I headed out to find some dinner. I wanted to see the Square behind the Cathedral and thought I might find something over there.
It was Friday night so the restaurants that poured out onto the streets were full and the park pictured above was a gathering place for locals to enjoy the beautiful evening with friends. The views of the river and surrounding area from this perch were just perfect.
Strolling around during the early evening was magical.
I was failing at my mission to find a place to eat not from a lack of choices but probably just from decision fatigue. I decided to head to the COOP and get something simple.
I worked on the blog for a bit while watching an episode of The Simpsons in German (listed as “Die Simpsons“ on the TV guide). I managed to stay awake long enough to say good night to Mikey who is nine hours behind me and had just gotten home from work.
After a few hours sleep I woke up and was jet lag’s bitch until around 5am. I finally fell beck to sleep for a couple of hours and woke around 8:15am.
I went out to grab an espresso, and apple and croissant. Trams run up and down the main drag here and all over the old town.
I forgot to show this souvenir reusable bread bag I got from…the Ass Bar.
I spent most of the morning packing up my bags for the journey to Gimmelwald. The train ride was simple due to the ease of the Train App and the always on time trains, buses and gondolas of Switzerland.
I’ve been anticipating returning to the Bernese Oberland since Mike and visited there in 2019. I got really excited (stand up and take a picture across the train excited) when I saw these mountains in the distance.
Of course, these are just the foothills yet they look like the Sierra Nevada’s do from Sacramento on a clear day. Another 10 or 15 minutes down the track and I could see some actual snow covered Alp peaks which are so much bigger and taller. Now I was really excited.
I’d considered hanging out in Interlaken or one of the other little towns along the way to my final destination today but just kept going until I arrived in Gimmelwald.
Picturesque doesn’t even begin to describe this place. The views in every direction are simply jaw dropping. I got a little emotional being back here. And I was hungry.
In a town hanging off the edge of a cliff with a population of around 130 people there aren’t a lot of restaurants. In fact there’s none that are open like a typical restaurant during lunch. No matter. I’ve been craving Alp Cheese since the last time I was up here so after dropping off my luggage I strolled down the road until I found a barn with a sign that said the magic words. Alp cheese for sale. Just inside a rickety door there’s a small refrigerator where I picked up the above pictured items. there’s an open box of Swiss Francs where you drop your money in and take your change. Honesty Shop. I love it.
As hungry as I was I couldn’t help but walk the loop around the town so I chucked the cheese into my bag and walked.
Beautiful.
I found the stairs that lead back to Esther’s Guesthouse, which is where I’m staying.
A few things about the above photo. First, as I type this I am occasionally glancing out the skylight into more stars I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Second, the town is literally hanging on a cliff. Between the trees in the photo and the giant mountains behind them is a very deep valley carved out by a glacier thousands of years ago.
As I headed back down to the guesthouse it started pouring.
I stayed pretty dry under a couple of trees and enjoyed the show. It was over in 5 minutes.
That’s the gondola coming down for Murren, the next town up the mountain.
And I love the cheese and the sausage. My mouth is watering as I write about it. The cheese smells wonderful and has a mild but complex flavor. The sausage was nice and Smokey and dry. (Crap. It’s around 1am as I type this and I’m seriously hungry now. This next section isn’t going to help.)
The building to the right is Pension Gimmelwald, a small hotel that serves dinner at 7pm nightly. I’d made a reservation for myself for this evening.
As I sat on the porch relaxing the owner/chef was out I got the garden (seen in the picture above) picking what I’d be eating in just a few hours.
Dinner was a rustic affair. The food was good but it was really all about the view.
Full and fading quickly I headed back to the guesthouse and got ready for bed. Sleep has been a little hit or miss so I figured I’d crash when I got tired (it was around 8:30/9pm) and work on the blog when I inevitably woke up in the middle of the night, which I did at a little after midnight.
A few more things. I got to pet a dog on the train…
…which made me miss my family very much. I got to attend my fight club meeting online which was cool to do. And now as I finish this I get to stare at the stars for a while until I fall asleep again.
Thanks for continuing on this trip with me. I hope you are enjoying the ride. I sure am.
Art’s Travel Adventures 