Switzerland 1978
I was fortunate to travel to Switzerland in the summer of 1978, with my girlfriend at that time and her family. We sailed from Hull on North Sea Ferries and drove through the Netherlands into Germany and down to Switzerland and into the Bernese Oberland.
Our base for the holiday was a beautiful Swiss chalet in the small hamlet of Faulensee on the southern shores of Lake Thun, between the small towns of Spiez to the west and Interlaken to the east.
The views looking across Lake Thun were quite breath-taking, although we were coming to the end of summer the mountain tops were still covered in snow and set against a blue sky looked amazing.
Being in our own transport, a vw camper van, we were able to head out every day and explore the whole area around our chalet. All our days out were quite memorable for the views and scenery. I remember visiting the small winter resorts of Murren and Wengen quite vividly. Wengen is situated at the foot of the Jungfrau 13.642ft some 4,000ft above sea level overlooking the Lauterbrunnen valley, the centre is very much a winter ski resort and car free only being reached by cable car. It made an excellent base for exploring the area with some clearly marked footpaths and some stunning views. Murren also is a traditional mountain village and like Wengen could not be reached by car. It sits at a height of approximately 5,000ft above sea level. Lots of paths and trails to follow but the highlight being the towering mountain views across the valley of the Eiger 13.025ft, Monch 13,448 ft, and the Jungfrau 13,642ft, sitting magnificently side by side. A sight I can still remember to this day.
Another great day was the drive from Spiez to small resort of Kandersteg situated at 3,600ft above sea level. There were some stunning views of the Blumlisalp Massif. The typical Swiss wooden chalets looked beautiful in the sunshine, the window boxes full of bright red geraniums. This area is another popular site for walkers with clearly marked trails branch out all over the mountain slopes. Kandersteg is also the home of the International Scout Centre founded in 1923 and is an amazing resource offering indoor and outdoor accommodation, catering and self-catering options as well as guided and un-guided programme opportunities. The chalets and campsites cover an area of over 17 hectres and is open to Scouts 365 days a year. Over 11,000 youngsters from over 50 different countries visit the centre every year. We had an interesting guided tour of the centre.
A memorable scenic day was when we drove over to Grindelwald, with stunning views of the Eiger 13,025ft and Wetterhorn12,100ft. The town is situated in the heart of the Bernese Oberland and is one of the three main Alpine centres with Chamonix and Zermatt. I remember taking one of the ski lifts on the outskirts of the town and being struck by the beautiful lush green meadows below, a little higher up the mountain were some remarkable views of the Grindelwald Glacier.
Another of our days out was a visit and look around ‘Our Chalet’ in Adelboden. We left Faulensee on route to Spiez before heading south on the road to Kandersteg, on reaching the village of Reichenbach we branched right for the road to Adelboden. ‘Our Chalet’ is the international Girl Guide/Girl Scout centre situated at 4,500ft above sea level and one of five World Centres of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). ‘Our Chalet’ was founded by Helen Storrow and opened in 1932. Like the Scout Centre at Kandersteg it has only been closed to the public once, during World War II when it was used as a military training and refugee centre. In the time since it opened, the Centre has been expanded and now includes several buildings. Our Chalet offers year-round activities, special events, and conferences for Girl Guides, Girl Scouts, and leaders from around the world. We enjoyed a very pleasant look around the centre.
A lovely holiday.
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