Final Day - Final Thoughts

Our final night was restful at a very nice B&B and our hostess fixed a big breakfast. We took the local bus to the airport and proceeded to through all the hoops of checkin, security, and our final shopping to spend most of our remaining Franks. Ed got pulled just before boarding for a random search and I went on board as he said to go on. When they made the announcement that they were about to close the doors and prepare to depart, I made my way to the front and said I would like to get off if my husband wasn't allowed to board. A few minutes later he appeared and we were on our way for a long flight to Atlanta.

As we have found with our other European adventures, Switzerland offered us many wonderful things. We saw great beauty in the land, especially the mountains. We were offered great hospitality. We also ate some very good food, like cheese and chocolate. Everyday!

The weather was warmer than we planned for and warmer than the average for the time of year. Some of the walking was hard as far as terrain and the added heat. But we wouldn't trade a step (well maybe a few on the paved roads). In our previous "Camino" walks we would meet and talk with people on the same trek but it was different this time with very few walking the way. But we had each other, as always, to share the special journey. The simplicity of life with just a few belongings on our backs, traversing the countryside, is very freeing.  When you add in the many unknown adventures along the way and you have a lifestyle that continues to draw us back although rarely to the same paths.  It's hard to believe how much land we've covered in Europe and yet we still have much more to see!

Click here to see our Jakobsweg Video

Day 31 - Engelberg to Zurich

The weather forecast for today was for rain. Because the Swiss have had so little of it lately, most of the locals felt sure the weather was turning for the worse. This is why we chose to travel to Engelberg. We found a good inside activity to experience. The Schaukäserei Kloster Cheese factory produces it's cheese within a monastery and they have a place to see how their cheese is made. So after breakfast and a stroll around town, we went to the monastery and saw cheese being made. The process is actually in a small controlled environment that one can watch each step take place. There was also a small cafe shop and we purchased a small sample platter of cheeses made at the monastery. Afterward, we caught a train as we were headed for Zurich. Upon arrival we found the tourist info at the train station, procurred a city map and we were off for a quick tour of the old city. We saw the largest tower clock face in Europe, several churches (one with a preserved foundation dating back to the 12th century), the Lake Zurich waterfront, and several other buildings with some very interesting and detailed architecture. When we finished the walk, as we were about to cross a bridge, we came upon a post with shells upon it. The shell is the symbol used representing the Camino. We then did a little shopping and were off to find our lodging. Our last night will be spent in a very interesting B&B with a friendly host. 

Day 30 - Alpiglen to Engleberg

Woke up to the sound of cow bell music and not much else. Very peaceful this morning in the Schwalbennest (they named the rooms). Enjoyed a good breakfast and talked a bit with our host, Corinne. She gave us some good advice to help us pick our path for our final day's walk. We headed out on a cool morning and quickly made an ascent to a ridge that ran along the base of the Eiger mountain. It was a bit chillier than usual, probably because a storm front is being forecasted to be moving in. It was very comfortable though. We came upon some really cool things as we traversed the alpine ridge. The first was a really neat waterfall. We have seen a number of these but this one was a bit different with the water running through it being crystal clear and the rocks being so smooth and a very light grey. We were able to climb into one of the small pond areas (not in the water. it's super cold!). Next we saw a "snow cave". The snow had formed an open dome over a flowing river (see photo). The path was quiet, with some woods and some small river crossings. Being up against the mountain face, we didn't see the sun until 10:40 a.m. Our descent off the mountain was once again thrilling. It was steep and had a metal ladder at one point and at others cables to hold while crossing narrow sections. We arrived in Grindlewald just after noon and treated ourselves to an espresso and pastry. We then made our melancholy walk to the train station. We're a bit sad to be done walking. It then took three trains to arrive in Engelberg. 

Day 29 - Mürren to Alpiglen

This morning after a good breakfast we went to the gondola station and bid Mürren adieu. We took two lifts down to the valley floor. A short bus ride took us to Trümmelbach Falls, a crazy waterfall down through a narrow, twisting and turning crevasse. A bit of a tourist trap, but we read how great it was so we paid our 11 Francs each and saw the wonder. After, we continued walking to Lauterbrunnen and caught a train up the mountain to Kleine Scheidegg. Our destination for the day said it would be a one hour walk so we pulled out the trail map to find a new plan. We found a trail that headed along a ridge that gave us some good mountain views. The trail was quite busy but everyone had taken a lift to the top and were walking down. At a certain point we saw a summit peak that was beyond our turn off. We decided we had to go. When we arrived at the top of what is called the Royal Walk, we had 360 degrees of views for miles around. It was worth the extra effort. We eventually walked back down and headed on a desolate mountain path toward our destination. We are staying in a small quiet mountain chalet. There are cattle on the mountain hillsides with their bells ringing. At dinner time we had quite a show as the cows were rounded up for milking. Dinner was extremely good and so fresh. It is quiet now with no wifi or TV, just the sound of a few cow bells. 

Day 28 - Mürren II

LBreakfast didn't start until 8:00 this morning, a bit later than it has been.  Considering that last night got fairly cool, around 50 F, it was fine. It was a very good breakfast. We filled our bellies for our hike. Then we packed a few things to eat along the way and were off to ride the Schilthornbahn to Birg (pronounced Beerg) with an elevation gain of over 3500 feet. We choose not to go to the top another 1000 feet as we were already above tree level and all around was just rock. We got off and walked the Skyline Thrill, a platform over a vertical precipice. It is a metal structure about three feet wide and wraps around the rock. One can see the big three mountains, Jungfrau, Monch, and Eiger, on a clear day, which we had. After that excitement, we took off on our hike down the mountain. We came to a small lake and then on down we went. At this point it got a little dicey. It was steep and rocky and then there were cables to hold while we crossed a rock face and then came the crevasses to traverse and at times, almost rock climbing out of. Our reward for our efforts was a walk along the Wasenegg, a mountain ridge with sometimes steep drop offs on either side. The views in all directions (even down) were beautiful. We made a steep descent after that and then walked around a mountain and traversed some nice paths. It was a beautiful day. Made our way back to town and got ourselves clean. Walked about the town for a while trying to figure out a place to eat. We don't like to eat out all the time but the local Coop store wasn't hitting on much. We found a place with a quiet dining room with a nice vista. It was a family run hotel/restaurant and we had some nice home cooked food. We finished it off with a traditional Apple strüdel. Spent the rest of our evening planning our next days. 

Day 27 - Mürren

An early breakfast led to an early departure for us. We were on a train by 8:00 a.m. After changing trains, a giant gondola and another train, we landed in Mürren. Whew! We took a jaunt through town, dropped our bags at our hotel, got a quick coffee and hit the trails. Again the day was clean and the temperature a bit cooler, but still plenty warm. Our hike took us up and then along a ridge where we saw a few other hikers. After a break at a farm where we purchased some of their yogurt for a snack, we moved on and found a bench for our lunch. We were seeing fewer people and then made a descent to a waterfall that was marked on our map. What we didn't know was that we were to pass behind it. And the fact that the trail was narrow, steep and dropped off made Joan a bit nervous. The trail after that was nice and wooded for a while. We started a road walk and stopped at a small roadside place where we shared a brownie as a reward for a good hike. We went back and checked into our chalet. It's quite nice with a small place to sit out front and view the mountains. We headed back out to check out more of town but ended up going on another hike that took us to a place called the Chänelegg. It's a plateau that overlooks in many directions. We returned to town and got cleaned and organized. Went to dinner at a restaurant with great vistas and great food. Going out to eat in Switzerland is quite expensive but this place was reasonable and delicious. I (Ed) had a ragout of wild boar over noodles while Joan had a salad with chicken and a super fruit tarte for desert. It was time for rest and planning after that. 

Day 26 - Bern

UWe were blessed with a good breakfast to prepare us for a full day of sightseeing. We bought a pass that would allow us into almost every museum in Bern. We were off! Our first stop was the Rosengarten which is a big park with lots of roses. We then hopped on a bus and went to the middle of Bern to where they were having a big market day! But before we got started looking through that, we found a fountain with an unusual statue of a Ogre eating babies. Bizarre! After going through the market we took a bus to the Bern History and Einstein museum. We spent a couple of hours there. Then tried the Alpine Museum but they literally had nothing there. Weird. Spent a little bit of time at the Natural History museum that was really kind of bizarre yet entertaining. We did learn about Barry the St. Bernard who saved 40 lives in his lifetime. And since these museums were all within a block we were making good use of our passes. Next up lunch...Ed had found a good place online but had not made any notes on it. No problem...a quick trip to the information office and we were off on another bus for a simple and delicious lunch. We looked at our museum book for more to visit but they were closed or too far away so we went to the house where Albert Einstein lived in the early 1900's. While there a commotion broke out in the streets below. We peered through the second floor window and an organized demonstration was taking place. For more than thirty minutes they paraded down the street making lots of noise. After that we went to the second city gate that was built and later served as a jail. We climbed to the top for a nice view of the city. After a short rest and review of our map, we proceeded to a church where a choir was practicing so we sat again to listen. We finished with a stroll along the river and then took the bus home. We covered so much of the city and we utilized our bus and museum passes quite well.