[Adelaidean]

10 February 2017 at 7:50:18 #810773

Hello again,

I was intrigued by Alpenrose’s suggestion recently

< If you have time, the trip down the other side from Grosse Scheidegg to Meiringen is also lovely>

so I looked at a day trip from Wengen, say 8.24 am departure. Shows a 2 minute connection (Grindelwald train station arrival is 9.42 and the bus 128 departs 9.44) . Presumably possible as timetable shows it as a connection. Is it reasonable? Just in case it’s not…. as the day excursion is a long one, so missing the bus means an hour’s delay.

Was thinking of visiting Rosenlaui Gorge (bus arr 10.49, leaves 12.49 ? reasonable ), on to Meiringen, Brienz, maybe cruise lake mid/ late afternoon, train back to Wengen.

Sounds like a nice day, does this look possible? … the 2 minute connection, about 2 hours in gorge, cruise.

Not fixed on this, can leave cruise for another day (maybe do Rothorn and cruise together another day), and wander Meiringen and Brienz instead, they both look nice.

We are melting here, so doing some lovely research to distract me 🙂

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[Removed user]

10 February 2017 at 19:21:39 #858848

Hi Adelaiden,

Everything looks lovely except that 2 minute connection.
I would probably only go for it if it was train to train at a small 2 track train station and when the conductor could call ahead to try and keep the connection…..

For a train to bus connection at 2 minutes. I would definitely not try that unfortunately…the SBB website algorithms say one thing and reality says another sometimes! 🙂

Lucas

[Adelaidean]

10 February 2017 at 21:30:28 #858849

Thank you Lucas, tried the scheduling in reverse and it works better.

(I think adding the cruise complicates things too, timing is a bit restrictive).

[Removed user]

11 February 2017 at 0:11:39 #858850

>> so I looked at a day trip from Wengen, say 8.24 am departure.

Have you seen the Grindelwald Bus page with information and a downloadable brochure with a timetable on how to do what they call the “Glacial Waters Round Trip”? Check again after April when they publish their new summer timetables:

http://www.grindelwaldbus.ch/ en/hiking-and-exursions/glacial-waters-roundtrip

There is also a video on that page to whet your appetite! It’s in German, but the scenery speaks for itself 🙂

>> Shows a 2 minute connection (Grindelwald train station arrival is 9.42 and the bus 128 departs 9.44). Presumably possible as timetable shows it as a connection. Is it reasonable? Just in case it’s not…. as the day excursion is a long one, so missing the bus means an hour’s delay.

The bus interchange is not right outside the Grindelwald station, but a little bit up the road, and involves crossing a road. I agree with Lucas that 2 minutes is probably cutting it a bit fine in this case. Although if you were in the first carriage, which means you wouln’t have far to walk up the platform, it might be doable. However, I would get an earlier train to Grindelwald.

>> Not fixed on this, can leave cruise for another day (maybe do Rothorn and cruise together another day), and wander Meiringen and Brienz instead, they both look nice.

Apart from going to the Frutal Tea Room in Meiringen to sample their famous meringue desserts, personally I wouldn’t spend any additional time in Meiringen, unless you are a Sherlock Holmes fan. It’s a pleasant town, but there are much more spectacular options nearby.

Same with Brienz: great for access to the Brienzer Rothorn train and the lake boats, and just enjoying the lake view, but the town itself pales in comparison to other attractions. There is a famous woodcarving shop there though. Quality is superb, but they are quite expensive.

Alpenrose

[Adelaidean]

11 February 2017 at 1:25:38 #858851

I was hoping you would chime in, Alpenrose! Yes, I’d seen that link, and summer timetable not up yet as you noted.

Maybe I should jump off at Grosse Scheidegg for an hour rather than wander Meiringen then. Am a bit of a pavlova fan though, so a meringue might have to happen…..

I do speak basic German (not fantastic, but enough, – well, sometimes I mess up words and then it’s mighty confusing for all LOL )

Just watched that video, fabulous, definitely on my must do list. We were in the Dolomites last July, amazing bus drivers in the mountains, for sure.

Looks like it might be nice to stop in Schwarzwaldalp too, and walk to the Rosenlaui gorge…

. Anyone recommend?

[Adelaidean]

11 February 2017 at 5:31:16 #858852

Oh, answered my own question, should have looked it up first 🙂 Schwarzwaldalp to Rosenlaui gorge is less than 2km! ….. if anyone else is interested.

[Removed user]

12 February 2017 at 0:22:13 #858853

>> Maybe I should jump off at Grosse Scheidegg for an hour rather than wander Meiringen then.

Yes, that would be my choice. I only got off at Grosse Scheidegg myself, but I think any of these stops would be worth getting off at: Grosse Scheidegg (mountain and distant valley views and restaurant), Schwarzwaldalp (mountain views, historic sawmill and restaurant), Rosenlaui Gorge (there is a bus stop at the Gorge) and Rosenlaui Hotel (outdoor tables with mountain views, and people rave about the food). What you can fit in will very much depend on the bus timetable and how long you spend there. There are a couple of old threads with some info about the Rosenlaui Gorge which might interest you:

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/rosenlaui-glacier-gorge

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/swiss-saver-pass

>> Am a bit of a pavlova fan though, so a meringue might have to happen…..

The Frutal Tea Room in Meiringen is open from 7:00 until 18:30 daily, except for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, so you could save it till last. Meiringen claims to be the place where meringue was invented, and thus named after the town. I have attached a photo of the dessert I had there 🙂

>> Looks like it might be nice to stop in Schwarzwaldalp too, and walk to the Rosenlaui gorge…

As I mentioned above, there is also a bus stop at the Rosenlaui Gorge. An alternative might be to walk from Rosenlaui Gorge to the Rosenlaui Hotel. According to Google Maps, it’s 400 metres, 5 minutes and is downhill.

By the way, if visiting the Rosenlaui Gorge doesn’t work out for one reason or another, an alternative is the Aare Gorge near Meiringen. I have been there and it is wonderful!

Alpenrose

[Adelaidean]

12 February 2017 at 1:34:30 #858854

That dessert looks a very worthwhile stop ! Deconstructed pavlova 🙂

Had looked at Aare Gorge, also a consideration. We like gorges, went to Partnachklamm last year and Leutaschklamm before that.

Wonderful collection of ideas for a day out…spectacular bus ride, gorges, dessert….perfect….

[AlanPrice]

13 February 2017 at 7:19:24 #858855

Hi,

I’ve done the hike from Meiringen to Grindelwald and I’d recommend doing the bus trip in that direction because you have the mountains in front of you the whole time, otherwise, once you’ve crossed Grosse Scheidegg, the view in front is more valley than mountain. The road is very twisty, so make sure you sit as close to the front of the bus as you can, both for the view and to avoid car sickness. You might consider stopping at Reichenbach falls if time permits. These are the falls made famous by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as the place he tried to kill off Sherlock Holmes.

This link is for a Google Earth tour I put together. It will give you a taste of what to expect on the trip out of Meiringen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Npea2RYD-g

If you like gorges, there’s also the Gletscherschluct in Grindelwald to consider.

I take it from your name you’re from Adelaide. If you can’t escape the heat and the blackouts, try going to Tassie. They’ve had snow this week.

Cheers

Alan (Sydney)

[Adelaidean]

13 February 2017 at 9:03:22 #858856

Hi Alan, AMAZING video. So great for context. Makes sense to travel in that direction. Thank you. Couldn’t ‘like’ your video as not a member, but really a fabulous idea.

Yes, candles are now part of our weekly grocery shop 🙁

We were just discussing going to Tasmania in winter for snow, didn’t realise they’d just had some. My kids were thrilled when we got a light snowfall in Bavaria on a mountaintop in summer, so excited.