Lauterbrunnen Return

  Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
Thursday, July 19, 2007

After a rather sweaty night of broken sleep in our ritzy-esque hotel in Lugano, we enjoyed our croissant breakfast and did a little morning grocery shopping. We all had a look at some of the clothes they had on sale, some of us shopping more seriously than others, and headed back to pack up the car. Mike, Marla, and Nate hit the road on the Motorbikes but we stopped off at a Cathedral in town that was supposed to have an amazing fresco inside of it. Gabrielle and Marla had stopped by there earlier on a morning walk but it wasn't open. We double parked in front of the church, figuring that we wouldn't actually be there long, and headed inside. The church had been painted by a disciple of Leonardo Di Vinci in 1529, and the style showed a little. The main fresco covered a huge portion of a wall inside the church and displayed Jesus' crucifixion. The rest of the church wasn't too opulent, but still a beautiful sight. We reluctantly headed off again towards Lauterbrunnen.

Fabulous Frescoe

After a bit of driving we began hitting some familiar territory, which was pretty cool to say that we had familiar territory in Switzerland. We reached some familiar passes that we had driven in days before, and met Mike, Marla, and Nate atop St. Gottard (or San Gottardo) pass. We enjoyed a Bratwurst from a vendor and had a look at the view of the area. Nate and Mike switched bikes and left to try riding the hill again so Mike got to try the smaller, faster bike. Marla watched the gear and we trekked around what looked like an old bunker turned museum on the rocky slopes. Gabrielle spent the next half hour snapping wild flower shots while we jumped the rocks and explored nooks and crannies.

San Gottardo Signage

When Mike and Nate got back, Gabrielle and Marla switched so Gabrielle finally got a ride on the back of Mike's bike. Marla hopped in the car with Dan for the rest of the trip to Lauterbrunnen. We all met up again at the Furka pass, site of the glacier you can do a walk inside of. We all did the walk this time and we made sure we had a camera! The walk was different from when we had done it a few days earlier. A second rift had opened in the ceiling of the passaged, and much more water was dripping from the ceiling as well. We also noticed the the shape of the tunnel was different. Areas that had been ice before were gone in the few days that had passed and it made us sad to think of the glacier melting at such a rapid rate.

Glacier Goodness

We all continued on to Lauterbrunnen and the weather packed in right before we arrived. It cleared a little once we reached Lauterbrunnen, but we all passed through heavy, almost hail like, rain that pelted down from the sky. Since we had no previously booked accommodation in Lauterbrunnen, we started our search. The first stop Mike and Marla encountered a rather stroppy Swiss woman who made it very clear (through raised tones) that there was NO BREAKFAST included in the accommodation... right, so we'll go elsewhere then. Mike and Marla ended up at a hotel on one edge of town while Nate ended up with us at the hostel that Jeff and Kat had stayed in on our last visit. The hostel turned out to be pretty nice, but the rain picked up again and Dan got absolutely soaked running bags up to the room and then looking for Gabrielle and Nate who had found their way to the 'cooking area' we were told about when we checked in. Turned out that the 'cooking area' was a few camping stoves under a tarp outside. There wasn't much in terms of plates or pots, and nothing in terms of utensils, but since we already had some travel utensils on us we managed a pretty good dinner from some grocery store scores. Gabrielle led the charge on a beautiful dinner of noodles and seasoned sauce, fresh cooked veges, and bacon for Nate and I, and scrambled egg mixed in. It was a spectacular meal and hit the spot. We also got talking to an Indo-Scottish couple who were doing a little backpacking around as well and it was awesome to be talking to fellow backpackers again about where they had been and where they were going. We had found cheap Kuchen (cake) for dessert and it turned out to be like a custard pie sort of deal, but very tasty.

Cooking in the Rain

We met up with Mike and Marla at the restaurant after they had finished their meal. Gabrielle and Marla shared a dessert while Mike got his own. Nate and I were both stuffed and passed, but stayed for the company. Gabrielle and Marla got a Mocha Flambe which came out as a shaped bit of Mocha ice cream covered in chocolate. The waiter poured an orange liquor over the ice cream and lit it on fire, occasionally spooning the flaming mixture over the chocolate covered ice cream, melting the chocolate into the liquor. In the end the ice cream was uncovered and surrounded by a chocolate, orange liquor sauce - very cool. The next day Gabrielle and I managed to score a small bottle of the liquor for Mike and Marla and one for us as well... you never know when you may need Flambe!

Lauterbrunnen in the Mist

Meanwhile a thunderstorm had really been brewing and we were treated to a pretty good light and sound show. Dan wandered out into the rain and stood on the street to watch the lightning streak across the sky and rumble through the heavens. We eventually called it a night after trying and failing to get wireless at Mike and Marla's hotel. Tomorrow we leave Switzerland and the tour ends. Another travel chapter closed.

All our best from Switzerland

Dan and Gabrielle