An October Sunday in the Bernese Oberland

:)



Hello again

Switzerland, and my area especially, is enjoying a run of really fantastic autumn weather: cool to cold at night but balmy during the day, clear views, humming insects, the air around 20°C and crickets still cricketing at 9pm, the waning moon now hanging yellowly in the otherwise clear sky -- could be totally romantic if one were thus inclined...

Here are some photographs taken last Sunday, from a mountain above Interlaken, Harder Kulm (approx. 1400 m asl). It's the kind of excursion I'll make perhaps once or twice a year, but since I had never been up that particular mountain, it was good fun, if rather crowded. A brief visit from my English friend J. was what prompted us to explore this very popular spot.


The crowds were very good-natured -- an exciting slide invites kiddies to slide down; a wooden train has a real bell; tubes are a challenge to crawl through; there are other fun bits and toys. The restaurant is ok, culinarily not very exciting, perhaps, but satisfying and reasonably-priced; the waitresses extremely friendly and efficient -- just two of them, young things, rushed off their feet to serve a very large crowd.

Harder Kulm sports some lovely walks, too, and as soon as you venture further than a few hundred yards into the mountain woods, the silence is almost complete, save for some birds calling and the very occasional walker saying a friendly hello as your paths cross.

First, the view from the platform outside the Harder-Kulm restaurant:

The triangular mountain peak in the middle of the last photo is the famous Niesen, on Lake Thun, another very popular excursion spot. And another peak I've never been up. Soon, I hope!
One of the walks is called the "Feenpfad", the Fairy Trail. Most fittingly, a suitably tall rowan tree, heavy with red berries at this time of year, guards the entrance to the trail:


Lothar, the storm of late December 1999, tore out swatches of woodland. Some of the ruined trees make for eye-catching stumps, don't you think?
The good thing about that natural disaster is that the trail now provides some glimpses and stunning views of the Eiger, Moench and Jungfrau and a few other snowy peaks in the Bernese Alps.

Suddenly, a glimpse of one of my very favourite lakes, Lake Brienz [brEE-ence] or "Brienzersee":

More images from the Fairy Trail:

Another glimpse of Lake Brienz:


Returning to the rather crowded terrace can be an exercise in contrasts:


As the day wore on the sun threw more light, and more shadow gave the mountains across the valley floor better definition:


On our way down, I managed to catch another few glimpses of Lake Brienz as seen from the funicular railway (inaugurated in 1908 -- for more details on the railway, see end of this post):

And here's an impression of the steep tracks up the mountain. There is one tunnel and I forget how many bridges -- a feat of engineering rather typical of those days.


Finally, a few photos from when we rounded off the afternoon by strolling along the Aare canal to Interlaken West train station, a delightful, easy 'constitutional', so to speak.


I hope you enjoyed this little tour. :)
Take care -- thank you for sending in your comments.


P.S.: Here's some information on the "Harderbahn", taken from Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harderbahn:
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The Harderbahn is a funicular railway that runs from Interlaken (altitude 567m above sea level) to a station near the summit of the Harder Kulm (altitude 1322m), Interlaken’s own mountain. From Harder Kulm station, a 5-minute-walk takes you to the Harder Restaurant. The views from the restaurant terrace are spectacular, over the town, Lakes Thun and Brienze, the Lütschinen valleys and the summits of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Clear weather is essential for a worthwhile visit.

The funicular, opened on 15th May 1908, has a length of 1435 m. and climbs a total of 755 m. (2340 ft.) from the lower station, close by Interlaken Ost main line station, to the upper station (Harder Kulm) near the summit. The journey takes around ten minutes. The line, with a gauge of 1 m., is single track with a single passing point and is operated by two coaches. Power supply is by a 400V three-phase system and the line uses the Stromsystem Drehstrom [three-phase alternating current, MPJ] which controls the passing of the cars safely. The railway, unusually for a funicular, almost describes a quadrant and so does not cut a direct path through the woods and spoil the view of the mountain from the town.

Passenger Vehicles

The present two passenger cars, numbered 1 and 2, were constructed by specialist builders Carrossiere Gangolf AG of Bern. Each carry 62 passengers in 4 compartments.

Timetable

The line operates daily from the last weekend in April to the end of October with a regular service of trains :

Departures from Interlaken : 08h00*, 08h30*, 09h00 and every 30 minutes until 11h30, 11h45, 12h00, 13h00 and every 30 minutes until 16h00, 16h45, 17h15, 17h45.

Departures from Harder Kulm : 08h00*, 08h30*, 09h00 and every 30 minutes until 11h30, 11h45, 12h45, 13h15, 13h30 and every 30 minutes until 18h00.

* Sundays Only

A round trip fare, adult, is (2006) CHF 24.00, children half fare. Discounts are available for holders of railcards, Swiss rail passes etc.
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Techies may find the following site quite interesting [I am not responsible for the English used there... ;)]:
http://www.funimag.com/suisse/Harder01.htm