Our 17th week on the road was filled with breath-taking scenery as we continued through Switzerland and then into Bavaria, Germany.
We had originally planned to make Interlaken our first stop after leaving Bern but a local we got talking to in Bern told us to avoid the tourist trap and to head to Meiringen instead for a more authentic Swiss experience. As Interlaken was on the way to Meiringen we stopped there for lunch and for a walk through the town. Yes, it is a tourist trap. Tour buses were there in droves and upmarket shops selling Swiss Army Knives, Swatches, chocolate and stuffed Saint Bernards lined the streets. Being a clear, calm day, the town’s tandem paragliding business was booming, and we stood and watched as one after another landed in the park with squealing tourists on board.
Meiringen is only a short drive from Interlaken and we arrived at our campsite around 1pm. The sign on the reception door said check-in was from 5 and to choose a pitch and come back later. We selfishly wanted to ask a few questions so pressed the buzzer and drew our host away from her lunch. She didn’t seem to mind and after a brief chat about the area she kindly let us check in. Half way through the paperwork she stopped and asked us if we were “spontan”. We looked at her, confused. She typed the word into Google translator on her phone and showed us. Ah “spontaneous”. Why would she be asking us that? We were looking even more confused as she pulled out two cards from a draw, explaining they were passes to go to the Alpen Tower on top of nearby Hasliberg mountain, and if we wanted to use them we could but we’d need to go now. In a very “un-spontan” move Mr Love suggested we wait until the next day. The offer was only for that afternoon and with some quick encouragement he agreed to go and we headed to the base of the mountain. We had no idea what to expect but on such a gorgeous day the idea of being on top of a mountain was appealing.
The first leg of the Meiringen-Hasliberg journey was in a suspended cable car which could hold around 30 people and took us to the first stop where there was a hotel and restaurant complex. From there we swapped to a smaller gondola for the next two legs, the cow bells on the herds grazing on the slopes below providing background music for our ascent. We changed once again to an even smaller covered chairlift for the final leg to the Alpen Tower on the mountain top. At 2250 metres the expansive views across the Bernese and Central Alps were stunning. Feeling a bit guilty at the lack of effort to get to the top of the mountain we took a walk along the ridge stopping for many photos along the way. From here you can see 401 mountain summits including some giants like Finsteraarhorn at 4274m, Wetterhorn at 3692m, Titlis at 3238m, and Sustenhorn at 3502m. Far below is Meiringen and the Aare River, a cloudy blue ribbon rippling through the valley. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, warm and sunny, and barely any wind. If we’d had to pay it would have cost us 54 Swiss Francs each – $154 NZD for the two of us!
The next morning we were pleased we’d been “spontan” as the clouds had closed in around the mountain peaks. The views from the day before hidden away.
The Aare River, the same river in which I swam in Bern, rises in the Bernese Alps not far from Meiringen and runs through the valley past the town. At the top of the valley is the Aare gorge where the river has carved a path through a limestone ridge. The walk through the gorge had been recommended and despite the inclement weather we headed off on our bikes to the beginning of the track. There’s a small charge to enter the gorge and once you’re in you can see why. The track is almost entirely on suspended walkways bolted onto the rockface so you’re walking above the water with spectacular views of the river and the unique shapes carved by the force of the water. Not far from the entrance to the gorge are the beautiful Reichenbach Falls, which are more famous for their part in fiction than their natural beauty.
After our gorge walk we biked back into Meiringen to find out more about the Sherlock Holmes connection we kept hearing about. The town is a place of pilgrimage for Sherlock Holmes fans because the Reichenbach Falls are where Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty fell to their deaths in the book “The Final Problem”. Such outrage was caused by the death of Sherlock Holmes that Arthur Conan Doyle eventually had to concede and bring the character back to life. Because of the significance of Meiringen to fans, the town has a small Sherlock Holmes museum complete with a perfect reconstruction of the living room at 221B Baker Street. It’s the only one in the world and has been finished to the exact specifications as written in the detective books. It was a fascinating museum to visit and the audio guide told a great story. Apart from the recent series with Benedict Cumberbatch, I hadn’t taken much interest in Sherlock Holmes and neither had Andrew, so we had never known there was such a strong Swiss connection to Britain’s most loved detective.
After our week getting off to a great start in Meiringen we packed up and set off for Zurich. En route we stopped for a few hours in Lucerne. We have both visited Lucerne previously but thought it would be nice to once again see this beautiful city nestled on and edge of Lake Lucerne and surrounded by mountains. We found a place to park the van a couple of kilometres around the lake and biked into town. The town’s landmark is the 14th century Chapel Bridge, which, along with the Water Tower beside it, is the most photographed monument in Switzerland. The covered wooden bridge is one of Europe’s oldest and has been faithfully restored to its original beauty. We walked across the bridge and took the obligatory photos, then along the promenade beside the Reuss River lined with historic townhouses in pretty pastels, past the needle damn and the weir, which control the river levels, to the other historic wooden bridge, the Spreuer Bridge. This bridge is renowned for a series of 67 intriguing mid-17th century paintings called “Dance of Death”, that sit in the triangular frames beneath the roof of the bridge. Leaving the river, we strolled through the narrow lanes of the old town and back to the lakefront where the flash boats for charter line the pier and glitzy restaurants spill onto waterfront terraces.
From Lucerne it was through to Zurich. Zurich is the most expensive place to live in the world and for us it was the most expensive campsite to date – $73 NZD per night and far from the best. It would only be a two-night stay. In general Switzerland is so much more expensive than any other European country, even Norway. Diesel costs around 1.40 euro ($2.30 NZD) and eating out is ridiculous, with basic lunch dishes costing around $40 NZD.
Our campsite was about 5 kilometres from the city and the afternoon we arrived we biked into the centre to look around. The weather was beautiful and we parked the bikes and walked along the lakefront esplanade in the sunshine. There were many others out enjoying the warmth while it lasts. Autumn has definitely arrived, the leaves are changing colour rapidly and the light is muted.
The next day we spent a full day exploring Zurich. From the lakefront, we walked through Sechselautenplatz, the quartzite-covered square flanked by the majestic Opera House, towards the twin towers of the Grossmunster Cathedral that dominate the cityscape of Zurich. True to habit I was keen to climb a tower for a view over the city. After getting our bearings and soaking up the view from the tower top we were off along the riverside walkway and into the winding lanes of Neiderdorf with its colourful shops and cafes. Across the Limmat River is Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich’s main shopping street with all the high street and luxury brands, and running off this bustling tribute to modernity is Rennweg, the main street of Zurich in the middle ages. It’s now a quaint shopping precinct with independent boutiques, cafes and chocolatiers. We walked along Rennweg and up the steep path to Lindenhof, a leafy park on a terrace overlooking the river Limmat and the city. We sat a while in the sun. Although Zurich is busy there was a calmness to the place, no one was rushing and parks were full of people sitting and relaxing. Not far from Lindenhof is St Peter’s church in a square where free-standing chairs are scattered around available for anyone to stop and sit, and many did, including us. St Peter’s church boasts the biggest church clock in Europe and it can be seen from all over the central city. I overheard a fellow tourist commenting that you never need a watch in Switzerland, there are clocks everywhere. After people watching in the sun we strolled down towards the lake to Burkiplatz at the end of Bahnhofstrasse for a view over the lake and to the Alps beyond. Apart from being the most expensive place in the world to live, Zurich consistently ranks as one of the most liveable cities. It’s a very beautiful city and easy to get around, but you’d need a good bank balance to really enjoy life here.
The next morning we were on the road again, leaving Switzerland for now. We are planning to pop back into southern Switzerland in late October as we make our way towards Spain for winter. I have a cousin in Lausanne to visit.
I had persuaded Mr Love to do a detour back into Germany on our way from Switzerland to Austria to visit the Neuschwanstein Castle. This is the fairy-tale castle that was the inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle, and has been on my travel wish-list for a long while. Liechtenstein was across the river as we headed towards Germany, so we swung off the motorway for a whistle stop visit to Vaduz, just to say we’d been there. Vaduz is the capital of Liechtenstein and 5,400 of the principality’s 37,400 residents live there. We walked through the Parliament square before zipping back across to Switzerland and onto the motorway again.
As we drove into Germany on Friday afternoon we noticed there was a large number of campervans on the road. A quick Google search told us that Tuesday October 3rd is German Unity Day, a public holiday, so it seems many Germans are enjoying an extra-long weekend. When we arrived at our campsite near Neuschwanstein Castle the campervans and caravans were lined up at the gate, and they kept on coming all through the evening.
The day dawned sunny and warm for our visit to the castle. We biked along the cycleways to the base of the mountain where the tourist machine was in full force – shops, restaurants, horse and cart rides, tours, duty-free. Given that 1.4 million people visit Neuschwanstein each year it’s understandable. The walk up the hill to the castle took about half an hour and there were great vantage points along the way to view the castle.
King Ludwig II of Bavaria built the castle as his retreat and as homage to composer Richard Wagner, who he was a devoted patron of. Built in the 19th century it was supposed to depict a medieval Bavarian castle, but is more of a poetic interpretation than an actual replica. Seven weeks after the death of Ludwig in 1886, Neuschwanstein was opened to the public. The shy king had built the castle to withdraw from public life – now vast numbers of people came to view his private refuge.
The setting could not be more idyllic and we were fortunate to visit in autumn with the mountainside alight with flamelike colour, contrasting against the white limestone of the castle.
After visiting the castle, we walked further up the mountain to the Marienbrucke bridge to experience that famous view back across to the castle. The view was overwhelming, and not just for its beauty. The narrow pedestrian bridge hangs high above a ravine, and there were hundreds of people crammed onto it all wanting their photo of the fairy-tale castle. People were clambering up the cliffs above the bridge and sitting on ledges high above the crevasse, and there were no controls or even warning signs. I walked a couple of metres onto the bridge, took some photos and then passed the camera to Andrew and got off there as fast as I could. I’m sure it’s safe but the wooden planks were moving, and being built in 1845 it’s not exactly new.
All this excitement had made us hungry so we biked to the historic village of Fussen for lunch. We found a sunny table at one of the many cafés and ordered. A Canadian couple were sitting at the table next to us and we shared a few travel stories – it’s always good to talk to other travellers.
Strolling through the romantic centre of the 700-year-old town of Fussen was lovely, with Baroque churches, the former Benedictine abbey of St. Mang, and the “High Castle” (Hohes Schloss) with its inner courtyard and wonderful frescoes. It’s a tourist town but it hasn’t lost its charm and it didn’t feel busy or overcrowded.
This area has an amazing network of cycleways connecting the villages, lakes and castles. We biked through the rural village of Schwangau and past the small herds of dewy eyed milking cows and along the river bank back to our campsite. The campsite is one of the largest we’ve stayed in and was filled with mostly Germans. All through our travels we’ve found the German campervanners to be very friendly, always saying hello and keen stop for a chat. The campsite was celebrating Oktoberfest with traditional music each night over the long weekend and a special German menu on offer, so for our last night in Bavaria we joined the festivities in the communal hall and ate schnitzel and bratwurst, drank a stein of Bavarian beer and clapped along to a lederhosen-wearing Bavarian band. Prost!
