Brienz (12/12/1981)

Saturday, December 12, 1981

Train day pass

Caught the 10:52 train to Bern. Most trains to Bern have just come from Bern, but this one came from the Neuchâtel direction and had passengers on board. After 15 minutes past departure time, a conductor came through to tell us there would be a 15-20 minute delay because they had to change locomotives. After only a couple minutes we departed.

It was snowing earnestly when we arrived in Bern at 11:30. Changed to the 11:40 train to Interlaken and we left the snow behind. As we traveled along the Thunersee/Lake Thun, you could see all the mountain tops were white with snow. Yet all was green down by the lake. So half of Switzerland is covered with snow - the top half!

Arrived in Interlaken Ost/East about 12:35. As I waited for the 13:05 train to Luzern, I watched all the skiers clomp by in their ski boots. My next train followed the shore of the Brienzersee/Lake Brienz that was a funny greenish blue color. Apparently the Swiss are so fastidiously clean, that they put chlorine in their lakes!

At about 13:30 I got off at Brienz. The sun went behind a cloudbank and the wind licked up waves on the lake. I followed Hauptstrasse/Main Street and did not hear the roar of the Wasserfälle des Giessbachs/Giessbach Falls because of the roughness of the lake, I suppose.

Passed several souvenir shops and wood carving shops that were closed. Brienz is known for wood carving; the Schule für Holzbildhauerei/ Woodcarving School was established in 1884. The Swiss firm Lötscher makes the only genuine Swiss cuckoo clocks in existence today in Brienz (cuckoo clocks were invented in Germany, but the Swiss contributed the chalet style and music boxes). The Jobin factory shop was open and I browsed the mostly rough and dark wood carvings. They specialize in music boxes.

I walked back along the edge of the lake and the waves threatened to douse me.

Brienzersee/Lake Brienz

Brienz

A couple boys were packing snowballs from a pile left by a snowplow. They said a friendly “Gruesse/Greetings” instead of pelting me with snowballs.

I entered a COOP store where it seemed the clerks knew most of the customers. Bought a bag of Christmas cookies and returned to the train station. The cookies included sugar cookies in various shapes, some nutty chocolate stars, and a Pfeffernüsse/spice cookie in the shape of a fan. There were also some rock hard chocolate cookies.

Caught the 14:01 train back to Interlaken. The local station stops were bus-shelter size but looked like miniature Swiss chalets or barns. Arrived at Interlaken Ost/East at about 14:30 and decided to walk to Interlaken West. Many of the souvenir shops and hotels were closed up tight. Jungfrau could be seen beneath the clouds through the bare chestnut tree branches.

Jungfrau from Interlaken

When I arrived at Interlaken West, I was passed by the same two boys who had followed me out of the Interlaken Ost station. Did they really follow me all the way?

As I waited for the 15:22 train to Bern, I saw a couple Eastern Europeans retrieve their suitcases from baggage check, and start to repack them. I saw a lot of cigarettes being stuffed under clothing. These guys had to sit on the suitcases to close them!

Arrived in Bern at 16:20 and had my weekly meal at McDonald’s. They have taken over the second floor of three buildings for their eating area. The middle section had generic tables and chairs, while the outer two sections had the modern McDonald’s furnishings. The evergreen garlands were decorated with lumps of cotton balls, crumpled aluminum foil, and crumpled red tissue paper. But it was Christmas-y!

Caught the 17:03 train to Biel.