Days: 16 - 18
Oct 1-3, 2006
CHF
Conversion rate on
our visit:
$1.00 = 1.21 CHF
Lauterbrunnen
                                 
       
What We Had
Upper 60s/Low 70s
Cloudy/Drizzle to Beautiful!
Averages
High: 62° F Low: 47° F
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Page Index
WOW Moments
•  Traversing the mountain top
What We Saw
•  From Italy to Switzerland
•  Now in Switzerland
•  Lauterbrunnen and the Alps
•  On top of the mountain
Where We Ate
•  Bergrestaurant
•  Hotel Oberland Restaurants
Where We Stayed
•  Hotel Oberland

  What We Saw From Italy to Switzerland
Oct. 1, 2006
Leaving the Cinque Terre we looked forward to Switzerland and the Alps, even with the rain and fog (it is, after all, a travel day). As we moved through northern Italy we passed by Genova (birthplace of Christopher Columbus), Milano and Lake Como (Perry Como was from there). Switzerland does not belong to the European Union so, at the border, Matt our bus driver had to show papers. Now here are amazing facts that Lisa told us:
  • The Swiss are VERY intent on protecting their country from invaders! She said that they can blow up all the roads into the country with the push of a button! Now that's planning!
  • She also told us that they have hidden hangers which look like mounds of earth (when you're on the ground) and part of the grass field around them, when you fly overhead. Really cool! We actually passed several of them, WITHOUT GETTING A PICTURE! 
Now in Switzerland, we started into the Alps. What a ride! As you see in the picture the road was wet, it turned back on itself a number of times and there weren't many railings! Even with the low lying clouds, the scenery was breathtaking! Of the hundreds of pictures taken, we've included but a few.

 
 
 
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  Where We Ate Hotel Oberland Restaurants
Oct. 1, 2006
We didn't spend a lot of time trying to find a place for dinner or breakfast in Lauterbrunnen.  There was no reason since the Hotel Oberland has two restaurants. We had dinner (the first night) and breakfast (both days) in the main restaurant inside the hotel. The service and food were outstanding.  

Dinner on day 2? After a wonderful day on the mountain we decided to go back to Interlaken to find a place for dinner. There were two places in Interlaken we noticed earlier earlier we thought looked good. Turned out there was a problem with both. The two restaurants were next to one another.  The first had NO ONE sitting inside or out on the patio. Not a good recommendation? Actually it was closed on Mondays. And the second restaurant, full! So after doing a little shopping and walking from one end of Interlaken to the other (and back again) we gave up and returned to Lautebrunnen and our hotel for dinner on the front porch. A great choice...the food and service were very good.


 
 

Hotel Oberland Restaurants
CH-3826
Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
Tel: 011 41 33 855 1241
FAX: 011 41 33 855 4241
         
 
 
  Where We Stayed Hotel Oberland

Hotel Oberland
CH-3826
Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
Tel: 011 41 33 855 1241
FAX: 011 41 33 855 4241
         
 
  WOW Moments Traversing the mountain top
Oct. 2, 2006
 

It goes without saying that the Alps were a Wow! But it's more than the scenery. We started the day thinking it was likely that we'd have clouds and rain. But there was no way we weren't heading up the mountains! As we neared the top of the aerial cable-way we had our first Wow moment. Out the back of the cable car we were looking at Wengen (where we got onto the cable car) and further down the whole of the Lauterbrunnen Valley (perhaps more aptly called the Lauterbrunnen Canyon). Doesn't look real does it? Wow!

Next, we started our hike to Kleine Scheidegg. The clouds were clearing and the temperature was climbing. Soon our jackets were open, our gloves were off and we were having a WONDERFUL time in the middle of the Panaramaweg (the trail from Männlichen to Klein Scheidegg). Our hike took us about three hours...longer then it should have. But we were in no hurry. We stopped a couple of times just to take it all in. Ahead of us you saw the peaks of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau...all more than a mile above us! In the other direction we were looking down a long valley to Grindelwald, 3,500 feet below us. There is simply no way to convey how two hours could be so outstanding. WOW!!!
 
  Where We Ate Bergrestaurant
Oct. 2, 2006

Bergrestaurant
3801 Kleine Scheidegg
Kleine Scheidegg, Switzerland
Tel: 41 033 828 7 828
FAX: 41 033 828 7 830
      
 
  Overview
 A little background...  From mySwitzerland.com: Lauterbrunnen is situated in one of the most impressive trough valleys in the Alps, between gigantic rock faces and mountain peaks. With its 72 thundering waterfalls, secluded valleys, colourful alpine meadows and lonely mountain inns, the Lauterbrunnen Valley is one of the biggest nature conservation areas in Switzerland.

The valley town of Lauterbrunnen (795 m) is the starting point for some of the best known excursion destinations in the Jungfrau region. A rack railway links Lauterbrunnen with the sunny terrace of Wengen on the eastern flank of the Lauterbrunnen Valley and the Kleinen Scheidegg, the station where you change trains for the onward journey to the Jungfraujoch.

On the opposite side of the valley is the holiday resort of Mürren, accessible from Lauterbrunnen and Stechelberg. The cableway from Stechelberg continues to the peak of the Schilthorn at 2971 m.
   
  What We Saw Now in Switzerland
Oct. 1, 2006


We stopped along the way in Interlaken which means the village in the valley dividing the lake. We needed to exchange some money into Swiss Francs. Switzerland is a beautiful country, it would have been even better if they used the Euro! Anyway, we also took some time to stop in some of the shops before we took the train to the Lauterbrunnen Valley and the Hotel Overland.
















Once we settled into our large room with a beautiful viewof the Staubbach Falls, we met as a group for a wonderful cheese fondue and dinner in the dinning room. Both were delicious!

 
 
  What We Saw Lauterbrunnen and the Alps
Oct. 2, 2006


Daily Itinerary
Day 2 started out with a cloud hanging over the mountains (both literally and figuratively). The weather forecast was very iffy! However, we decided we weren't in Switzerland to sit around in the hotel. Instead we hopped onto the cog rail train to Wengen (pronounced Vengen). Wengen is a wonderful little Swiss town! You see very few vehicles and a lot of nifty shops to look through. But there was no time for shopping (now), we're on our way to the Alps! It's down the main street to the Aerial Cableway, a very large gondola to Männlichen. The altitude at Wengen is 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) and Männlichen is at 2,222 meters (7,290 feet). We rode more than a half mile UP. The view back down to Wengen and the Lauterbrunnen valley, below that, was unbelievable!

 
 
  What We Saw On top of the mountain
Oct. 2, 2006
Getting to Männlichen was just the start of our day in the Alps. From Männlichen we hiked along the Panoramaweg Path to Kleine Scheidegg. You'll see this under the Wow! section, but it has to be said here as well. First, the weather turn out to be PERFECT. I'm not just saying that. The temperature was warm enough for our coats to come off, but cool enough that we didn't sweat a bit. The clouds were there but only enough to enhance the pictures we took! So what's it like to hike at a mile and a half above sea level. This was the weird part of our day. NONE of us seemed to be effected by the altitude! And the scenery? Just take a look at our pictures. Like seeing the Grand Canyon, there is simply no way to explain how beautiful it was! Imagine...we walked for several hours facing the Eiger, the Monch and the Jungfrau. Down the valley we saw the village of Grindelwald and above that the peaks of Gross Scheidegg and Wetterhorn.