What? The inspiration for the elvish city of Rivendell in JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit? If you have seen the movie or read the book (perhaps as a kid) you will remember the towering cliffsides, the thundering waterfalls, the sense of wonder…well it really exists right here on earth and JRR saw it and was entranced when he and his family spent a holiday in the Bernese Alps in 1911. He was 19 at the time. He would not write the book for another 25 years, but he made the connection clear in a letter to his son when he was 76…it was the Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland.
From the town of Lauterbrunnen on a clear day in spring with the peaks of the Mönsch, Jungfrau and and Eiger at the end of the valley, imposing…towering…it is easy to imagine you are in Rivendell in awe of the Misty Mountains…and quail, as Bilbo… who had to cross to the other side (to go after that dastardly dragon Smaug).
In spring there are more than 60 waterfalls, in ribbons of silver, cascading down the opposing cliffs to join the White Lütschine River which empties into the Brienzersee at Interlaken.
I know a place where the dwarves dwelt in their “Kingdom under the Mountain”, well, OK, not quite, but the Trümmelbach Falls, a World Heritage Site, could bring them to mind (if you ignore all the other tourists). Imagine a series of ten cascades tumbling down inside a slot canyon gouged out over the millennia. From the gate a funicular will take you to the sixth cascade from which you can take stairs to the top and then down to the bottom. There are six lookout stations, the roar is intense and mist is everywhere…everything is wet (including you), be prepared. The approach from Lauterbrunnen by foot (2.5Km) is lovely. On a clear bracing spring day with brilliant blue skies, glistening snows at the head of the valley, meadows the color of emeralds, cliffs towering above you, the river in full spate…not much better. Before you leave Lauterbrunnen, goggle at the Staubbach Waterfall, tumbling 975 feet down the east cliffside. On the other side is the Schiltwaldbach Wasserfall. Along the way look for the wispier Buchenbachfälle on the same side, everywhere you look, water is tumbling down. It’s magical… or… you can take the bus .
The Wengernalp rack & pinion railway runs from Lauterbrunnen to Grindelwald, a skiers’s paradise, via Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg. (I don’t know why J.K. Rowling chose Grindelwald as the surname of the evil wizard in the Harry Potter novels, does it sound evil to you?). At 19 Kms it is the longest such railway in Switzerland. We got off at Kleine Scheidegg and transferred to the Jungfraujoch railway, the highest in Europe and well above the perennial snow line, and as a result, the last part of the route runs through the Jungfrau Tunnel to protect the line from extreme weather. The Jungfraujoch terminal calls itself ‘The top of Europe’ at 10,400 ft. To say that these were thrilling rides with spectacular views does them not enough justice. The station below is the last stop before the tunnel. The mountains were so close we (Vicky, my father and I) were in awe (and really cold).
When we were at Grindelwald, on a beautiful day, the sky was teeming with paragliders, well, not strictly teeming but full, OK, pretty full. Paragliding Jungfrau, specialists in tandem flights, will take you to the top of First Mountain on the east side of the Grindelwald Valley, and then, at 6,600 feet, well…hmm…and if that’s not your thing, but you like heights, you can try the Cliff Walk, you get the picture…or, perhaps zip-lining is your thing (it is mine), not your ordinary sedate setup, this thing straps you in sitting, and then, at speeds up to 80Km/hr, hurtles you down the slope for 2400 feet. Fun.
Travelling up towards the head of the valley, past pretty, well-tended farm-houses, your destination is the Schilthornbahn cable car to, well, the top of the Schilthorn, with three stations in between – Gimmelwald, Mürren and Birg. Don’t ask how much this costs, it is steep, and so well worth it.
Standing at the bottom of the valley and craning your head up, you just have to wonder if this is safe, as there is the station at the bottom and then a pylon at the top of the cliff-face. That’s it – a kilometer and a half of thin air in between – it’s also one of the world’s steepest cable cars - yikes.
Gimmelwald is right out of Heidi. You can imagine ‘Grandfather’ coming out of one of these so-iconic Swiss farm houses full of geranium flower boxes (in fact we did see an old guy sunning himself on his porch, wishing us a Grüß Gott (God bless) greeting as we went by towards Mürren… just three switch-back streets on a 30-degree slope (estimate). Alpine meadows carpeted with spring flowers, all around and more ever higher on the slope past the forests, cows with bells, impressive views – precious. Just outside a couple of houses there was an honor system: Some chunks of cheese, eggs, butter with a price and a little box in which to deposit your money – who could resist that.
The view from the lookouts, on a clear late spring day, with snow glistening on the Jungfrau on the opposite side, mountains all around, the sound of spring water running down in rivulets seemingly everywhere, the sense of the immensity of the space between you and the far wall… makes you glad you are alive and that you have been privileged to see this.
The walk up to Mürren, there are no cars up here, is lengthy and tiring and…gorgeous. Just before Mürren you’ll pass over a stream which will continue to tumble over the cliff as Mürrenbachfall.
Hiking possibilities all over the entire area are endless, but not for the unready. The Blumenthal Panorama trail from Mürren is excellent and has to be combined with a ride from Mürren up the Allmendhubel funicular to the starting point of the trail at the flower loop (150 different alpine flowers!), then a gentle 2 Km stroll down to Mürren. There much more demanding trails including one that starts at Mürren and descends to the valley floor at Lauterbrunnen – 11 Kms..2.5hrs. Then if you are very fit and have made the prior reservation at Hotel Obersteinberg, walk to the very head of the valley, then hike up the switchback trail to your destination – an elevation gain of 2500 ft!!! over 4 Kms for a very unique experience.
Lastly, cannot fail to mention the gondola ride up from Mürren to the Schilthorn – Piz Gloria, with its rotating panoramic station – with mountains poking their heads through the clouds below – well, ‘nuf said. Chalk one off the Bucket List.
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