Jungfrau, Bern and Montreux, Switzerland

 26-27.08.13

Drove through the quiet roads rather than taking the autoroute.  The scenery is just stunning!  It's exactly as I imagined it with green pastures, little villages, grazing cows, and half-timbered houses.  I kept looking for Heidi to come out or some men in short pants to start yodelling!  It's a lot like BC in that there are mountains, greenery everywhere, wide spaces and lots of fresh air.

At Interlaken we veered towards Grindelwald, hoping to go up the Jungfrau.

 

Jungfrau is the highest point in all of Europe.  There is a train that leaves Grindelwald and takes 1.5 hrs. to chug all the way to the top where you can have lunch and take in the spectacular view.  That is, if the clouds aren't obliterating the view...

Since we were a bit late and the clouds had definitely started to cover things up, we simply ordered a great goulash at a terrace in Grindelwald and watched Jungfrau from below.  It is truly amazing.

We drove to Bern, the capital of Switzerland, where my sister Val and her family lived for a few years.  It's a lovely town but with a lot of construction.  The old town of Bern is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and thanks to its 6 kilometres of arcades - the locals refer to them as 'Lauben' - boasts one of the longest weather-sheltered shopping promenades in Europe.

 

 

We drove through Gruyères where they make that wonderful cheese!

 

Then we arrived in Montreux on the eastern shore of Lake Geneva.  It was another complicated drive to find our hotel since it was tucked away from the main street.  But what a surprise awaited us there.  The management at La Rouvenaz had decided to upgrade our room, giving us the BEST room in the hotel.  We had all of the 5th floor penthouse that included a private elevator and a deck overlooking Lake Geneva that spanned the entire length of the hotel.  Did we feel spoiled?

Private elevator.  No one could use it without the code.
 



 The hallway from the elevator to the bathroom at the far end.  In between were two areas for clothes storage and make-up application, and the deck spanned the entire length. 

King size bed

Bathroom with towel warmers

Huge bathtub and separate rain shower large enough for 4 people.  There was even a spray nozzle near the toilet that functioned as a bidet.

Desk area for computer

Karl appreciating the deck

This was the sunset that evening.

We were so taken with the view that we hesitated to leave to get dinner.

My risotto with prawns and zucchini

 

 

Dinner was at the restaurant attached to the hotel.  We soon discovered that it's a very elite sort of destination, with many actors gracing its tables.  Our friend Mickey, who doubled as our greeter at the hotel and was now serving our table, confided to us that George Clooney had been seen on  several occasions. 

Karl's veal with potato pancakes and assorted veggies.

This is excellent!

We ate breakfast on the terrace on the main floor and I was fascinated with the fresh orange juice machine.  You put a minimum of 3 oranges in the tunnel and without even pressing a button, it automatically lowers the oranges, slices them in two, and squeezes them with the juice pouring into your glass.  I was so intrigued with the mechanics of it all that I enjoyed two large glasses!

M next to Lake Geneva

K next to Lake Geneva

Confusing signage...

We enjoyed Switzerland, how clean and well organized it was, but found it very expensive.  It's not as handy with the money since they use chf, Swiss francs, rather than the euro.  We had been paying most everything with a credit card but found ourselves in a dilemma to pay the parking in Montreux.  It took quite some time to find a parking attendant who accepted our euros.  There went another hour of administrative duties!