Thursday, August 4, 1983
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| Bern tram ticket |
We walked up the hill a bit over the SBB station to the funicular.
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| Sundial in the shade (GJT) |
We bought round-trip tickets for 4 CHF/$2 each and got on the 13:40 train. However, it left as soon as it filled up, at about 13:30. About 10 minutes later we arrived at Gurten Kulm. We first went to the left to find benches looking down on the city of Bern, and the Jura mountains were barely outlined.
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| Gurtenbahn funicular (GJT) |
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| Yuriko and Tamiko (GJT) |
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| View from Gurten Kulm |
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| Gurtenbahn funicular |
We had a lunch of tuna-macaroni salad and chocolate milk. Then chocolate chip cookies and iced tea. Behind us some people were setting up a tent. There was a
Spielbus/play bus and kids were running around in costume with made-up faces. After eating we headed up behind the funicular station to find a go-kart track and a children’s train ride.
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| Miniature train ride |
There were also electric karts on another track. We continued up hill behind a hotel, but the highest point was surrounded by trees. We went back to the train ride to check out the storage areas, then took the funicular back down. The SBB station was for the suburb of Wabern, and I was able to get a half-price ticket from there to Thun for 3.60 CHF/$1.80.
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| Wabern platform (GJT) |
We caught the 14:50 train and traveled through the countryside of gently rolling hills. In Thun we were just in time to catch a boat to Spiez, and my half-price ticket was only 1.80 CHF/90 cents. It was quite sunny with big fluffy white clouds. Clouds hid the snow-covered Alps, with only one mountain peak, the Eiger, peeking out. It was cool in the shade of the boat.
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| Hilterfingen boat landing (GJT) |
We saw some palm trees and the Oberhofen castle, some hazy Voralpen/foothills and an occasional snow-covered peak.
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| Oberhofen |
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| View of Niesen (GJT) |
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| Another boat (GJT) |
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| Spiez Harbor |
We got off in Spiez and walked up to the castle for the most beautiful view in the world according to some guidebook! If we didn’t like it, we were to pack our bags and go home! We weren’t too impressed, but figured it was because the Alps were behind clouds.
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| View towards Jungfrau |
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| Schloss/Castle Spiez |
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| Spiez Castle ticket |
We paid 2.50 CHF/$1.75 each to enter the castle, and started in a hall full of spears and armor, then went through a modern art exhibit. Next through a series of period rooms (kitchen, bedroom, etc.). The next floor up had fancier rooms of a dining room, library, and an all-wood carved room. We climbed up into the rustic tower for some nice views all around.
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| View of Thunersee/Lake Thun |
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| View from castle |
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| View of vineyards from castle |
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View of Thunersee/Lake Thun and
the Schlosskirche/Castle Church (GJT)
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| Yuriko and Tamiko (GJT) |
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| View down on Spiez |
Back down at ground level, we saw a couple more rooms, and a lower level with an old pumper and sled. I got a pamphlet for 20 Rappen/10 cents. We walked around through the old town to the train station. I bought a half-price First Class ticket for 13.50 CHF/$6 and we caught the 18:00 train that had one car going to Biel, arriving at 19:20. On the train we ate the cantaloupe I brought, and had iced tea.
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| Tamiko uses a Swiss knife (GJT) |
In Biel, we didn’t have time to catch the 19:45 Magglingen funicular, we dropped off things at the hotel. We followed the path along the railroad to the Magglingen funicular station, bought the 6 CHF/$3 each tickets and took the 20:45. About 10 minutes later we reached Magglingen, just as the sun had set behind the mountains, but there was enough daylight to see the city and lake below. We went over to the Bellevue Restaurant that was fancier than I had thought! We had tea, and started with a terrine of
foie gras, compliments of the chef. My, my! Our platters were shown to us before being set in front of us. I had the perch
à la meunière/a lemon buttery sauce with boiled potatoes. Dad got
Geschnetzeltes, this time with
gratin Dauphinois/sliced potatoes in a cheese sauce, and Mom tried the
Geschnetzeltes with rice. We sat in the front window of the restaurant, and locals leaving the bar stopped to stare at us! The bill came to 73 CHF/$36. We went out into the clear night and saw all the stars. We caught the 23:15 funicular back to the bottom, and walked along Vorstadt to Mühlebrücke, passing a drunken old man who seemed to be shooting a cap gun. Well after we had passed him, the gun went off with a louder bang than usual and we looked back to see sparks flying. I hope it was just holiday fireworks! At Mühlebrücke we checked the bus schedule when a #3 trolleybus arrived, so Mom and Dad got on with a beer-guzzling girl and her dog. As I walked home, a car stopped and the occupants said something unintelligible.
Even though it was so late, I risked putting in a load of laundry, hoping no one would protest and turn off the washing machine.
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