Berner Oberland Switzerland - Lenk and Kandersteg, August 2017

[artnbarb]

Sorry I haven't been on here - just keeping up with my own photos has taken up all my free time!

We had a great time with Steve and Pauline, but we made one big discovery: Steve and Pauline are true hikers, but Art and I are just walkers. We did have to adjust to the altitude, and the hills, since we had been walking on a flat path in Umbria, but even so, we like to walk on flat or gently rolling hills, not steep up and down inclines. We were very fortunate that Steve and Pauline know this area so well and were able to adjust the walks we took together, as well as suggest walks that were more our style.

Even for those who prefer gentler, flatter walking, Lenk is a great base. The town is cute - not too big, not too over-built, not too crowded, and it has lots and lots of walking/hiking options.

Our stay at the Hotel Sternen was nice. I think the owner upgraded us to a larger room when we arrived, but the bed (2 beds pushed together) had a footboard, which Art didn't like, so she very kindly moved us across the hall were we had a nice large bed with no footboard. BUT - the room had no dresser, and the nightstands only had one small drawer each! Do people just live out of their suitcases? I might for 1 or 2 nights, but for 4+ nights I definitely want more drawers!

They had a nice breakfast buffet each morning (included) with the typical meats, cheeses, bread, yogurt, fruits and cereals you usually find in Germanic hotels.

We loved Lenk, and loved having Steve and Pauline to show us the ropes. We also enjoyed their gorgeous large apartment, and having dinner 'at home' was a real treat - and a real savings. Art and I hadn't been to Switzerland for at least 18 years, and were shocked at the prices. The exchange rate for the Swiss Franc is better that the Euro, but things cost at least double, and often more. We saw a nice winter jacket - not wool, not fur - in Gstaad for over 3000 SF!

We liked our time in Switzerland so much that we're now talking about returning next summer!

 

[Pauline]

Monday August 21. Sun and cloud, cooler.

We exhausted ourselves yesterday! Barb may call us "true hikers" but I call us "easy hikers". The people on the trails with full backpacks, planning to walk all day uphill to reach a hut on the mountain tops, those are true hikers. The ones who start at the valley bottom and walk straight up, instead of taking the gondola like we do, are true hikers. But we love the hiking we do and even though yesterday exhausted us and we had to rest today, it was worth it.

Today we did an easy 3.5 mile loop out along the river and back around Lenkersee (a very small lake).

In the afternoon we drove in Gstaad. We spent two weeks in Saanen in 2004 (I think) and two weeks in Gstaad in 2007, so we know Gstaad. It has always felt upscale, but today it felt very, very upscale. Well dressed people of all ages walking around town, expensive cars, women with small kids and nannies. A man in his 40s, dressed in shorts and expensive loafers, talking impatiently on his cell phone. An older woman perfectly dressed sitting and watching. My favorite shop that sold Swiss-made handkercheifs is gone - or maybe I didn't see it amoung all the designer shops.

I found the shop where I bought a Victorinox watch 10 years ago and went in to get a new strap, but they did not have one in the correct width. We went into the bakery and got a bread-pretzel-like thing with butter and it was as good as the first time we had this a few years ago. We went into an upscale deli and I was freaked out by the prices - and this is Switzerland where everything is already expensive.

They have a larger Coop in Gstaad so we had a look around. Much busier than the one in Lenk.

We headed back to Lenk, happy to have found this small, charming, quiet, and off the beaten track town! But Gstaad and Saanen are beautiful and the hiking nearby is excellent. Maybe it is more fun to see the beautiful people when you have finished five hours of hiking and are dirty and sweaty.

Walking along the valley in Lenk.

Ready for winter!

Walking around Lenk.

More self serve cheese.

A different one showing what is in the fridge.

A few photos of Gstaad to follow.

 

[Pauline]

Photos from our brief visit to Gstaad today.

Chinese restaurant on the right, the very good bakery on the left.

Pedestrian main street.

We stayed there in 2007 and the ceilings are so low that my head almost touched. They had to move us to a room in an anex. That night we met the US Womens Beach Volleyball team at the Chinese restaurant (2 women and their coach) and they were in the same hotel, and they did not change rooms but were taller than me. Gstaad hosts a big Beach Volleyball tournament each year.

Looking up to the hotel that was in the Pink Panther movie - the original one. "Do you have a roooom?" They also filmed at the train station.

 

[artnbarb]

That's the bakery where we had lunch!

I now know that we are 'flat' walkers - steep inclines don't appeal to us, and even a gentle downhill slope is hard on my knees! I guess for us a perfect walk would be to take a gondola to the top of the ridge, walk along the ridge, then take another gondola down!

 

[Pauline]

That's the bakery where we had lunch!

I now know that we are 'flat' walkers - steep inclines don't appeal to us, and even a gentle downhill slope is hard on my knees! I guess for us a perfect walk would be to take a gondola to the top of the ridge, walk along the ridge, then take another gondola down!

Grindelwald would suit you. They have flat walks from the tops of their rides.

 

[artnbarb]

Grindelwald would suit you. They have flat walks from the tops of their rides.

I seem to recall that one of the reasons we chose Murren over Grindelwald was because we read that Grindelwald was larger and more touristy. Could you comment on that?

In retrospect I don't think we'd stay in Murren again - too isolated. It seemed like we were always taking the funicular down to Lauterbrunned.

 

[Pauline]

Grindelwald is touristy, but has many more mountain rides than Lenk or Kandersteg. I have my notes here - Day Trips - Grindelwald. The First gondola takes you up to alpine levels and you can do a mostly flat walk out in two directions. One way takes you to an alpine lake on a wide trail, then you walk back to the gondola station. The other way takes you to a bus that goes back down. On the other side of the valley the Mannlichen gondola takes you to the top of the ridge between Grindelwald and Wengen (with Lauterbrunnen below). Then there is an easy one hour walk to the train.

The town is busy with people, like Gstaad, but not as upscale. It is very popular with Japanese tourists. The trails are not crowded, neither are the gondola rides or buses, but the train can be crowded in the afternoon with people coming back.

 

[Pauline]

Tuesday August 22. Hot and sunny. 25C - 77F.

Most mornings we walk a few blocks to the bakery for fresh bread. There are two close by and when one is closed, the other is open. Both are very good, with a good selection of bread, sandwiches, pastries, and the women behind the counter are very friendly. I love walking out in the morning when it is cool and fresh. We are not early morning people, so I am usually going out around 8:30, then "home" for breakfast, read the latest horrors, then get ready for the hike and leave around 10:30 - 11:00. Usually we are out most of the day, returning around 4 or 5pm. Our apartment is beside the Coop supermarket so we can easily pick up things for dinner. We've eaten at "home" every night except for one dinner out with Art and Barb. We haven't had any lunches out (we take peanut butter or avacado sandwiches) yet, but have stopped for coffee and pastry (usually kuchen) a few times.

After dinner we sometimes take a walk along the river or around town unless we are too tired from hiking. Then we turn on Netflix and watch something.

Today we explored new territory! This is our fourth stay in Lenk (fifth if you count 1988) and on the earlier trips we have done most of the Lenk hikes and some of the Gstaad ones. We know the Gstaad hikes from previous vacations in Gstaad and Saanen. Yes, we have spent a lot of time in this area.

Today we drove out of the Lenk valley, then north from Zweisimmen almost to Spiez at the end of the valley, on the lake (Lake Tunersee - Thunder). It took 45 mins on a winding road, busy with cars and some roadworks, to reach Erlenbach and the Stockhorn gondola. Wasn't there a character in the TV show Silicon Valley called Erlenbach? The parking lot was almost full but we found a spot. They had another lot open down the road. We had to pay 5CHF to park! Usually parking for gondolas is free because the gondola is expensive.

Stockhorn is one large gondola holding 30+ people that runs every 30 mins. It costs 56CHF for a return to the top but we got a 10% discount with our Lenk visitors card. We took the gondola to the middle station and did our hike there.

Hike: Stockhorn Gondola middle station Chrindi (1637m) - Hinterstockensee (1592m) - Vorderstockenalp (1787m) - Oberstockensee (1665m) - Oberstockenalp (1776m) - Hinterstockensee (1592m) - Chrindi (1637m). 2hrs45min

This hike was lovely. First you walk around the lake near the gondola station, Hinterstockensee. Then you climb up to a saddle and walk around a hill to the other lake, Oberstockensee. We had our lunch there. Around part of that lake and up another saddle and back down to where we started. These small lakes are very deep. We saw many small fish but only one large trout. People were fishing.

There were a lot of people out - not crowded at all, but we saw other hikers. We ended up climbing about 1400ft (400m) and the trails were narrow and rocky. Our mileage was only 4 miles, but it felt longer and took us 3 hours. We did not have views down to the valley below because this large valley is surrounded by hills. Only in one part could we see to the town below, where we parked.

It was hot and sunny today.

After the hike, we took the gondola up to the top. As soon as I got off the gondola I wanted to leave. I am afraid of heights and this was high up! The gondola was scheduled to go down in 20 minutes so we only spent 20 minutes up there, then went down. The views were outstanding, from Thun and Lake Tunersee to Interlaken at the end of the lake. We could see layer after layer of snow topped mountains. They have a viewing platform where you are suspended in air from the cliff. Steve walked out on it a bit. I didn't.

Back in the valley it was hotter, but I was happy to be down. We drove home, stopping at Oberwil to find the trail to a suspension bridge that I read about. I'm sure I won't be crossing that, but we did find the trail. You have to walk about an hour to get to it.

Home with a stop at the bakery for strawberry cake which we will be having in a minute!

The gondola going up to Stockhorn on the top. We are at the middle station starting our hike. You can see the top station.

The part of the trail with big views.

The lake that we walked to.

Walking back to the middle station.

Steve on the viewing platform.

The restaurant at Stockhorn, the top of the gondola.

 

[susan]

What a view from the restaurant at Stockhorn at the top! I didn't realize you are afraid of heights. I guess you are not a tower climber. WOW 56CHF is an expensive gondola ride! I thought our $25 gondola rides were expensive! The hike looks amazing! I am really loving all your photos and descriptions! It makes me want to return to Switzerland!

 

[artnbarb]

I too was surprised that you're afraid of heights - do the gondola rides bother you? The day sounds well worth the drive, and the pictures prove it. Now you've gotten us interested in going back to Switzerland next summer, but then I read 56CHF for a lift and think "Oh no!"

Thanks for the link to Grindelwald - your notes were very helpful. Looks like I'll have a lot of research to do if we decide to return next year.

 

[Pauline]

Wednesday August 23. Sunny and hot - 26C/78F.

One of the Gstaad/Saanen hikes that we like is taking the gondola from Zweisimmen to the top (Rinderberg), walking for two hours to Hornberg, having lunch at the Restaurant Hornfluh (they have great rosti), walking another 30 mins to the Horneggli chairlift, taking it down to Schoenreid, then train back to Zweisimmen. A wonderful day out.

However, it is expensive. We used to be able to purchase a Gstaad Pass that let you use all their rides for about 9CHF per day, but last year they got strict and now you can only get one if you are staying in the Gstaad area and can prove it with your Gstaad tourist card (current price is 19CHF per day - still a good deal). Because of this, last year we did a modified version and rode the Horneggli chairlift up, did half of the hike out and back, had lunch, then chairlift down. This was a cheaper and fabulous version - because I love that chairlift.

This year we could not even do that - they have closed the Horneggli chairlift!!! Now they have a small bus that takes you from Saanenmoser up the narrow mountain road to Hornberg. It runs hourly. Or you can drive. We were going to do this day out with Art and Barb, but I was nervous about that mountain road. Last year, or maybe the year before, we started up the narrow and steep mountain road to a small lake outside of Zweisimmen and I freaked and insisted Steve stop, turn around and get the heck off that road. Art and Barb did not need to see that side of me, so we did not do the Hornberg day out.

But I wanted to do the Hornberg hike and have lunch. The views are incredible, the trail is wide and flat-ish, the restaurant is very nice. So we decided to try driving the road. The first thing that happens, in the first 100 feet of the road, is an oncoming car and no where for us to back up. But Steve managed to back down to the start of the road, the car passed and I declared we should not drive this road, it would be a nightmare! Steve drove on.

The road was not bad. It took 15 minutes to get up, there were many pullouts, not much traffic and no steep cliffs (like the road we used to drive to the apartment we rented our first two years visiting Lenk). There was even space in the small parking lot at the top. We arrived around noon. By 2pm when we left, the parking lot was full but I think you could park along the road.

We did an easy walk for an hour and then had an excellent lunch. They have a huge terrace with huge umbrellas, so everyone sits in the shade.

After that we drove into Saanen, to check it out for staying there next year. Saanen has changed but is still charming. There is a big construction project in the center of town. I think I will look for an apartment there for next year. The one we rented 13 years ago is still for rent. If we stay there, then we can get the Gstaad Pass and do all the hikes in the Gstaad/Saanen area.

We did a nice walk around town in the early evening. Those mountains at the end of the valley look the best at that time of day.

One day left. We did not do the Iffigenalp to Simmenfalle hike because it is a long hike with a lot of uphill and more downhill. We did two big hikes like that and that was enough - we'll do that one next year. We have to save some energy for next week in Kandersteg. And we did not get up to the lake near Zweisimmen, the one up the freaky mountain road. There is a good hike up there. But we did everything else that was on my list.

Walking on the trail from Hornberg.

Lunch at Restaurant Hornfluh, above Saanenmoser.

Center of Saanen at the start of the pedestrian street.

View of the mountains from the center of Lenk. The apartment we rent is in the chalets on the left.

I know, this is inappropriate, but who could resist? It translates to "We are looking for you", employment opportunities at the Coop.

 

[Pauline]

I too was surprised that you're afraid of heights - do the gondola rides bother you?

I used to be very afraid of gondolas and chairlifts, but now I am okay with them. I am better hiking on narrow trails with a steep dropoff than I used to be. But Stockhorn is the type of think I hate. A very high mountain with a restaurant glued to the side. Everywhere you looked was straight down. If there had been a bit more land up there, a wide mountain top, I would have been okay.

If you love Switzerland for the views, I would suggest Austria or northern Italy or the French Alps. Switzerland is worth the expense for us because of the hiking. The hiking here is even better than England, and that is saying a lot. Better signs, buses and gondolas to take you to the hiking areas, hikers everywhere. But if you are not using this part of Switzerland, then maybe it is not worth it.

We loved Cogne in the Aosta Valley in northern Italy. Beautiful villages and mountains. Flat walks along the river valley. We were there last year and I wrote a trip report. We also loved Samoens in the French Alps. Chamonix is beautiful - we were there last year. I've only driven through the Dolomites and Austria, but those areas are beautiful too.

 

[artnbarb]

2 questions: Was the rosti better than the one we had? It looks better, if that makes any sense! And the other question is, how can a person who's afraid of heights do not only the gondolas, but also the chairlifts? Oops, I posted this before I saw your post above!

Austria is where we did our "Hiking Without Luggage" many, many years ago, and if I could find info, I would do that again.

 

[Pauline]

Rosti usually does not have cheese. This one didn't and was good. The one we had last week was too cheesy and I don't think was traditional. Maybe they do that to make it more of a meal. Our dish today was just a bunch of potatoes and one egg.

I'll try making it someday.

Here is an article on Rosti. It says it can have cheese but their recipe doesn't.
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Rosti

 

[Pauline]

Regarding the fear of heights, I think I just got used to gondolas and chairlifts. We started using them in Switzerland in 1988 and have used them many times. I trust Swiss engineering and maintenance. In other countries I am a bit nervous on them.

I had a bad few minutes on a chairlift here a couple of years ago when my walking stick got jammed in the part that lowers and keeps you in place and it didn't lower and we could have fallen off.

I freak out on Ferris wheels. I made them stop one once so I could get off. I am never happy climbing buildings, like St Peters, for the view. I glue myself to the wall. And balconies on high rises, yikes!

 

[artnbarb]

I had never had rosti with cheese, but I haven't had it that many times, so I'm no expert - but the one we had was just toooo much. IMO rosti is just the Swiss word for hash browns, which is what that recipe calls it.

I freak out on Ferris wheels. I made them stop one once so I could get off. I am never happy climbing buildings, like St Peters, for the view. I glue myself to the wall. And balconies on high rises, yikes!

I agree with you about Ferris wheels! I can do the London Eye because it's enclosed, but I don't like the ones with the individual 2-4 person seats - and I really don't like it when those seats rock back and forth! Balconies don't bother me, but when we visited the John Hancock Tower in Chicago, where the glass windows go all the way to the floor, I could not stand close to the window - I had to get down on my hands and knees to look out.

 

[artnbarb]

Austria is where we did our "Hiking Without Luggage" many, many years ago, and if I could find info, I would do that again.

The only 'hiking without luggage' we've found so far is with Wanderweg Holidays, and Art is scrolling thru their pages right now. They offer stays in both Austria and Switzerland. I can't decide if they offer a good value, or it they're over-priced and taking advantage of people who don't have enough time/energy to to their own research.

 

[Pauline]

There is a walking company called HF Holidays or something like that. It is supposed to be well priced. Or look at Sherpa - Kathy Wood has used them. I think you might do better in a vacation rental in one place and do day hikes, like we do in Switzerland.

 

[Pauline]

Thursday August 24. Hot and sunny, then muggy and heavy rain.

A reminder of real life today with texts back and forth to England to arrange for a new water heater to be installed. Ours sprang a leak a few days before we left. Nice timing!

Rain was forecast today but in the afternoon, so we headed out with our rain jackets in our packs. We drove to the end of the valley and parked at Simmenfalle, then walked up to Siebenbrunnen like we did last week. 45 minutes of steep uphill on a mountain road, then 15 minutes flat in the valley, then you reach one of my favorite places on earth - Seibenbrunnen. I think this means Seven Falls - it is a huge wall of rock with many water falls.

Then we walked on for another hour to the end of the valley and had our lunch. Hot and sunny the whole time. On our way back down dark clouds started moving in and the rain started about 2:30, when we were back at the car.

A wonderful last day and the rain has cooled things down. I heard on the news that there is flooding/mud slides, but that is in the other part of Switzerland, the south east near the border with Italy.

We did a last walk around town tonight and started our packing. Tomorrow - Kandersteg!

The steep trail up to Siebenbrunnen goes through woods along a rushing river.

Farm that sells alp cheese and a restaurant.

The river from the falls. I don't have a photo of the falls because the light was not right.

Our lunch view.

Weather starting to move in. The restaurant again, from the other side.

 

[artnbarb]

Sounds like you always get lucky to be finishing your walk just as the rain is beginning!

So sorry the lighting was wrong for the waterfall today.

I think you might do better in a vacation rental in one place and do day hikes, like we do in Switzerland.

I think you're right, altho deciding on a location will be challenging without someone like you who has extensive knowledge of both the villages AND the walking options!