Charlie's Perspective

Underside : First, CH

When you're only 8" tall (20 cm), your perspective is pretty low. Charlie is quite a trooper when it comes to going up and down various Alpine elevations. These are just a few photos of the view from his level.

Aspirational : Schrekfeld, CH

Heading down... : Between Schrekfeld and Bort, CH

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/11

Trümmelbach Falls

Trümmelbach Falls : Trümmelbach, CH

On our last day in Lauterbrunnen, we drove back up toward Stechelberg. About halfway there, we stopped at Trümmelbach Falls. The falls are the glacier defile for the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. The falls are inside the mountain and accessible by elevator and stairs. They produce nearly 5,300 gallons (20,000 liters) of water per second. The falls are incredibly impressive and worth the 11 Swiss francs for admission.

The Corkscrew : Trümmelbach Falls : Trümmelbach, CH

The river at the end of the falls... : Trümmelbach, CH

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/11

Eispalast

Looking back at the entrance to the Eispalast (Ice Palace) : Jungfraujoch, CH

One of the fun features of the Jungfraujoch is the Eispalast. Carved out of the glacier, the Eispalast features a Tim Burtonesque tunnel leading to a few rooms with fun ice sculptures. Just a few pictures below for your enjoyment!

Igloo, seals, and an indigenous person (aka: Eskimo) : Jungfraujoch, CH

Scrat, the saber-toothed squirrel, finally gets his nut! : Jungfraujoch, CH

And, of course, it isn't Switzerland if there isn't a watch ad somewhere. 

This one is for Tissot Swiss Watches : Jungfraujoch, CH

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/11

Blick von Kleine Scheidigg...

Blick von Kleine Scheidigg, CH

Once we arrived in Kleine Scheidigg, this was the view that greeted us: The Jungfrau, Mönch, and Eiger in all their ginormous glory!

Eiger Reflection : Kleine Scheidigg, CH

Blick auf Grindelwald im Tal : Kleine Scheidigg, CH

Not only is there a great view of this magnificent Alpine trio, but from Kleine Scheidigg, you can look down the valley and see the town of Grindelwald. If you click on the photo, you can see it off in the distance at the foot of the mountains.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/11

Wengen to Kleine Scheidigg

 

On the Ascent from Lauterbrunnen, looking down the valley :
Lauterbrunnen, CH

On Monday, we decided to ride the cog train from Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Scheidigg. The 50-minute ride takes you through the town of Wengen and to the base of Switzerland's three most famous peaks after the better-known Matterhorn: the Jungfrau (Virgin), Mönch (Monk), and Eiger (Ogre). I'm sure there's some legend behind the names of the peaks, but I couldn't find anything.

The Jungfrau with a altocumulus lenticular cloud formation atop its summit :
Kleine Scheidigg, CH

Cog Train ascending... : Wengen, CH

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/11

An Unplanned Vacation

View of the Alps : Schilthorn, CH

Recently, work has been, shall we say, bureaucratic, so we decided to take a few days and get away to the Alps. Friend and colleague Mary C. was in town from Atlanta. She and her husband used to live in Oxford, UK, but had never been to the Alps before. We rang up Mary and asked her if she'd like to join us today as long as she was willing to ride the train back to Geneva at the end of the evening. She enthusiastically said, "Yes!" So, off we went. Here are a couple of pictures taken from the top of the Schilthorn--10,000 ft above sea level!

Alpine flora : Schilthorn, CH

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/11

Glacier

Glacier : Lauterbrunnen, CH

Nothing like the sight of a dusting of snow on a glacier to chill you to the bone. This was in Lauterbrunnen last week on the Eiger.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 11/10

100 Unnamed Strangers: Table Tennis

Table tennis on a late summer's day : Bern, CH

Returning to Bern for just a moment... These young men were playing table tennis, or ping pong, in a park adjacent to the Berner Münster. They were both quite good! Also, this was taken several weeks ago, when the weather was still warm and the sun was out. Now? It's cold and rainy and yuck. I hope autumn and winter pass quickly!

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 10/10

Dusk

Dusk : Bern, CH

After dinner at the Restaurant Falken, we walked back up to the park next to the Berner Münster and took a few shots of the last light of day. To see a few photos from Bern in the early evening, go here.

No. 3 : Bern, CH

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 10/10

Zytglogge

Bern's most famous time piece, the Zytglogge : Bern, CH

Bern's Altstadt (old town) features this clock, known as the Zytglogge (Swiss German for Zeitglocke, or time clock), which was constructed around 1218-1220. One of Bern's most recognizable symbols, it is a major tourist attraction. Crowds gather at the based of the clock around 6:00 anticipating a great show and ringing from the clock's works. In point of fact, it's a bit of a letdown. If you go to Bern, make a point of stopping to see what is certainly a beautiful work of art, but don't be anxious to see it strike at 6:00. There's not a lot to see. (Although, watching the tourists in anticipation is kind of fun. Next time I go to Bern, that's what I'll be photographing!) To see a few more photos of this clock tower, go here.


Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 10/10

Münster Fugue

 Organ : Berner Münster : Bern, CH

The Berner Münster is home to another great organ. In 1726, this organ was commissioned for the Cathedral of Berne. In 1999, the organ was restored and expanded at a cost of Sfr 4 million (more than US$3 million at that time.) We were fortunate to hear the organ while we were there and I found this video of organist Diane Bish playing the Münster organ. To hear her play a toccata on this magnificent piece, go here. To see more pictures of this organ, go here.


Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 10/10

Berner Münster

Gargoyles on the Berner Münster : Bern, CH

The Berner Münster, or Cathedral of Berne, is Switzerland's largest Gothic cathedral. Construction on the cathedral commenced in 1421 and was completed in 1893--a span of 472 years. Within 30 years of the founding of Bern (Swiss spelling), a chapel was built on the grounds where the current cathedral stands. Over the next five centuries, the building grew as the city grew. The church was originally Catholic, but as the years progressed switched to Protestant, which is what it is today. The cathedral's tower holds the largest bell in Switzerland: 10 tons in weight and 8 feet in diameter. The bell was cast in 1611. To hear the cathedral's seven bells, go here. To see more pictures of this edifice, go here.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 10/10

lemp

lemp cafe bar : Bern, CH

A couple of weeks ago, during friend Rachel's stay, we visited Bern, Switzerland's capital city. The older part of town is comprised of arched walkways with shops tucked back from the street (arcades) or buried in cellars beneath the street. Tiny little alleys lead to fun little surprises, like this cafe. To see more photos of Bern by day, go here.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 10/10

Paragliders in Interlaken

On Approach : Interlaken, CH

Interlaken is a total tourist town, which makes it a little unappealing. One of the cooler things about the town, though, is its a landing zone for paragliders. Most of the gliders you see are flying tandem, carrying aforementioned tourist types. What makes it worth watching, though, is your ability to be close to the landing zone and the Jungfrau as a backdrop to their aerial acrobatics. Here are just a couple of photos and more pictures here.

Final Approach : Interlaken, CH

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/10

Mexican Food in Interlaken

Mexican food Swiss-style : El Azteca : Interlaken, CH

We left Lauterbrunnen and went down to Interlaken for lunch at a Mexican restaurant we'd read about. In our ongoing quest to find decent Mexican food in Switzerland, I've eaten at six Mexican restaurants in this alpine country. They rank thusly for me (out of five stars):

1. La Fonda, Schneidergasse, Basel ★★★★
2. Tres Amigos, Stadthausstrasse, Winterthur ★★★1/2
3. El Azteca, Jungfraustrasse, Interlaken ★★★
4. La Diligence, Chantepoulet, Geneva ★1/2
5. Fiesta Mexicana, Balexert, Geneva ★
6. Mañana, Cornavin, Geneva -10 ★. Dog food tastes better!

El Azteca is attached to the Hotel Blume on the Jungfraustrasse. It wasn't too shabby.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 4/10

Impromptu Almabtrieb

Almabtrieb : Lauterbrunnen, CH

As we were packing up and preparing to settle our bill with the hotel, the cleaning lady came down the stairs and loudly pronounced, in English, "They're bringing the cows down from the mountain." Maya and I had been telling Rachel all about des Alpages (French) / Alpaufzug (Austria) / Almabtrieb (Swiss) and lamenting that her visit wouldn't coincide with events being held in Annecy, France, in October. Much to our delight, these smaller villages don't have an organized event and we were present for Lauterbrunnen's Almabtrieb this year! More pictures here. You can see last year's photos of the Alpages in Annecy here.

 Decorated for the trip down the mountain for the winter : Lauterbrunnen, CH

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/10

100 Unnamed Strangers: Hiker at Staubbach Falls

Sunbath : Lauterbrunnen, CH

I loved this woman enjoying the early autumn sunshine and the beauty of Staubbach Falls.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/10

Lauterbrunnen

One of Lauterbrunnen's several hotels on the main road with 

Staubbach Falls in the background : Lauterbrunnen, CH

The Lauterbrunnen Valley is lovely and the village of Lauterbrunnen itself is quaint. We didn't get a lot of time to visit its trails and sights, but we did manage a walk to Staubbach Falls and an impromptu Alpaufzug (bringing the cows down from the mountains for the winter.) More photos here.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/10

Mürren

Typical Swiss chalet : Mürren, CH

As mentioned previously, we stopped off in Mürren to walk around this storied village, grab a bite to eat, and enjoy the sunset. We started with a little snack at the Hotel Edelweiss and had hoped to eat at a larger restaurant we noted at the entrance of the village (I can't remember the name now.) It was recently featured by Rick Steves or Anthony Bourdain or someone equally fame-inducing. Unfortunately, they were fully booked up. Fortunately, we made the telecabine back to Stechelberg with only minutes to spare and instead enjoyed a lovely schnitzel dinner in the restaurant at the hotel/chalet where we were staying in Lauterbrunnen. More photos here.

Simple alpine repast: bread, sliced meats and cheeses, gerkins and onions : Mürren, CH

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/10

Blick auf die Bergen von Mürren

Jungfrau at Sunset as seen from the terrace of the Hotel Edelweiss : Mürren, CH

The Schilthorn/Piz Gloria closes at 6:00 p.m., so we took the telecabine back down to Mürren. We stopped in at the Hotel Edelweiss, because they had a great view of the Jungfrau, the Lauterbrunnen Valley, and a simple repast of hearty bread, sliced meats and cheeses, and little gerkins and onions. Sunset from this point was lovely, as you can see above. To see more pictures of this moment of the day in Mürren, visit my Picasa Web Album.

 Prior to sunset : Mürren, CH

Also, I want to add a note of congratulations to my best friend, Amy Krauss, who is getting married today in Manassas, Virginia. I'm sorry I can't be there, but I'm sending all kinds of good wishes to you and Patrick! Congratulations, HB. xo

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/10