face in front of us. (I think they call these cliffs the Lauterbrunnen Wall.) It gave me the willies. It was very, very steep, with the lift seeming to rise almost vertically, like an elevator. As we ascended, we looked around the valley and all the waterfalls. The closer we got to the top (which we still could not see), the rain started turning slushy. Higher and higher and the slush became a full-blow snow event. We got off the lift at Murren and entered a heavy snowfall.

The next step was to get down to Esther's house, a somewhat communal bed and breakfast in the sleepy village of Gimmewald. We discovered the van that ran every half hour or so down to the village, so we hopped on. Down a narrow, windy road we rode (a little too fast for my comfort) where we were then deposited in the middle of the village. Seeing as the entire town consists of about 100 people, we didn't have far to walk.

Esther was surprised to see us, as I had gotten the reservations wrong and we weren't expected until the following day. She had room, though, and was gracious enough to allow us to stay an extra day. The room was very nice, opening into a communal area/kitchen and, across the hall, our washroom, which we shared with another couple for one day, but otherwise had to ourselves.

The windows in our room overlooked the village and the surrounding mountains. We opened them and breathed in the fresh air...and snow... The peaks were still shrouded, so we had no idea of the amazing landscape around us. We unpacked and then walked down to the Mountain Hostel (the only place in town serving food) for pizza and indecipherable german conversation.






The lift in Murren arriving from Stechelberg. This was taken days later, after the mists and snow had cleared. We could see very little of the surrounding landscape when we first arrived.






Dropped off! The main drag of Gimmelwald. Esther's is the house at the end of the street, and our window is the top left one.






On the way to Esther's, this little chalet caught my eye. I've yet to translate the carving. Most homes here have some sort of textual carving on the outside, a proverb, the family name, etc.






The view (and the snow) as seen from our window at Esther's, down "Main Street". I'm dying to know how high those mountains are!






The view to the left, overlooking the only real restaurant in town, the Berg Geist, which was "geschlossen" for the off-season. (We became quite familiar with the word "geschlossen" during our travels.) The mountains ahead are hidden, but we would eventually learn they were the massif containing the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau.

Days 2 and 3: Lausanne and Montreux, Switzerland

Sunday/Monday

Sunday evening, we arrived in Geneva to rain. Our next adventure was getting to Laussane and finding our hostel. Most of the larger cities (and many of the smaller ones in between) are connected by rail, so it is relatively convenient to get around, once you figure it all out, that is. As you'll see, all the modes of transportation and connections and schedules can get a little tricky and frustrating. We arrived in Lausanne by train. Pouring rain. Donning our rain jackets (they look a little funny with bulging backpacks underneath) we found our hostel about a 10-minute walk from the train station. The rooms were very nice and I presume had nice views of the lake and the mountains beyond. Whenever we were in the room, however, it was either dark or rainy or foggy. We crashed.

Monday morning it was up-and-at-em to travel to Montreux to see Chateau de Chillon, a medieval castle built probably around 1005 or 1160 on solid rock on the shores of Lake Geneva. Lausanne and Montreux are french-speaking, and I know pretty much no french, so it was good to know most everyone spoke at least some english. The prices for everything were outrageous. We bought lunch at a little grocers and spent a small fortune on baguette sandwiches and juice.

We took the train to Montreux, through the wine country and beautiful vineyards just starting to come to leaf. We arrived at Montreux about an hour later. We found the bus stop but ended up taking it the wrong way. Eventually, though, we made it to the castle. It was raining, of course. It was very medieval. It rivaled Warwick Castle in England; not in size, but in beauty, antiquity, and, of course, the "coolness" factor. It's hard to explain the feeling of walking around something so old.

We returned that afternoon to Lausanne and walked around the Old City. It had stopped raining for the most part. Cathedrals, an old unused castle, views of Lake Geneva and the mountains, and narrow, confusing, cobblestone streets. Needless to say our sense of direction was a bit rusty and we got lost. It got dark before we found our way back to familiar territory and happened upon a falafel stand for dinner. We were beat and it was dark so we headed back to the hostel and crashed. Here are some photos of our day.




The view from our hostel window, overlooking Lake Geneva. There really are mountains on the other side. I promise.






Lake Geneva in Montreux, right outside the castle. Check out that amazing bridge!






A bit of the front of the castle, with the clock, in the rain. The little hole on the left wall is where they shot arrows at attackers. We were inside this part of the fortress at one point and also saw the inner workings of the clock.






One of the main courtyard from above. In the rain. They were restoring the facade to appear as it would have in medieval times.






Another courtyard in the rain. Even with my rain jacket on, I am starting to get very cold and uncomfortable.






Just a cool shot of a little tower thingy. I'm looking down on it from one of the windows in the outer wall.






I can't remember the name of this room, but it was pretty cool. Jared looks to be checking it out pretty closely.






Another room. I think this was the dining hall. You should see the fireplace in there. Enormous. Right about now I can't feel my hands anymore. Even with gloves on.






The dungeon/foundations of the castle. What you don't see (I didn't get a good shot of it) is the giant rock that the builders didn't even try to conceal. They just incorporated it into the foundations.