Best basecamp for wildflowers in late June?

Hi Marki-

<<"If the lighting in good in my photos it is usually serendipity, not planning, except maybe sunsets.">>

Serendipity means being prepared.

We were driving through the Crete Senese south of Sienna in 2006.

These views hit us in the eye. Hopped out of the car, set up my tripod and got ten shots ( a whole roll of 120 film !) with my 6by7. Maybe a few more...it took time to change a roll of film in that camera......before sunset.

The Ektachrome was a bit saturated, and Photoshop helped with the lighting. Can't beat sunset for wonderful lighting.

Slowpoke

Hi Slowpoke!

I am torn -- clearly folks here think that putting my base higher up in Wengen is a better plan ... but ... we will have a car! If we are based in Briez, we are close to:

1. Wilderswil station for Shynigge Platte

2. Lakes, castles, and lots of restaurant and museum choices if the weather isn't good.

3. We can drive easily to Lauterbrunnen each morning, from which we can choose either a Wengen day trip to Maanlichen OR a Murren day trip to the wildflower path and Shilthorn without any backtracking.

4. OR we can drive to Grindelwald to go see the Jungfraujoch weather permitting ... Or Bachalpsee.

5. We are closer to Lucerne if the weather is really terrible and we want to go early

6. We are closer to Zurich which is where we arrive and where we leave from ...

So ... I just am confused.

: )

Gillian

All tru.

Your reasons are correct. having a car makes your location sensible, and, the price is good.

You'll not that I said that we used to stay in Brienz, for all those reasons plus lower cost, even when we did not have a car....about 50% of the time. I'll admit that the quality vs. price considerations of that incarnation of the Weisses Kreuz were a a draw. However, they could not maintain their standards at prices that were profitable. The altered the balance a bit.

You also forgot proximity to the outstanding restaurant at the hotel Victoria, in Meiringen.

Nonetheless, over time, the ambience of staying in Wengen became more important to us.

Either way will work, and your way will work a lot better if the weather is not cooperative.

However, except for price, your logic would apply to Interlaken as a compromise.

By the way, I don't consider reason #6 to have much weight.

Everyone's perspective is based on their own set of needs and values. When we have used an apartment, we appreciated the spaciousness and the kitchen.

Slowpoke

Hello Slowpoke and Gillian,

Slowpoke i enjoyed your photos, they are beautiful. Using a tripod improves the quality and sharpness almost exponentially. When hiking, I always have a camera attached to a quick release Cotton Carrier on my backpack. I can snap a picture almost without breaking stride. But no tripod, so the quality is not in the same league as yours.

Gillian, Part of the fun of a Swiss vacation for me is the ambience and beauty of staying in Wengen. Riding the cog trains and cable cars just adds to the charm for me. Also I don't miss dealing with driving or parking a car. Driving a car as far as they are allowed then taking a train or cable car should certainly work, but perhaps not quite as efficiently as being based in Wengen. In my opinion traveling from Wengen to the destinations you mentioned is not only easy but part of the adventure.That being said, I expect you'll have a great trip no matter where you stay. Mark

<<"When hiking, I always have a camera attached to a quick release Cotton

Carrier on my backpack. I can snap a picture almost without breaking

stride.">>

I use a specialized Tamrac backpack which acts as a sling bag. Many others available. This one has been discontinued.

www.amazon.com/Tamrac-Evolution-Photo-Laptop-Backpack/dp/B003D5TVAO

Same effect, but I can carry the camera internally, for protection, and use the same arrangement aboard an airplane, for carry-on.

<" Using a tripod improves the quality and sharpness almost exponentially">>

So does medium format in film.

Those images scan to an image file roughly equivalent to 85 Mpix.

Slowpoke

Hello Marki and Slowpoke!

Well, after hearing your thoughts and also writing Kim and hearing her thoughts I have cancelled the apartment in Brienz ...

New plan is to fly Venice to Zurich 6/20, and rent a car. Drive from Zurich ot Grindelwald where I have book isa wonderful room at he Berghaus Bort -- a little but spotless and new place halfway up to the First Station ... since we have a car we can drive up and down to the hotel ... but it is totally isolated form the rest of Grindelwald and has incredible views on all sides ... amazing patio ...

From there we can drive to Lauterbrunnen (only 20 minutes) to see Murren (And Shilthorn) and Wengen and sights form those two towns. and we can just take the cable cars up farther for a few pf the sights in Grindelwald, as well as going to see the Jungfraujoch -- weather permitting. We can drive to Wilderswil for the Platte train .. or to the lake region if weather is bad ... and drive back to Zurich via Lucerne on our way out ... so I think this is a good compromise ...

Thank you both so much ... and all of you who have weighed in!

Gillian

Hi Gillian-

<<"Berghaus Bort -- a little but spotless and new place halfway up to the

First Station ... since we have a car we can drive up and down to the

hotel ...">>

i assume that you have confirmed that you can drive to Bort?

Slowpoke

Hi! Yes there is a narrow paved road that is open -- except in the winter ... they send out instructions to all visitors since it is not well marked. i have read you dont want to try it for first time in the dark! But .. my boyfriend is an excellent shift driver so I am not worried.

G

Hi Gillian -

Sounds like you have made a good discovery. A nice thing about this forum is learning about such "discoveries."

Glad to hear it is paved, but don't expect guardrails on the downhill side. ;-)

Slowpoke

Hi Gillian,

It sounds like you have a good plan. Have a great trip. Mark

www.bort.swiss/en/alpi nhotel-bort/

The instructions form the hotel say it is only for "good" drivers! i am excited for the incredible patio and the instant access to beautiful walks and the fresh, basic, local food! Also the room styles look fresh and clean and cozy (we have the nicest room I think ... with a good view and still it is so much cheaper than anything below. .. )

www.bort.swiss/en/alpi nhotel-bort/

Ack! Sorry for typos .. hit send too soon!

Looks great. A candidate for my next trip. ;-)

I'd rather take the cableway, and I'm a "good" driver.

Everyone has there own preferences, but we both certainly agree on the spectacular location.

Slowpoke

LOL Yes! Well I figure if the road is too scary we can park at the bottom and take the gondola up each night!

Thank you! The Beausite looks spectacular but I like the price point, accessibility and location of this smaller simpler one!

Here are the directions ... doesn't look so bad from the pictures ...

www.bort.swiss/en/cont act-arrival/arrival/

Maggie- I am writing a book in which the heroine paints wildflowers. She is living in St. Gallen for most of the time but rides the Gemmi Pass (1904, no tunnels or funiculars) on horseback and is struck by the beauty of the alpine wetlands and the descent to Kandersteg. I have her traveling in March right now by I could make it a little later in the Spring. Could you help me with the flowers she would see? Thank you!

Hi Idali -

Just checked the altitude, and the Gemmipass is at 2314 meters above sea level. That means that Winter is still going strong on the Gemmipass.

Slowpoke

>> I have her traveling in March right now by I could make it a little later in the Spring. Could you help me with the flowers she would see? Thank you!

Seeing wildflowers in the alps, especially at the higher altitudes, is really a summer experience, rather than a spring one, and different flowers have different flowering times.

Here is a link with flowering times of various alpine flowers (not limited to Switzerland):

www.sherpaexpeditions. com/Blog/PostId/147/al pine-flowers-switzerland-walking-holidays

From this page, you can download a brochure with pictures of plants and flowers found in the Gemmi Pass area.

www.sunnbuel.ch/sommer /wandern/pflanzenweg-stierebergli/

Alpenrose