{"id":2382,"date":"2025-07-13T10:36:53","date_gmt":"2025-07-13T17:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/?p=2382"},"modified":"2025-08-06T21:28:49","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T04:28:49","slug":"switzerland-july-13-interlaken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/?p=2382","title":{"rendered":"Switzerland, July 13: Interlaken"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We had allowed ourselves two days in Interlaken to slow down a bit and enjoy the Alps, so the second day we took another cogwheel train.\u00a0 This one left from immediately next to our hotel, and took us up to the lower region called Schynige Platte.<\/p>\n<p>This train is very slow, but that&#8217;s because of the incredibly steep grades it hauls itself up.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_100302.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2383\" src=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_100302.jpg\" alt=\"Schynige Platte train\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_100302.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_100302-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_100302-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_100302-400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nBecause of the old-fashioned wooden seatsness of it all, I was put slightly in mind of the <a href=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/?p=1652\">romantic train ride<\/a> we did in Kyoto, but this was was actually a bit better than that &#8211; you didn&#8217;t have an announcer shouting at you the whole time, and no one attempted to sell us photos of ourselves.\u00a0 I still wouldn&#8217;t necessarily call this &#8220;romantic&#8221;, per se, but the views were pretty great.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_102914.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2384\" src=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_102914.jpg\" alt=\"View from train\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_102914.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_102914-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_102914-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_102914-400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nThe point of coming up here was to go for a hike.\u00a0 There&#8217;s an alpine garden and a trail along a fairly narrow ridgeline.\u00a0 There&#8217;s also a picture frame, so you can take a properly framed photo of the Alps.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-07-13-10.43.19.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2385\" src=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-07-13-10.43.19.jpg\" alt=\"Alps in frame\" width=\"1020\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-07-13-10.43.19.jpg 1020w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-07-13-10.43.19-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-07-13-10.43.19-768x578.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-07-13-10.43.19-398x300.jpg 398w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nWe tried to do a Magritte, but I don&#8217;t think we quite got it right.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_104349.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2387\" src=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_104349.jpg\" alt=\"Picture in picture\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_104349.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_104349-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_104349-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_104349-400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nAt any rate, the hike was very pretty, and especially once you got up to the ridgeline, very narrow.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_115326.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2388\" src=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_115326.jpg\" alt=\"Ridgeline\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_115326.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_115326-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_115326-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_115326-400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_113514-rotated.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-2389\" src=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_113514-1024x343.jpg\" alt=\"Panorama from ridgeline\" width=\"584\" height=\"196\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_113514-1024x343.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_113514-300x101.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_113514-768x257.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_113514-500x168.jpg 500w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_113514-rotated.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nNormally I don&#8217;t just throw in a bunch of pictures without saying something between each one, but &#8211; come on.<\/p>\n<p>The one difficulty, as can be seen in these pictures compared to the one from the day before, is that it was threatening to rain.\u00a0 And shortly after we took this one, it went from &#8220;threatening&#8221; to &#8220;raining pretty damn hard.&#8221;\u00a0 Of course at the maximum distance from the train station on the out-and-back loop we were on.<\/p>\n<p>So was slogged our way back in the rain, skipped the alpine garden, and squished on to the train for the ride back down.\u00a0 At which point, of course, the weather turned gorgeous.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_144443.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2390\" src=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_144443.jpg\" alt=\"Schynige platte railway\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_144443.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_144443-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_144443-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_144443-400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nI mentioned that we had mostly skipped the town of Interlaken, the center of which feels very much like the Virginia Beach of Switzerland.\u00a0 However, we HAD signed up for a chocolate making class that afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>The shop where we did the class was promising.\u00a0 Lots of interesting decor, funky hipster vibe.\u00a0 The class itself was&#8230; fine.\u00a0 Really.\u00a0 We got to make chocolate, and we got to eat chocolate.\u00a0 But you could tell it was geared towards the 12 and under crowd who made up most of the rest of the attendees.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_165645.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2391\" src=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_165645.jpg\" alt=\"Chocolate class\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_165645.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_165645-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_165645-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_165645-400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nWe ended up with six chocolate bars, which we then carried around with us for the remainder of the trip in a little white paper bag, which had to be maneuvered on top of our other luggage the whole time.\u00a0 Keep Chekhov&#8217;s bag of chocolate in mind.<\/p>\n<p>While we waited for the chocolate to set, we had some time to walk around and see some of the less touristy bits of town along the river, which were really quite nice.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_173836.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2392\" src=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_173836.jpg\" alt=\"Interlaken river\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_173836.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_173836-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_173836-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250713_173836-400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nAnd then it was zoom zoom again off to our next city &#8211; Lucerne!\u00a0 We arrived in time to have a nice evening walk along the lake there, and then off to bed.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-07-13-21.37.48.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2393\" src=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-07-13-21.37.48.jpg\" alt=\"Lucerne night view\" width=\"1020\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-07-13-21.37.48.jpg 1020w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-07-13-21.37.48-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-07-13-21.37.48-768x578.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025-07-13-21.37.48-398x300.jpg 398w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We had allowed ourselves two days in Interlaken to slow down a bit and enjoy the Alps, so the second day we took another cogwheel train.\u00a0 This one left from immediately next to our hotel, and took us up to &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/?p=2382\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-switzerland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2382"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2411,"href":"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2382\/revisions\/2411"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}