Niederhorn

6th Sep 18

Thought we would try a trip on the other lake today, and headed to Interlaken West to catch a boat to Beatenbucht on Lake Thun. There didn’t appear to be much where the boat dropped us off, but this is the starting point for a funicular ride (including a stretch through a very dark tunnel) followed by a cable car which took us all the way up to Niederhorn, a peak of 1950m in the Emmental Alps.

The views are spectacular, but as usual we were in need of sustenance immediately on arrival. Fortunately, there is a restaurant which served us bratwurst, bread, mustard, and chips to keep us going. We then headed off for a walk along the top which offered amazing views in all directions, including Lake Thun, and Harder Kulm in the distance. The cloud was hugging the tops of the higher peaks over the valley but the conditions were surprisingly mild with hardly any wind at all. There was the constant sound of cowbells as we wandered along which added to the atmosphere, and then we encountered three cows which had decided to have a rest directly on the trail. We concluded that they were unlikely to cause any harm as one of them was being petted by a two year old boy, whilst his parents watched on, so we picked our way around them. Further on we met a couple of mountain goats who happily posed for photographs as long as we didn’t get too close. The residents were certainly very friendly on the mountain.

A bit later it was obviously time to try and take photos of the two of us using the camera’s timer whilst sat on a small tripod. The first attempt ended with Michelle telling me it had fallen over when I was running downhill to pose with her - the exposure wasn’t too good on that one. The second attempt faired a little better but running up and down Alps to get in place in time for the camera’s timer to go off was hard work at that altitude.

A little later the discovery of an old ski lift seat being used to hold way-markers provided a further photo opportunity.

When we arrived back at the restaurant for a drink Michelle decided to try a Swiss drink called Rivella. This was despite being told that it was made from milk whey, even though it didn’t look anything like milk. The verdict was that she liked it but doesn’t want another one for a while.

Niederhorn Cablecar

The boat journey back to Interlaken gave opportunities for photographic experimentation, including monochrome, soft focus, and a kite boarder.

Tea consisted of Swiss style rosti with a bottle of Pinot noir from a vineyard near Geneva. Walked home in the rain (The only rain of the whole trip to Switzerland).