Gstaad Again (1/10/1982)

Sunday, January 10, 1982

Train day pass

Took the 7:52 train to Interlaken. The snow and rain problems are still having an effect on the trains, as we left 10 minutes late. I got off in Spiez and had a cloudy look down on the town with its dominating castle and church. Boarded the 9:26 train to Zweisimmen where I changed to the Montreux-Oberland-Bernois (MOB) narrow gauge train. This train stopped to let skiers off at the bottom of the slopes in Saanenmöser and Schönried. Wound our way down into Gstaad, arriving at 10:50. I wandered through town seeing the Palace Hotel on the hillside and many old wooden chalets with wood carvings, paintings, and verse.

Palace Hotel up on the hill

Commercial chalet: shops below, living quarters above

Bank chalet

St Nikolaus Kapelle/St Nicholas Chapel

Swiss chalet

There were some new apartment buildings, but they were built in the chalet style.

In the Gstaad station I saw some newer MOB trains with “sun windows.”

Montreux-Oberland-Bernois train with "sun windows"

St Josef Kirche/St Joseph's Church

Walked to the edge of town to get a photo of the train on a trestle.

Gstaad with ski slopes behind it

New apartment chalets

Montreux-Oberland-Bernois train on the trestle

Montreux-Oberland-Bernois train

I thought about walking to Saanen, but discovered it was a bit farther than I thought. Saw a private plane fly down into the valley below; apparently there is an airstrip near Saanen. Returned to the Gstaad station to catch the 11:58 train to Montreux.

Steeple of the Saanen village church

Snow plow train in Saanen

Traveled through a steep gorge wit a stream. At Château-d'Œx I did see a sort of castle.

Château-d'Œx general view

Gruyère-Fribourg-Morat train in Montbovon

After Montbovon, we went through a tunnel to emerge in the mist. The mist sat on Lac Léman, and mountains rose up around it. Wound our way down to Montreux.

In Montreux, caught the 13:31 train to Geneva and the sky began to clear.

Gare de Cornavin/Cornavin Train Station in Geneva

In Geneva, my destination was a Wendy’s! Yummy chili and a Frosty. Their French fries were like McDonald’s fries. The sky was fairly clear and only Mont Blanc had a crown of clouds.

View of the Alps

Took the 16:31 train to Biel. At least I found the sun today. Skiing conditions are reportedly poor due to the warm weather. The Swiss have been saying that the Föhn/a warm dry wind from the South, is raising temperatures and “eating” the snow.

Heard some ladies exclaim, “Look at the brown snow!” It seems that the farmers spray manure on the fields to prepare them for planting in the spring.