Switzerland Hike Day 3: Grindelwald to Murren

In the mountains you never take the weather for granted, so we really felt privileged to have wonderful weather for the last day of our hike.

Andy saved us a trip to Grindelwald station as we could send our luggage from Grindelwald Grund station to Murren ($14). The challenge of the day was that the hike would take us 11 hours, and Murren station closed at 17:45, so we would have to start hiking at 06:00, and we would have the time pressure of getting to Murren in time to get our luggage, or, alternatively, pick it up the next morning!

The day before, we went to the Tourist Information to get a hiking map, and were given some good advice, which made us decide to take the cable car from Grindelwald to Holenstein, which saved us 1.5 hours hiking 500m up a (boring) road, and so we did. Our laziness cost us $23. We chatted with a nice German couple in the cable car, who had come to hike for the day as it was only a couple of hours drive away. Distances are short in Europe.

Along the way, Andy got to play the alp horn, which is made of wood and it is believed that the alphorn was frequently used as signal instruments in village communities since medieval times or earlier, sometimes substituting for the lack of church bells. 

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And I got to 'milk a cow'. Nice with some entertainment along the way.

The 2 hours, 500 m hike up to Mannlichen followed right under the cable car, and we huffed and puffed our way to the top at 2,225 m, accompanied by cow bells, but, boy, was it worth the climb.

We could see all the way to Murren (the village on top of the cliff across the valley and to the left), 

and the route we had to take to get there, and it looked quite an ordeal for the legs. Luckily due to Swiss efficiency, we had the option to take a cable car down to Wengen in stead of hiking the 900 meters down, which would have been like hiking down the Grouse Grind, but worse!

So, with that decision made, we had time to enjoy the majestic view and have lunch. Two Swiss men started talking to us after they saw Andy's Canadian flag on his backpack; they had lived in the US for a while and visited Canada. They also told us that the Swiss army was headquartered in Grindelwald during the Second World War, as the Germans could neither get into the valley with their bomber planes nor could they attack by foot due to the mountains. Interesting.

The cable car ride down to Wengen felt like a private ride, as we were the only people on board. We must have hit the early season in Switzerland, since we didn't see many people hiking or on public transportation. Or maybe the strained European economy makes people choose to vacation in cheaper countries. We mainly met Swiss and German people.

Wengen

Wengen is a popular skiing resort, and it had a nice feel to it. We found the trail, which was a gravel road leading down to Lauterbrunnen at the bottom of the valley. It took us about an hour. Then we took another cable car up to Grutschalp, as it would have been Grouse Grind hike up there. We had a ice cream, enjoyed a well-deserved view from this side of the valley and had a rest.

The last leg to Murren took us about an hour and we were tired by then despite all the cable car riding. All in all, it took us 5 hours to hike the 16 km! 

Mürren is a traditional Walser mountain village in Bernese Oberland at an elevation of 1,650 m above sea level, has a population of 450 people, 2,000 hotel beds, and is unreachable by public road, and thus car free.

The James Bond movie 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' was filmed here,  and you might remember the scene of 007 fighting Jaws on top of  a cable car.

We picked up our luggage at the train station, 

and checked in at Hotel Regina, where we had another wonderful view of the mountains from our room ($140/night incl. b'fast). 

We had a nice roesti with egg, cheese and salmon for dinner, and a half a bottle of Swiss rose. We bought another half bottle of the rose and enjoyed it at our balcony watching the sun set over the mountains.

Trust me it was not easy to get the legs going the next morning - they were so stiff it felt like walking on telephone poles! We had breakfast on the patio, and Andy finally got to taste Birchermuesli (the famous Swiss muesli).

We had decided not to go up to Schilthorn, as we were too tired to hike up, and it would cost $70 each, and we had been looking at these mountains for 3 days now. Instead, we walked around Murren, bought postcards, and had a fresh chocolate croissant at the bakery.

 We bought lunch and dinner at the local supermarket, and enjoyed both on our balcony, as we wouldn't get a better view anywhere else in Murren.

Switzerland Hike Day 2: Schwartswaldalp to Grindelwald

At breakfast, we realized that we were the only people in the Herberge, so we felt very special. Andy really enjoyed the coffee.

Another sunny day in the Swiss Alps, we are so lucky with the weather. We can see up to the pass Grosse Schneidegg at 1,960m, which we will be going through on our way to Grindelwald. so close, and though so far away!

Up, up up and away we go. Stunning hike. It took us around 2 hours to hike the 560m up to the pass.

Reaching the mountaintop is rewarding because it is hard. 

If it was easy, everybody would do it 

- Anonymous

It is amazing to be so close to some of the highest mountains in Europe. Of, course the 360 degrees view from the pass was spectacular;  we could see way down to Grindelwald in the valley.

I got REALLY excited, but you weren't there, Stepfi!

What goes up, must go down, and so must we! Even though we zig zagged as much as we could to protect our knees, it was hard on them and the calves, as you use your legs to brake the 900 m down to the village with only a few flat areas. 

We reached Grindelwald after another 2,5 hours, and had a well deserved Migro's (thinking of our good times in Marmaris, Stephanie) supermarket sandwich and a coke on a bench.  Grindelwald (height: 1,034 m, 3,393 ft) has a population of about 4,000 residents. It took us 4,5 hours to hike the 16 km.

Our luggage waited for us at the train station (love the efficiency of the Swiss). We had a beer right next to the bus station, and still managed miss the bus to our hostel as I had to go to the wash room, and our bus was the only one which didn't take a break at the station, but just picked up passengers and went on!

So, we took the train one station, and walked the 5 minutes to Mountain Hostel Grindelwald Grund ($55/person incl. breakfast private room, WC and bath on the floor). We went for a swim in an outdoor pool to soften up the hard leg muscles, and it was fun swimming 'among the mountains'.

We both craved a salad for dinner, and found a place close by, which served a tasty chicken salad, and then went to be early - we were tired!

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!

Lufthansa Flight LH477 To Munich Is Ready For Boarding

and so are we! 

This is it! It is now! WOW!

After 8 months of researching and planning, we are ready to take off on our world trip. It is very exciting, and a little bit scary, as none of us have done something like this before. But I suppose a little bit of fear is healthy, as the adrenaline will keep us on our toes.

Sitting at Vancouver International Airport there is no more we can do, but go with the flow and enjoy ourselves. We have said our 'see you laters' to Andy's family, and it was especially hard to say it to Andy's 87 year old mother, Maud .

So where are we going? Well, we have made a rough itinerary, but it will probably change as we get tempted and inspired along the way:

- Switzerland: Spending a couple of days in Zurich to recover from jet lag,  doing a 3 day hike in the Swiss Alps and visiting friends in Geneva.

- France: Two weeks of volunteering at an alternative retreat in southern France and visiting friends in Cannes.

- Italy: Spending a couple of days in Barolo - yes, the area where the wine is made, volunteering for a week at a winery in Piedmonte, spending a couple of days in Florence, and the heading south to the Abruzzo area, Naples and Rome.

- Egypt: Pyramids, a nile cruise, temples and relaxing by the Red Sea.

- Jordan: Two days hike in the Wadi Rum desert, Petra, a float in the Dead Sea, and a couple of days in Amman.

 

- Nepal: Kathmandu, ten days in a Buddhist monastery, five day Poon Hill hike, 4 days in Chitwan national park, two weeks of volunteering.

- Bangkok: Relax for a couple of days

- Vietnam: Starting in Hanoi, finishing in Ho CHi Min City (Saigon), and hopefully spending Christmas in a cottage on the beach.

- Cambodia: Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and a boat ride on the Mekong River.

- Time to head homewards probably via Hong Kong and Hawaii.

Let us know if you will be in the 'neighbourhood', as we would love to meet up and see a familiar face!

We have booked a few hotels in Switzerland and Italy, and also in  Nepal as Dorte's sister and brother-in-law are joining us there for 3 weeks. We have booked a flight from Geneva, Switzerland to Toulouse, France and from Amman, Jordan to Kathmandu, Nepal as we have to be there at certain times. Nothing else is booked, and we feel good about that.

So, if you are ready, let's hit the road together.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover– Mark Twain