Switzerland Trip Report
Sep 28th, 2006, 08:26 PM
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Switzerland Trip Report
Here is the first installment. More photos to be added...
Day (-1): Weather forecast for all the places we were going was cloudy and rainy for the entire duration of our trip; our anxiety was building up.
Day 0: Air Canada flight first segment delayed by 90 minutes; fortunately we had ample connection time. Then transatlantic segment aircraft turned out inoperable; substitute aircraft came in from Frankfurt; hence 3 hours delayed departure. We were seriously beginning to wonder whether these were signs of what is to come.
Day 1: Reached Zurich; customs and passport control was a breeze; quick stops at the cash machine, Orange store for SIM card and some bare essentials shopping like toothpaste, sunscreen etc (which we could not carry due to recent security enforcement). Then we validated our flexipass and were on our way to Zermatt (since we used the fly-rail baggage service we did not have to wait/lug our baggage). Weather was bright and sunny and mild. About an hour later we reached THUN; and the scenery opened up. Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau stood there in clear view as if welcoming us. All our doubts and worries and jetlag vanished in the blink of an eye. Next came Kandersteg. Then Lotschberg. All the way to Zermatt we were just glued to the window. There were numerous peaks and valleys and tunnels. And greenery and waterfalls and streams. Visibility was total; atmosphere was clean and fresh just like after a rain shower. And when we made the final turn into Zermatt station majestic Matterhorn made a dramatic entrance to the stage.
Hotel Daniela was very cosy. Duplex suite. Both floors had double beds and balconies. Top floor bedroom and balcony had vaulted ceiling with wooden beams. Elegant furnishing and very modern bathroom fittings, even a skylight. Lots of geraniums and petunias skirted the balcony. Best part was Matterhorn was visible from everywhere; even while lying in bed! Rest of the evening was spent relaxing in the balcony amidst view of Matterhorn with local red wine and carry out food from pub next door. We were tired from the journey but stayed up till quite late in excitement and anticipation. Woke up couple of times at night just to see from my bed the Matterhorn shimmering in full moon light.
Day 2 : Finally got up when the first rays of the sun just began to color the tip of the Matterhorn. We sat in the balcony just feasting our eyes to dawn-break. Peeve No.1: the absence of a coffee maker in the room; in fact there never was in any of the hotel rooms we stayed in this whole trip. Breakfast was hearty and delicious (albeit to our amazement there wasn’t any hot food like egg poach. sausage et all); however meat and cheeses were excellent. We checked out but kept our luggage in the reception and were on our way for our first day on Swiss alps. Zermatt is a small town along the 2 banks of a river. We walked up along the river to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cablecar station and took our first gondola ride. The first stage to Furi is a 4 – 6 seater small continuous moving gondola (although I have seen later that they stop it on request to let in/out a person with wheelchair). Subsequent 2 stages (to Trokener Steg and Klein Matterhorn) are huge 100+ people cablecars. View of the Matterhorn from Trokener Steg is beautiful (better in my opinion than the view atop the Klein Matterhorn albeit from up there the whole 360 degree view is breathtaking). Visibility was absolute; we could clearly see peaks far away in Italy. It was a little chilly with some wind factor. In retrospect I think (contrary to what I have read in this forum) this peak was less crowded, less commercialized and more kid(/stroller)-friendly than the 2 other peaks (Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch) we did later. Rarified air effect and realizing the need to acclimatize we decided to skip the ice-palace and went down to Trokener Steg where we spent a lazy afternoon on the restaurant balcony watching clouds sail over the Matterhorn while eating a delicious lunch of bratwurst with onion sauce; kids meal was served in a firetruck shaped paper container and was a hit.
Later that evening we took delivery of our checked baggage (fly-rail baggage worked well) at the Zermatt station and then boarded with the luggage-filled cart on to the train to Taesch (at no cost to flexipass holders even on a non-free day). Hertz was right across from Taesch train station. Peeve No.2: Counter person would not acknowledge prepaid part of AutoEurope’s confirmed rate. Even calling international and letting her talk to AE rep didn’t resolve. One wasted hour later we were on the road (thinking I will settle with AE later). We got a VW Passat station wagon (free upgrade instead of the Ford Focus C-Max we had paid for) because that was the only automatic they had. The GPS (booked through AE and taken with us – a StreetPilot C-330 loaded with Switzerland on the SD card) came in really handy. Thanks Budman for strongly advocating it. We never did need to take our eyes off of the scenery during the entire trip to look up a map. For those of you who are raising eyebrows on this blasphemous act of ours, I agree that swiss transportation system is excellent and car rental might seem superfluous but in my opinion when traveling with children (and thence luggage) renting a car was an excellent and money-well-spent decision. Besides we got to see a lot more of backcountry Switzerland and meet some off-the-beaten path swiss folks.
Interesting thing happened in this drive; we got on a train while in our car and were ferried across 22 kms of dark one lane tunnel on this speeding train from Goppenstein to Kandersteg through the Lotschberg mountain. Being ferried across on a train was a first for us. Finally when we reached Stechelberg (Schilthornbahn parking lot) it was around 9pm and we were very thankful we spent money on renting the GPS or else we’d be very lost on this dark rainy night. There was a small shop (converted motorhome) which was open and made us some delicious pizza and brat dinner. Lesson learnt: Switzerland closes shop after 7pm. We left most of our luggage in the car and just took 2 carryons and got on the cablecar and reached Murren (changing at Gimmelwald). We had called our Hotel (Alpina) earlier and so they were expecting us. Very friendly people. Hot chocolate milk for the kids and off to bed they went (they loved the bunk beds). The room was small and simple décor (quite a contrast from Daniela’s) but the view (we had a top floor room) was awesome and worth every penny. We went to bed praying that it would clear up in the morning. It was quite warm and we had to leave the balcony door open.
Day 1 & 2 Photos http://tinyurl.com/jl5x2
Day (-1): Weather forecast for all the places we were going was cloudy and rainy for the entire duration of our trip; our anxiety was building up.
Day 0: Air Canada flight first segment delayed by 90 minutes; fortunately we had ample connection time. Then transatlantic segment aircraft turned out inoperable; substitute aircraft came in from Frankfurt; hence 3 hours delayed departure. We were seriously beginning to wonder whether these were signs of what is to come.
Day 1: Reached Zurich; customs and passport control was a breeze; quick stops at the cash machine, Orange store for SIM card and some bare essentials shopping like toothpaste, sunscreen etc (which we could not carry due to recent security enforcement). Then we validated our flexipass and were on our way to Zermatt (since we used the fly-rail baggage service we did not have to wait/lug our baggage). Weather was bright and sunny and mild. About an hour later we reached THUN; and the scenery opened up. Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau stood there in clear view as if welcoming us. All our doubts and worries and jetlag vanished in the blink of an eye. Next came Kandersteg. Then Lotschberg. All the way to Zermatt we were just glued to the window. There were numerous peaks and valleys and tunnels. And greenery and waterfalls and streams. Visibility was total; atmosphere was clean and fresh just like after a rain shower. And when we made the final turn into Zermatt station majestic Matterhorn made a dramatic entrance to the stage.
Hotel Daniela was very cosy. Duplex suite. Both floors had double beds and balconies. Top floor bedroom and balcony had vaulted ceiling with wooden beams. Elegant furnishing and very modern bathroom fittings, even a skylight. Lots of geraniums and petunias skirted the balcony. Best part was Matterhorn was visible from everywhere; even while lying in bed! Rest of the evening was spent relaxing in the balcony amidst view of Matterhorn with local red wine and carry out food from pub next door. We were tired from the journey but stayed up till quite late in excitement and anticipation. Woke up couple of times at night just to see from my bed the Matterhorn shimmering in full moon light.
Day 2 : Finally got up when the first rays of the sun just began to color the tip of the Matterhorn. We sat in the balcony just feasting our eyes to dawn-break. Peeve No.1: the absence of a coffee maker in the room; in fact there never was in any of the hotel rooms we stayed in this whole trip. Breakfast was hearty and delicious (albeit to our amazement there wasn’t any hot food like egg poach. sausage et all); however meat and cheeses were excellent. We checked out but kept our luggage in the reception and were on our way for our first day on Swiss alps. Zermatt is a small town along the 2 banks of a river. We walked up along the river to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cablecar station and took our first gondola ride. The first stage to Furi is a 4 – 6 seater small continuous moving gondola (although I have seen later that they stop it on request to let in/out a person with wheelchair). Subsequent 2 stages (to Trokener Steg and Klein Matterhorn) are huge 100+ people cablecars. View of the Matterhorn from Trokener Steg is beautiful (better in my opinion than the view atop the Klein Matterhorn albeit from up there the whole 360 degree view is breathtaking). Visibility was absolute; we could clearly see peaks far away in Italy. It was a little chilly with some wind factor. In retrospect I think (contrary to what I have read in this forum) this peak was less crowded, less commercialized and more kid(/stroller)-friendly than the 2 other peaks (Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch) we did later. Rarified air effect and realizing the need to acclimatize we decided to skip the ice-palace and went down to Trokener Steg where we spent a lazy afternoon on the restaurant balcony watching clouds sail over the Matterhorn while eating a delicious lunch of bratwurst with onion sauce; kids meal was served in a firetruck shaped paper container and was a hit.
Later that evening we took delivery of our checked baggage (fly-rail baggage worked well) at the Zermatt station and then boarded with the luggage-filled cart on to the train to Taesch (at no cost to flexipass holders even on a non-free day). Hertz was right across from Taesch train station. Peeve No.2: Counter person would not acknowledge prepaid part of AutoEurope’s confirmed rate. Even calling international and letting her talk to AE rep didn’t resolve. One wasted hour later we were on the road (thinking I will settle with AE later). We got a VW Passat station wagon (free upgrade instead of the Ford Focus C-Max we had paid for) because that was the only automatic they had. The GPS (booked through AE and taken with us – a StreetPilot C-330 loaded with Switzerland on the SD card) came in really handy. Thanks Budman for strongly advocating it. We never did need to take our eyes off of the scenery during the entire trip to look up a map. For those of you who are raising eyebrows on this blasphemous act of ours, I agree that swiss transportation system is excellent and car rental might seem superfluous but in my opinion when traveling with children (and thence luggage) renting a car was an excellent and money-well-spent decision. Besides we got to see a lot more of backcountry Switzerland and meet some off-the-beaten path swiss folks.
Interesting thing happened in this drive; we got on a train while in our car and were ferried across 22 kms of dark one lane tunnel on this speeding train from Goppenstein to Kandersteg through the Lotschberg mountain. Being ferried across on a train was a first for us. Finally when we reached Stechelberg (Schilthornbahn parking lot) it was around 9pm and we were very thankful we spent money on renting the GPS or else we’d be very lost on this dark rainy night. There was a small shop (converted motorhome) which was open and made us some delicious pizza and brat dinner. Lesson learnt: Switzerland closes shop after 7pm. We left most of our luggage in the car and just took 2 carryons and got on the cablecar and reached Murren (changing at Gimmelwald). We had called our Hotel (Alpina) earlier and so they were expecting us. Very friendly people. Hot chocolate milk for the kids and off to bed they went (they loved the bunk beds). The room was small and simple décor (quite a contrast from Daniela’s) but the view (we had a top floor room) was awesome and worth every penny. We went to bed praying that it would clear up in the morning. It was quite warm and we had to leave the balcony door open.
Day 1 & 2 Photos http://tinyurl.com/jl5x2
Sep 29th, 2006, 12:30 PM
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Second Installment:
Day 3: Our prayers were heard. All the cloud cover had vanished. We were welcomed by an amazing ‘up-close’ view that we will never forget. We sat on the balcony and had coffee (from the lobby downstairs) while waiting for the kids to wake up. It was an amazing morning as the suns rays hit the peaks. The view was very soothing like a picture made out of pastel colors. We decided to take advantage of the weather and prepone our plans and go to Schilthorn. When we reached there they were still serving the ‘James Bond Breakfast’. The food was much overpriced but the 360 degree panorama view from the revolving restaurant was definitely worth it. We were lucky to catch an ‘Alphorn’ performance while on the terrace. It was a very gorgeous day and we spent the rest of the day loitering in Murren and Gimmelwald.These two towns are the cutest gems we’ve been to. We will definitely go back there some day (hopefully soon). Kids loved playing in the playarea beside the Gimmelwald Cablecar station. Also there was never a waiting for cablecars (although the funicular to Grutschalp was closed). Clouds moved back in towards the evening and then it started raining while we were having dinner at the restaurant at Alpenruh. Local beer on the tap was fabulous; so were the red wine, brats with onion sauce and rosti. Atmosphere was very kid friendly; they even had a kids menu (mickey drink was a hit). Later at night I went out to the internet café (game room at Eiger Guesthouse) and wrote to AutoEurope about the problem I had while renting the car hoping they will put the records straight before I returned the car. The café (which remains open till 11pm) was quite lively with people playing pool and pinball et all.
Day 3 Photos http://tinyurl.com/npkcv
Day 3: Our prayers were heard. All the cloud cover had vanished. We were welcomed by an amazing ‘up-close’ view that we will never forget. We sat on the balcony and had coffee (from the lobby downstairs) while waiting for the kids to wake up. It was an amazing morning as the suns rays hit the peaks. The view was very soothing like a picture made out of pastel colors. We decided to take advantage of the weather and prepone our plans and go to Schilthorn. When we reached there they were still serving the ‘James Bond Breakfast’. The food was much overpriced but the 360 degree panorama view from the revolving restaurant was definitely worth it. We were lucky to catch an ‘Alphorn’ performance while on the terrace. It was a very gorgeous day and we spent the rest of the day loitering in Murren and Gimmelwald.These two towns are the cutest gems we’ve been to. We will definitely go back there some day (hopefully soon). Kids loved playing in the playarea beside the Gimmelwald Cablecar station. Also there was never a waiting for cablecars (although the funicular to Grutschalp was closed). Clouds moved back in towards the evening and then it started raining while we were having dinner at the restaurant at Alpenruh. Local beer on the tap was fabulous; so were the red wine, brats with onion sauce and rosti. Atmosphere was very kid friendly; they even had a kids menu (mickey drink was a hit). Later at night I went out to the internet café (game room at Eiger Guesthouse) and wrote to AutoEurope about the problem I had while renting the car hoping they will put the records straight before I returned the car. The café (which remains open till 11pm) was quite lively with people playing pool and pinball et all.
Day 3 Photos http://tinyurl.com/npkcv
Sep 29th, 2006, 12:47 PM
#3
Wonderful report. Keep it coming!
Our stores close at 6.30 pm unless they have special permission to stay open longer. Our local shopping mall is open till 8.00. Gas station shops and train stations shops are open longer as well.
Coffee machines? 90% of the Swiss have a coffee machine at home. We use espresso machines that let out foamy coffee or espressos, just like in the restaurants. We rarely drink coffee from a pot unless we use it for cafe schnapps.
Glad the weather worked out for you!
Our stores close at 6.30 pm unless they have special permission to stay open longer. Our local shopping mall is open till 8.00. Gas station shops and train stations shops are open longer as well.
Coffee machines? 90% of the Swiss have a coffee machine at home. We use espresso machines that let out foamy coffee or espressos, just like in the restaurants. We rarely drink coffee from a pot unless we use it for cafe schnapps.
Glad the weather worked out for you!
Sep 29th, 2006, 12:51 PM
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Wonderful report!
Early sunrise views of the Matterhorn are truly awesome, aren't they? I could just stare and stare all day.
And Murren and the BO region - oh, now that's a lovely place, too! The views from your hotel balcony were great.
Somehow it doesn't seem to matter what the price of eating at Piz Gloria is. You're in a revolving restaurant on top of the world, with these gorgeous drop-dead peaks and glaciers all around you. Priceless!
Early sunrise views of the Matterhorn are truly awesome, aren't they? I could just stare and stare all day.
And Murren and the BO region - oh, now that's a lovely place, too! The views from your hotel balcony were great.
Somehow it doesn't seem to matter what the price of eating at Piz Gloria is. You're in a revolving restaurant on top of the world, with these gorgeous drop-dead peaks and glaciers all around you. Priceless!
Sep 30th, 2006, 02:30 AM
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This is great report.
My husband and I will be leaving for Switzerland in a week's time. We are flying into Zurich and taking the train directly to Lauterbrunnen. I read in your post you that you did the fly-rail baggage service.
Can you let me know how you arrange this?
Thank you!
Jasmine
My husband and I will be leaving for Switzerland in a week's time. We are flying into Zurich and taking the train directly to Lauterbrunnen. I read in your post you that you did the fly-rail baggage service.
Can you let me know how you arrange this?
Thank you!
Jasmine
Oct 1st, 2006, 06:50 AM
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Thanks for your comments.
Jastsh, 'Fly-Rail Baggage' is an excellent option to send your checked bags all the way to any Swiss town. All you need to get is a green luggage tags from any travel agency like rail europe for $15 per bag. Put your destination city name and check in your bags with your airlines to Zurich. You DON'T need to collect your bags in Zurich and haul it thereafter. They will arrive in Lauterbrunnen rail station on the same day afternoon or the next day depending on when your flight arrived in Zurich. Check this site for details. Goodluck.
http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisemarkt/...il-baggage.htm
Jastsh, 'Fly-Rail Baggage' is an excellent option to send your checked bags all the way to any Swiss town. All you need to get is a green luggage tags from any travel agency like rail europe for $15 per bag. Put your destination city name and check in your bags with your airlines to Zurich. You DON'T need to collect your bags in Zurich and haul it thereafter. They will arrive in Lauterbrunnen rail station on the same day afternoon or the next day depending on when your flight arrived in Zurich. Check this site for details. Goodluck.
http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisemarkt/...il-baggage.htm
Oct 1st, 2006, 08:04 AM
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Gosh, Kalpana--I am in the midst of writing my own trip report on this board and then I see that you did many of the things that we did, especially staying at the Hotel Daniela in Zermatt. We had a room on the second floor with a view of the Matterhorn, the third floor rooms having been booked months in advance. I loved this hotel and the great location, would recommend it wholeheartedly. The bread at breakfast was the best in Switzerland as well as the do-it-yourself orange juice maker that made for the freshest, tastiest juice. There was no evening meals at this place but just down the street one could eat good meals at their sister hotel, Hotel Julen. We ate 2 evenings at the Whymperstube,--wonderful fondue and raclette in a cosy atmosphere.
Oct 8th, 2006, 09:25 AM
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Next installment...
Day 4: Woke up early to find clouds moving in rapidly. Started walking in the direction of the clear horizon and soon found myself walking on the trail from Murren to Gimmelwald. It was a wonderful experience! It was an extraordinary juxtaposition of two words: majestic and cute. The peaks, the valley, walking by cute chalets lined with flowers and front yards decorated with figures of dwarfs (Snow White connection??) and cows and poultry and through the wooded patches listening to sound of cowbells and thousands of waterfalls suddenly emerged after last nights rain, higher peaks whiter with fresh snow. I took over an hour to walk this 30 mins downhill trail and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. By the time I reached Gimmelwald clouds had taken over everything. So I took the Cablecar back but my mind was made up; I had to take this walk again with the entire family. Clouds did not clear out even after 2 hours; in fact at one point we could not see the other end of the hotel from our balcony; and kids were thrilled at clouds getting into our room from the open balcony door. We did breakfast at the restaurant in our hotel. Very good sliced meats and cheeses; I especially developed a liking to one kind of sliced meat that had soft greenish embellishments (someone said pistachio; I wish I had asked the local people; are they available here in the US?) We checked out of the hotel, spent the rest of the morning souvenir shopping and then headed down to the valley. To our surprise the valley was clear. The clouds were only at higher elevations. We explored the many unnamed waterfalls of Lauterbrunnen valley. Towards late afternoon we thought we’d head outside of the valley to see if the weather was any better. But when we checked the weather at the train station we were informed that same conditions prevailed almost everywhere. We went to Giesbach falls by Lake Brienz and sat at the terrace of the Grand Hotel overlooking the lake. The clouds cleared up as we called it a day and went looking for our next destination: Grindelwald.
The hotel Gletschergarten was a century old chalet style lodge at the higher end of the town and was a warm woody atmosphere lined with lots of flowers. We were booked for the 2nd floor of its annexe Chalet Hohturnen. Both Gabiela (our hostess) and her husband were very friendly and helpful people. The unit had 3 bedrooms which was perfect for us (our team size had increased as we were joined here by 2 adult and 1 child member of family).
Day 4 Photos http://tinyurl.com/n2mfy
Day 5: Woke up at crack of dawn. Balcony view was a peaceful cemetery with lots of flowers and the majestic Eiger. Somebody in our group quipped “even the departed souls in this town rest peacefully amidst beautiful scenery”. The weather was clear. We jump started so that we could get to Jungfraujoch early. Breakfast at the hotel was the usual swiss cold meat and cheese deal which we were beginning to like more by each passing day. The parking at Grund station was easy. The train ride up the mountain brought into view some of the best sceneries in the entire trip. The mountains were grand and close; the valley was beautiful with chalet style houses of the wide spread Grindelwald township. After Eigergletscher station the train goes inside a long tunnel through the Eiger mountain only to emerge at the top station – Jungfraujoch. We were marveled by the engineering feat. There were tv screens in the train telling us our location within the tunnel. There were 2 five minute stops where we had the option to detrain and see through the windows on the walls of the tunnel. Views of glaciers were astounding. Then we reached Jungfraujoch. It was bright and sunny; visibility was absolute; perhaps the best amongst all the days. The snowclad peaks seemed to be just at ‘reach out and touch’ distance. We played on the snow; the kids loved it. The only place we needed the jackets was inside the ice palace which had cute ice sculptures. The terrace was crowded though. And not kid (/stroller) friendly. Infact we could take a lift while going up to the terrace but not for (to our amazement we found this out later) coming down. Then came the “episode” which taints our entire swiss memory as the black spot on an otherwise immaculate trip. We (with 3 kids on strollers) were getting out of the lift (after coming down from the terrace level) but were confronted at the bottom level by a Jungfraubahnen personnel who shouted at us that we had taken the lift downwards and we were not supposed to; not only was he rude and loud and gesticulating madly and saying stuff in german that we could not understand but when I asked him where the lift to go down was, he said he will show us. He took the lift (with us on board) back up to the terrace level and showed us the stairs! He pulled out a stroller (with baby in it) and chucked it aside. He reached for and shoved my spouse out of the lift. These acts made me mad and I told him to behave properly and asked to speak with his supervisor. He was relentless and went on shouting and complaining that we had caused him to be delayed. His body language was extremely arrogant and spiteful. He did not call up his supervisor; another personnel pointed us towards a door that had ‘i’ (as in information) sign on it. We went there and asked to speak to the manager/supervisor on duty. A lady came forward and asked how she could help. I related the entire story. She listened and then gave us 3 Jungfraubahnen chocolate bars as if that would solve the problem!!! (of course we refused the bribe) She told us that there was big tour company group that had arrived and there was some time commitment that they were all busy working to meet. Also that “In Switzerland touching someone’s arm was not indecent unlike in India”. This got me infuriated. Firstly her trying to make light by offering bribe; secondly her interpretation of ‘reaching out and grabbing by the upper arm’ as mere touching and thirdly commenting on India out of no context whatsoever (except by our skin color). There was no saying or expression or body language of any apology at all. As if whatever happened was an appropriate behavior for us. The whole thing seemed utterly discriminatory. In my 10+ years of residency in USA I have never felt so humiliated. And surprisingly her tone changed when I told her that. Suddenly she said (after posing all this while that she was the supervisor) that the supervisor was busy with the tourbus group and could not be contacted. Having had enough time wasted already we decided to leave it at that. I got the complaint forms and then bought those 3 chocolates (felt I had to protest) from her. Sorry that you had to read through this gripe, but beware there are those people. All we wanted was an apology.
We missed the sleigh ride because of this delay. The ride down hill was less exciting till we reached Kleine Scheidegg. This place is just extraordinarily scenic. There were cows and goats grazing on green pastures on lower elevations of huge snow covered mountains (the ones we just visited). The train to Jungfraujoch cuts across this greenery making quite a photo. There was valley views and towns across the valley visible clearly. The train station had a strip plaza with a handful of restaurants that also had bistro style outdoor seatings. We sat on one such and had raclette, rosti, bratwurst and beer. It was getting cooler as the afternoon rolled by and soon everbody started packing up. Seemed like this town was getting ready to close shop. We decided to move on and took the train down towards Wengen. I think I liked Kl.Scheidegg the most (from scenic point of view) and would definitely like to spend more time here in our next trip (oh yeah! I know now what “Beware Switzerland is addictive” means). The train ride downhill to Wengen gave some very memorable photo ops. At Wengen we were greeted by a very beautiful sunset (with clouds and mountain peaks getting colors) and our daughter exclaimed (reminding us of a line from Heidi) “Look, the mountains are on fire!” (and predictably our son retorted “No silly, its is just the sunset”). We found that the last cablecar (via Mannlichen) had left; there was just 1 last train down from Wengen which would get us back to Grindelwald (after changing once) and that was our only option. When got back to our hotel room it was pitch dark (quite a spine chilling walk down to Grund station parking lot down a dark lonely road).
Day 5 Photos http://tinyurl.com/mwy35
Day 4: Woke up early to find clouds moving in rapidly. Started walking in the direction of the clear horizon and soon found myself walking on the trail from Murren to Gimmelwald. It was a wonderful experience! It was an extraordinary juxtaposition of two words: majestic and cute. The peaks, the valley, walking by cute chalets lined with flowers and front yards decorated with figures of dwarfs (Snow White connection??) and cows and poultry and through the wooded patches listening to sound of cowbells and thousands of waterfalls suddenly emerged after last nights rain, higher peaks whiter with fresh snow. I took over an hour to walk this 30 mins downhill trail and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. By the time I reached Gimmelwald clouds had taken over everything. So I took the Cablecar back but my mind was made up; I had to take this walk again with the entire family. Clouds did not clear out even after 2 hours; in fact at one point we could not see the other end of the hotel from our balcony; and kids were thrilled at clouds getting into our room from the open balcony door. We did breakfast at the restaurant in our hotel. Very good sliced meats and cheeses; I especially developed a liking to one kind of sliced meat that had soft greenish embellishments (someone said pistachio; I wish I had asked the local people; are they available here in the US?) We checked out of the hotel, spent the rest of the morning souvenir shopping and then headed down to the valley. To our surprise the valley was clear. The clouds were only at higher elevations. We explored the many unnamed waterfalls of Lauterbrunnen valley. Towards late afternoon we thought we’d head outside of the valley to see if the weather was any better. But when we checked the weather at the train station we were informed that same conditions prevailed almost everywhere. We went to Giesbach falls by Lake Brienz and sat at the terrace of the Grand Hotel overlooking the lake. The clouds cleared up as we called it a day and went looking for our next destination: Grindelwald.
The hotel Gletschergarten was a century old chalet style lodge at the higher end of the town and was a warm woody atmosphere lined with lots of flowers. We were booked for the 2nd floor of its annexe Chalet Hohturnen. Both Gabiela (our hostess) and her husband were very friendly and helpful people. The unit had 3 bedrooms which was perfect for us (our team size had increased as we were joined here by 2 adult and 1 child member of family).
Day 4 Photos http://tinyurl.com/n2mfy
Day 5: Woke up at crack of dawn. Balcony view was a peaceful cemetery with lots of flowers and the majestic Eiger. Somebody in our group quipped “even the departed souls in this town rest peacefully amidst beautiful scenery”. The weather was clear. We jump started so that we could get to Jungfraujoch early. Breakfast at the hotel was the usual swiss cold meat and cheese deal which we were beginning to like more by each passing day. The parking at Grund station was easy. The train ride up the mountain brought into view some of the best sceneries in the entire trip. The mountains were grand and close; the valley was beautiful with chalet style houses of the wide spread Grindelwald township. After Eigergletscher station the train goes inside a long tunnel through the Eiger mountain only to emerge at the top station – Jungfraujoch. We were marveled by the engineering feat. There were tv screens in the train telling us our location within the tunnel. There were 2 five minute stops where we had the option to detrain and see through the windows on the walls of the tunnel. Views of glaciers were astounding. Then we reached Jungfraujoch. It was bright and sunny; visibility was absolute; perhaps the best amongst all the days. The snowclad peaks seemed to be just at ‘reach out and touch’ distance. We played on the snow; the kids loved it. The only place we needed the jackets was inside the ice palace which had cute ice sculptures. The terrace was crowded though. And not kid (/stroller) friendly. Infact we could take a lift while going up to the terrace but not for (to our amazement we found this out later) coming down. Then came the “episode” which taints our entire swiss memory as the black spot on an otherwise immaculate trip. We (with 3 kids on strollers) were getting out of the lift (after coming down from the terrace level) but were confronted at the bottom level by a Jungfraubahnen personnel who shouted at us that we had taken the lift downwards and we were not supposed to; not only was he rude and loud and gesticulating madly and saying stuff in german that we could not understand but when I asked him where the lift to go down was, he said he will show us. He took the lift (with us on board) back up to the terrace level and showed us the stairs! He pulled out a stroller (with baby in it) and chucked it aside. He reached for and shoved my spouse out of the lift. These acts made me mad and I told him to behave properly and asked to speak with his supervisor. He was relentless and went on shouting and complaining that we had caused him to be delayed. His body language was extremely arrogant and spiteful. He did not call up his supervisor; another personnel pointed us towards a door that had ‘i’ (as in information) sign on it. We went there and asked to speak to the manager/supervisor on duty. A lady came forward and asked how she could help. I related the entire story. She listened and then gave us 3 Jungfraubahnen chocolate bars as if that would solve the problem!!! (of course we refused the bribe) She told us that there was big tour company group that had arrived and there was some time commitment that they were all busy working to meet. Also that “In Switzerland touching someone’s arm was not indecent unlike in India”. This got me infuriated. Firstly her trying to make light by offering bribe; secondly her interpretation of ‘reaching out and grabbing by the upper arm’ as mere touching and thirdly commenting on India out of no context whatsoever (except by our skin color). There was no saying or expression or body language of any apology at all. As if whatever happened was an appropriate behavior for us. The whole thing seemed utterly discriminatory. In my 10+ years of residency in USA I have never felt so humiliated. And surprisingly her tone changed when I told her that. Suddenly she said (after posing all this while that she was the supervisor) that the supervisor was busy with the tourbus group and could not be contacted. Having had enough time wasted already we decided to leave it at that. I got the complaint forms and then bought those 3 chocolates (felt I had to protest) from her. Sorry that you had to read through this gripe, but beware there are those people. All we wanted was an apology.
We missed the sleigh ride because of this delay. The ride down hill was less exciting till we reached Kleine Scheidegg. This place is just extraordinarily scenic. There were cows and goats grazing on green pastures on lower elevations of huge snow covered mountains (the ones we just visited). The train to Jungfraujoch cuts across this greenery making quite a photo. There was valley views and towns across the valley visible clearly. The train station had a strip plaza with a handful of restaurants that also had bistro style outdoor seatings. We sat on one such and had raclette, rosti, bratwurst and beer. It was getting cooler as the afternoon rolled by and soon everbody started packing up. Seemed like this town was getting ready to close shop. We decided to move on and took the train down towards Wengen. I think I liked Kl.Scheidegg the most (from scenic point of view) and would definitely like to spend more time here in our next trip (oh yeah! I know now what “Beware Switzerland is addictive” means). The train ride downhill to Wengen gave some very memorable photo ops. At Wengen we were greeted by a very beautiful sunset (with clouds and mountain peaks getting colors) and our daughter exclaimed (reminding us of a line from Heidi) “Look, the mountains are on fire!” (and predictably our son retorted “No silly, its is just the sunset”). We found that the last cablecar (via Mannlichen) had left; there was just 1 last train down from Wengen which would get us back to Grindelwald (after changing once) and that was our only option. When got back to our hotel room it was pitch dark (quite a spine chilling walk down to Grund station parking lot down a dark lonely road).
Day 5 Photos http://tinyurl.com/mwy35
Sep 9th, 2007, 01:13 PM
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Kalpana,
I realize this trip report is almost a year old, but if you ever check back, I have a question about your car rental. Was the problem ever solved with AutoEurope? We've gone thru AE several times in other countries without any problem, but never in Switzerland (just planning our first trip), and never with a Hertz pick-up.
Also, how did you get the GPS navigator, I assume it was rented thru AE, did you pick it up when you got the car? Any idea of the approximate cost?
Really enjoyed reading your trip report, I guess you didn't get a chance to finish?
Thanks!
Thanks!
I realize this trip report is almost a year old, but if you ever check back, I have a question about your car rental. Was the problem ever solved with AutoEurope? We've gone thru AE several times in other countries without any problem, but never in Switzerland (just planning our first trip), and never with a Hertz pick-up.
Also, how did you get the GPS navigator, I assume it was rented thru AE, did you pick it up when you got the car? Any idea of the approximate cost?
Really enjoyed reading your trip report, I guess you didn't get a chance to finish?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Sep 28th, 2007, 03:21 AM
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Brandywine,
Yes. AE was very helpful. The issue with renting was resolved without any problem. AE manager had called me and advised that I should not spend time at the rental desk; if Hertz doesn't then they will refund me. I had to use the nightly drop box at Zurich Airport while returning the car. Later I found that I was charged accurately as promised.
The GPS was a lifesaver. Navigating especially at night (at times in rain)could have been a pain. AE mailed it to us a week before we started out. The charges stated the day of our outbound flight and ended after we returned it. Cost I don't remember but was well worth it.
Yes. AE was very helpful. The issue with renting was resolved without any problem. AE manager had called me and advised that I should not spend time at the rental desk; if Hertz doesn't then they will refund me. I had to use the nightly drop box at Zurich Airport while returning the car. Later I found that I was charged accurately as promised.
The GPS was a lifesaver. Navigating especially at night (at times in rain)could have been a pain. AE mailed it to us a week before we started out. The charges stated the day of our outbound flight and ended after we returned it. Cost I don't remember but was well worth it.
Oct 3rd, 2007, 06:19 AM
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Thanks Kalpana,
We've used Auto Europe on several previous trips (not in Switzerland), and never had a problem about the payment when picking up the car, so I just wanted to make sure that the issue was resolved later. But our previous rentals with AE have always been an Avis or Europecar rental, never Hertz.
We've always just used maps on past trips, but considering a GPS for our next trip.
Sounds like you had a great trip, except for the odd and unfortunate incident at the Jungfraujoch. Quite amazing that you were able to put that behind you and enjoy the remainder of your trip.
We've used Auto Europe on several previous trips (not in Switzerland), and never had a problem about the payment when picking up the car, so I just wanted to make sure that the issue was resolved later. But our previous rentals with AE have always been an Avis or Europecar rental, never Hertz.
We've always just used maps on past trips, but considering a GPS for our next trip.
Sounds like you had a great trip, except for the odd and unfortunate incident at the Jungfraujoch. Quite amazing that you were able to put that behind you and enjoy the remainder of your trip.
Oct 4th, 2007, 08:06 PM
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Kalpana - Love your report!! My husband and I are planning a 17 day trip to Switzerland June 16 - July 4, 2007 I am undecided about using the Swiss rail system or renting a car. Would we be able to stay in places like Murren if we don't have a car to drive there? Is June 16 TOO early to visit Switzerland? Are we likely to have a lot of rain?Glad to hear about your hotel in Zermatt. Want to go there for sure.
Thanks,
Nannibray
Thanks,
Nannibray
Oct 4th, 2007, 08:51 PM
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Nannibray, you can most certainly visit places like Murren without a car.....Murren is car free. I would like to give my endorsement to the Swiss rail system! We were there.....quite a few years ago (five), but the Swiss rail system HAS to be THE BEST! The trains ran on time everytime and the connections were easy. I had looked up all our schedules. We even took our 11 year old with us and we each lugged our own rolling, small suitcase. We took the Glacier Express from Chur to Zermatt and it was a long but extremely delightful trip. I didn't know where to look ....I was so floored by the beauty of Switzerland! So by all means do give the rail system a serious consideration...it is easy to use and will get you most anywhere and everywhere.
Oct 4th, 2007, 10:50 PM
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>Would we be able to stay in places like Murren if we don't have a car to drive there?
Nannybray, you can only visit Mürren WITHOUT a car.
The OP decided on renting a car because of several kids but there is practicall no place in Switzerland where you NEED a car to get to (except maybe highway rest areas)
Nannybray, you can only visit Mürren WITHOUT a car.
The OP decided on renting a car because of several kids but there is practicall no place in Switzerland where you NEED a car to get to (except maybe highway rest areas)
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