Swiss Made – 2012

This year’s excursion to the Swiss Alps started a bit differently to usual.  Mr Missladydj decided to drive this year, rather than the usual car/fly/train/train/cablecar combo – planes trains and automobiles!

17th/18th August – England/Switzerland

We take the 01:16 eurotunnel and leave Calais at around 02:30 local time for what would be, it turned out, a 12 hour journey to our destination.  The vast French motorways pass by in darkness, and by sunrise we’ve made it as far as Dijon.   After an unfortunate toilet stop – the details of which I won’t go into here but involved a hole in the ground and a previous user that obviously had a very bad aim – we manage to bolster our bladders for later!

Simon seems to have become rather manic – probably a combination of lack of sleep, Red Bull and jelly teddies.

Simon having a moment with a green jelly teddy

We cross into Switzerland at about 10am – that’s more like it.  Small undulations become hills that become mountains – hooray!

The temperature is by now 33c as we reach the cablecar station at Betten.  The steep ascent brings a merciful drop in temperature and as we step out at Bettmeralp, our lungs are filled with fresh mountain air.  A trait of Mr Missladydj is that he’s impossibly on time for everything.  It’s like he can’t help it.  The accommodation is available from 14:30 so, as per usual, he delivers us to our destination literally to the minute.  We’ve stayed at the same accommodation before, so after quickly unpacking we head off to the Co-Op to get our supplies in.  Sunday still signifies a day of rest in Switzerland so tomorrow we’ll go hungry if we don’t stock up now.

After a quick supper of salad and pizza we’re all bushed and ready for our bed so we turn in for what will be a very peaceful nights sleep.

Sunday 19th August – Villa Casel/Riederhorn

At 1957m above sea level, the altitude of Bettmeralp can affect us swap-dwellers adversely.  Hills that you would normally climb without much effort in England suddenly can leave you surprisingly breathless.  For our first wander, we tackle the short walk up to Villa Casel and around Riederhorn.  We were planning to navigate to the very peak but the heat of the day is unrelenting so we settle for circumnavigating the peak instead. The woodland smells divinely of warm pine. If only I could bottle this smell!

Simon (aka Mr Missladydj) and Samantha

We stop for our usual Swiss lunch of Appenzeller, Gruyere, bread and a tomato cut up with our trusty Swiss Army knife and enjoyed on a shady woodland bench,  Then onwards around the horn to the sunny side, behind the snow defences and back down the mountain.

Hunger beckons as we near home, so we stop for a cold drink and icecream at a nearby restaurant.

Sam and Simon enjoy a beer and ice cream

Dinner is a fondue!  Molten cheese, wine, a bit of kirsch… with bread dipped in – what’s not to like about that?  I add vegetables to ours – mushrooms, peppers, tomatos…  luckily no one drops theirs in the cheese –  the penalty for this is having to kiss the person next to you.  As much as Sam loves her brother, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want to have to kiss him!

Monday 20th August – “Strawberry walk” to Goppisberg/Riedmorel

Mr Missladydj and I take an early morning walk to the bakery to buy Gipfeli and Weggli – two traditional breakfast pastries which I must have when in Switzerland!  Gipfeli are similar to croissants but much nicer; they have a crisper crust and are less fatty than the French version.  Weggli, well, they look like a bum if I’m honest, and are a soft white bread roll.  After enjoying these on our patio overlooking the Matterhorn we depart for the strawberry walk.  We’ve dubbed it this as we know that there are wild strawberries and raspberries to be enjoyed along the way!

If you know what this insect is, please tell me!

Me with our fruity booty!

Our descent along the mountain track is in dappled shade, then out into the fierce and unrelenting heat at Greich for a 20 minute walk to where we know there is a lovely shady bench waiting. We’re really happy to be out of the sun by now.

View from our shady lunch spot – Goppisberg

After a stop for lunch, we continue through meadows and woodland, past characterful old farm buildings.

We cross 3 mountain streams – the ozone giving us a much needed refresh. Dipping our hats in the water and having a bit of a water fight, we get pretty wet but it’s so hot we don’t mind. The milky glacial water coming down from the mountains is freezing but not suitable for drinking. The steep descent down to Riedmorel is easier than before – may be due to the powerwalking training – I manage to run down and get tickets for the gondola up to Riederalp and have a 5 minute wait for Sam and Simon. Just time to get my breath back!

For evening dinner, we introduce Sam to Zigerbutter – a pungent herb butter made with Shabziger cheese and a special kind of herb called blue melilot – produced exclusively in the Kanton of Glarus.  You can eat it spread on bread, or, as we have it tonight, on boiled potatoes.

Potatoes, Zigerbutter and Cervela sausage – a dinner for kings!

Back at home and after a shower, we all sit outside on the sunloungers and watch the weatherfront roll up the valley.  At one end, a fast-moving cumulonimbus and at the other, the Matterhorn is no longer visible under a storm that’s heading our way. It’s all very dramatic; with thunder echoing around the mountains.

Stormfront coming in over the Matterhorn

Tuesday 21st August – Bettmerhorn

The UNESCO Aletsch Glacier – click it to big it

We take the gondolla from Bettmeralp up to Bettmerhorn Bergstation to partake in a traditional (well, for us it is a tradition) lunch at the mountain restaurant.  For me this means only one meal – Weinerschnitzel und pommefrittes bitte 🙂

Before this though, we’ve got to earn it! Mr Missladydj and I take the hard climb up to Bettmerhorn; faced with puzzling and seemingly impossible rock scrambles, you need to be agile and fleet of foot for this!

In places the path is a rick-rack wooden ramp, suspended over some very precarious drops.  If you’re lucky you’ll get a wire cable to cling onto! Our lungs get a good workout as we ascend to 2872m – a steep climb up 219m to the summit where there’s a large cross and a guest book!  I make a dedication to Levi (our furbabycat that died last October) and to my Nonna who died this year.

The way down was not as bad as expected. OK, some of it was made clinging to the wire cable like my life depended on it (it did!), or practically with the use of all four limbs to steady myself. At one point Simon made a dramatic swing out on a wire cable – almost stuntman-like – which made me burst out laughing, only to nut myself with the same cable when it was my turn to climb down!

By now our tummies were rumbling so we headed to the restaurant and ordered… weinerschitzel and chips for me and Sam and pork in a mushroom cream sauce for Simon. It was delicious and eaten with much appreciation by all of us.

Sam & Simon at the Aletsch Glacier

Getting my Schnitzel on!

Wednesday 22nd August – Aletschwald

It was just me and Mr Missladydj today as Sam was resting her knee.  We walked up to Villa Cassel again to begin the trail through the wonderful Aletschwald (Aletsch forest).  This is one of my favourite walks as you pass through dappled sunlit forest that has a gorgeous warm aroma of pine.

It was really quiet, except for the distant rumble of a couple of waterfalls on the opposite side of the valley; water coming down from glaciers high above in the mountains.  After a few hours of undulating paths through the forest it was time to start climbing up.  This is a really good cardio workout!

Reaching the crest at Moosfluh, we find a decent spot for lunch and a little nap before carrying on around the back of Blausee (a small lake) and then onto Bettmersee (another lake) and into Bettmeralp.  We think we deserve a treat after a 600m climb, so we stop at the bakery cafe and enjoy an icecream and a cold drink.

In the evening a storm  develops down the valley and we stand and watch as the sky is lit up in bright bursts.  There’s no thunder, only lightening and it reminds me of the aliens coming down to earth in War of the Worlds!

One of the chapels in Bettmeralp

Thursday 23rd August – Anyone for trotti?

After yesterday’s walk, we decide to give our muscles a rest and have an easy day.  Walking to Bettmeralp cablecar station, we hire trotinettes.  These are oversized scooters with BMX-type handlebars that you can whizz down the mountain tracks on and bring back up on the cablecar from Betten-Dorf (halfway down the mountainside).  Mr Missladydj and I have done this several times before but we’ve never had to sign a disclaimer!  We sign our lives away (yes; we have insurance, yes; we acknowledge that the track may also be used by hikers and farm vehicles, yada yada yada) and decline the offer of crash helmets – we like to live on the edge 🙂  And we’re off!  within a few minutes we’re flying down through Bettmeralp and onto the mountain tracks, passing bemused cows and old wooden farm buildings.

Sam on the trotti bike

Sam takes a tumble but after a few moments to compose her giggles, she’s up and back on the trotti, no lasting damage done.

We’ve paid for two trips so after the ascent back up, we’re off again but this time taking a slightly different route down.  As we finish our second ride, it begins to spit with rain and the steely sky threatens thunder.  On a previous year’s trotti trip with my parents, we all got soaked – literally pouring water out of our boots and wringing our underwear out!  After stocking up on more bread and cervelas (Swiss sausages) we head back home with the intention of having a BBQ.  This turned out to be easier said than done, producing a lot of smoke but no flames!  By now I was getting hungry so we resorted to cooking the cervelas and bratwurst on the hob and enjoy them with some bread, mustard and – my favourite – paprika crisps!  The weather worsens, a storm blowing in rain and low cloud.  After an hour of so of this the weather clears and it’s sunny again.  All we need is snow and we’ll have had the four seasons in one day.

Friday 24th August – Eggishorn

We wake up to a rather overcast day but it looks like it might clear.   The clouds move so quickly in the alps; it can literally change from one minute to the next and today we’re going to see this firsthand.  We walk to the end of Bettmeralp and take the seatlift up to Schonbiel.  Sam approaches getting onto the seatlift with some intrepidation; not entirely sure how to get on the thing when it doesn’t stop!  We get in position and let ourselves be scooped up into the air, pulling the safety bar down and we’re off.  This isn’t Mr Missladydj’s favourite thing in the whole world and he grips the bar for dear life.  Sam and I enjoy the ride, spotting a marmot before he darts into his burrow.  At the top we set off for the walk to Fischeralp, then we take the cablecar to Eggishorn.

The temperature is rather chilly at the top, so it’s on with the fleeces and waterproofs.  We start the climb to the very summit of Eggishorn, the glacier not visible under a layer of cloud and the odd spot of drizzle.  Simon drops off the party, then Sam, leaving me to climb up alone.  I nearly make it to the peak but by now the drizzle is laying on the rocks and it’s getting slippery.  Added to the reduced visibility and the fact that I’m alone, I decide to turn back.  At this point the clouds start to clear so I can get a good view of the glacier down towards the valley. 

It’s a really strange sight – At one end dark cloud and at the other sun beams down.  It almost looks like heaven and very surreal.

We wait around long enough for the cloud cover to lift and reveal the top end of the glacier where it splits into two, spend some time admiring it and then decend back down on the cablecar to Fischeralp.

Simon waiting in the warm for the clouds to clear

Setting off for the walk back to Bettmeralp, the weather picks up a bit more and the sun comes out 🙂

Saturday 25th August – If at first you don’t succeed…

Today we’re having a relaxing day.  The weather doesn’t look that promising but we take a walk up to Bettmeralp with the intention of having a BBQ at Bettmersee lake.  After getting provisions at the Co-Op, we make our way up.  Funnily enough, no other crazy people have opted to try to have a BBQ on such a miserable day!  I climb up the ladder of the wood shed and find myself climbing right in to reach the logs and paper.  I manage to climb out again without falling down the ladder – a good start.  Pitching our stuff by the side of one of the 3 BBQ’s, we set about trying to light the thing.  Turns out this is easier said than done.

In previous years we’ve managed this without too many problems, but the damp and windy conditions, added to that the logs are probably a little bit damp, and the damn things refuse to light.  Mr Missladydj insists that this is because of the location of this particular BBQ, so we move to another.  After doing our best Bear Grylls and creating lots of whittles in a couple of logs, we try again to get the fire lit.  By now we’re getting hungry and I can’t resist tucking into my Gipfeli.  Still no joy.  A procession of people turn up to a wedding reception at the nearby lakeside cafe.  A few people walk past and we exchange greetings and a few shrugs and rolling of eyes (international language for “shit happens”).

During the interlude, I take a few nice snaps of some butterflies.

An ooopma band strikes up to entertain the wedding guests, which raises our spirits a bit.  The sun teases us with an intermittent presence but after over an hour we decide to give up and light the BBQ at home with a pre-made tray BBQ instead!

Sunday 26th August – Moosfluh/Roti Chumme/Marjelensee/Fischeralp/Bettmeralp

We’ve set the alarm to get up early to do the “Tunnel Walk” along the glacier.  The weather looks pretty dank, in fact we can’t see anything as it’s foggy out.  We decide to take a chance after checking the webcam online and make our way to the gondolla at Riederalp for the ride up to Moosfluh.  It’s still just as bad up here and actually quite cold as well.  Still we decide to head off for 30 minutes and see what happens.  As we navigate along the rocky paths by the glacier, the cloud periodically clears and we are offered a glimpse of the enormous glacier and surrounding mountains.  Climbing over a few rockfalls, we eventually reach a steep downward path to where the rock dips down to the glacier.

We can see parties of people out on the glacier, and their size really brings home just how vast the glacier is.

It’s too windy and cold to sit in our usual lunch spot, so we press on towards the tunnel, past Marjelensee surrounded by cotton flowers.

Reaching the entrance to the tunnel, we arm ourselves with our torches and enter the darkness.  A 10 minute walk sees us emerge into the sunshine on the other side.

After stopping for a lunch of cheese, bread and fruit we crack on, making rapid progress towards Fischeralp.  Sam and I are going to take the seat lift from Schonbeil to Bettmeralp to save her knee, but Simon opts to walk down instead.  The seatlift sounds like the easy option but we must first walk UP to it!  Once we’re comfortably seated we try to spot Simon on the path below whilst observing a marmot and some birds of prey.  Simon has really got a shuffle on and is waiting on the path where it goes under the seatlift, waving frantically 🙂  Meeting him back in Bettmeralp, we all make our way back home after a good day’s walk, a bit tired and achy but ready for a hot shower and dinner.

Monday 27th August – Relaxing day

It was supposed to be an easy day today but somehow we ended up on a steep upwards path through the forest into Bettmeralp.  Under a perfect sunny and cloudless sky we found the zip-line park (which was closed today) which looked like excellent fun!  Attached to this is a playground for the little kids – or adults that should know better 🙂  We have a bit of mess around since it’s deserted – video evidence here!

After all that strenuous activity, we stop at Hotel Panorama for a spot of lunch.  Sam has Rösti with bacon and egg, Simon a creamy pasta dish and me, Spätzle – a dish similar to gnochi made from an egg dough.  This was served with a cheese sauce with bacon and onions and was absolutely delicious.

After a leisurely walk home we enjoy some time on the sun loungers for a bit of R&R.

Tuesday 28th August – Hängebrücke (suspension bridge)

Today was a tough day.  It started off easily enough with a leisurely cablecar ride down to Betten followed by a short train journey to Brig.

Nussgipfel…. nomnomnom

We had 40 minutes to spare in Brig so we hit the bakery in the station which I know to be an especially good one!  Simon and I haven’t had a proper breakfast so we indulge with a Nussgipfel – a gorgeous pastry filled with a nutty paste and topped with toasted hazelnuts.  It was huge but soooooo good.

Once on the Postbus, I was eager to hear the driver toot the horn.  I must explain why – in Switzerland there is a little rhyme that all the children know which goes “De Da Doe Post-Auto”, mimicking the distinctive sound of the post buses horn warning oncoming drivers of it’s presence on the winding narrow mountain roads.  All of a sudden the driver activated the horn which had an unexpected (and rather embarassing) affect on me and I ‘had a moment’ and had a few tears!  You see, it reminded me of those days when my brother and I were little and we would go on the postbus.  I think sometimes to visit Nonna or on the postbus with her as well. It evoked happy memories but at the same time the realisation that we will never have those happy days of being little kids again.

Once I’d composed myself, we arrived at Blatten and disembarked with everyone else as it’s the end of the line.  Purchasing our tickets for the Belalp cable car, we notice that there is a large group of school kids waiting to go up as well.  That made for a cosy and rather compact journey!

Now began the steep descent down to the bridge.

The trail drops 525m and in parts it’s challenging; unstable rocks make for slippery footing.

It’s often assumed that it’s easier going down but it’s not. After a while your muscles start to tire and then start to shake, added to that the stress on your joints.

The Hangebrucke is visible in the bottom of the photo – click it to big it, then again to zoom in!

Finally we reach the bridge.

124m long, 1m wide and 80m above the fast-flowing glacial water below. It’s made of tensioned wire with a metal grid floor.

I can see the reason for making the floor like this but it’s not for people who don’t like heights as you can see the ravine floor way below you!

Here’s my film of our crossing…

We find a rock to sit on and watch a group of people with 3 dogs (with whom we’ve been crossing paths with all the way) trying to get the dogs across the bridge. The largest dog, something like a pointer, keeps trying to follow one of his human companions onto the bridge but keeps turning back. His attempts are made in the style of a baby giraffe; all spread-eagled, but he’s not silly. The man (who thus far has been carrying a terrier for much of trail) ends up carrying the little terrier in his backpack and the pointer in his arms! This is not an easy task as the bridge sways and bounces and has a steep incline back up to land. We watch his progress and congratulate him when he reaches our side – the little terrier in the backpack looks very cosy and the pointer goes bouncing off as if nothing had happened.

After a piece of fruit to give us some energy, we set about on the long ascent back up to Riederfurka. The rocky face turns into woodland and we lose the sun. Probably best as the heat doesn’t help energy levels. We walk at our own pace and in the end I get seperated from Sam and Simon – Simon keeping Sam company as she’s struggling a bit with the incline.

I enjoy walking in virtual silence through the forest, seeing lots of birds that you’d miss as a group and being at one with nature. The forest floor is springy with pine needles and smells lovely and earthy. We exchange the occasional whistle to retain contact, making stops when needed. This is a great cardio workout! At one point I get to the crest of a hill and meet a Scottish man and his son who ask me how long down to the bridge. They were obviously put off by my answer (at least 1hr 45mins down from that point – plus back up!) and turn back again. It’s 3.30ish by now so probably a good decision. I sit and wait for Sam and Simon and get a shout that a glucose tablet is needed for Sam!

She later tells me that she saw two trails at one time where there was only one and got a bit faint and woozy and would have happily sat and cried under her emergency space blanket!

I plough on – eventually finding a sign that says “Reiderfurka 20 mins”. Hooray, nearly there! Eventually I pop out just where I thought I would in the Aletsch forest, and wait for Simon and Sam. It’s all downhill from here through Riederalp and back home as it starts to rain lightly.

Wednesday 29th August – Lazy day

After yesterday’s walk, we decide to take it easy.  This entails some sitting in the sun reading, until early afternoon when Simon and Sam decide they want to throw down the gauntlet and have a game of crazy golf.  Not my bag, but I’ll tag along anyway.  The banter about who’s going to win continues until we get to the course, then it’s game on.  To cut a long story short, Simon was victorious.  On the way home we stop by the bakery and get a cake each for dessert and enjoy it whilst watching a film.  Basically not much happened today 🙂

Thursday 30th August – Massaweg

Mr Missladydj and I get up early to a slightly foggy morning but decide to do the Massaweg walk today whether it rains or not.  Sitting indoors when there are wonderful mountains to walk in isn’t an option.  We get the Bettmeralp cablecar down to the valley at Betten, then the train to Brig and the postbus to Blatten – basically the same route we took for the Hängebrücke.  By the time we get off the bus, it’s spitting with rain and it just gets harder so we kit up with our waterproofs and make our way through the forest before crossing the ravine slightly down from a dam wall (which we’ve crossed in previous years).

The rain is relentless but it’s an enjoyable walk.  We’ve done this trail several times in boiling hot temperatures so it makes a change!

Can you see me?

Clouds sit level to us in the valley and periodically part to provide a glimpse of Brig below.  The aroma of pine and fragrant hay hangs in the air as we pass through forest and meadows.  Reaching Ried-Morel, we board the gondolla back up to Riederalp where the weather is even worse, and make the walk home.

Friday 31st August – Brig

True to the weather forecast, it’s raining cats and dogs today.  We decide to have a day down in Brig and get suited up for the wet conditions.  The likelihood is that the weather down in the valley isn’t as bad, it’s just a cloud that’s got stuck on the mountain.  We get pretty wet walking to the cablecar station at Bettmeralp but once down in Betten the rain stops.  Hopping on the train to Brig, we arrive in about 5 minutes and head up the highstreet.  We don’t get very far before the shops start closing for lunch!  Diving in a coffee shop for a hot drink, we decide to relax here for a bit and the place soon fills up with people on their lunchbreak.

Heading further up into the old town, we have a look in a few of the churches – The Kollegiumskirche includes a bizarre glass case with a reclining skeleton in, laying on it’s side propped up on one elbow.  This skeleton is dressed in a velvet robe, heavily decorated with gold embroidery and it’s exposed arms are wrapped in pearls.  Really, really weird!  There is a plaque next to the case but I can’t translate enough of it to make sense.

Continuing our meander round the town, I take a few snaps of some interesting doorways:

A quick pop into Migros supermarket to stock up on essentials to take back home; this includes the special mixed spice mix that I use to make my Christmas cookies! Returning back to Bettmeralp, it’s time to pack. I leave Simon to get on with it and make dinner. I hate packing, but at least it’s not so stressful this time. It really doesn’t matter what gets thrown in where as it’s only going to be in the boot of the car. No threat of cavity searches at the airport because our liquids aren’t in 100ml bottles! We enjoy one last slice of yummy chocolate cake from the bakery whilst watching a film.

Saturday 1st September – homeward bound

As I predicted, we wake up to snow 🙂 At least it isn’t chucking it down with rain as we’ve got a lot of luggage to shift, plus our last bits of rubbish need to be taken to the recycling point. We say a sad farewell to the house and leave. There’s a bit of a hoo-ha at the cablecar station to locate the return tickets, but the controller lets us board anyway. Panic over – they’ve been found, so we hit the road. Simon takes the Furka Pass which takes us high into the mountains. At one point there’s a strange and very austere building above us that reminds me of the mountain scene in Inception.

The roads are steaming and snow-free – we suspect they’re heated!

I get the opportunity to stop and take a photo of the speed campaign poster that I originally saw when we were here in June. I love this picture – slow down, take it easy!

We pass through several mountain tunnels before crossing the boarder. The rest of the journey was uneventful with the exception of Simon enjoying the German autobahns and the non-existent speed limit!

Stopping in Luxembourg for the night, we take a wander into town. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site, same as the Aletsch Glacier. Whilst it’s a nice enough town, I’m not seeing anything that outstanding about it. Am I missing something? Personally I would say that Zurich is a far nicer town but may be I’m biased.
There’s some kind of festival on in the main square, a church band striking up with an Abba megamix amongst other things. They were actually really good! Simon and I partake in some delicious gelatti as we stroll back to the hotel.

Sunday 2nd September – nearly there

We wake up refreshed – the hotel was really quiet which makes a nice change.  Breakfast over, we hit the road again.  Miles of motorway pass by and finally we’re at the Eurotunnel.  Being the last weekend of the summer holidays it’s busy but we manage to get on an earlier crossing.  Back in old Blighty again… all over for another year.  I’m already missing the mountains so next years trip will be planned soon, no doubt!