Bernese Alps

Switzerland       
A beautiful country, but an expensive one to visit.  We did a quick 5 ½ day trip around the central and western part of the country.  The train system is efficient, and it was easy to get where we wanted to go with very little waiting. We flew into Geneva and then took the train to Lucerne stopping in Berne on the way.

Berne - Its old city is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Built between the 12^th and 15^th centuries, it was rebuilt in 1405 in sandstone after a fire destroyed most of the town.  Its medieval feel still remains, and as the new was built over the old, cellar doors take you into shops still on the lower level of the town.

Cellar door leading to a below ground store

The upper floors of all the buildings jut over the walk way so the whole central town area has covered walks.  

High street in old town of Berne

It was nice as it was raining or pouring off and on while we were there. The center of the street has medieval fountains scattered down its length.  The house where Einstein developed his theory of Relativity is on this street.

Einstein's Home

Einstein's work room

 

The Cathedral is the tallest in Switzerland and the door carvings are reminiscent of Norte Dame. 

Aar River with Cathedral tower, old town on hill, bear pit in forground

Cathedral Door

 The medieval bear pit has been modernized and has 4 impressive brown bears that look a lot like grizzlies.



Berne Bear

 

Bear Pit along Aar River hill side.

Being the Capital of Switzerland, the Parliment building is also found in Berne.

Capitol Building

Lucerne/Luzern – A beautiful setting on a lake in the mountains.

 

Sounds like Montana, and looked like it if you changed the style of the houses. We only got glimpses of the higher mountains as the clouds would part briefly, but the lake is beautiful and remarkable clear.  Swans in great numbers inhabit the lake near the docks and walks ways surrounding the lake in the town’s center. A few ducks were with them.

 

Chapel bridge is the most famous image of Lucerne. It is an impressive structure and the original tower attached to it was a chapel then a dungeon and now a gift shop. This bridge burned and was rebuilt in 1993.

Chapel Bridge

Spreuer Bridge, just down river, is the original one from 1408. It bounces as people walk across it, so it’s hard to take pictures on. In its rafters are painting showing how the plague affected society.

Spreuer Bridge

Inside Spreuer Bridge- Arch pictures about plague

Part of the cities medieval wall still exists and you can climb the towers and walk the wall. The clock tower allows you to climb and see all the workings of the clock.  From the ramparts you get a great view of the lake and town.

 

It was market day while we were there.  One side of the river was a flea market and the other had food of all kinds.  John tried the straddle and cheeses – all  good.

A modern site, 1820, is a lion carved into a cliff to commemorate the Swiss soldiers killed trying to defend the French king during the French Revolution. 

Golden Pass Railway - This railway goes from Lucerne to Montreux on Lake Geneva.  It travels through the mountains and is a cog railway for a significant part of its run because the slope of the rail line is so steep. 

Brienzersee
 

It snowed on the mountains the night before we took this route so there was fresh snow on all of the peaks we saw.
The mountain towns

 are very picturesque with steepled churches, cows with large bells, classic Swiss chalet homes with the barn attached to the house, numerous lakes, streams and waterfalls. 

Village in the mountains

House with barn attached on left

Cow with bell

Zermatt/Matterhorn – This is a high class tourist town that sits at the base of the Matterhorn.  However, it is quite charming.  It is a no gas vehicle town.  Tourists must leave their cars down the mountain pass at Tasch a town about 5 miles away and take the train to Zermatt.  There are electric vehicles in town serving as taxis, delivery vans, and bicycles are the mode of transportation for most locals. There were a few large construction vehicles with gas or diesel engine, but very few.

We rented an apartment for the three nights we were there.  It had a wonderful view of the Matterhorn from the front room and deck. 

View from our apartment in Zermatt

After all the rainy weather and the hide and seek mountains, we were delighted to see the Matterhorn when we arrived.  It is a very impressive mountain because of its height and the fact it stands alone. 

Us with Matterhorn over our shoulder

There are taller peaks in the surrounding Alps, but the Matterhorn is the only one visible from Zermatt. We awake the second day to blue skies and no clouds. 

Matterhorn with cog rail train and station in foreground

We took a cog railway to 10,132 ft. to view the 14,690 ft. mountain, surrounding Alps, and 12+ glaciers. John was most impressed by the glaciers and their frozen flow.

Glacier flowing down the Alps

 

The next day we awoke to clouds and the Matterhorn disappeared into them by the time we finished breakfast.  We took a 5 hour hike up the trail towards the Matterhorn. 

A "Christ House" (Kreitzberg) where climbers pray before they climb the mountain.

Zmutt

 The choice of hikes was limited as the snow has lasted much longer than usual this year. It was a nice hike even though the Swiss don’t believe is gently sloping trails.  It was like climbing a steep set of stairs for two hours only it was a trail. There were benches strategically placed to enjoy the view and catch your breath or let your legs rest.

Typical older house on "mushrooms" to keep rats out

We saw a 500 yr. old village, Zmutt, sheep with bells, wild deer (They raise deer here), a deep canyon, a dam, and almost vertical views to Zermatt.

Wild Deer

Our final morning we awoke to 5 inches of new snow! Even the locals were surprised. Roller bags don’t work well in that depth of snow.

Our view on the last morning

Geneva – After we arrived by train from Zermatt, our flight schedule allowed us to briefly explore the old town and the park along the harbor. 

Geneva has the first Protestant Cathedral, St Pierre. It became Protestant as Geneva was at the heart of the reformation. John Calvin preached here.  We toured the archeological dig under the cathedral. The buildings found here include ones from Neolithic, Roman, and Medieval times.

These remains included 3 other churches, as well as baptisteries, and recluses’ cells.  The oldest find was a burial of a chieftain from 86 BC which lies under the current churches altar. 

 
So the site has always been a place of worship for the humans in the area.   Each new group built their own form of temple at the same place.