So begins the Swiss saga.. after a long train ride from Munich, I reached Interlaken (IL) around late afternoon. I had heard great reviews of this particular hostel named Backpackers Villa Sonnenhof and had booked my 4 day stay here and I must say it has been a delightful experience. You need to be able to have some available body parts like kidney or liver to sell to be able to travel thru Switzerland.. its quite expensive! I had set a aside a separate budget for IL itself. I reached the hostel well before the check in time and they gave me my room since it was already ready #DelightNo.1
I spent the rest of the evening waking around IL, finishing off some souvenir shopping and planning my next 3.5 days here. The hostel folks were very resourceful and provided a number of suggestions to my itinerary as well. #DelightNo.2
The next day, I started early in the morning to get to Luzern and Mt Pilatus. The weather is highly unpredictable and hence I had to check it every morning and make my plans accordingly. I wasn't carrying any snow boots and enquired at the hostel if I could rent them somewhere. They were kind enough to say, "we have some spare ones.. if you find one your size, borrow them for free!" Anything free in Switzerland is music to the ears. #DelightNo.3
The journey to Mt Pilatus takes about 2.5-3 hrs and consists of 2 train changes to Alphnacstad and then a ride up the mountain in a red cogwheel train. That climb is supposed to be the steepest in Europe. The folks at the railway ticket counters are very helpful and they will also provide you a print of the route and the train changes; if they don't, just smile and ask. :) Also trains and buses run on schedules and are planned that way too. Once I got to the top of Mt Pilatus, the view was stunning! Snow covered peaks of the Alps on one side and the city of Luzern on the other. But alas, we weren't allowed to walk on the snow, there wasn't too much anyway. Spent some time, walking to the various view points, had a quick lunch which I had brought with me, yes it was maggi, and then descended through the cable car route. Most tickets allow you to go up using the train and back using the cable car or vice versa. Its the entire experience that counts. Post the cable car ride and then a short bus ride, came to the town of Luzern. I spent an hour walking around the city and then took my train back to IL.
Tip: carry some food since hostels have kitchens which you can use to cook. Food is quite expensive here.
Day 2 in IL was the day for Jungfrau! Weather forecast said misty but I had no other day left as the others were worse. Took my chances, bought my tickets and set out to see Jungfrau. The train to Jungfrau goes thru a small village called Grindelwald and I highly recommend getting off and walking around this town. Its is super picturesque! The last part of the journey to the peak, which is on the red cogwheel train is fun and that's when you see snow everywhere. When I saw snow yesterday, that was one thing, at Jungfrau there is so much of it .. and I was seeing snow for the first time.. needless to say, I went bonkers! At the peak, quickly did the tour and then immediately ran into the snow area. The weather was perfect; the views were perfect and the feeling indescribable. I spent an hour playing in the snow like a little kid and then climbed up to the Sphinx which is the highest view point. I couldn't get enough of the view and the snow! The Ice palace is also another good visit at Jungfrau. After my visit to the Lindt shop, with a very heavy heart I then took the train back through Lauterbrunnen this time. Being at Lauterbrunnen, and since I had time, I decided to do an impulse trip up Schilthorn as well. This is where the Bond movie Piz Gloria was shot and the entire tour is dedicated to it. This meant.. more time in the snow! There is also a beautiful waterfall - Trummelbach falls near Lauterbrunnen which is worth a visit.
Tip: start your days early as the peaks close by 5/6pm and the mountains start to get misty post 4:30ish. Keep checking the weather before going to any of the peaks.
After a long day, returned to the hostel and crashed immediately.
Day 3 at IL, I wanted to see something different. Montreux, is a quaint french city, near Geneva, which has this medieval castle Chateau de Chillon at one end of the Geneva lake, providing a superb view. I wanted to see that! Montreux is about 2.5-3hr train journey from IL. Great for a day trip. I reached the castle to be greeted by a pristine view. Luckily for me, the train ticket I had purchased included the entry to the castle as well #DelightNo.4. The castle is beautiful, built during the bronze age and having seen various empires reign it, it has been well restored and quite an amazing place to visit. The view of the lake from the castle is breath-taking #DPpoint. After spending some time walking along the boulevard near the lake at Montreux and post a quick lunch, I commenced my journey back to IL to end my day.
Day 4 at IL.. not the entire day, I just had half a day before taking my train back to Frankfurt to then head home.. sigh.. the Europe trip is coming to an end.. On recommendation from the hostel folks I decided to visit St Beatus caves near lake Thun. A 30mins bus ride from IL, these caves are beautifully laid with stalagmites and stalactites which you can see as you walk around inside and it has a waterfall too. I also got a free bus ride and a discount on the entry fees thanks to the hostel guest card #DelightNo.5.
After a few well spent hrs, came back to IL, said my goodbyes to Jungfrau (yes, you can see her from the hostel itself #DelightNo.6) and set out on my journey back to India.
This solo trip has been a LOT of fun. I got to meet many fellow travelers from various countries - Australia, Korea, America, Dubai etc, had some great conversations and made a few friends. Sigh! Its ending.. For now... Bye bye Europe.. thanks for the wonderful memories! See you soon!
Tell me what you think! Comment | Share | Subscribe
Comments
Post a Comment