In Which We Discover a Swiss Shangri-la

Finding ourselves with a free weekend several weeks ago, we decided to take an overnight trip somewhere farther into the mountains than we’d been before.  (Somehow, one of my favorite phrases from the last volume of C. S. Lewis's Narnia series keeps coming to mind: "Farther up, and farther in.")  Rather than plan everything in advance we also decided to more or less wing it and stay wherever we ended up.  (It helped knowing that we could always drive home if we found ourselves without a place to stay.)

So we packed up our Skoda station wagon and headed toward Interlaken, a gateway to the high Alps about an hour and a half away.  It was a lovely late fall day, and as usual the drive was spectacular.

One of the pleasures of traveling in Switzerland is that every journey is scenic, apart from the frequent and decidedly unscenic tunnels that are an unavoidable part of getting about in the mountains. 

Brienzersee from East Interlaken

We stopped at Interlaken for lunch of bread, cheese, salami and apples, overlooking the teal-colored Brienzersee.  We were surprised that the shore was not more built up, but then we realized that the center of Interlaken, an isthmus between the Brienzersee and Thunersee, had grown up around the railroad junction.  There, many big Victorian hotels jostle one another for the best view of the mountains.  Not just any mountains, but some of the most famous in Switzerland: the Jungfrau (young woman or maiden in German), the Mönch (Monk) and especially the Eiger (Ogre), famously attractive and deadly for mountain climbers.  We decided to get a closer look at them.  Of several possible points we chose more or less at random to explore the Lauterbrunen Valley.

Fate must have guided us, because we found ourselves in one of the most beautiful valleys we had ever seen.  A true Swiss Shangri-la, the narrow valley is surrounded by high mountains on all sides except for a small entrance on the north.  For most of its length, sheer rock walls rise 1000 meters; above them steep grassy hillsides rise a similar distance before giving way to rough crags of the peaks.  The three before-named peaks loom above on the east; opposite rises the Shilthorn.

The village of Lauterbrunnen is a cluster of hotels and shops catering to visitors -- in summer climbers and hikers and in winter skiers and boarders.  The railroad from Interlaken ends here, but travelers can transfer to a variety of trams and cog railroads to continue exploring the mountains.

Deciding first to secure a place to stay, we were alarmed to see that most of the town had closed down to take a break before winter season begins in mid-December.  Fortunately, The Spouse decided to check the Hotel Staubbach, an older inn at the far end of town overlooking one of many waterfalls that plummet from the clifftops.  Our luck held: it was their last day before closing and they did have room for us.  We took a lovely room facing east and overlooking the village church.

We decided to visit the village of Mürren, high atop the western cliffs, that afternoon and see the opposite side the following day.  That meant taking a tram that rises directly above town to the top of the cliffs and transferring to a little train that skirts the edge of the cliffs for several miles.  (The driver wore a jacket with the English words "Engine Driver" across its back.)

The trip was, as these thing seem inevitably to be, a mind boggling experience.  As the valley floor descended beneath our feet, the mountain peaks somehow loomed every higher over our heads. 

One of the things that boggled our minds was the vastness of the space below us coupled with the awesome bulk of the mountain rising above us.  Imagine standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon with the Grand Tetons immediately on the opposite side.  



 

Then imagine farms and villages perched on the edge of the chasm.  (Mürren seen from opposite side of valley.)

One we alighted in Mürren we did what any self-respecting Swiss person would do, took a hike.  (Actually, a real Swiss person would have hiked all the way up and then taken the train and tram down.  We hope to get there eventually!)  This also allowed us to check out possible ski runs, for we are determined to return this winter. 

As daylight faded, we returned to Lauterbrunnen for the evening.   Before packing up the following morning, we had an excellent breakfast in a room overlooking the local cascade.

Today, we would mount the opposite side, where the topography permits ascent by a cog railroad all the way to Kleine Scheidegg, a pass just below the Eiger.  From there, one can take a separate line that goes up to the Jungfraujoch, a saddle just below the mountain's summit.  We decided, fortunately as it turned out, to stop at Kleine Scheidegg and take a hike.  (We didn't realize that the ride to the top would have cost us another 200 Swiss Francs!)

Both days there had been a mixture of clouds and sun; today the view of Jungfrau was blocked by clouds but the weather below was pleasant.  Hence, we were not prepared for the gale that awaited us at Kleine Scheidegg:

The Eiger looming above Kleine Scheidegg

Proud that we had brought cold-weather gear, we put on layers of fleeces and jackets and hats and gloves.  But when strong gusts seemed to threaten to blow us off the path, we quickly abandoned our plans for a hike and retreated to the cafe to wait for a return train.  (Later we learned that trains to Jungfraujoch were canceled because of high winds and avalanche threats.)  Even so, the trip was worth it if only for the closeup view of Eiger.

We returned about halfway and got off at Wengen, Mürren's larger sister village.  Like many tourist spots in the region, it was first "discovered" by British travelers, and the town is full of grand hotels bearing names like "Regina" and "Victoria."  Like Mürren, it is car-free because, well, because no car could possibly get up there.

Down here the weather was perfect for a hike, and we explored more characteristic Swiss landscape -- woods, villages and working farms perched atop the chasm, as if oblivious to the 1000 meter drop just beyond.






Note that the rock wall here appears to rise just behind this village, but it is actually on the opposite side of the valley. 



 

And then we descended into the Lauterbrunnen Valley once more on our way back home, knowing that we had been captured by its magic and would return many times in the future.