July 21, Wilderswil and Lauterbrunnen

Day Two--Lots of train travel, rain, and walking

Breakfast bread--and so much more, buffet style.  We all love the breakfast choices at Hotel Baren.

Heading through Wengen for the tram to take us up to Mannlichen, we purchase a 6-day pass at the tourist office for access to the local mountains' various transportation--trains, trams, buses.  The pass cost is discounted when we show our Swiss Rail pass.




Foggy.  We wonder what views we'll be able to see up top.

We've packed our rain gear.











Turns out--clouds rule the day.  So we ride the gondola down to Grindelwald.  Catch the bus to the train station.  And hop the train that winds through the valley and down into Wilderswil.

 In Wilderswil, there's an old train engine operating today, a steam locomotive--this is special!  It's due back from its run up to Schynige Platte in a half hour, so we walk around the historic section of Wilderswil--toward those trees on the other side of the train tracks--while we wait.
The steam engine is also running Aug. 4 and 11, 2012. www.jungfrau.ch/



The usual train to Schynige Platte operates, too--it's in the photo.

 

The steam engine is due in soon.  We wait at the crossing for the train heading to Interlaken to pass by, then we cross the tracks back into the Wilderswil station.









And there's the little steam engine!

The steam engine is also running Aug. 4 and 11, 2012. www.jungfrau.ch/

Then it's on to Lauterbrunnen

In intermittent rain, we walk up the valley to Trummelbach Falls.  It's the runoff from the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau glaciers.  These aren't your typical falls--this water twists and rips through mountain-enclosed caverns that it's carved over the centuries.  Lighted walkways take you right to the edge of the falls at various points as it descends through the mountain.  Jim and I have been here, so we wait while our friends tour through (fee 11 Fr.)



This view is from our previous trip:

That's Wengen up on the mountain in the distance.

We walk back to Lauterbrunnen, and run the last 50 yards to make it onto the train going up the mountain to Wengen. 















I'm so happy that it's almost time for our four-course dinner at the hotel.  Half-board is a good decision.