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Switzerland 2000Interlaken, June 2000Our hotelThe hotel Chalet Swiss about five minutes walk from Interlaken West station, and five minutes from Unterseen the oldest part of Interlaken. The hotel was wonderfully informal, with friendly staff and consists of the main hotel and annex built in chalet style and very pretty. At the front there is a large garden with a terrace where you can sit and admire the mountains and the main road, whilst eating your evening meal in good weather. Our rooms, which were in the annex, were spacious, with balconies covered in cheerful red geraniums and roses, from where we had a brilliant uninterrupted view of the hotel car park! The hotel also had a surprisingly large and well stocked gift shop where you could part with your money, and a bar where you could run up your hotel bill over the course of the week. Places we visitedUnterseenWhat is it like? No idea because most of it was hidden behind scaffolding, and they seemed be in the process of building a block of flats thus destroying the oldest part of Interlaken. BonigenWalked from Interlaken alongside the river Aare, on an extremely hot day - we really should should have got there by boat. Bonigen is a pleasant unspoilt village on the shores of Lake Brienz , and despite the intense heat the walk was worth it for the views across the turquoise lake. BrienzHow we got there. By boat from Interlaken. On a boiling hot day this is the only way to travel. Sit back,relax,and let the boat ferry you around lake Brienz while you admire the blue green waters and the surrounding scenery. What's at Brienz? The other end of lake Brienz! Woodcarving shops, expensive woodcarving shops, and even more woodcarving shops! Brienz is well known for its wood carving industry so is ideal for the closet wood fetishist! There's also a cogwheel railway and a promenade along the lake. What we did. Had a meal and watched the world go by and the steam train go up the mountain without us! Poked around the shops, then promenaded along the lake under the somewhat ferocious heat of the sun, before getting promptly back on the boat. SchilthornHow we got there. To get to the summit of the Schilthorn was quite an adventure. Although there is a four section cable railway we didn't go on the first two sections as we had got on the funicular at Lauterbrunnen and then got on the third stage cable car at Murren. Perhaps we were all a little too fainthearted for the Stechelberg section knowing that this section was often used for bungee jumping! The four stages of the cable railway are (Stechelberg (867m) to Gimmelwald (1367m), Gimmelwald to Murren (1650m), Murren to Birg (2676m) and Birg to Schilthorn (2970m). I was so very surprised when having got straight off the cable car, gone a few steps and then entered a building to find an up escalator right in front of my feet! Why I should have been surprised I don't know, but it was the last thing I had expected to see at that height. Right at the top of the escalator there is a glass window where we could see right down the mountain, a glorious view but a bit nerve wracking for the height wary! On the top of the Schilthorn there is a revolving restaurant called Piz Gloria which is famous for being filmed in Her Majesty's Secret Service a Bond film and not one of the better ones! Visitors have to be wary when putting their bags down as there are two revolving platforms which rotate slowly in opposite directions. While we were having a scrumplicious meal a lady sitting near us had put her bag on the window sill of the outer wall and hadn't actually realised that her table was rotating away from it! Then once forewarned she went and did it again! It was comical to watch and no doubt done a lot but it's just a good job the Swiss are a honest lot! Although the food was gorgeous it was rather too stuffy in the restaurant and unfortunately took for ever to arrive. Apparently the reason for the extreme slowness was once the waiter had taken the order (the kitchen being right in the middle and stationary) he then couldn't find the table as it had moved round. It was quite hysterical watching the waiter trying to work out where everyone was. They also had a problem keeping staff because of that reason, no one wanted to work there not knowing where the guests were half the time and some people do find breathing at that altitude quite difficult. I was a little disappointed with the Schilthorn after the Jungfrau Joch and I would suggest anyone going to the Jungfrau region for the first time visit Schilthorn before they visit the Jungfrau Joch. After the meal there wasn't really any reason to stay so we headed back down to Murren and ambled in the few shops there. St Beatus cavesHow we got there: It was a nice relaxing boat journey on lake Thun St Beatus Caves, and we needed to be relaxed for the next part of the journey which involved clambering up a steep zig-zag path up the side of the cliff in horrible sticky heat but it was worth it for the wonderful views of Lake Thun and the it's surrounding mountains. How we should have got there: By bus, it would have cut out some of the clambering, but spoilt the adventure and we would have missed the beautiful views of Lake Thun. Just don't try rushing! What is there: A small gift shop, places to sit and eat, a museum (though this would be more interesting if you can read German) more wonderful views of lake Thun, and of course the caves. What we did: Sat around until the next guided tour of the caves. These tours are not suitable for the unfit as the tour guides set a very fast pace, probably to stop one tour bumping into another, and in places it is quite slippery. Claustrophobics will not like some of the narrower parts either. You have to have eyes on the floor and it's difficult to look for as long as you would like if you don't want to trip up on jagged rocks or steps! The smell is also a little off putting but worth it for the stalagmites and stalagtites. What we did wrong: If you do not want to stick out like a sore thumb try not to be the only four British people in a group comprised of Germans and Swiss schoolchildren because not only will the tour guide make you go to the front you will also have to wait whilst after telling you in English all about stalagmites etc she goes through the same in german which takes twice as long. Reccomendations: The caves are really nice and cool on a hot day. For more information regarding St Beatus click here! Berne(by Susan)How we got there (and back): By train from Interlaken. Going back Carol and I caught a german ICE train. These are really nice and smooth, and second class is really comfortable with plenty of leg room, and tables, so goodness knows what first class is like - Maybe it has armchairs and champagne on tap! I will find out when I win the lottery! (Ha, Ha!) The dry factual bit: Berne is the capital of Switzerland, and has parliament buildings. The word Berne actually means bear and the city has a bear pit where naughty tourists are thrown to the bears (only kidding!) On the day we visited, Berne could equally have meant burn as it was the hottest day so far. What is there: Shops, loads of them, all under nice shady arches, and the large department store is a good place to stock up on chocolate and gingerbread bears. There is also the clock tower which is about as exciting as the Swiss clock in Leicester Square, and a bit on the short side for a tower. What we did: Went shopping! Played dodge the tram, walked over a very high bridge (not very good for vertigo sufferers and there is more than one bridge like this as Berne is built between a loop in the river). We also watched mad people swimming in the fast flowing river, where it seemed to be a case of catch hold of the pole or get swept away! Not recommended: Bears who like their freedom would be advised to keep well away from this city. MeirengenReichenbach falls Coming soon!
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