<B>CHAPTER 4 continued - Interlaken and beyond

Day 4
Ballenberg and Brienz</b>

We had 3 full days in Interlaken (Sat/Sun/Mon). We decided to save Jungfraujoch for Monday as Monday is expected to have the best weather among the 3 days.

So, on this cloudy Saturday, we chose to visit the <b>Ballenberg Open Air Museum</b>. Ballenberg is located several miles east of Brienz. To get there, we first took the train to Brienz, then changed for a local bus to Ballenberg (15-min ride; free with SwissPass). All buses that go to Ballenberg stop at both the West and the East entrances.

It appears that everyone on the bus was visiting the museum too. Most got off at the West entrance, and so did we. Again, our Swiss Pass got us into the museum for free (normal admission 20 CHF pp), but I paid 2 CHF for a map.
http://www.ballenberg.ch/en/Welcome

I don't remember which guidebook said to "allow 3 hours" for Ballenberg. One can easily spend 2 full days here! This place is huge. Spread over 163 acres, representative old buildings of each Swiss region are clustered in groups. Most of the houses are at least several hundred years old; the oldest one dates from the 1300s.

Many of the buildings are farm houses: one-half of the house is living quarters for the family, the other half is a barn for animals and storage space for farm equipments. Almost all the buildings are open for touring, and many are furnished. Visitors are free to roam around as nothing is roped-off. I was rather shocked to see the Swiss tourists touching the furniture, opening drawers, picking up bowls and plates etc. Such actions would have never been allowed in the historic houses in the US!

My preconception of "all houses in Switzerland look the same" was quickly debunked here. One can really appreciate the different architecture styles of various Swiss regions.

A wealthy merchant's house: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6129.jpg
Farmhouse: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6136.jpg
Another style of home: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6138.jpg
Alp huts for people and animal: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6140.jpg
Pharmacy: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6133.jpg
Interior of pharmacy: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6134.jpg
Interior of farmhouse: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6132.jpg
Weaving with the loom: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6141.jpg
Tobacco plant: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6139.jpg

Apart from old buildings, there are plenty of farm animals on the premise: different breeds of chickens, ducks, pigs, horses, cows, goats, rabbits... These ducks have a particular taste for my dad's pants: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6137.jpg

We stopped for lunch in the cafeteria within the Ticino region. Not surprisingly, the menu is Italian. There are several other restaurants scattered throughout the grounds. After lunch, we were able to find the building where fresh cheese is made the traditional way. We bought a 100gm piece for 2 CHF. 4+ hours later, we exited the museum via the East entrance; I estimated that we covered about 80% of the complex. We could have stayed longer, but after a while, all the buildings and interiors turn into one big blur.

Just outside the East entrance is Ballenberg's home-made chocolate shop. Of course we have to stop by and buy some!
Museum map, chocolate, and fresh cheese: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6154.jpg

We took the bus back to <b>Brienz</b> (note: the bus runs only 1x/hour in the afternoon, so make sure you check the bus schedule <i>before</i> you enter the museum). Although Brienz is known for wood-carving, we found very few shops/workshops selling it.

A quiet residential street: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6144.jpg
Wish I could take one of these planters home (but it would fill up my entire 19" suitcase!)
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6145.jpg

The town seemed eerily quiet for this cloudy, Saturday afternoon. We found a coffee shop that's open, so we stopped for coffee and cake to warm up.

<i>Cafe Wydi
Hauptstrasse 108, 3855 Brienz</i>

We ended our day by taking the ferry from Brienz back to Interlaken-Ost. http://www.bls.ch/e/schifffahrt/fahrplan.php

<b>Brienzersee/Lake Brienz</b> is smaller and less touristy than its sister lake, Lake Thun. However, we find Lake Brienz more scenic, as the lake is narrow and framed by steep hills on both sides.
Looking back at Brienz: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6143.jpg
More shades of green: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6151.jpg

[Transport tech info:
<i>9:52-9:57 IC 371 Interlaken West to Interlaken Ost (SBB, standard gauge)
This train comes from Basel.

10:04-10:22 IR 2217 Interlaken Ost to Brienz (ZB, meter-gauge)
We only rode one stop, but this is the continuation of the GoldenPass train to Luzern.

Bus rides between Brienz and Ballenberg

16:50-18:15 ferry "Brienz" from Brienz to Interlaken-Ost

18:21-18:23 R 5731 Interlaken Ost to Interlaken West (BLS, standard gauge)
Local train that continues to Spiez.</i>]

yk...

You are bringing back great memories for me. Back in my college days I did a study abroad in Switzerland and lived for 3 months in Montreaux. :-)

Hi swisshiker =; (waving)
How was <i>your</i> trip? Did you have good weather?

LCI, 3 months in Montreux, how lovely! I'm glad you're enjoying this too.

A few comments:

1. My suitcase is actually 20" or 20.5" officially. It's a nice light-weight Delsey I got in Hong Kong. Best luggage I've ever bought.

2. The very infrequent 15-minute ferry from Montreux to Chillon seems silly, but if you can arrange your time to do it, it's very worth the trouble as you can see the Chateau from the lake side.

3. On yk's comment about how green the Swiss countryside looks, our GoldenPass train transverse briefly the upper Grueye valley in the canton of Friboug. That's where the famous cheese comes from, and the lush green valleys are dotted with milk cows. [Some of you may already know, but dairy cows in Switzerland are brown, or brown/white. Not black or black/white.]

4. One very cool thing about Ballenberg is that it allows dogs. You'll see lots of locals visiting with their dogs. There are signs to tell the owners to leash up - like when there are farm animals nearby. I think that's very very cool.

5. Lake Brienz is very pretty. Looking at the photos of the various lakes we cruised on, the water looks most blue there.

<b>CHAPTER 4 continued - Interlaken and beyond

Day 5
Mt Rigi, Luzern, Bern - all in one day? Is that possible?</b>

Yup, that's rkkwan's idea of fun: by the end of the day, we would have ridden on SEVEN trains (2 of which are cog railways), 1 paddle steamer, 1 aerial cableway, and 1 trolleybus. All "free" of course, courtesy of our Swiss Pass.

Well, it all started with our Dad. The other night, he was reading the brochure that came with our Swiss Pass. There is a mention that all Mt Rigi's transport are now free to Swiss Pass holders. This is unusual, as all Swiss mountain companies only offer 50%-off to Swiss Pass passengers.

Since we were planning to head to Luzern anyway, rkkwan and I pored over the various train/ferry/cablecar schedules the night before, and came up with a ridiculous itinerary that would only delight people who literally "enjoy the ride". ;)

There are 2 routes to reach the summit of <b>Mt Rigi</b>, both via cog railways. One departs from Arth-Goldau (blue color), the other from Vitznau (red color). http://www.rigi.ch/en/navpage_list-T...BahnenWVR.html

The 2 lines began construction in the 1860-70s. The Vitznau-Rigi line was completed first and in 1871, became the very first mountain railway in operation in Europe. The Arth-Rigi line opened a few years later.

Apart from the cog railways, one can being the journey in the town of Weggis, where an aerial cableway goes up to Rigi Kaltbad. At Rigi Kaltbad, one can connect to the Vitznau-Rigi cog railway to ascend to the summit. http://www.rigi.ch/en/navpage-Transp...WVR-54585.html

After figuring out all the logistics, we began our day by taking the train from Interlaken to Arth-Goldau, via Luzern. 2 changes are required, and the segment from Interlaken to Luzern is part of the GoldenPass line.

Leaving the overcast Lake Brienz behind (more shades of green):
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6159.jpg
Arriving at the sunny Lake Luzern region:
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6162.jpg

By the time we arrived at <b>Arth-Goldau</b>, it was almost lunch time. With 30 minutes to spare, we picked up sandwiches at the Aperto market inside the train station (17.50 CHF). Then we switched to the little blue train: the Arth-Rigi Bahn (cog railway).
http://www.rigi.ch/en/navpage-Transp...WVR-54586.html
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6163.jpg

Given it is a sunny Sunday, the small train cars were completely full of Swiss hikers. Some had to stand the whole way. Soon enough, we were on our way up toward the summit(5900 ft); a 40-min ride.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6167.jpg

If you can believe this, we had only 10 minutes (!) to spare on the <b>Mt Rigi summit</b> before our next train departs. Mom decided to "sit tight" at the train station; while the 3 of us ran up the steep incline to reach the panorama terrace, snapped a few photos, before we rushed back down huffing and puffing for the little red train: the Vitznau-Rigi cog railway.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6172.jpg
http://www.rigi.ch/en/navpage-Transp...WVR-54579.html

But we didn't ride it all the way down to Vitznau. Instead, we disembarked at <b>Rigi Kaltbad</b> to switch for the aerial cableway to take us down to Weggis.
http://www.rigi.ch/en/navpage-Transp...WVR-54585.html

I must say, the cable car ride was the most fun. Soon after the car left the summit station, it "flew" in mid-air with little support. The expanse of Lake Luzern was below us, in a somewhat dizzing manner.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6174.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6175.jpg

In less than 10 minutes, we reached the base station, after descending 924m.
Cableway base station at Weggis:
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6177.jpg

From the cableway station, it's a 10-min walk downhill to reach the lakeside. (Bear in mind, if you do this route in reverse, you're looking at a 15-min UPhill hike).

Weggis is another lovely lakeside town. http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6179.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6182.jpg

At Weggis, we boarded <i>Uri</i>, a 1901 paddle steamer, for Luzern. Uri is the oldest Swiss paddle steamer still in regular service. The ferry ride on Lake Luzern took just under one hour, and we arrived <b>Luzern</b> at 3pm.
http://www.lakelucerne.ch/en/timetables-fares.html

Approaching Luzern on the ferry:
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6186.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6189.jpg

On this beautiful Sunday afternoon, Luzern is bursting its seams with tourists. Perhaps it has to do with the Luzern festival, which had just closed the night before. All the sidewalk cafes were full, with everyone enjoying the sun. We did the tourist route in 1 hour: the famous chapel bridge, and the area around the old city hall. I really liked the beautifully painted houses.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6195.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6203.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6204.jpg

One final look:
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6207.jpg

Since Dad wanted to see <b>Bern</b> as well, we took the 4pm train from Luzern, arriving Bern at 5pm. We walked along the main drag - studded with fountains every few blocks, old clock towers, and lined with arcaded sandstone buildings on both sides.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6210.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6212.jpg

We got as far as the city hall, before we took a bus back to the Bern train station for our train back to Interlaken, arriving "home" at 7pm.

[Transport tech info:
<i>8:52-8:57 IC 959 Interlaken West to Interlaken Ost (SBB, standard gauge)
IC train from Basel.

9:04-11:04 IR 2215 Interlaken Ost to Luzern (ZB, meter-gauge; cog in portion)
The final section of the GoldenPass line. The train reversed direction at Meiringen, then climbed over the Brünig Pass with cogs. Our train doesn't say GoldenPass on the outside, just Die Zentralbahn.

11:18-11:44 IR 2169 Luzern to Arth-Goldau (SBB, standard gauge)
Regional train to Locarno. Lots of people get off at Arth-Goldau to connect to Cisalpino service down to Milan.

12:10-12:47 R 141 Arth-Goldau RB to Rigi Kulm (Rigi-Bahnen, standard guage cog railway)
One of two cog railway lines to top of Rigi.

13:00-13:13 R 1128 Rigi Kulm to Rigi Kaltbad (Rigi-Bahnen, standard guage cog railway)
We rode the other line down to connect to aerial tramway.

Aerial Cableway from Rigi Kaltbad to Weggis

14:05-14:47 #18 "Uri" paddle steamer from Weggis to Luzern

16:00-17:00 IR 2530 Luzern to Bern (SBB, standard gauge)
Train uses the semi-highspeed Mattstetten–Rothrist new line towards Bern, and continues to Geneva Airport.

Bern - short bus ride back to train station

18:04-18:51 IC 981 Bern to Interlaken West (SBB, standard gauge)
Train comes from Basel.</i>]

Ahhh, blue skies!! Loving the photos.

I am really looking forward to reading about your hiking day (and your parents' Jungfraujoch day).

I took my parents to Switzerland in July (well, 10 nights in Italy and 5 nights in Switzerland) and 4 of our nights were spent in the Berner Oberland. We did some hiking (and Dad had broken his hip in March! He held up like a champ...) and we were all wowed by the Jungfraujoch and Trummelbach Falls. I think you did that as well (if I recall from your planning here) - did you stand inside the falls and just close your eyes to feel the rumbling power? It was awe inspiring!

I ALWAYS enjoy your trip reports . . . love the detail and I've taken quite a few of your reports with me on my trips. Thank you very much!

Hubby, I, another couple went to Switzerland for a week last Sept (a year ago) . . . I am sorry that we were "before" yours . . . we could have benefitted from your info.

Thank you for posting, please keep on.

A fan,
Sandy (in Denton)

yk, your report is fantastic! The photos are so pretty... can't wait to return to Switzerland in November for a week. We'll be in Lausanne and Zurich (with rental car). (Also in Amsterdam and Germany)

You mentioned Gruyere... Gruyere cheese is my favorite!! Yum!

Meant to say something about wishing I could travel light the way you seem to be able to do. DH always has 2 suitcases (hardsiders) and I always seem to fill one big one, with a couple of 'extra' folded up satches inside! Not good for your type of travel. We always have a car.

Will you be at the GTG in BOS? Hope so!

Carol

yk,

How does the inside of the Grand Théâtre de Genève look?

This TR is very inspiring. Definitely, a swiss rail vacation is moving to a higher number on my bucket list.

Hi all, I really appreciate all your comments, and I'm glad you are enjoying my amateur photos. Wait until you see the ones taken by rkkwan, then you'd realize mine are no good. :)

flygirl, the "hiking day" is next to follow.

Sandy (in Denton), thanks for your kind words. Remember you helped me out too? Last year when we stayed at YOUR apt in Berlin!

Carol, enjoy your trip in November! Regarding luggage, because I travel solo a lot, I need to pack light and be able to handle my own luggage. Since we have access to washing machines on this trip, I basically packed as much clothes as I would normally have for a 5-day trip; then did laundry twice during this trip. However, I can *never* survive with a 17" or 18" suitcase like my parents. 19" is the smallest I can go! And sorry, I'm afraid I won't be at the GTG this weekend. I've been away for so long that I promised DH that I'd spend time with him when I return (he couldn't take that much time off to come to Switzerland with us).

Fifi, the auditorium is modern, as it was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in the 1960s (the exterior shell survived the fire). It's really nothing to write home about with regards to the auditorium. We spent some time in the foyer, but then were ushered to the side staircase for our Balcony seats, so I can't tell you if it has a grand staircase or other details.

Like everyone, I am really enjoying this report! I love the details and the explanatory links & photos.

I am even now in Montreux, in an apartment for two weeks. It is like my second home; I also spent a semester here at a boarding school, in 1968. I believe those stalls only set up along the lake on market day, Friday. Or maybe on other days in the summer. I've been here for five days already and haven't seem them.

That gorgeous, lush, green landscape around Gstaad (between Montreux & Zweisimmen) is my favorite in the country. This year, I divided my time -- one week in Gstaad and two in Montreux. It's heaven for me.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to more!

s

Hi yk, my fellow MI5 fan! :-)

I am loving your trip report! Beautiful pictures! Don't ask me why, but all these years I thought rkkwan was your dad! Oops!

Waiting for your pictures of Lugano. I was there a couple of years ago as a day trip when my sister and I stayed in Bellagio.

Thanks again for such great detail in your report. Can't wait for the next installment.

Johanna

yk: what a great trip report! Looking at the pictures you posted of Luzern brought back a lot of memories of my trip in 1998. Ahhh. . . .

Thank you for the section on Geneva. I'm heading there on a day trip in November. I loved the photos you posted from there as well.

I'm looking forward to reading more.

TR

swandav, your current trip sounds lovely! You are right, we <i>were</i> in Montreux on a Friday when we saw all those market stalls. Gstaad looks beautiful when our train passed through... isn't it where all the billionaires, royal families, and celebrities go? Are you one of them? :)

Johanna, we had the most beautiful weather in Lugano, and I took the most pictures there. But you'd have to wait a few days before I "get" to the Lugano chapter.

TravelRibbon, enjoy your visit to Geneva. Only 1 day though?

Of course swandav is a billionaire. Who else can feel Montreux like a second home? Kekeke. :p

<b>CHAPTER 4 continued - Interlaken and Beyond

Day 6
Splitting our ways... yk goes hiking in Wengen & Lauterbrunnen!</b>

Today is the final day we have in the Interlaken/Berner Oberland region. rkkwan and our parents went to Jungfraujoch. I didn't go with them; one reason being I had already been there in 2003, another reason being that it costs 124 CHF for the trip, despite the Swiss Pass discount. I'd rather save some money and spend my time exploring other parts of Berner Oberland.

Since they were going to Jungfraujoch by way of Lauterbrunnen and Klein Scheidegg, I decided to take the train with them. At Lauterbrunnen, we switched to the Wengernalp cog railway for Kleine Scheidegg. However, I got off at <b>Wengen</b>, the last stop fully covered by the Swiss Pass.

Cog railway car at Wengen Station: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6225.jpg

Most of you are probably familiar with Wengen. In any case, Wengen is a car-free mountain resort perched on a plateau 480m above the Lauterbrunnen valley. Given this is a Monday morning, Wengen was rather quiet and I saw few people around.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6231.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6230.jpg

I stopped by the tourist office to inquire about the hiking path down to Lauterbrunnen, as the hiking map I have lists 2 different routes. They recommended #48, which begins on the other side of the rail station. You can see the trail map here, with Route #48 at the bottom R hand corner:
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6224.jpg

Then I started my 2-mile descent. In the first 10 minutes or so, I passed by dozens of Wengen hotels, homes and chalets.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6235.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6240.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6239.jpg

Then the path led to open land. http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6242.jpg

Soon, I reached a pine forest, where the path zig-zags down the mountain. http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6244.jpg

When I emerged from the forest 10 minutes later ,the wide expanse of the Lauterbrunnen Valley opened up before my eyes.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6246.jpg

Over the next 20 minutes, the town of Lauterbrunnen grew larger as I continued my way down. Staubbach Falls became more apparent as well.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6253.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6249.jpg

It took me about an hour to get down (less time if I hadn't stop frequently for photos!) During the hour, I came across perhaps a dozen or so hikers heading uphill. Not an easy climb as it's a rather steep path!

I headed for the main street in <b>Lauterbrunnen</b>, with a quick stop inside the tourist office to check for directions to Trummelbach Falls 2 miles away. I was told to follow the trail along the West side of the valley. A 15-min walk down the path led me right to the foot of <b>Staubbach Falls</b>! I hadn't realize that you can visit it for free. A steep path takes you up to the mountain side, then a tunnel followed by a series of slippery steps bring you right behind the waterfall! What a wonderful detour.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6263.jpg
Looking out from behind the falls: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6265.jpg
Looking back towards Lauterbrunnen (note the rainbow in bottom L hand corner):
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6269.jpg

At the point where the Staubbach Falls path merges with the main trail, is a shaded area with a stonewall and a water fountain with fresh-flowing water from the falls. I decided to make this my lunch spot; so there I was, sitting on the stonewall facing this gorgeous waterfall eating my picnic lunch. And with fresh water to wash down the food too! It couldn't get any better than this.

Looking back at Staubbach Falls: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6274.jpg

There are 2 more waterfalls on the west side of the valley after Staubbach Falls. There is a sign (in both German and English) at each place that provides information about the waterfall. About 25 minutes into the trail after my lunch break, the path turns eastward and crosses the valley floor and the Weisse Lütschine River to reach Trummelbach Falls on the east side of the valley.

Crossing the Lauterbrunnen Valley:
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6277.jpg

When I arrived at the <b>Trummelbach Falls</b> entrance, I was rather perplexed: I couldn't see nor hear a waterfall. Admission is 11 CHF but I got 1 CHF off by using the Interlaken visitors card issued by our hotel.
http://www.truemmelbachfaelle.ch/enmain2/main2.php

What I didn't know is that Trummelbach Falls is series of 10 glacier falls that run <i>within the mountain</i>. I followed the path which led me to an elevator within the mountain. The elevator takes you up to a height between the 6th and the 7th falls. The rest is accessed by (a lot of) steps. Here's a sign that explains it: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6288.jpg

The highest falls are hidden between rock formations; only a sliver of sunlight passes through the rocks. Standing in this semi-darkness, feeling the chilly water mist, and hearing the thunderous noise caused by the power of the water, was truly awe-inspiring.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6286.jpg

Looking back towards Lauterbrunnen:
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6287.jpg

Instead of taking the elevator down, I walked down the steps built into the mountain-side to view the lower level falls. These run closer to the outside of the mountain.

There is a bus stop right outside of Trummelbach Falls' entrance, where you can take the bus to/from Lauterbrunnen. I decided to walk back. Instead of taking the same trail back, I chose a different one. This trail runs along the bank of the <b>Weisse Lütschine river</b>; not only it's quite scenic, it is also more shaded than the first one I took.

Back in Lauterbrunnen, I took the train towards Interlaken but got off at <b>Wilderswil</b>. As it was still early, I decided to walk from Wilderswil back to Interlaken, via Ruine Unspunnen (route #71 on my hiking map; 2 miles). Unfortunately, I don't recommend this. I did get a wonderful view of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau from Wilderswil-Dorf;
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6292.jpg
and the trail even passed by the Rugenbrau Brewery. http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6294.jpg
However, a good portion of the trail is on the road shared with cars but without sidewalk, while other sections aren't necessarily scenic. Nonetheless, I had a good work-out as I walked at least 9 miles today.

I am SO glad to find this! I was wondering if you had done it yet. Oh what a GREAT report and photos.

We LOVED Switzerland. We only stayed a few nights in Montreux in July of 2007. It was a "fill in" stop - as I needed to fill in several nights of our trip due to a huge change. We stayed right on the lake at the http://www.suisse-majestic.com/ which I think might actually be in one of your photos... as it was right in front of the ferry stop. We did walk to the Chateau de Chillon ~ and took the ferry back. It ended up being one of our favorite days on our trip and I have always wanted to return and experience more of Switzerland since that time. :)

Oh yeah, right! Of course.

Yes, Gstaad has been home to the richnfamous since about the 1950s, and folks like Julie Andrews, David Niven, Elizabeth Taylor have lived there. For that reason, they have the very best window-shopping (!) and dining that I've found in such a small village. They also have a small airstrip between it and Sannen where I've seen those little private jets land . . .

But luckily I found a 4-star hotel just steps away from the pedestrian street that goes for just 155 chf/night. And the hiking in the hills above town is stunning. They also have an incredible music festival in August.

In Montreux, I've found an apartment that sits in Veytaux just steps from my old school -- rents for about 400 chf/week!

Yeah, they were putting up the stalls along the lake last night -- it does have such a bad effect on the views, waaah. But the $10 ice cream cone was great, lol, and I enjoyed watching the people, children, dogs, and joggers parade by. ahhhhh

Still loving your report!

s

<b>Day 6 The Alternate Version</b>

Our parents went up to Jungfraujoch on their honeymoon in 1970, and it was one of the highlights on their trip that time. So, it is a "must visit" place for our trip.

As yk mentioned, it's not cheap for the fare. Even after the Swiss Pass discount, it still cost 124CHF/each to cover the Wengernalbahn up to Klein Scheidegg, the r/t on the Jungfraubahn, and then the Wengernalbahn down the other way to Grindelwald. The fare would be a little lower if we came down the same way through Wengen/Lauterbrunnen.

While the Jungfraubahn is most well-known, as it goes to the highest train station in Europe at 3,454m/11,332ft; most of that route is inside a tunnel, INCLUDING the entire Jungfraujoch station. In fact, the Wengernalbahn are the more exciting and scenic rides. It's a cog railway with 800mm gauge (compared to 1 meter/1000mm for most narrow gauge rail in Switzerland), and as a result, the cars are narrower with 1-2 seating in 2nd class, vs 2-2 or even 3-2 (Rigi-Bahn).

Anyways, after seeing yk off at Wengen, we arrived Kleine Scheidegg at 10:49a, then switched to the Jungfraubahn for the 11:00a train. It made two 5-minute stops on the way up for viewing from inside the Eiger towards the Bernese Oberland, and then the Alestch Glacier. We arrived the top at 11:52a, exactly 3 hours after we departed Interlaken West.

Since it was almost lunch time, we headed straight to the Crystal Restaurant for a sit-down meal. Daily special was venison, the same thing my parents had on Jungfraujoch 40 years ago! The restaurant is on the 3rd floor above the train station, and has great view of Jungfrau and the Aletsch Glacier. Surprisingly, the cost is about the same in other sit-down restaurants on our trip. 110CHF for the three of us, with entree about 26CHF. Also surprising is that one of the servers is a Chinese guy. He went from Hong Kong to Germany in 1969, and he speaks fluent Cantonese with us.

[The building on Jungfraujoch that my parents visited in 1970 was burnt down just a year after that. The current building is much newer.]

After lunch, we did all the standard stuff - up the Sphinx Observatory, which at 3,571m/11,716ft, is the highest point in our journey. And then the ice-palace, as well as the older observation lookout. What we did NOT do is the 45-minute hike over to the Monchjochhutte for hot chocolate. The snowy path was wide and well-groomed, and the weather was splendid. But we didn't have appropriate footwear, and we didn't have time.

What surprised me was that I felt light-headed for a few times when I moved quickly up on Jungfraujoch. For those who didn't read my Tibet trip report, I spent 3 weeks in Tibet, topping out at 5,400m with no issue. But that was 3 months ago...

We left Jungfraujoch on the 3:30p train, arriving at Klein Scheidegg at 4:20p. Strangely, the downhill ride takes about the same time even without the two 5-minute stops. During the 13 minute transfer, my dad found some Mövenpick ice-cream to fill his daily quota.

The Klein Scheidegg - Grindelwald line of the Wengernalbahn is straighter than the Wenger side, but just as picturesque. I stood behind the driver for most of that ride just below the North Face of Eiger, and saw the speed was at 14km/h or 17km/h for most of the trip. Instead of connecting directly on the BOB back to Interlaken, we walked around Grindelwald for half an hour and took the next train.

One little bonus for our trip back to our hotel. We found the 18:31 IC 1088 for the shuttle from Interlaken Ost to IL West operated by Deutsche Bahn with an ICE1 trainset. First time I've been on a ICE and it is absolutely beautiful - significantly nicer than the Thalys, Eurostar Italia or Shinkansen sets I've been on recently. My parents even decided to try out one of those 6-person cabins for the 2-minute ride.

[Here's an interesting connection between my trip to Tibet and Switzerland this year. After coming back from Tibet in July, I rented the movie "Seven Years in Tibet" with Brad Pitt, and then decided to read the book by Heinrich Harrer, which I highly enjoyed and recommend. Harrer is the Austrian mountaineer that before ending up in Tibet at the end of WWII, was in the group that first climbed the North Face of Eiger in 1938, which is one of the deadliest climbs on earth.]

Shameless plugs. My very lengthy TR of my Tibet trip:
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...-tibet-610.cfm (Part 1)
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...10-part-ii.cfm (Part 2)

swandav - Yes, we noticed that airstrip in Gstaad. On the day we rode the GoldenPass train pass it, it was rented out by some auto club for testing out their Maseratis and other exotics on the runway.

Fantastic summary YK & RK ! Your presentation with so much detail is flawless and definitely a wonderful plan to follow.
I like the way you give the negative pointers together with the positive routes you took.
Looking forward to the next instalment!

I wonder if the lightheadedness was merely due to the speed of the ascent. We all had headaches when we visited the Jungfraujoch. By contrast, when I was in Colorado a few years ago, I started in Boulder, then Breckenridge a few days later, then a brief visit to Leadville (highest incorporated city in the US, at a little over 10,000 feet) and was perfectly fine.

The IC trains are quite nice. We were on an ICN for part of the trip between Lake Como and Wengen and it tilts around corners - such a thrill!

yk and rkkwan, really enjoying your trip report. Brings back such wonderful memories of my trip to Switzerland last. Reminds me why I fell in love with that country.

jdc

flygirl - My lightheadedness was perfectly normal, since I was moving quickly. The rate of ascent wasn't even that acute, as I drove from sea-level to the top of Mauna Kea (4,205m/13,796ft) in 2 hours last year. But at that time I was more careful with my movement, so did when I did my Colorado Passes driving trip, also last year.

In fact, I was almost deliberately trying to see if my acclimation from Tibet was gone or not. Answer is an unequivocal YES.

yk, you had wonderful weather, love the photos. They are so crisp and clear. I love the idea of a picnic next to Staubbach Falls!

MomDD, yup, your hotel is in one of my Montreux pictures. How lucky for you to stay at such a nice place!

tod & jdc26, thanks for reading and for your comments.

flygirl, we were <u>very fortunate</u> with weather indeed. The several days that we had the BEST weather, were the days that mattered most: up Jungfrau, Glacier Express ride, Bernina Express ride, and Lugano. Less than a week after we left Interlaken, I found out that it was cloudy AND snowing up on Jungfraujoch!

<i>"...I found out that it was cloudy AND snowing up on Jungfraujoch!"</i>

hahaha, that must have been when we were there! Snow everywhere!

Still shaking my head at your Rigi / Luzern / Bern all in one day. Your folks are real troopers!

I may have to try that Wengen-->Lauterbrunnen hike next time. You sure got some good photos of the valley then!

<MomDD, yup, your hotel is in one of my Montreux pictures. How lucky for you to stay at such a nice place!>

It was a wonderful wonderful trip YK... very good memories I cherish as I am not sure when we will be getting back - and trip reports like yours help to keep the memories fresh - so thank you for sharing! I was walking through the Chateau de Chillon again with you :)

flygirl - Forgot to add that my parents and I rode on an ICN tilting train once on this trip, but that was from Geneva Airport to the city, which took 6 minutes and I doubt any tilting was used. :p

<b>CHAPTER 5 - From Valais to Graubünden

Day 7
Glacier Express <i>All Aboard!</i></b>
http://www.glacierexpress.ch/EN/Pages/default.aspx

We checked out of Swiss Inn in Interlaken, bidded goodbye to Veronica and her husband JP. JP gave us a ride to the train station.

Our plan today is to ride the famous <b>Glacier Express</b>. However, we didn't want to go to Zermatt ("a dead end" as Dad calls it). So, we decided to pick up the GE from Visp heading towards St Moritz.

From Interlaken, we first took a train to Spiez, then changed for a train to Visp. The second train was extremely crowded, despite it being a double-decker. In any case, the transfer was easy and seamless, very doable with our luggage.

We boarded the #904 - the earlier of the 2 daily GE trains towards St Moritz. As mentioned at the beginning of this thread, I had made seat reservations (33 CHF pp) for us a few weeks prior to our trip. The 904 has two 1st cl carriages, and three 2nd cl carriages. As far as we could tell, the entire train was full. There were 2 large tour groups in two of the three 2nd class carriages.

When I first boarded the train, my first impression was, << WOW! >> So much has changed since I last rode the GE in 2003! Back then, the train cars used were just ordinary carriages, with no bells or whistles whatsoever. My trip in 2003 was in end of May, and my train car was mostly empty.

Now, GE has completely revamped its train cars. All cars have panorama windows: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6296.jpg

In addition, at each pod (2x2 seats facing each other, with a table in between), there are GE route brochures, lunch menus, earphones, and a booklet showing which type of souvenirs are available for purchase on board. Each seat has a audio outlet for you to plug in the complimentary earphones to listen to the onboard commentary. There is choice of several languages, though we found many of the push buttons on the audio system don't work any more.

The tour group in our car has a 3-course lunch included. Although we had already bought sandwiches earlier, we couldn't resist the temptation of the lunch menu. So, Mom had goulash soup and Dad had cheese plate. Tablecloth is laid out on our table and food is served using real dinnerware. Very luxurious indeed.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6305.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6304.jpg

The scenery during the ride is obviously great, and we were extremely lucky to have perfect weather to experience this. The train passed along river valleys (both the Rhone and the Rhine), through tunnels, climbed over mountain passes, and traveled over viaducts. With the commentary, I found this 6.5-hr journey much more interesting than when I took it in 2003. Therefore, while the GE is very touristy, it was an improvement than what it was (IMHO).

Having said that, it was difficult to take photos because of glare from the windows. So I'll just post a couple:
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6300.jpg

Looking at the front of our train going over a viaduct
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6318.jpg

Both tour groups got off at Chur, so our train car was pretty much empty. We were free to roam around and each got a window seat.

[<b>Side note:</b> I know some people here advoate riding regular trains for this route instead of the touristy Glacier Express. For us who want to cover most of the route in one day with luggage in tow, taking regular trains would be close to impossible, as many more train transfers are required. Therefore, <u>for us</u>, the GE worked out well as we could just sit back and relax after we boarded at Visp, and not had to get off until we reached our destination.]

We got off at <b>Celerina</b>, a small, quaint town *just* before St Moritz. Why? Because hotels in Celerina are 1/2 the price than hotels in St Moritz. I was a bit hesitant when I booked this, but after some research (w/lots of help from Ingo), Celerina is a viable option. Our hotel, <u>All in One Hotel Inn Lodge</u>, is a 12-min walk <i>downhill</i> from the Celerina train station. It is very doable for us, though it may be difficult for people with heavy suitcases.

Church tower in Celerina, and surrounding mtns: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6336.jpg

After we checked in, we quickly left the hotel to catch a local bus over to <b>St Moritz</b>. Despite numerous visits to Switzerland, Dad has never been to St Moritz. The bus stop is a 5-min walk from our hotel, and the bus runs every 10 minutes. The center of St Moritz is just 4 stops away, a 7-min ride. We were in St Moritz in no time.

We walked around the town center, then followed the road down towards St Moritz-Bad. As it was dusk, we had some wonderful views of Lake St Moritz and the surrounding mountains.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6342.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6338.jpg
Looking back at St Moritz from St Moritz-Bad:
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6344.jpg

Even though our hotel room in Celerina has a kitchenette, we decided to eat dinner in St Moritz-Bad. We picked Siam Wind, a Thai restaurant inside Hotel Laudinella, as Mom was craving for Asian food. The hotel has 6-7 different restaurants serving various cuisines.

Our dinner was surprisingly good. Mom had beef fried rice, and she thought it was done better than many Chinese restaurants. It was nicely cooked but not oily. Dad had Laksa which he praised as well. rkkwan had ostrich curry, while I had catfish fillets in a lemon-chili sauce. We were even offered tap water by the waitstaff! It was a very satisfying meal for 115 CHF.

<i>Siam Wind
Hotel Laudinella
Via Tegiatscha 17
7500 St Moritz</i>
https://www.laudinella.ch/Siam_Wind.16.0.html?&L=1

At night, the bus back to Celerina runs once every 30 minutes. Once we got on the bus, we were back at our hotel in 20 minutes.

Our hotel room is classified as Studio M. The entrance level has the bathroom and a living room with the kitchenette. The sofa in the living room can be turned into a double bed. Up a flight of stairs is a loft with 2 twin beds. There is also a table in the living room with 4 chairs, but space is tight when the bed is opened up for sleeping. It is a bit cramped for 4 of us, but since we were there for 1 night only, it was fine.

Living room w/sofa bed
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6328.jpg
The other end of living room is kitchenette
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6329.jpg
Table + 4 chairs below the staircase, which leads up to the loft http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6331.jpg
Twin beds in loft http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6332.jpg

<i>All-In-One Hotel Inn Lodge
Via Nouva 3
7505 Celerina</i>
http://www.innlodge.ch/

[Transport tech info:

<i>9:06-9:22 IC 962 Interlaken West to Spiez (SBB, standard guage)
IC towards Basel.

9:36-10:02 IC 812 Spiez to Visp (SBB, standard gauge)
This train comes from Romanshorn on the Bordensee in NE Switzerland, and goes to Brig. We would ride it through the new 35km/21mi Lötschberg Base Tunnel, currently longest land tunnel in the world. This train uses bi-level cars, but was still packed and we had to stand.

10:25-16:53 D 904 Visp to Celerina (MGB/RhB, meter gauge, cog in steep MGB portion only)
This is the famous Glacier Express with mandatory reservations. The train is run by MGB until Disentis, then switch to RhB's crew. Our train also combined there with the Davos section till Chur, before separating again.</i>]

I found the Glacier Express ride extremely interesting, in fact, at times it was sensory overload. I can also understand why some may find it boring, and in fact, I saw some people on our train that looks utterly bored by the time we got to Chur.

To analyze it, there are four main things that makes it interesting. Food and service, scenery, geography, and technical aspects. For myself, all are super exciting, especially the geography part. But my guess is that quite a few on the train don't know/care about that, along with the technical aspects of the train/route. Just too bad for them.

Thanks again to you both for this detailed, very interesting trip report. Love it!

Glad you liked the lodge in Celerina. The rooms look like I expected them to look ... quite industrial charm IMO, LOL. But fine for one night, agreed.

I am blown away you had dinner at Siam Wind in Hotel Laudinella. I used to stay there on my frequent Engadin visits between mid 1990s and, say, 2005. I liked the hotel very much until they did some changes (additional wing, lobby, restaurants) for the downhill ski World Championships. I always booked through a German travel company (Neckermann) and got great rates, like 50 - 60 Euro per night and person incl. half-board, and stay 7, pay 6 nights. Half-board meant I could have dinner in one of the hotel's restaurants of my choice, each night picking a different one. GREAT! The Siam Wind was not my favourite (I am not much into Thai food) although it is quite famous and I must admit the food was very good.

As for the GE - I've taken that route too often (both train and car), so it's quite boring for me. For someone who travels it first or second time it must be very interesting/scenic. IMO the Bernina Express is more spectacular, but that's subjective, of course.

Looking forward to more!

I.

Ingo - I think you'll hear what yk and I think about the GE vs BE comparison. But to me it's exciting that you can start the day in the Rhone Valley, cross two high passes, then down the source of the most important river in Western Europe, go up another spectacular line again and into the Danube watershed.

And went from French region to German to Romanash. All within same ride inside one tiny country. That's absolutely fascinating.

BTW, want to add that we did get off twice during the trip - at Disentis and Chur where they switch crews and engines.

Thanks for posting your impressions, rkkwan. Agreed. Definitely a fascinating ride.

With the BE (from Chur to Tirano) you cross two high passes, too (well, almost, since the train takes a tunnel under the Albula), "from the most important river in Western Europe, go up another spectacular line again and into the Danube watershed" and then, after going over the Bernina pass descend down to the river that flows into the Adriatic sea. So that's also travelling through three different, major water systems in Europe. And with the BE you go from German to Romansch to Italian. On an even shorter train ride.

See, in these regards they are quite similar. Everyone is of course free to like one or the other better. More people travel on the GE, but I suspect it has more to do with the famous starting/end points Zermatt and St. Moritz, the longer tradition of the train and the marketing.

I am really looking forward to your comments on the BE!

Ingo

Well, I feel like a complete dolt, yk. I never knew you and rkkwan were siblings!

Great report, and what wonderful children you are to take your parents on such a lovely trip to celebrate their ruby anniversary!

BC

Ingo, we didn't mind the somewhat sterile/industrial look of the InnLodge. The bare concrete walls did a great job of sound-proofing: we didn't hear any noise at night. I think the InnLodge is not for people who are looking for rustic charm, but for us, it was more than adequate, esp at the low rate we paid.

As for GE vs BE, I now have taken both twice, and I still much prefer BE over GE. What I wrote in my last installment is that I find GE more interesting this time around, esp with the commentary and route maps provided by the "tourist train".

BC, I have a feeling that most people here didn't know either. We tend to travel to different places/continents.

Yk, I'm glad to know it's just not me. I've enjoyed your posts, and also have enjoyed posts your brother has written on his journeys to Italy as well as Asia. What a terrific report this has been--wonderful, practical info as well as your impressions. It's been lovely.

BC

<b>CHAPTER 6 - Along the <i>Bernina Express</i> route

Day 8</b>
After our short one-night stay in Celerina, we packed up in the AM to catch a regional train to <b>Tirano</b>. This stretch of railway is a UNESCO world heritage site, and like the Glacier Express, there is a tourist train called the <b>Bernina Express</b>.
http://www.rhb.ch/index.php?id=33?&L=4

The official BE has few stops, and it doesn't stop in Celerina. We were more than happy to take a regular train anyway, as it doesn't require mandatory seat reservation (which the official BE does). The Bernina Express route goes through the smaller <b>Celerina-Staz</b> station, conveniently located just 5 minutes away from our hotel over flat terrain. As a result, we didn't have to hike back up to the main Celerina station.

One last look at Celerina: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6347.jpg

Charming Celerina-Staz station "house" (The word "Schlarigna" is the Romansch word for Celerina; and you can see the info booth at the bottom-right of the photo)
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6351.jpg

I have read that the Celerian-Staz station is a "by request" stop, so we got to the station fairly early for our 9:48am train. My understanding is that normally, the info booth has 3 buttons:
• STOP
• CALL
• LISTEN (for info)

But as you can see from this photo, our info booth does not have the <STOP> button
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6348.jpg

Fortunately, there were others (Swiss tourists) waiting for the same train. They told us the train would be stopping here after they had listened to the announcement (by pushing the <LISTEN> button on the info booth).

9:48am came and went. One minute passed, 2 minutes passed, 3 minutes passed... and still no train. It's unusual for Swiss trains to be late! Then, we heard the sound of an approaching train, so we all got our luggage ready... and the train just zipped right past us! We were all in shock initially, then on closer inspection, we saw it was the official BE train. It was supposed to leave St Moritz at 9:34am (and goes through Celerina a few minutes later). So, the BE train is running late. Since it's the "express" train with fewer stops, it has to go on the tracks before our slower, regional train can run.

Now, one of the Swiss couples noticed a blinking blue light at the info booth. They pushed the <LISTEN> button again. This time, there is a new recording informing us that *our* train would be late.

Our regional train arrived over 10 minutes late. This is the most delay we experienced during our 2-week trip (not counting the lake ferries). While the regional train doesn't have the bells & whistles that the tourist train provides (no earphones, no commentary), it does have a route brochure with descriptions so we can read it ourselves. At each table is a route map: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6355.jpg

At the end of each carriage, is a big LCD screen with clear display of the next
stop(s), and whether it's a "by request" stop or not. Everything is so well thought out and so clear that I truly think Switzerland is the most tourist-friendly country. http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6354.jpg

Another plus of the regional train is that approx 1/3 of the windows can be lowered, so we can take photos without the terrible glare we encountered the day before on the GE train.

When our train arrived at <b>Pontresina</b> 20 minutes later, we were shocked to see the entire platform was full - mostly Swiss hikers. We were thankful we got on at Celerina and had a booth to ourselves. The train became packed and many had to stand. Most of them got off just before or right at Bernina Pass (Ospizio Bernina).

I *love* the Bernina Express route. It's the highest railway in the world that does not require cogwheel (Bernina Pass is at 2328m). I love the snow-capped mountains as we climbed up the pass from the Engadine side http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6356.jpg
Then we reach the top: Ospizio Bernina and Lago Bianco http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6361.jpg
On descent, the train stopped at Alp Grüm where we get a great view of Palü Glacier http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6363.jpg

A final look at Palü Glacier & Lago Palü http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6369.jpg

Soon, the Poschiavo Valley comes into view http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6370.jpg

We would descend close to 2000m from Ospizio Bernina down to Tirano. To achieve this, our train goes through lots of tunnels that it basically circles and zig-zags its way down the mountain. http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6376.jpg

Town of Privilasco: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6383.jpg

Poschiavo in the distance: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6387.jpg

Lago di Poschiavo: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6390.jpg

Right after the town of Brusio, we arrive at the most famous section - the 360-degree <b>circular viaduct</b>
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6403.jpg
Looking back at the tail of our train (with an <i>open-air wagon</i> at the very end!) http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6406.jpg

Our train managed to catch up along the way and we arrived at Tirano right on time. Although there are no luggage lockers at the Tirano train station, we were able to leave our suitcases at the rail office for 5 CHF each. [They only charged us 10 CHF for our 4 small suitcases.]

Tirano looks much more prosperous now than in 2003, with a lot more restaurants right in the vicinity of the rail station. http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6410.jpg

We picked one that is famous for its pizzas, only to find out that pizzas are not available today. :( Dad got risotto with salmon-trout; Mom had bratwurst with lasagna <i>and</i> fries; rkkwan had deer schnitzel w/polenta; and I had Scaloppine alla milanese. Every dish was very heavy with tons of starch. It was amazing we were able to get out of our chairs! (lunch was 63 euro).

<i>Ristorante Bernina
Via Roma 24
23037 Tirano, Italy</i>

After lunch, we wandered around town before returning to the station for our luggage and our <b>Bernina Express BUS</b> to Lugano. The bus requires seat reservation (12 CHF pp). I was shocked to find 2 coaches - this route is definitely in much higher demand than before.

Our Rhaetian Railway Red Bus: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6414.jpg

Our bus first passes by Lake Como before going over a pass to get to Lake Lugano. First glimpse of Lake Lugano: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6419.jpg

The final stretch of the route is on a road that hugs the Lake Lugano shoreline. With mountain cliffs on one side and the lake on the other, the road is barely wide enough for 2 lanes of traffic. More often than not, traffic is at a standstill because some parts can only allow one vehicle to pass through.

The traffic on this stretch was TERRIBLE, much much worse than what I encountered in 2003. We wonder if it's because Switzerland has joined Schengen, making it hassle-free for Swiss and Italians to pass between borders, so many more people are driving this route now? At times, I swear the bus was going to get scratched, either by rocks on the cliff-side or by the oncoming vehicle from the other direction.

Once we passed the border back into Switzerland, the traffic jam disappears. Even though the terrain hasn't changed, on the Swiss side, instead of winding narrow roads, we get bridges and tunnels wherever it is necessary.

I cannot be more amazed when we arrived at Lugano right on schedule: not a minute early, not a minute late.

[<i>9:48-12:21 R 1621 Celerina Staz to Tirano, Italy (RhB, meter gauge)
We rode a regular local train instead of the Bernina Express panorama car, over the Bernina Pass. Tirano is last stop on line, just a few km over the border.

14:25-17:30 BUS 5951 Tirano, Italy to Lugano (coach run by Postbus)
Two coaches run together through the top of Lake Como to Lugano. All in Italy except last few km.</i>]

P.S. I realize that I'm getting more and more verbose with each installment. I tried to be succinct, but it just didn't work out. I'm hoping all these minute details I included will be helpful to someone some day...