Switzerland Day 2
2025 Switzerland - Monday - Arrival and Awe
Upon arrival in Zurich, it took us some time to figure out where to buy tickets for the train, but we eventually found someone to help us purchase tickets that would get us to Bern. We found the right platform and boarded the train, which was a double decker. We had a bunch of luggage, Kristin and I having the most, with two suitcases each, and that made it a little tough to get up to the second floor of the train, but we managed.
When we got to Bern it took some time to get our luggage off the train and figure out how to get to the next train, which we missed by just a minute or two. We were slowly figuring out the system here. You can move from one train to the next if you know where your going and don’t dilly-dally. The trains are timed so when you pull into the station you can walk right onto the connecting train, but when you have a bunch of luggage and you don’t know what you’re doing, you might miss the next train, which is what happened to us. So, we waited the half hour or so to catch the next train to Interlaken Ost. Luckily we were able to stay on the first floor off that train, so no more hauling luggage up stairs.
Our train route from Zurich to Wengen
While riding the trains I could hear the Swiss-German conversations around, not understanding much of it except the occasional “ya, ya” or “nein”, but the tenor of it brought me back to my childhood. Memories of the trips to Switzerland as a young child flooded my mind. I could recall sitting in bed listening to my mother and her family talking and laughing in the next room, in the same rythmic, clear manner with many z and v sounds, and of course with the distinctive ways they pronounce the “ch” consonant pair. To some, the sound of the German language is harsh, but to me it is soothing. It brings me back to my childhood, where I was surrounded by a family that was normally thousands of miles away. It reminded me that I was part of something much bigger than my immediate family (as big as that was), something that stretched back for hundreds of years, connected to this ancient land. I sat on the train and simply enjoyed listening, picturing myself in my Grossmama’s house, lying in bed under the giant fluffy comforter, resting easy in the knowledge that the adults in the next room would make sure I am safe and that I have everything I need.
We rolled into Interlaken Ost and from there we caught the connecting train to Lauterbrunnen, we were learning. From Lauterbrunnen we got onto the cog railway, and headed 11 minutes up the mountain to Wengen! We made it!
We arrived in Wengen right about noon time and could hear the church bells ringing. We dropped our luggage off at the real estate office while we waited for check-in time, and grabbed some lunch. We were in awe of the spectacular views, the mountains, the classic Swiss buildings . . . all of it.
Before we got lunch, Chris decided to do some exploring and walked right past this sign going to the condemned building on the other side. I don’t know what any of that means, but I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed go past this, lol. 
After lunch it was time to check in. Of course we had a little trouble finding our place, as it is not on a road. After going under the train tracks underpass, you have to take right down a large set of irregular stairs down the hillside. I don’t have a good picture of the stairs, but here is the start of them:
Here are some pictures of our place:
We hit the local Coop grocery store to stock up on supplies.
We sat on the balcony, enjoying the views and enjoying not being on a plane or train or lugging suitcases around.
I took a lot of pictures of the scenery:
The view from our balcony (looking straight out toward the south)
I think this map is from the top of the hill just above our apartment.
View from our balcony looking west (to the right).
I also figured out that the Swiss stole New Hampshire’s Old Man in the Mountain, and they laid him down to try to disguise him, but I’m onto their game:
No one slept much on the plane, so we were all tired, but did our best to stay awake until a reasonable hour. I was the first to go down, falling asleep briefly in a comfy chair on the balcony and then calling it a night.
