Day 4: Lauterbrunnen Valley, Mürren and The Schilthorn, Kleine Scheidegg, and Wengen
Today is "picture post card scenery" all day, have your camera ready! Our morning's adventure takes us to the Lauterbrunnen Valley, known as the waterfall valley. Then by way of the new tram, we travel up the vertical side of the mountain to Grütschalp.
The scenery from Grütschalp to Mürren (1650 meters 5400 ft above sea level) is among the world's most dazzling, passing through forests of evergreens, beautiful alpine meadows, with the Alps so close you can almost touch them.
Situated in splendid isolation, Mürren is perched on the edge of a plateau overhanging the Lauterbrunnen Valley, with a panorama of peaks such as the Wetterhorn, Eiger, Mönch, Jungfrau, Gletscherhorn, and more than a half dozen other headliners.
Join us on the (optional) excursion ride on the aerial tram up to the world famous Schilthorn (Piz Gloria), altitude, 2970 m , 9748 ft., the most exclusive view point of the alpine world. On a sunny day you can see 200 mountain peaks and 40 different glaciers! The Schilthorn is also the starting point of the Inferno Ski Race, the longest downhill race in the world.
Write your postcards while enjoying lunch in the world famous revolving restaurant, featured in the 1969 James Bond thriller, On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Next a special journey over a private railway to Kleine Scheidegg. Enjoy a picnic lunch with Kraut N Wieners with new potatoes, along with the Swiss national dish of Rosti, and lots of homemade apfel deserts with warm vanilla sauce, while taking in this unbelievable scenery.
Perhaps you will catch a glimpse of mountain climbers on a trek up the North face of the Eiger, as seen in the movie, The Eiger Sanction with Clint Eastwood. Watch as trains start their journey inside the famous mountain, making their way to the Jungfraujoch, The Top of Europe. As is true of all of Switzerland, it is hard to find the appropriate words to describe this scenery, but it will be a life long memory for you.
This afternoon we have free time to explore the story book village of Wengen, one of Switzerland's famous winter ski resort villages. I love shopping in Wengen's unique boutiques and stores.
Wengen's scenery is a mixture of waterfalls, green meadows, vibrant blue skies with white clouds, beautiful chalets with gardens, rushing waters and beautiful forests of golds, oranges, ambers and green set against massive snow capped peaks.
If the weather and train schedules permits, and the cows are down from the high pastures, we may tour the organic dairy farm that provides many of the items we have on our daily breakfast buffet, instead of Wengen.
Dinner tonight(optional) will be at one of the local favorites as well as mine, The Per Bacco. With an Italian and Swiss menu, you are in for a real treat! My favorite is the lasagne!!
Day 5: The Swiss Riviera, Gruyeres Cheese Factory and Castle and Petit Train
We start our adventure this morning on the famous Golden Pass scenic route, as we travel toward Lausanne on Lake Geneva, known as the Swiss Rivera, near the French border. Our train climbs upward through the vineyards, as the morning sun brings life to the hillside villas and the lake below. Don't miss the churches and flowers all around this centuries old village.
Our first stop today, is at the Gruyeres Cheese factory, where Cherry the cow tells you how the famous Gruyeres cheese is made. Next, a special treat, as we board The Petit-Train!. Lunch is at the Cafe Des Remparts, built in the 1600's. Then we board the Petit Train for a short tour of this magnificent car-free, walled village. The train takes us to the Chateau de Gruyeres castle. Explore the castle, then walk back down to the village for some great shopping. Our Petit Train will pick us up at the Fountain at 1530, and return us to the Pringy train station for our next adventure.
On our way back to Interlaken, we board a special reserved panoramic rail car with a glass bullet nose caboose, so you can see the train tracks, as we make our way back, passing Gstaad, and Chateau d'Oex, as evening shadows touch the Alpine peaks.
Dinner tonight is on your own. The Arcobaleno, at our hotel, is a marvelous choice for dinner tonight!! Interlaken after dark is beautiful and safe! Explore the many shops, walk through the gardens at the Casino, or try your luck at the tables or slot machines, or mingle with the rich and famous as you walk through the magnificent Victoria Jungfrau Hotel!!
Day 6: Lakeside Brienz, The Spectacular Rothorn, and Chocolate Fondue with Alpen Horn Blowing Contest
This morning, we head to Brienz, a very quaint lakeside village, on one of Switzerland's cleanest lakes. Next, you are in for a very unique adventure, up the Brienz Rothorn. This is a "do not miss" train ride and lunch once we reach the summit.
The (optional) Brienz Rothorn excursion, Switzerland's oldest steam cog railway, has been huffing and puffing it's way to the Summit (2244m, 7362ft) high above Brienz since 1892, and covers a difference in altitude of 1,678 metres(5577 ft) in 50 minutes.
This mountain top excursion is unlike any other you will see while in Switzerland. The contrasts of scenery on this trip are awesome!! From beautiful lake views, to vistas you would imagine on another planet, to the spectacular mountain panorama that stretches out as far as the eye can see in any direction, will become a life long memory.
The lakeside village of Brienz, known worldwide for its music boxes and wood carving schools, where these age old crafts have been handed down from generation to generation, stole my heart many years ago, and will yours too.
Brienz has been inhabited for the better part of a thousand years. The local church dates back to the 12th Century, and some of the town's houses and hotels were built in the 1600's.
The Brienzersee, or Lake Brienz, is one of the town's main attractions. This crystal clear aquamarine lake with a maximum depth of 860 feet is surrounded by forested mountains on all sides, giving it a wild and captivating quality.
Free time this afternoon, with many options available to you. Spend your afternoon shopping or taking in the beauty of this marvelous seaside village. Brienz is a great place to buy Christmas presents, fantastic watches and candies.
There are 2 ship sailings, covered by your rail pass, from Brienz to Interlaken. Spend the afternoon enjoying our quaint home based resort village, with its beautiful gardens to admire, walkways along the turquoise waters of the Aarre, lawns and window boxes full of vivid colored flowers, walk through the gardens at the Casino, or shop along the impressive main street.
You can take the train to Thun and explore the medieval village of Thun, from the House of Kyburg in 1384, on Lake Thun. This unique 2 level village features a beautiful wooden bridge you can walk over, feed the white or black swans on the river, and of course go in the Castle of Thun. Shopping here is also unique! Some of the sidewalks are actually on the roofs of the stores below!
A very special event awaits us tonight at Bebbi's!! Tonight, I treat you to a special CHOCOLATE FONDUE with bread and fruit, during our Alpen Horn blowing contest!! This is THE way to say goodbye to Interlaken and surrounding areas we have visited.