| Switzerland |
| This country has earned it's own page, simply because I have spent so much time here, and it is my favourite European country in a lot of ways. I first came here in 1988, and like many other travellers I have met, I instantly said "yes, this is the place for me" Too bad it is so hard to become a Swiss national and it is so expensive, but that seems to go with being such a special place and it is worth protecting from the encroaching population of travellers, hopefull would-be residents, and a gloablising economy. Let's keep this place as it is! I will continue adding to this page as I likewise continue to be a visitor. For now I'm just adding 72 pictures from my recent visit to Interlaken and the Berner Oberland in April 2003. It was especially stimulating to be here this time, only a few days after returning from 10 weeks in South Africa. Thanks for your patinece while the pictures load up... |
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| So here's what I came here to do... When I left Europe in January, the prospects of a good ski season had been hit by sudden warm weather which melted most of the snow, so it was great to return in April and find a fresh deluge of snowfall. People said that March had been so sunny that most hotels were opening their outdoor summer beer gardens. Well suddenly with the surprise layer of snow and return of summer-like sun, conditons for superb Spring Skiing were there. |
| So that was the first three days of skiing. Then I took a break and did a good hike up to the Harder Kulm, which sits on top of a big hill overlooking the city of Interlaken. I've done this hike a couple of times before, but never with such good weather, so I finally got to see the classic view of Interlaken and of course the big peaks on the horizon. The three big famous peaks are Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. |
| The last day of skiing was the best. New snow had fallen for a couple of days, and gave us a fresh base of powder for the morning to go with the unbelievably clear blue sky. Of course the sun turned everything into slushy conditions in the afternoon, but it was worth it to have the warmth and to be able to ski in a t-shirt. At the top lift at Kleine Scheidig, which has a train station and several eating and drinking places, there were many people kicking back in the sun and having a party with a mixture of pop and traditional Swiss Alpine music enhancing to open-air festivities. |
| The visit was interrupted by minor trouble with the car, so I found a repair shop, fortunately only a few blocks from where I was sleeping. It gave me an excuse to spend a couple days off the mountain, and I enjoyed looking around Interlaken (again!) Then I went up to the town of Lauterbunen and took the lift up to the Schilthorn, which is a massive peak overlooking the Berner Oberland. Getting up there takes you up a few spine-tingling gondolas with stops in the mountain villages of Mürren and Gimmelwald. |
| On the less wild side of things, I also visited the Trümmelbachfälle (it's ok - just say "Trummel Bach Falls"), which is a series of caverns inside the Jungfrau massive with waterfalls pouring down through the gaps in the rock. Effectively much of the snowmelt from Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau pass through this system of rock crevices, and somebody has been kind enough to build a network of walkways and staircases which allow you to see this unique environment up close. |
| All things must pass, however, and we went back down to Interlaken. There was so little snow left on the lower slopes that we literally had to ski right down through puddles of water to wet grass, and get the train back down to Grindelwald. I would like to think that this was the last skiing of the season, but in any case it was a "happy-attack" way to finish the skiing. Back in Interlaken, there was enough warm sun left in the day to have a good walk around and experience the onset of Spring fever. The parks and cafes were full of happy people, with the mountains (especially the Jungfrau, framed between two massive hillsides) towering over the scene under persistent blue skies, and quite a few paragliders coming in for their last landing of the day. |
| I stayed at two places while I was here this time. In fact there are only a couple of places offering budget accomodation in Interlaken. I prefer the "Funny Farm" which in winter occupies half of the Hotel Park Mattenhof, and in Summer has it's own spot behind the hotel in what I suspect is a very Australian-inspired layout with everything you can imagine. The "competition" is of course Ballmers Herberge, which has been here for 58 years, and where I stayed for the first time in 1988. Ballmers has grown consistently over the years, and every time I come back there is something new. Unfortunately the scene there is just a bit too juvenille, with too many rules and a sort of school child treatment. Still it is a well-established and very professionally run establishment, and a cornerstone in Interlaken's place in the backpacker scene. I think I've been to Interlaken a dozen times now, and yes - I'll be back! |
| A few related links worth checking out... |