Switzerland: Hiking at Murren and Gimmelwald

Swiss Milk Houses above Murren

 Kim the inveterate hiker  had planned a super loop for us. We headed first down the narrow paved path from Murren to nearby Gimmelwald, passing quaint Swiss houses, breathtaking views of the gorge below and the snow dusted mountains above. We had taken the cable car from Gimmelwald to Murren the night before, today we saw all that we'd missed.

At Gimmelwald we headed back uphill, winding our way up first pavement, then gravel, till we came to a crossing footpath. Up yet again on the footpath we climbed through farm fields yellow with the fall. We passed numerous small barns called milk houses. I guess it's so arduous to move the cows up and down the mountain they use a system of small distributed barns for milking. Then we crossed into forest.

The close forest set the stage for our spectacular first destination. As we exited the woods the trail quickly turned around a rocky point, protected with a simple rail, and revealed a high overhanging waterfall with the path itself winding down the cliff face to pass behind it. Once under the falls, you could look downstream and see the distant peaks revealed through the shower of water and the narrow crevice sliced through the rock by the fast-tumbling stream. What a treat. The waterfall must be incredible with snow melt in the spring.


On the far side of the waterfall, the trail resumed its climb through the woods for some time till it opened out into a series of meadows forming the headwaters of the stream feeding the waterfall. Amazingly, here was a small restaurant that catered to hikers (of course closed in November). Seems if winter is the ski season, summer is definitely the hiking season, with the infrastructure to prove it. The trails look rustic and private this time of year, but are universally marked with professional signs at every intersection giving destination, direction, and walking time. Hard to get lost, even  if we didn't "sprechen sie Deutsch".

Across the valley on the ridge in the distance, we could see the cable care from Murren to Schilthorn. We were tempted to hike up to the intermediary station at Birg, but decided given the distance and elevation, we hadn't the time. A wise choice, since when we later took that cable car, we could see that our route was still partly covered in snow. It would have been quite a slog.

Instead, we crossed the stream at a washed out bridge and traversed the hillside on another narrow country road through alpine farms. Here we finally saw Kim's favorite cow, a Swiss Brown. To this point it had been the red and white, coarse haired dairy cows. The satiny gray of the Swiss Brown is quite beautiful, if not exactly brown.

We then began our descent into Murren. The road turned back to pavement, and we began to see the ubiquitous fountains common to the Swiss countryside. We had seen similar, though simpler ones in the hills above Gruyere. Here again at regular intervals were spring fed troughs and fountains, some as simple as a pipe out of the hillside. Others like that above nearer town were quite decorative. As we descended we stopped near one of these fountains for lunch procured from Kim's magical pack, more cheese, bread, nuts and chocolate to refuel before we hit Murren and jumped the cable car to the Schilthorn.

Switzerland: Murren

Our Guest House in Murren

Murren is a cute resort town perched on the slope atop the rim of a the gorge we'd traversed in the dark the night before. It in turn is at the bottom of  32 miles ski runs, a toboggan run to the next town, and home to the longest downhill ski race in the world - the Inferno. 1,900 racers descent 7,140 feet. 450 residents and 2,000 hotel beds. Boy am I glad we came in the off season!

Eiger Guest Lounge

Up early, we find a fine complimentary breakfast of the usual European fare at our home for the next two days - the Eiger Guest House. We seem to have the floor to ourselves. We have a balcony, four bunkbeds for the 3 of us, and a shared bathroom down the hall. And a cozy lounge and restaurant downstairs. We're on the streets before the sun clears the mountains to warm the town.

Morning View from our Balcony

Definitely the off season. As we walk around, there seem to be only 3 restaurants open in town, and what activity there is seems limited to the buzz of seasonal changeover. One cable car is strictly running supplies and equipment now, we share our cable car rides with construction workers, and utility vehicles are all we see in the streets. They are a diverse and charming lot, from tractor-like flatbeds to surplus military. We see a power wheel barrow pass and turn up the alley loaded with cabbages from a local garden.

Another Cool Utility Vehicle

The buildings are an interesting mix of well tended old Swiss mountain styles, new multi-tenant condos imitating the chalet, historic hotels, small commercial establishments, mostly closed now, selling outdoor wear, gear, souvenirs, and food. Several older unteneded small barn-like structures are framed by wooden posts outlining the new structure that will soon take their place. Murren seems to be trying hard to preserve its history, market that history,  prosper from it, update it, and not be overwhelmed by it. So far they've been pretty successful I'd say, but it's a tough balance to hold.

New Condos at Murren

Older Murren

I like that while it is obviously tourist focused, it seems to lack the chain franchises and ostentation of many of the resort towns I've seen in the American Rockies. And it's lack of other than service vehicles is wonderful for keeping it quiet and on a human scale. It's supremely walkable and invites exploration, which quickly leads you the footpaths. Footpaths extend across the face of the mountain. On the lower slopes where cows graze and humans reside, the paths are linked by narrow paved service roads, no wider than a bike path and reserved for hikers,  moving cattle, and the little tractor-like trucks the local farmers use. Higher up, the paths wind on alone up to and above the tree line.

Those paths were our destination for the day. But that's the next story.

Switzerland: Gruyere to Lauterbrunnen

Along the Way to Lauterbrunnen

Changing Trains

We hiked back up to our hotel in Guryere, checked out, then hiked back down the hill with our luggage to the train station in Prigny. It was to be an afternoon of trains across the foothills of the Alps. We passed town after scenic town along the tracks. Changed trains along the way, and headed up the beautiful Saane River valley. Climbed up through Gstaad (I always remember Gstaad from the Pink Panther movie, and now I've seen it) where they already had the city skating rink up and iced. Chalet style homes on the hillsides were the norm, and the fields still held the browsing Swiss cows.

We had another one of our travel lunches as we watched the rivers and mountains pass. We were well prepared, with a fresh loaf from a local bakery in Gruyere, Gruyere cheese of course (and several others, including some of our precious Vasterbsttensost), bars of Swiss chocolate, and bags of pistachios and toasted almonds. We ate well.

Typical Lunch on Travel Days

Ann Watches the Scenery

Near Interlaken

As evening approached, we descended into Spiez and turned along the indescribable shores of Lake Thun as we made our way towards Interlaken. The views from the train across the lake in the soft evening light were fantastic, with low golden mountains in the distance, blue skies above, small cities nestled against the shoreline, boats reflected out on the water amidst pastel shades of mountain and cool shades of sky.

A Swiss Lumber Mill - Man these Folks are Neat

I had the pleasure of seeing a Swiss lumber mill along the tracks. Always interested in infrastructure, I was again taken by the general neatness of industry here, especially in the German section of Switzerland. So little debris, such neatly stacked product, everything in its place, painted and maintained. Along railway tracks where you see in most countries the industrial underbelly. Hardly that in here.

Interlaken is wonderfully situated on the waterway at the junction of Lake Thun and Lake Briez. I would love some day to explore Interlaken, but this trip we're headed away to the high Alps. We made our last train change of the day Interlaken, and headed from the lakes up the Lutschine River towards Lauterbrunnen.

Swiss Town at Dusk

From Interlaken towards the mountains is a broad plane. Night was imminent now, and in the towns the lights were coming on. Car headlights flashed by on the evening commute. The sunset outlined the shadowed peaks behind the fields as we approached. By the time we reached Lauterbrunnen, it was full dark.

Heading up the Valley to Lauterbrunnen

Here we had our one and only public transit snafu in Switzerland. At Lauterbrunnen you enter a long, fertile canyon. We were to take a cable car  from the train station at Lauterbrunnen out of the glacial canyon to the sloping hillsides above where we would catch another train along the rim to Murren, a resort community where we would spend the night.

Leaving the Cable Station at Gimmelwald

But it was early November, the off-season between summer hikers and winter skiers, and they'd closed the lift while the upper train was in for repairs. But our trusty guide Kim quickly got us on a postal bus up the valley to another cable car to Gimmelwald, with a transfer there to a cable to Murren. We missed the spectacular valley in the dark, rode the cable cars up the sheer faces in the dark, then walked the empty streets of Murren under the streetlights to our guest house at the other end of town. Arriving cushioned in darkness would make the views next morning all the more unexpected and spectacular.

Switzerland: The Gruyere Countryside

Morning in Gruyere

Footpath from the Chateau to Town

 The next morning Kim and I woke before dawn (we're both early risers), and went for a walk around old Gruyere. It was fun to see the tinting sky still with stars, the streetlights, and the deserted alleys. Many of the tourists on Sunday had gone home, having spent Saturday night, and we had our run of the place.

We headed back for a breakfast at the hotel with Ann who was up and ready for the day. The hotel had a fantastic breakfast setup, the best while we were in Europe. Fresh bread, great cheeses (of course), fruit, super coffee, juices, muslix, yogurts. Why don't we find such good breakfasts in the US, even at swanky establishments? We could have stayed all morning eating, but we had plans - to hike down from our hill-top castle and into the surrounding hills that day to see the rural Swiss countryside. It was going to be another great day, and the sun was full out now, with few of the clouds that capped the peaks yesterday.

We hiked back down our hillside foot path into Pringy, and were almost run over by a pair of mountain bikers whirring by in full kit. I had noticed a few the day before on the cobbles of Chateau de Gruyeres and was intrigued. It appeared that at least in this part of Switzerland, mountain biking is a touring sport of footpaths and dirt roads, not ride centers. With scenery like this, I can see why. The mountain biking routes are clearly marked with their own signs. This is good, since many of the foot paths we used were unsuitable for biking, and it would be a bummer as a biker to keep getting off onto unridable trails.

Cows along the Regional Rail Line

We followed the wonderful trail signs out of town  on a small paved road along the regional rail tracks. The narrowing valley was scattered with small dairy farms - cows resting along the tracks and road. We turned off an a small dirt track through another farm towards a beckoning tree covered ridge and mounted a narrow road climbing the flank of the hillside and entered a deep woods. It was a steep climb through the trees. It was odd as we climbed the forest to smell the fall manure spreading wafting amongst the pines on an up-slope breeze, not the pines. Not used to agriculture cheek-and-jowl with northern forest I guess. And November must be manure season here as well as in Sweden.

The Well Marked Trails of Gruyere

At the next trail sign we intersected a steep footpath that climbed left the road and climbed the hill more aggressively. We followed that up switchbacks to the top of the ridge where we emerged into the morning sun, blinking, to find a narrow paved road winding through a pastoral paradise as it climbed the ever-rising ridge. Very narrow, perfectly paved roads were to become a theme for us in the Swiss uplands. They seemed hardly wider than many urban bike paths, single lane unless you pulled off into the grassy shoulder, and there wasn't much of that either. And very little traffic. We only saw 2 cars in over an hour. It would be the most incredible road biking route! No wonder biking is so big in Europe.

Kim and Ann Climb the Upper Road

We wouldn't be able to hike all the way to the top of the ridge in the time we had, we had to be back in the afternoon for our train to Lauterbrunen, so we just hiked higher and higher, taking in the beautiful fall sunshine and the scenery.

A Friendlier Kind of Cow

The only denizens of the region we encountered were the skittish dairy cows. Kim pointed out the two traditional bells they wore. One was smaller, cast and machined and bell shaped. The other was often much larger and seemed made of stamped sheet bronze. It had a distinctive and often lower tone. I wish I knew more about the bell traditions here.

Nearing our Turn Around Point

Though one cow in particular was quite friendly, and followed us along the fence, eventually sticking its broad, wet red nose through the barbed wire in greeting. Sorry bub, no treats today.

It would have been great to keep going all day, but we had to check out and catch a train, so we turned around at the next segment of forested road, and headed back with the broad valley spread out before us.

On the way Back Down

The Chateau de Gruyeres from Above.

Of special interest was seeing the Chateau from above. Its hilltop redoubt rose above the surrounding farms, the Chateau walls, towers, and church clearly visible against the surrounding villages. You could almost imagine the old social structures of lord and peasant village here, and the insecurity that drove the rulers to build on the hilltops.

What a great piece of Swiss countryside. A day at the Chateau was about right, but I would have loved to spend more time exploring the region around the Chateau. Opportunities for hiking and biking abound. Hilly, but not so extreme as the high Alps, so more accessible. Some day....

Switzerland: Chateau de Gruyeres

Old Gruyere from Our Hotel

We threw our bags on the beds, and decided that we would spend the rest of the day exploring the old city. We joined the other tourist in the street and headed uphill towards the Chateau gate.

Just inside the inner wall we found several very creepy modern sculptures. They looked like they were from the sci-fi movie Alien. Sure enough, right there, inside a 11th century castle, was a museum dedicated to the Swiss artist, H.R. Gieger, who was the artistic inspiration for the film. I guess where the tourists are, that's where the museums go, historical logic or no. We declined to pay the admission, but did get to peek into a bar across the street who's interior was fully "alienized", ribbed ceiling, vertebral bar chairs, and all. Wouldn't want to get too soused in a setting like that - you'd wig out.

The chateau was the home of the Gruyeres from the 11th to the 16th century. The last Gruyere went bankrupt, and his creditors, the neighboring fiefdoms, split the properties. The representatives of the Fribourgs then lived in the castle for 200 years, when it was sold to a wealth family as a summer residence. They and their artist friends restored it. In 1938 it was sold back to Fribourg and made into a tourist attraction. It is now run and preserved by a foundation.

Chateau Gruyere Kitchen Fireplace

Because of its long history and extensive remodeling in the mid 1800's, you can see quite a variety of styles within the chateau - from gargantuan medieval walk through fireplaces and guard rooms, to highly painted 19th centry dining and bedrooms.

Chateau Gruyere Dining Room

 Inside the chateau walls, but outside the residence, are several courtyards, a chapel, and a substantial church and manse, accompanied by several grave yards. Interestingly, many of the headstones in the graveyards were quite recent. I've heard you only have a certain amount of time in some European cemeteries where space is at a premium before they move you out to make way for the more recently dead. Maybe that was true here?

Church Yard Beside Chateau

Courtyard in Chateau

The views from the chateau were spectacular, from the low surrounding mountains to the broad farming valley below. Very cool.

Evening Falls  in a Gruyere Alley

View from Chateau Gruyere

Church at Chateau Gruyere

 We spent all afternoon touring the Chateau and the surrounding town, looking out over the valley and surrounding mountains, exploring back streets, the other gates to the city, ending with a visit to the church and a walk through the dusky lanes as the street lights blossomed. We were starving.

Kim and Ann Share the Mandatory Fondue

And in Gruyere, how you could you visit and not have fondue? Is not Gruyere the premier fondue cheese? There were lots of fondue joints. We chose one that was bright and cheery, with warm wood walls, and plopped down for a meal of cheese and bread. The fondue was quite good as fondue goes (I am not a natural fan), and the bread was perfect. Ann ordered the pickled onions and baby cucumbers to dip, but I didn't care for that tradition. But good bread dipped in a wine-cheese sauce with a crisp glass of white wine hit the spot. Full and tired, we waddled across the street to our hotel, climbed the stairs to our room, and rolled into bed. Tomorrow, the countryside.

Switzerland: Geneva to Gruyere

Swiss Inter-city Rail

Swiss Regional Rail

Getting to Gruyere was going to be a beautiful exercise in public transit. Kim has no need of a car, and doesn't own one. And the Swiss transit system is famous for its extent and punctuality. Schedules in hand, she walked us the half kilometer to her bus stop and caught the bus to the train station in downtown Geneva. From there we caught a main line. Again, not high speed rail, but very fast and smooth.

We were treated to scenic views of Lake Geneva in the hazy morning light, to outlying cities, to vineyard covered hills (yes, a Swiss wine industry). We arrived at a small, outlying station where we would transfer to regional rail. Kim says, "Ok, 5 minute layover here". Wait, that sounds awfully tight. But we arrive on time, de-train and there's the regional train waiting. We climb on it leaves promptly.

This happened time after time in Switzerland - close transit schedules met perfectly again and again. No delays, no missed connections. It's super efficient, super convenient, and pretty affordable. I love it. And electric trains everywhere, even on small rural routes where in other countries you might expect buses. A train fan's heaven.

Leaving Gruyere Train Station

The regional train wound up into the foothills of the Alps. We crossed field and forest covered hills and farm covered lowlands. There were no soaring, snow capped peaks here, just pretty farms, quaint towns, and beautiful fall color.

We crossed a broad, flat farming valley and pulled into Pingy. This was the town below the Chateay de Gruyeres, along the rail line and the river. Next to the tourist office across from the train station was the cheese vault where the Gruyere cheese from the region is aged. Surrounding the end of the valley were low mountains and between them at the edge of town is a hill capped by the Chateau de Gruyere. Once a fortified castle and home, with a town built against it inner wall, its defensibility is clear from below - it commands the entire region from its redoubt.

The Famous Gruyere Cheese Aging

A steep winding road crisscrosses the hillside, a steeper footpath leads more directly to the old city. We hiked up the footpath in beautiful 50 F fall weather. Cows grazed the hillside wearing the traditional bells. After touring decidedly non-tourist parts of Sweden, it was clear that this was an area focused on tourists. Early November was definitely the off-season, but on this warm, sunny Sunday, there were plenty of folks about. Most spoke French, and being a weekend, we figured they were Swiss out for a nice fall outing after the international tourists had gone home.

Entering Hilltop Old Gruyere

Near the top of the hill our path joined the road and passed through a gate in the outer city wall. The entire old city was within this outer wall. Stepping through the gate was like stepping back into time and at the same time into a resort. All the wonderfully preserved buildings, the gorgeous cobble streets. All the well dressed tourists, restaurants, shops, and boutique hotels. It was a careful balance of preservation and re-purposing generally succeeded.

Kim had found us a sweet upstairs room for three in a hotel in the center of old town (and on pretty short notice - yay, Off Season). She not only was our tour guide, but also our personal discount banker, not only handling check-in here, but all the bills on the Swiss leg of our trip, charging us a straight conversion with no fees at the end, to be paid into her US dollar account. Thanks, cuz.

Stairs to our Room in Gruyere

We climbed the narrow stairs from the lobby, down the narrow hall, and into our cozy room. It was nicely updated while retaining a historic feel. We swung open the windows and gazed over the main street across a flower box of blooming geraniums, listened to the crowd below, and planned the rest of our day.

Switzerland: Umea to Geneva

Kim's 3rd Floor Home

The trip from Umea to Geneva was to be an all day affair, since we needed to return to Goteborg via Stockholm to continue our cheap transatlantic ticket through Frankfurt to our destination in Geneva. What with layovers and multiple flights, it took all day.

We were meeting Jeff's cousin Kim there. She's great fun, and was taking most of the week off to guide us through some of Switzerland she had not seen since moving there 3 years ago, and some of her favorite parts that she wanted to share. What a great way to see a country - joining a local guide with a good command of the local language (French in this part of Switzerland - she can and does walk to France from her condo to grocery shop), who is also good friend and family member.

Our plan was to travel to Gruyere and Murren with Kim at the beginning of the week, then return and tour Geneva the last two days of the week when Kim had to be back for meetings.

Our Home-Away-From-Home at Kim's

We left Umea at dawn as the rain was ending and the clouds lifting, and were rewarded with lovely sunlit views  of the Gulf of Bothnia and Finland from the air. We could see the ships plying the sea, shafts of light piercing the clouds, the fine lacework of waves below. After a beautiful approach over the many islands of Stockholm (we have to get back to Sweden some day to visit there), and some confusion as we missed the Swedish instructions to leave the plane, then re-board, we landed again in Goteborg where our connecting flight to Geneva departed. Five hours layover in Frankfurt (what is this, the O'hare of Europe?) after a wonderful aerial view of the industrial heartland of Germany, and we finally landed in Geneva at 10:30 pm to a madhouse. Everyone must have been returning on the red eye that Saturday night.

Bison Graze Outside Geneva.

But my cousin Kim found us quickly at the baggage claim and expertly guided us through the terminal (she, an inveterate traveler for the WHO in Geneva), avoiding the worst crowds, to the bus terminal and the proper transfer downtown to her condo. Tired and happy to see her again after several years, we climbed the stairs to her home, and dropped into bed.

In the morning we were greeted with a fine breakfast of musli, fruit, cheese, and tea (man, those 240 volt European electric tea pots heat fast. No one seems to use microwaves to heat water over here - the tea pot is faster), and a lovely view of the surrounding farms on the outskirts of Geneva. Wait, are those North American bison grazing the foothills of the Alps? Sure enough. Exotic meat sells well everywhere, I guess, and this Swiss farmer has found a higher margin product I bet.

Without dilly dallying, Kim gets her cats set for our absence, we grab our bags again, and we're off on another leg of our adventure.