Lauterbrunnen
Having been enamoured by the lush green meadows with wooden chalets and grazing cows during a previous trip to Switzerland, I really wanted to spend time in the off-beat places during the first weekend of the exchange term. Avoiding Lucerne wasn’t an option — partly because it served as the best base for Titlis trip and partly because it was a city I had grown to develop a liking for (thanks to the multitude of white swans in the lake at the city centre with a perfect backdrop provided by the Chapel bridge adorned by multi-hued flowers). I made up for it by allotting an extra day at the touristy but breathtakingly beautiful Interlaken.
Why did I pick Interlaken?
First, the Golden Panoramic train route from Lucerne to Interlaken which was well publicised by the Switzerland Tourism for its wallpaper like scenic views.
Second, the different shades of blue offered by the twin lakes of Brienze & Thun and Lake Blausee.
Third, the numerous blogs which spoke about the magical (and off-beat!) Lauterbrunnen in the Grindelwald region which was only a short train ride from Interlaken.
We reached Interlaken late afternoon on a bright and sunny day from Lucerne via the Golden Panoramic Express. The train took us through the expansive green meadows with rivulets of crystal-clear water. We passed a couple of small lakes as well. But the best part was reserved for the last leg of the journey when it went around the Lake Brienze. The bright 2pm sun was the star as it truly shone upon the lake revealing its famed turquoise hue. The Bernese Alps provided a decent backdrop to the stunning show of color. On this side of the lake was the roadway with an occasional car or two passing by and the rails for our train both of which almost parallely tracked the zig-zagged nature of the bank. Also present were well manicured grasslands, serene cemeteries (yes!), small wooden houses, cycling tracks, railway stations, and the like. The glare from the train window played a wreck in most of the photos, but this train journey on a bright sunny afternoon is highly recommended to give one a sneak peek into this gem of the Bernese Oberland.
Next morning, we took a train from the Wilderswil — Schynige Platte. It was a small station with one platform soo narrow that people had to stand next to one another in a straight line or at the max two.
A train ride of around 30 min or so through a typical Swiss mountainous landscape took us to Lauterbrunnen. A couple of super markets, souvenir shops, small chalets, restaurants, tourist information centres and bike rental shops were found around the station. We decided against renting out bikes or taking the funicular as the intention had always been to explore it on foot. We were informed that it is an easy hike and the trail culminated at the Trummelbach falls. Little did I know what awaited me apart from the expectation of lush green grasslands which were shown in the numerous blogs about the place. Even as we were walking through the commercial area, we could spot a couple of waterfalls (the first ones among the 72 that is said to dote the landscape of Lauterbrunnen). Now, by Indian standards, the “waterfalls” that we saw could hardly be classified as one. They were quite narrow ones but the sight was nothing short of being an eye-candy with the water almost becoming misty mid-way through the fall. We passed through serene cemeteries lying right next to the towering mountains with bright sunshine grazing their surface which was adorned by a whole lot of flowers (Who said cemeteries are dark, dull and grey. Sceptical about clicking a photo, I quickly snapped one through the compound grill).
Right past the cemetery on the other side was the first main stopover of the hike — the Staubbach falls. Honestly, I haven’t yet understood why this one is famous while numerous others aren’t :P
Apparently, its fall from the protuding cliff face is among the highest in the entire valley. To go up near the falls, there was a steep path made of wooden planks going zig zag uphill. I almost gave up mid-way only to continue till the top after finding REALLY old tourists climbing it up with remarkable ease (Ego hurt alert!). I didn’t really venture inside the cave to catch a glimpse of the waterfall from behind as I had no intentions of drenching myself in its cold waters. But, climbing down the wooden path without slipping is something that I take a LOT of pride in :P Overall, I don’t think it’s worth the effort going all the way up. But again, personal choices FTW!
After quenching our thirst from a tap claiming to supply alpine water at the foot of Staubbach falls, we continued our hike. Then came the most magical sight which became the picture postcard of Lauterbrunnen to be etched in my mind FOREVER. On both sides of the walkway was lush green grassland with small wooden chalets extending till the foot of the towering mountains. At the fag end of the line of sight were snow-capped Alps (said to be the famed mountains of Eiger and Monch). Such a panoramic sight — the beauty of which was only accentuated by the rhythm of the cow bell chimes.
Undoubtedly, this was THE most beautiful and memorable stretch of the hike for me.
As we moved forward, we got a couple of beautiful glimpses captured in the pictures below before reaching the destination of the hike — the Trummelbach falls.
We took one of the buses from here to reach back to the station.
Overall, this is a highly recommended walk if you like to appreciate the range of terrains that Switzerland is endowed with and wouldn’t prefer limiting yourself to the mainstream destinations of the Alps and the lakes. We visited during the first half of September and the weather was THE best — neither too hot to be outdoors nor too cold to be hidden under the layers.
