DAY 4 (18th September 2022) – Interlaken (Grindelwald)
This day will be spent almost entirely at Grindelwald village and its surrounding attractions. It is an extremely popular tourist location due to its stunning sceneries, well-built attractions, adventurous activities, beautiful hikes and of course, the charm of the village itself. A combination of short walks, a bus ride (to Wilderswil), a train ride (to Grindelwald village) and a cable car ride would bring us to Grindelwald First, the top of Grindelwald. From there we would take our time to enjoy all of the above, including a long hike to Bachalpsee, a small picturesque alpine lake up in the mountains.
Journey to First
The journey from our AirBnb to First can be said to be uneventful, which is a testament to the punctual schedule of the public transport, reflecting the nature of the Swiss people, and how things work in the European continent in general. To reach First, we have to go through Grindelwald village, itself already located more than 1000m above sea level, sitting right at the foot of Mt. Eiger. Grindelwald is said to have been inhabited as early as 1146, and has a small population of around just 3,800 people today.
As Grindelwald is located in a valley, the sun was barely peeking over the top of the mountain ranges even at around 10:00am as we arrived at the village. That made for a warm welcome to visitors like us, as the radiant beams bathed us with its warm sunlight. From the train station, we walked ten minutes through the village to the other side, to catch the cable car up to First.
(Bro Ray: I have scoured the internet – I couldn’t find why the place was called “First”, but it is. You heard it first, here)
Firstbahn, the name of the final station, is located at 2,168m above sea level – the weather is cold all year round; freezing during winter, one can assume. First is called “Top of Adventure” for many reasons. It has many activities for the brave souls and also several less adrenaline-inducing activities. So, everyone can feel comfortable with whatever tickles their fancies. We decided to tackle only those we could handle, not the “First Flyer” (hurtling down 800m on a steel cable) nor “First Glider” (soaring through the mountain air like a bird)!
Bachalpsee
Upon reaching First, we decided to walk to the little lake named Bachalpsee, about an hour’s walk from the station. On a super calm day, the surrounding mountains can be perfectly reflected on the mirror-like surface of the lake, and depending on where you stand, the tallest one (and probably the most photographed one) being Mt. Schreckhorn. The walk is very pleasant on wide dirt pathways, and hardly much elevation gain.
The view on the way to the lake was simple breathtaking. We took many photos of the surrounding scenic views, as would be expected. Along the way, we met many other adventurers headed the same way, some would go beyond Bachalpsee to Faulhorn (a small mountain peak) and Schynige Platte (a small mountain ridge overlooking Wilderswil village below). At Schynige Platte, there is a cable car service which can take you back down to Wilderswil.
Bachalpsee consists of two lakes actually, the much smaller one being 6m in elevation lower, named Hinterbachalpsee, separated from the main lake by a natural dam. But from our vantage point, we could hardly see it. Plus, the main lake itself was simply mesmerising and captivating, so we spent more time here.
(Bro Ray: I am deliberately only showing one photo of the lake, cause, you know, I want you to go there and see the beauty of the lake yourself 😊)
First Cliff Walk by Tissot
The name of the cliff walk is as above, and for pretty obvious reasons, must have been paid for by the famous Swiss watchmaker. And it literally IS a cliff walk, as in the metal steps and railings are built into the vertical side of the cliff, with nothing else under your feet other than metal deck. It snakes its way along the side of the cliff and then does a loop before extending a little over the valley below. If you’re afraid of heights, this is a good place to overcome it! Or you could just walk the not-so-scary sections.
Trottibike
Ok, now this was probably the most adventurous thing we did in the entire trip – riding down the hill in a trottibike all the way from First to Grindelwald village. We never knew there was such a thing – a trottibike was like a crossbreed between a bicycle sans the pedal and a leg scooter, with brakes – but I guess all of us were so glad we did it. Safety is, of course, of paramount importance, since it was downhill all the way and the speeds could be quite fast.
The well-paved path was wide and it meandered pass fields and meadows with barns and village houses dotting the landscape. The surrounding mountains acting as the backdrop as we whizzed our way down the hill. One lady from another group must have lost control and fell heavily into the meadow and she was visibly in distress surrounded by her worried friends. The warnings are true – don’t go too fast!
We had to push the bike a short distance once we arrived at the village and surrendered the trottibikes at the station. And then, it was time to head back to the AirBnb, about an hour away.
Summary Day 4
I don’t think there are many places in the world where we could have done what we did on this day. A pleasant hike to a beautiful lake, a walk on the edge at the First Cliff Walk and then a blood-pumping exciting ride down the hill, to top it all off. All the while, being surrounded by postcard-worthy sceneries acting as the perfect canvas for our photographs. All I can say is, “Thank you, Switzerland, for allowing us to soak up your beauty!”
