Notes From A Snow-Covered Valley (Part 2)

This is part two of a two-part set of notes I wrote while on a short trip to Switzerland in March 2008. If you haven’t read part one yet, do so before you read part two.

Wednesday

06h38
White out! A massive snowfall overnight. Still coming down. They’re working furiously at the moment to clear the road. Little snow sweeper and massive plough doing noisy laps of the village. Bus went past as I was watching from my balcony with chains wrapped around its tyres. Snow blowers and chains on tires are new to me. I’ll be seeing St Bernards next.

10h54
Its zero according to the thermometer in Grindelwald. The world cup event has been cancelled. If you can believe it, there’s too much snow! The lifts aren’t even working. So, I’m going on a train trip. Little disappointed, but not massively. Grindelwald wasn’t as picturesque as the other villages. It’s good for skiers, but if you’re not a skier, there’s not much here for you.

12h13
In Kleine Scheidegg, 6762 ft above sea level. Crammed with skiers. Just bought some new gloves. Some of them were £60 a pair. Unbelievable! OMG! As I’m writing this, a St Bernard just wandered past. How cool is that!

18h34
Discovered the Wanderweg, a hiking trail and toboggan run between Kleine Scheidegg and Wengen. Beautiful scenery. The snow set in almost immediately, reducing visibility significantly. It calmed as I walked (stumbled upright) through woodland. But, I faced a different onslaught, this time from clumps of snow falling off of the trees. Lost the trail half way along so took the train the rest of the way. A great couple of hours. Just had my last meal, another Rösti. Delish!

Thursday

12h29
Stunning hike from Grütschalp (4379 ft) to Mürren (5361 ft). The ankle deep snow sparkled in the sun. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The silence was broken only by birdsong. It was a fantastic end to my break in the mountains. Now on the Intercity to Bern, where I change for the Intercity to Geneva. I don’t want to leave, but I’m certain I’ll be back to experience a proper winter again.

12h32
Before leaving the hotel, I spoke to Jacqui on reception. She said the snow was unusual for this time of year. Guess I’ve been lucky again. Last time I was here, the weather was unusually dry and sunny. Just arrived at Interlaken West. Snow slowly disappearing at this lower level. Snow covered mountains still surround though. Spectacular against the totally clear blue sky.

13h07
Man! The chap sat opposite me honks of cigarettes. Do smokers not realise they stink? Or do they just not care? If they don’t care about slowly killing themselves, I suppose not. Just left Thun. Snow now completely gone. :(

13h12
Scrap that. Snows back. God, I’m obsessed.

13h40
You know I’m on a train when the number of updates increase. Now on train from Bern to Geneva. Bern was pretty chilly. I love these double-deckers. So comfortable. So quiet. Sipping Rivella and watching the countryside flow past.

14h10
The train announcements are in French first, then German, and all the passengers are suddenly speaking French. I must be in the canton of Fribourg, heading for Lausanne and then Geneva.

14h14
Suddenly, there’s masses of snow everywhere. Yay!

16h27
They do things differently at Geneva airport. Took a little while to get to grips with but managed to get through to the departure lounge which is where I am now. You had to self check-in where the luggage tags and boarding pass were printed. Then, having fixed the tag to your bag, you dropped the bag off at the drop-off point. Then, you walk half a mile to security and then to the gate. Went to Geneva centre on the way to the airport. Fountain was switched off due to high winds. After 20 minutes, I headed back to the train station. Roasting hot on this departure lounge.

17h22
Plane just arrived at the gate. Feeling a bit groggy. Felt like this the last time I came back from Switzerland. Here comes a cold. Luckily I have some tablets I bought from Wengen on my last visit.

18h26
Plane left Geneva 40 minutes late. Ah well. Airborne. For some reason, not enjoying it as much as before.

20h43gmt
Back in Britain. I had to queue for 20 minutes at the UK border to have my passport waved through. Then I had to travel back home on a 25 year old train, from a station where none of the clocks were working. Back to earth with a bump

21h45
Just uploading the 300 odd photos to my mac. There’s some really nice ones. Its been a fantastic short trip, and you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be going back.

Related Media

• Switzerland Photo Set on Flickr
• ‘The Hike’ on Here To Geneva (includes video shot during the hike).