Grindelwald (10/9/1982)

Monday, October 4, 1982Found a four-leaf clover.

Four-leaf clover

Tuesday, October 6, 1982They finally turned on the heat in the Personalhaus/staff residence!Saw glimpses of the Alps during breaks in the cloudy weather. Wednesday, October 6, 1982Elisabeth J and I left work at 12:00 to walk down to Bulova to catch the #1 trolleybus. It was pouring rain. I used my bus ticket for only the 7th time! We sat on the seat over the rear wheel and my feet dangled. At the train station I bought a half-price round-trip ticket to Bern for 6.90 CHF/$3.50. We caught the 12:34 train. In Bern we went up the back stairs of the station to Bubenbergplatz to have lunch at Wendy’s, which was a new adventure for Elisabeth! She had a hamburger and tea, and I had chili, fries and a Frosty. At 13:30 we headed to the Inselspital/Island Hospital and its Kinderklinik/Children’s Clinic, a very modern hospital. The CP Beratungsstelle/consultation center was on the 6th floor and we met Jutta S at 14:00, who alerted Rosie S to our presence. We spent 2-1/2 hours with Rosie to get ideas for our therapy groups (4-6 kids). It would have been longer but she had an appointment. I gave her the Ticino hand-printed stationery. Elisabeth and I went to catch the 17:08 train to Biel, and she got off at Lyss. I arrived in Biel about 17:45. Saturday, October 9, 1982

Train day pass

Since I fell asleep at 18:00 yesterday, I made myself get up at 7:15 this morning! I caught the 8:34 train to Bern (saw a couple deer near a cornfield), arriving at 9:00, and went to the Bern tourist office where I found coupons for McDonald’s. Took the 9:27 to Interlaken. Although there was a cloud cover, you could see the snow-powdered Alps were in sunshine. Arrived in Interlaken Ost/East at 10:20 and bought a half-price ticket to Gindelwald and Kleine Scheidegg for 17.80 CHF/$9.

Interlaken to Kleine Scheidegg train ticket

Boarded the Berner-Oberland-Bahn (BOB) train that left for Grindelwald at 10:40. At Zweilütschinen the train divided and our half continued up the Lütschinental towards Grindelwald. A couple times we hooked up to a rack with a clunk. We reached the large town of Grindelwald at 11:25. The train leap-frogged with a couple autos heading up the valley, and when I saw them in town, the license plates said “Canada.” The autos were filled with guys and topped with skis. The town looked like any other, except that the snow-covered Alps could be seen above the rooftops of stores and hotels. I walked towards the other end of town and found the First chairlift, getting a half-price ticket for 12 CHF/$6.

Grindelwald to First chairlift ticket

I was comfortable in a sweatjacket and was even warm when the sun was shining directly on me. The chairlift faced sideways and as we headed up, I realized we were going above the snow line!

View up on First chairlft

Looking down you could see Grindelwald was located in a large basin or bowl of a valley. The town buildings were surrounded by pastures, orchards, and farm buildings dotting the hillsides.

Gindelwald Basin

Up behind it all was the rocky face of the Eiger towards the right and the Schreckhorn in front. A sign said to show your ticket at each station, so as we approached the first station (Oberhaus) I was expecting to get off and change to another chairlift. But the chair zigged and zagged, and I found myself on the second leg. The attendant didn’t seem to want to see my ticket. Now I could see patches of snow below me, and it progressed until the ground was completely covered with snow, but the roads and paths were clear. The trees were dripping, making a tinkling sound that was the only thing heard except the whirring of the chairlift cable, and the occasional clicks as you went over the stanchions. I was starting to feel the cold, so pulled out my raincoat. That sufficed, except my hands were still cold. I was ready to show my ticket at the Bort station. Now I was being blinded by the sun on the snow, and the roads and paths were covered. The trees still tinkled.

Still heading up on the First chairlift

I went through the Egg station and arrived at the First station (the last station!). The chairlift is the longest in Europe at 5 km/3.25 miles and rises to an elevation of 2168m/7,610 feet. The snow was at least a foot deep. I followed a beaten path to an overlook. You could see the Alps all around, from the Wetterhorn, Schreckhorn, a ridge called the Fiescherhörner, and the Eiger. Behind the Eiger was the Jungfrau, but it was soon covered by a cloud.

Eiger and part of Jungfrau

Grindelwald Basin

Schreckhorn and chairlift

Eiger and Jungfraujoch

Kids were building snowmen and throwing snowballs. At about 12:10, I headed back downhill. At the far side of the Eiger, you could see the snow shelter tunnels of the Jungfraujochbahn. I noticed that most of the people on the way up on the chairlift were wearing long tan coats, all in the same style, and some were neatly patched. I saw piles of these coats at each station, and at the main station a line of tourists were taking a coat from a pile. What service!Once in Grindelwald, I walked back to the station to catch the 13:10 Wengernalpbahn train to Kleine Scheidegg. We dipped down to the bottom of the Grindelwald Basin to Grund where you can connect to the Männlichenbahn (aerial cable cars eventually leading to Wengen). We climbed up the other side of the Basin, where the snow was already a meter deep, to Kleine Scheidegg with lots and lots of tourists, most of whom appeared to be Japanese.

Grindelwald from Kleine Scheidegg

Wengernalpbahn train in Kleine Scheidegg

Jungfraujoch and Wengernalpbahn train

Jungfraujoch

After taking a few pictures, I went to catch the 13:59 train to Lauterbrunnnen. They must never turn the trains around, because the uphill-facing seats were shallower than the downhill-facing seat, so that you were less likely to slide out of the latter. A wonderful day, so sunny and clear. We dropped into Lauterbrunnen with the Staubbach Falls cascading from way above.

Stabbauch Falls

Switched to the train to Interlaken, arriving in time to catch the 15:24 train to Bern. By the time we got to Bern, it was cloudy and you couldn’t see the Alps anymore. Arrived in Bern at 16:30 and went to McDonald’s to get a free Coke with a Big Mac and fries. Took the 17:08 train to Biel.