It's so Swiss!

Well, it’s been another amazing week. Mike’s daughter, Linnea, visited and we had a wonderful time showing her around the area. The first day we walked around Antibes and it’s central market and had lunch on the beach in Cannes while people watching all the wanna-bes stride along the promenade. Other days included lunch in TourTour and wine tasting at two good, local vineyards. Tuesday was market day in Cotignac and she hit every vendor and shop in town! Of course, Mike loved making nice dinners for his baby girl who is a very appreciative audience. Mike graciously sacrificed his time with Linnea in order for her to join my sister, Alison, and me for a “sister trip” in honor of my 50th birthday that was several months ago.

My birthday request was to hike in the Swiss Alps. I got my wish and it was more than I could have hoped for. Linnea and I left at 6AM to drive to Geneva to pick up Alison and her step-daughter, Katie, for our hike. We planned this for months and it was finally here. For any trip, I always feel some nervous anticipation at the beginning and it was particularly acute with this trip. We needed decent weather for some days and great weather for others. The trails were all challenging and we had been training. I’d been hiking the hills around Cotignac with a backpack full of water bottles so I’d be ready for the heavy pack. And it was heavy! Both Linnea and I had packs weighing in at about 15 pounds. Not much for experienced hikers, but a lot for us. Alison and Katie had their own challenge. They would arrive in Geneva, travel another five hours via car and four trains, jet lagged, and start the hike early the next morning. It was a daunting schedule. But - it was also very exciting. The four of us represented each decade – we had a 20 something, 30 something, 40 something and 50 year old!

We had no problems connecting with Alison and Katie in Geneva. We pushed and shoved backpacks and luggage into the trunk and took off for the Bernese Oberland part of Switzerland – a 2.5 hour drive to where we’d leave the car. We stopped along the way for lunch of turkey sandwiches that Mike had thoughtfully prepared for us. They were great! We arrived in Kandersteg (our ending point) under a cool, overcast sky that prompted all of us to put on long pants and jackets. We did some repacking, locked the car, and heaved the backpacks on for the first of many times to come. It took four trains to get to Wengen (the last one a cog train up the side of the mountain), the starting point for our hike.

Wengen was a small, quaint village perched on the mountains overlooking the Lauterbrunen Valley. It was filled with little shops, hotels and restaurants that looked like they were directly out of Disney World. Buildings were dark wood with scalloped balconies and deep overhangs. Windows were filled with lace or red checked curtains tied-back so that warm light shown through. The bottom of each window was bordered by a riot of red geraniums. We arrived to a little rain, cool and very cloudy weather. We could see the lush, green valley below but no mountain peaks. We did some shopping that included buying travel posters – not the most convenient souvenir to hike with! Alison had to carry the poster tube – or our “baguette” as Linnea called it – sticking out of her backpack.

We woke to the sound of rain and it drizzled most of the morning. No problem…a little rain wouldn’t stop us. We hiked to the bottom of the valley with jackets on, hoods over our heads, and the baguette wrapped in a plastic bag. We were quite a sight! The feeling was cheerful and expectant with chattering all along the way in spite of the light drizzle.




Lauterbrunen was snug in the valley and captivating with its cute houses and shops. Even the cemeteries were charming with each grave covered with flowers of all colors. It had almost a festive air. We all struggled for words to describe the town and mountains that surrounded us. Katie tried, “It’s just so, so…,” and at a loss for words, “…Swiss!”

Cloudy and drizzling, we still couldn’t see any peaks but the valley was filled with waterfalls. I’ve never seen so many waterfalls in one place! They started at the top of the mountains, in the clouds and tumbled their way down via falls, rushing mountains streams and more falls. We heard the roar of rushing water throughout the day. It would have been even more spectacular had it not been for the rain now in a steady downpour. There was no option but to walk to our next stopping point about an hour up the trail. It was not a leisurely stroll but just short of a run as we plodded along with feet squishing water with each step. By the time we reached a small restaurant in Stechelberg we were completely drenched – shoes, socks, jackets, pants, everything except the “baguette”. We sloshed into a corner of the restaurant, dripping water, and shedding soggy clothes as we went. We did not make a good impression with the waiter! After warm soup and tea, and out of other options, we put back on wet clothes and shoes and started up the valley and mountainside but in a lighter drizzle. Thankfully, the worst of the rain was over.

It was a long walk to the end of the valley where we passed more typical Swiss houses with flowers spilling over every railing. Our lodging for the evening was high on the mountainside overlooking the valley. Tired and wet, we pushed our way up and up over rocks and roots, leaving trees behind so that we were looking eye level at snow and cloud covered mountains. It was exhausting. Finally we rounded a bend to see a Swiss flag flying high on a pole marking the small, wooden hut of Obersteinberg. I watched as Katie and Alison rounded the bend that revealed the hut and the mountain view. There was a large stream gushing down the mountain, its roar audible from the hut. I smiled as Katie exclaimed, “This was SO worth it!”

The main building was warm inside but our rooms were in the next building which had no electricity or hot water – which we knew in advance. We were mentally prepared for a difficult night, but were pleasantly surprised. The rooms were simple, pine-paneled with large pitchers and wash basins. The large windows with tiny lace curtains opened to the view across to the mountains and the twin beds were topped by fluffy down comforters and candles on the night stand. It was cozy and comfortable even without electricity. Every one of us stripped off wet clothes, scrounged through backpacks for dry, warm clothes and snuggled under the comforter to rest. The lack of electricity didn’t deter Linnea – she managed to send emails via her Blackberry under the comforter with the candle burning close by.

After dinner, we all slept soundly with a little help from Ibuprofen. By morning our clothes were dry and breakfast was waiting. It was still overcast and a little rainy – to our disappointment – but we had to walk to the next town for the evening. Nonetheless, we had a good start. We spotted an ibex (wild mountain antelope) high on the mountain side, and, as we were chattering about that, we heard tinkling along the trail. We stopped to listen and down the trail came a herd of nine tiny goats with little bells around their necks. There was Billy Goat Gruff, a couple of mother goats and several babies who were seriously interested in munching the leaves along the trail. They were on a mission as they marched past us as though we weren’t there. They were so cute! That gave us a big energy boost and we laughed about the goats all day.



The trail led down the valley over slick tree roots and rocks. For Alison and Katie, it was like hiking at home in Oregon. We crossed several mountain streams sometimes with the aid of a bridge and sometimes not. Katie’s long legs had little trouble stepping along stones to cross the streams, but Linnea's short legs were another matter. She never waivered and made it across without help each time, but I don’t think there are many streams to be forded in LA! It was a short climb from the valley bottom to the small hamlet of Gimmelwald. We arrived at a pleasant hostel serving food on their sunny terrace – yes, sunny! We plopped down, dropped the packs and ordered tea, soup and apple strudel. We heard that the residents sold local cheese and milk from their homes so we went on a search only to find that they were out of the house making hay and wouldn’t be home until dinner. Oh well. But our search took us past quaint homes with gardens brimming with lettuce, beets, onions, kale and rhubarb. Bright flowers spilled over every window sill and balcony. Gnomes of all sizes were in each yard, and goats were climbing on the barns. …..it was so Swiss.



The last bit of our hike was uphill to Murren. It seemed like a long walk across green mountain meadows with little Swiss homes dotting the landscape. By the time we trudged into town my calves were stretching, lungs were heaving and stomach was growling. We arrived by mid afternoon and went for a stroll through the village shops. The sun was coming out and the clouds were beginning to lift to reveal glimpses of mountains peaks far higher than we expected. We sat on a sunny terrace for wine and tea and ohhed and ahhed over each sliver of mountain that appeared through the wispy clouds. It was a highlight! We went to bed early to prepare for the next day which was to be our toughest hike.

We woke to blue sky, sunshine and no clouds…not one. It was perfect, except that we were weary. We started hiking bundled up, burdened with heavy packs, and no conversation. Within 30 minutes, we were pealing out of clothes to shorts and sleeveless tops and feeling reenergized. Up we went. The first third of the climb ( more than 1000’) was up stone “stairs” that we called the Stairway to Heaven. The higher we climbed the smaller Murren became with bright green fields rolling behind us and white mountain peaks soaring across the valley. It was an amazing sight. After the first climb we had a long, flat traverse across a meadow filled with tan and white milk cows. Each cow had a huge cow bell around her neck. You could hear the bells clanging across the mountains. Katie said it sounded like a living wind chime. Linnea loved the cows. We decided that a cow is her animal totem. She delighted in taking their pictures and emailing them to friends and family – in the middle of the trail! She would stop for a photo, slowly sneak up to the cow, snap a picture with her Blackberry, and run away. What would my grandfather (a Texas cow rancher) have said?! We stopped for a snack of protein bars and trail mix at the Rockstockhutte – a small, stone hut on the mountain side just before the big climb of the day. After a short rest, and refilling our water bottles, we started up the mountain for the remaining 2000+ feet.



The trail led over high mountain meadows that were speckled with wild flowers. What a nice surprise! There were tiny yellow, blue, pink, purple and white flowers covering the green slopes and an occasional nettle. Little butterflies flitted across the surface of the meadow so that it seemed to be in constant motion. We paused frequently to admire the bright green meadows sloping behind us, with the sound of waterfalls and flowing streams, the now distance tinkling of the cow bells and the ever present mountains soaring above. Linnea said, “It’s so Sound of Music!” And it was. For me and Alison, who grew up on the Sound of Music, Linnea’s remark sparked the songs in our heads. Katie hummed every day and now we were all doing it. Alison hummed the Lonely Goatherd song and I couldn’t resist Edelweiss which we all sang (we saw the real flower the next day in a planter box in Kandersteg). Crossing a stream prompted Climb Every Mountain – my dad’s favorite. The hills were indeed alive with the sounds of music.

We hiked through the mountain flowers steadily upward, amazed at how the sounds changed in an instant. One minute there was the dull roar of a distant waterfall and with the turn of a corner that sound was gone and replaced with cow bells. The sun was bright and intense and made the snow pop against the blue sky. Spectacular.



As we climbed, there were small patches of snow and the pass was visible very high above us. Oh dear. The grass and flowers disappeared and were replaced by deep grey slate fragments that made the trail slide under our feet. The trail was barely visible and it became more of a scramble than a hike. We could just dig in our toes as we pushed upward. Linnea was in the lead and reached the Sefinenfurgge pass first. As she set foot at the top I heard her say, “That was the coolest thing I’ve ever done.” That was the only music I needed to hear.

Alison and Katie were close behind and we all enjoyed our accomplishment with a short rest at the top. On one side, we could look down over the green meadows and mountains peaks – the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau – that had been our traveling companions for three days.







On the other side was a distance green valley and hints of new mountains to come…and a very precarious decent along a steep wooden staircase.



Linnea remarked later that in other circumstances she wouldn’t go down something this steep, but here, there are no options. We all made it without difficulty but with care. Those who hike know that down can be more difficult than up, and that was our experience. It was a long downhill, and we had tired feet that were screaming as they shoved forward in our shoes.

We had a break at the very small farm house/barn of Ober Durrenberg that was festooned with little Swiss flags, checkered curtains and scalloped eaves. Inside a young girl sold milk straight from their cows who were nestled inside the attached barn. It was cool and refreshing but Linnea was the only one who managed a descent milk moustache!



We quietly slogged the last bit into the little village of Griesalp. Our inn was nestled on a green hillside with a porch overlooking the mountains we’d just crossed. The sun highlighted new riveting peaks. Each view seemed to be better than the next. An exhausted foursome plopped onto the porch to finally take off packs and shoes. I can still feel the relief. Grubby and tired, we trudged up the steps to our room. There are no luxury lodgings in these hamlets, but just the sight of our room was enough to bolster our spirits – not because of the comforts – but because it was so funny. Two of our beds were inside a nook that looked like a big closet. The pillows were barely an inch thick and the shower was out back inside the tool shed! Yep, the tool shed. But, warm water is warm water anywhere and it worked! We could hear cow bells clanking just behind our room. We had to giggle as an exhausted Linnea, who hours before loved the cow bells, asked, “Are they going to do that all night?” Refreshed, with a glass of wine on the porch overlooking the mountains, we congratulated ourselves on our accomplishment. We’ll talk about this experience all our lives. What a perfect gift.



The last day we opted to take the bus and train to Kandersteg rather than an even more strenuous hike. We would still be stuck at the train station if not for a nice, older man who helped us buy tickets at the automated kiosk. He even took us to the train platform. Despite his help, we got on the wrong train! We knew it was wrong when we saw him on the platform waving frantically that we were going the wrong direction. We sorted it out with the help of patient ticket-taker. We checked in to a cute, little hotel and hiked – with out backpacks! - to Lake Oeschinensee. It was a perfect, warm, sunny day with wispy clouds overhead. The lake was midway up the mountain and surrounded by snow covered peaks. The glacial water was a teal blue ringed by tall fir trees and a few restaurants with bright umbrellas on the porches. We learned that it was Switzerland’s National Day. Everyone, from children to grandparents, was out hiking on a beautiful Sunday, feasting on the day and the natural beauty that is Switzerland.

Leaving the restaurant after our final dinner together, we were greeted with more music. This time a brass band was playing along the street even as drops of rain began to fall. After the band marched by, there was a large group of scouts with lit torches waiting in the street. They started their own march through Kandersteg. We stood transfixed as boys and girls from all over the world, some in kilts, some young and some older, marched singing and laughing. Many of them high-fived us as they walked past! As we later snuggled under our warm comforters, with a cool breeze blowing in the windows, we heard the “pomf” of fireworks. Alison and I stood in our window and watched the display – the very long display. It was our final send off and – so very Swiss.

Throughout our days of hiking, I asked Alison, Katie and Linnea for their favorite moments. Linnea and Alison – the passionate animal lovers – choose the herd of little goats and the cows with their big bells. Katie loved those as well, but she and I shared a fondness for the mountains – their shy peeking through the clouds on our second day and their full grandeur on the third and fourth days. Katie also remarked about the unique mix of bits of civilization among the vast amounts of nature. For me, the most special gift was the opportunity to share this amazing experience with people whom I love. Alison and I have been on several “sister trips” for special occasions but this was the first time that the sister trip became a sister and step-daughter trip. I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in an experience that was, in their words, “the coolest thing I’ve ever done” and “so worth it.” It will be the memories of Katie stopping along the trail to press wild flowers into her journal, Linnea hiking with flowers in her braids, and Alison humming songs from the Sound of Music that will forever by in my memory. As Julie Andrews would say, “These are a few of my favorite things.”

And here are some of my favorite images.