Day 1 Hike: Meiringen to Swartzwaldalp

3 hours, 12 km

We woke up to wonderful sunshine, and our spirits were high in anticipation of the hike. We took our big backpacks to the train station and paid $22 to have them sent to Grindelwald ( destination day 2), as there is no transportation to Schwartzwaldalp. We just carried some extra clothes and toiletries in our day packs.

We 'cheated' and took the tram from Meiringen to the top of the waterfall, and saved our legs from 1.5 hour of hiking straight up the mountain.

We followed the road and hiked on trails up, up, up over the pass, and were met with a breath taking view.

The trails are well sign posted, ant it is very nice that they give the distance in time in stead of kilometres, so you at least have an idea of how long it will take to reach your destination.

You know you are in the Swiss Alps when you hear constant ringing of cow bells, can buy home made cheese at the barn door, and the air is crisp and clean. Cheese is still made the way is was 300 years ago, and of course we had to buy some.

The trail was fairly easy going along the river, through forrest and open fields. After 2 hours of hiking we stopped in Rosenlau, and bought bread for our cheese, and had a nice lunch. The cheese was dry, sharp and tasty.

We reached Schwartzwaldapl an hour later, so it was an easy day hike, and just what we needed to get going again. We were staying at Chalet Swartzwaldalp (CAD104/pax incl. breakfast and 3 course dinner) - it was the only accommodation there, and not many people live here.

We visited the only hydro powered saw mill left in Switzerland, which Andy was very fascinated by as he used to work in a saw mill in Newfoundland.

Then we had more bread and cheese by the river, and then it was finally time for some beer at the terrace with more astounding views!

Most of the food you get in the mountains is local and home made - just up our alley. Dinner consisted of smoked trout with salad, wild boar steak with new potatoes and vegetables, and apple cream for desert.

We were rung to sleep by cow bells!

Meiringen: 'Elementary, My Dear Watson'

We are slowly getting used to carrying our luggage, and the train ride from Zurich to Meiringen, was our first real test. The big backpack on the back and the small one in front - a total of 20 kg for Dorte and 23 kg for Andy.

The Swiss train system is easy to navigate, comfortable, and on time like their clock work! Meiringen is located 2,5 hrs south of Zurich, and the train ride became more and more beautiful as we left the city and travelled through the country side.

Sherlock Holmes, Honorary Citizen of Meiringen 

Meiringen is a small, picturesque town with on 4,500 inhabitants, and it has a interesting story: 

In May 1891 Sherlock Holms and Dr. Watson travelled from London to Meiringen, where the fatal struggle between Sherlock Holmes and his arch enemy Prof. Moriarty took place at Reichenbach Falls. Both men were thought to have fallen to their death in the dreadful abyss, but it later became known that Sherlock Holmes had not died, when he returned to London three years later. "Certainly a most curious little problem".

Aareschlucht / Gorge

We took the train to Aareschlucht, and walked the 1,4 km beautiful gorge. 

We enjoyed a couple of beers waiting for Simon's Herberge to open for chcek-in. Not a bad way to kill some time!

We are very, very excited about starting our hike tomorrow!

Zurich: Cheese, Potatoes And Pork

"Please adjust your seat and tray table as we are preparing for landing"' - could there be a sweeter sound?

Lost And Found

Astrologically (another passion of mine) the planet Mercury is retrograde (means it travels backwards seen from Earth) for another couple of weeks, and that usually means that there will be challenges with communication, technology, and travel. Unfortunately, Andy's luggage didn't make to Zurich, and they could not tell us whether it still was in Vancouver or in Zurich. Luckily we were spending a couple of nights in Zurich, and luckily I had a set of Andy's clothes in my luggage - he probably would have been a popular photo opportunity walking around in a T-shirt of mine in Zurich! The luggage was delivered just after midnight  the second day, and just in time for our departure then next morning.

Zurich

Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland, and has around 390,000 inhabitants. The Old town 

has the highest concentration of clubs in Switzerland (no we didn't go!), a shopping mile, and a plethora of cultural offerings. And all of this against a medieval background: contorted, narrow lanes and guild and town halls from the Renaissance period.

Accommodation

We had booked a room in a private house through Wimdu.com, and it was a very convenient location just 10 minutes walk from the railway station, and 10 minutes walk from the old town. Our hosts were very nice and accommodation in every way.

Cheese And Beer

The Swiss food is very sturdy and heavy on pork, potatoes and cheese, but as it was raining both days and we were jet lagged, it was nice with some solid food. One night we had two typical Swiss dishes: cheese fondue and raclette, and we enjoyed cooking our own food. 

We also found a very nice dark beer, we both liked. Andy liked it so much he even learned to pronounce it, "dunkles bier", and he later took this picture!