The train ride from Luzern to Meiringen was breathtaking to say the least. Villages and farms were tucked into valleys surrounded by lush mountains. Most villages were near striking blue-green bodies of water. I wanted to swim in them. The train weaved through the countryside until we reached our destination.
It was a Sunday and it was also the start of the off season so nearly everything was closed when we arrived in the city. We popped into the bus station to see if what time we would need to leave in order to get up to the Trift Glacier. One of our main objectives on the trip was to cross the longest pedestrian-only suspension bridge in the world. It crosses a span on 750-feet. Sadly, we learned that we had arrived just a little bit too late to make the journey. As I mentioned above it was the start of the off season, so fewer busses were running. I have a great deal of awe and respect for the Swiss who make that region of the country their home. The ticket vendor made it sound like once winter comes you are pretty much stuck in your village until the season ends.
The ticket vendor was kind enough to suggest a nearby alternative – the Rosenlaui Glacier. He took him up on the offer and after checking into our hotel (Das Hotel Sherlock Holmes), buying meringue (Meiringen claims to be the birthplace of meringue) as big as our faces, eating lunch, and posing with the Sherlock Holmes statue, we hopped on the bus and headed up and over the Reichenbach Falls.
The route up the mountainside is exactly what you would expect. The bus hugged the edge of the road tightly, constantly threatening to tip over and send us crashing to our doom hundreds of feet below. Being one lane at tight passes the bus blasted a loud horn to warn cars or other busses that may be coming around the bend.
When we arrived at our destination we paused to use the bathrooms in the 200 plus year-old Rosenlaui Hotel. It is one of the oldest hotels in the region. It prides itself on having no televisions, radios, cell phone reception, or Internet access. The website touts the hotels nightlife – “the starry sky.” Although we didn’t stay there I think it is worth considering for anyone who is seeking to completely disconnect from life. One of the best things about this trip was that we had left our cell phones at home and our Internet access was typically very limited to cafes. I don’t remember exactly when it was, but I did note to Maddie that I was surprised by how much I didn’t miss having those luxuries at my beck and call 24 hours a day. It was eye opening as to how codependent I had become on technology.
Anyway, the glacier. We ascended the path up to the glacier and I think most of our time was spent looking up at the rocky crags poking the skies above us. I’ve seen mountains. I’ve spent time in Vermont, I’ve driven through the Lake Tahoe region of California, I’ve hiked the Appalachians, I’ve made my way through the Rockies, but none of that prepared me for the complete majesty of the Alpine peaks. Postcards do no justice to what towered in front of me. I hope I can forever hold onto the part of my brain that contains the emotions I felt being dwarfed by those mountains.
We passed through an iron door into the cavern that had been carved out of the mountainside. We followed the stream as it crashed over small cliffs and whirled around pools below. We came out on a path which was marked by literally 100s of rock piles. Someone explained to me what the formations are called, but it now escapes me. It was a man made alien landscape. Maddie compared it to Blair Witch.
We hung out with the rock formations and attempted to eat our giant Meringue. It was like biting into a rock made out of sugar. I dug the novelty of the world’s largest meringue, but it was a bit too much. One bite was enough.
We took our time descending the path down from the top of the glacier. Pausing at one point to sit on a bench overlooking the valley and at another point to analyze a massive patch of dark green moss. The bus took us back to Meiringen. After we arrived back in town we spent some time wandering the streets and were constantly charmed by the homes which were often covered in flowers. Maddie made friends with a cat. We also attempted to find our way up to the ruins of a castle, but we couldn’t find the path even though we saw a sign telling us we were going tin the right direction.
Dinner was at the restaurant near the Sherlock Holmes statue (I forgot to write it down, bad tourist). Maddie had jugged venison and grapefruit sorbet in Campari. My meal is lost to time because I documented mostly everything with photos. So it goes.
As darkness fell we made our way back to the hotel (I highly recommend it). In the distance we could hear gun shots. It was either hunters or the Swiss Army training in the mountainside. We never did get a clarification. The gun shots seemed too regular to be hunters. I don’t remember the time exactly, but all of the bells at the churches around the town began ringing. Maddie was in the room at the time so I brought her out onto our porch to hear. This wasn’t the only time Maddie and I paused, held each other, and simply took in the bells of Switzerland.
Stars